Optics warranties....they vary

[sneaky]

Yeah. Has me wondering if the slightly better glass is worth it in the end.

It absolutely is. Zero doubts or questions about it. There's nothing 'slightly" better about the alpha glass compared to Vortex. If you don't spend a lot of time behind glass, then that's different. I spent all weekend behind my SLCs and my Kowa spotter. Worth every penny.

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[willfrye027]

It absolutely is. Zero doubts or questions about it. There's nothing 'slightly" better about the alpha glass compared to Vortex. If you don't spend a lot of time behind glass, then that's different. I spent all weekend behind my SLCs and my Kowa spotter. Worth every penny.

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I could see that. For me it was slightly better glass in the conquests but ended up being not the best warranty which hurt resale. Mid tier vs premium glass is a whole other conversation though.

 

[SkinnyPete]

So, is the Swaro warranty transferable? I'm looking at some 12x50el's and would love to save some $$ but not if it means giving up a warranty.

 

[Steve O]

Seems like a lot of these answers are pointing towards the amazing warranty of Vortex.

What’s so great about knowing you are going to have use the “amazing” warranty? I’ll pass.

 

[Thess87]

Maybe I missed it but maven has lifetime warranty,and in all my dealings with them they seem to be great group of people.

 

[huntcoop]

What’s so great about knowing you are going to have use the “amazing” warranty? I’ll pass.

The above post about Zeiss is kind of shocking. Couple grand for glass and they won’t fix ‘em..?!

 

[TexasHTR]

I'm about to test out the Kowa warranty on my spotter. There is an internal dust spec that shows up when digiscoping. I'll report back how it turns out.

 

[NoWiser]

The above post about Zeiss is kind of shocking. Couple grand for glass and they won’t fix ‘em..?!

The Conquests are not a couple grand.

For what it's worth, I bought a brand new pair of Conquest HDs 5 years ago and sold them this year for $50.00 less than what I paid for them. That's $10.00/yr to own good glass. Try doing that with Vortex. They did need new eyecups and Zeiss customer service was super helpful, sending my two different types, free of charge. I would not hesitate to buy them again, though my new SLCs are a noticeable step up in quality.

There's more than just the warranty to consider. Resale is a big deal. I know 10 years from now I'll be able to sell my Swaros for nearly what I paid for them, though I seriously doubt I'll ever get rid of them in my lifetime. I have zero warranty concerns.

 

[realunlucky]

So, is the Swaro warranty transferable? I'm looking at some 12x50el's and would love to save some $$ but not if it means giving up a warranty.

Yes they'll transfer it. Give them a call Swarovski with the serial number simple

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[couesbitten]

I've had some warranty experience with 3 optics companies, Burris, Leupold and Swarovski.
Burris Fullfield 3-9x40 rifle scope, bought new, sent in after first sight-in after the reticle was knocked loose, repaired at no cost. I had to send the same scope in again about 1.5 years later for the same issue, repaired again, but I'm done with Burris. I appreciate the lifetime warranty, but don't appreciate having to use it.

Leupold 10x42 Pinnacle binos, sent them in after 3(?) years of use to have the eye cups replaced because they wouldn't stay up during use, received a brand new pair when they were returned.

Swarovski 10x42 EL binos, bought these used on eBay, knowing that they had a shattered right eye piece lens. I was honestly not concerned at all with their condition knowing Swarovski's warranty reputation. When I received them, it appeared that the only damage was the eyepiece, but they smelled as though they had been stored in the bottom of a heavily used ashtray for years. Contacted Swarovski, inquired about repair and was told labor will cost you nothing, we will inspect them and contact you with recommendations. I received a call from them 2 or 3 weeks later and they stated that other than the broken eyepiece, no significant issues were found. They recommended that I replace all of the lenses, and that I would basically have a brand new pair of binoculars. I agreed and for less than $300 out of pocket, I had "brand new" binos. When I received them, I was pleased to discover that they had put a new rubber skin on them and they now looked and smelled new.

I have no experience with Vortex, Athlon, Tract, etc. and don't ever plan to, but as others have said, I believe that with their products, it's not a matter of if you'll use their warranty, but when. I'd rather pay for a more trusted (expensive) brand and lower the risk of having to utilize a warranty.

 

[Beendare]

The above post about Zeiss is kind of shocking. Couple grand for glass and they won’t fix ‘em..?!

Internet hogwash. I dunno the specifics of that other post...but Zeiss has gone above and beyond for me in the past. I loaned my 15x Zeiss to a buddy. He had them packed deep inside a horse pack...and then had a horse wreck that knocked the alignment out- this is after owning them for about 15 years. Zeiss fixed and shipped free....AND replaced the rubber eye cups.

Now this thread is about Recent warranty changes...which could be the case with Zeiss.

I would just temper what you see on the internet with this comment;

1) Most folks having good service won't bother to comment...but a guy that feels slighted will shout it from the rafters [true with anything really]
2) We may not be hearing the "Whole Story" on some of this stuff.

I'm not calling anyone a liar....but an experience at Cabelas years ago comes to mind and is worth repeating; I was at the bargain bin in Cabelas where their returned stuff- no questions asked was for sale. There was many pairs of totally worn out boots there for resale [cheap] There was one pair that looked to be 10 years old, completely worn through the leather and sole- crazy beat up.. I asked the clerk how this could be a "Warranty issue" those boots were just plain worn out. The clerk said, "Guy said, "they leaked" Cabelas replaced them. Some guys aren't exactly honest when it comes to this"

Ain't that the truth^

 

[elkstabber]

I'm not good at using warranties because I'm careful with my expensive stuff.

I can only say that I called Zeiss to ask about eyecups and new ones were delivered free of charge within a week. Zeiss was great and couldn't have made it easier.

 

[willfrye027]

Internet hogwash. I dunno the specifics of that other post...but Zeiss has gone above and beyond for me in the past. I loaned my 15x Zeiss to a buddy. He had them packed deep inside a horse pack...and then had a horse wreck that knocked the alignment out- this is after owning them for about 15 years. Zeiss fixed and shipped free....AND replaced the rubber eye cups.

Now this thread is about Recent warranty changes...which could be the case with Zeiss.

I would just temper what you see on the internet with this comment;

1) Most folks having good service won't bother to comment...but a guy that feels slighted will shout it from the rafters [true with anything really]
2) We may not be hearing the "Whole Story" on some of this stuff.

I'm not calling anyone a liar....but an experience at Cabelas years ago comes to mind and is worth repeating; I was at the bargain bin in Cabelas where their returned stuff- no questions asked was for sale. There was many pairs of totally worn out boots there for resale [cheap] There was one pair that looked to be 10 years old, completely worn through the leather and sole- crazy beat up.. I asked the clerk how this could be a "Warranty issue" those boots were just plain worn out. The clerk said, "Guy said, "they leaked" Cabelas replaced them. Some guys aren't exactly honest when it comes to this"

Ain't that the truth^

You can check the fine print on the Zeiss lifetime warranty. Cosmetic issues are not covered, and they defined a lens scratch as a cosmetic issue. I offered to pay to have it done and the rep told me on the phone “That is not an option for the conquests”. This was about 4 months ago, and is not internet hearsay.

 

[Tomly]

I’ve sent sent binoculars to Leica and Swarovski for service. In these instances, both pairs were purchased second hand. Both companies were very open and professional about what they could do for me. While I obviously didn’t get “the full treatment” as others have, both companies did more for me than strictly necessary (or discussed).

 

[sneaky]

The above post about Zeiss is kind of shocking. Couple grand for glass and they won’t fix ‘em..?!

Conquests are under a grand, not the high end Zeiss. Just clarifying.

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[huntcoop]

Conquests are under a grand, not the high end Zeiss. Just clarifying.

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Point being they weren’t covered under warranty.

 

[Steve O]

Point being they weren’t covered under warranty.

I believe the point all are trying to make with you is the Conquests are entry level Zeiss. They are not the Victory line.

My “guess” is they are built differently and lenses are not able to be swapped. Thus, replacing a scratched lens is not an option even if you wanted to pay for it on the Conquest.

I cannot fathom asking a company to replace something I screwed up as a warranty item.

 

[Shrek]

Swarovski will take care of you. I have owned too many optics to count over the years and Swarovski has the best service I’ve ever used. I haven’t needed their warranty but they have taken care of other issues like lost and broken covers and eye guard I ripped off. I destroyed a Swarovski scope and although they didn’t give me a new one free they did sell me a new one for very little.
Zeiss repaired a Conquest erector twice in the same scope and three other friends had the erectors go bad in theirs. Zeiss repaired all of them but the shortest turnaround was 8 weeks and the longest was 12 weeks. They just disappeared into a black hole for that time without any communication. The fact I had erector problems twice and my friends too and lack of communication turned me off Zeiss. Leica seems to have stepped up their service. For a long time they had a bad reputation for warranty service but a couple of years ago they revamped their service.

 

[willfrye027]

I believe the point all are trying to make with you is the Conquests are entry level Zeiss. They are not the Victory line.

My “guess” is they are built differently and lenses are not able to be swapped. Thus, replacing a scratched lens is not an option even if you wanted to pay for it on the Conquest.

I cannot fathom asking a company to replace something I screwed up as a warranty item.

Thats the whole point of a “no fault” warranty and a big selling point for Vortex. Get them to fix for free what you screwed up. Zeiss advertises as much (something like 5 year no fault), but it has to be more than just cosmetic damage.

I have no beef with Zeiss for any of that, I would buy conquests again if I needed to. But it’s helpful to know what the limits of its warranty are.

 

[Cat99899]

I believe the point all are trying to make with you is the Conquests are entry level Zeiss. They are not the Victory line.

My “guess” is they are built differently and lenses are not able to be swapped. Thus, replacing a scratched lens is not an option even if you wanted to pay for it on the Conquest.

I cannot fathom asking a company to replace something I screwed up as a warranty item.

Further point, other companies have better warranties that replace products that don't have replaceable components. Should it matter if it was their Victory or Conquest line? Just because your product is 'bomb-proof' or 'top-of-the-line' doesn't mean you can't also provide a good warranty service. This applies doubley-so for those product lines that aren't up to snuff. Why not have a better warranty for a product you know is more likely to break / get scratched? Better question as a consumer, why would I buy it?