Share your “Buy once cried once” lesson

[HuntInWild88]

My buy once cry once was a Blaser R8 topped with a swarovski Z8i...love the rifle and have never looked back... its by the only expensive thing I really have other then clothes boots and packs. But I have bought most of those used... my $60 scarpas have still big my biggest "steal"

 

[MT257]

I here this a lot but have so many Vortex products and have never had to send a single one if for repair? I have a HST scope, Razor 65mm Spotter, Razor 10x42's, Razor HD 4000 range finder, summit tripod, skyline tripod, a window mount, 5 sets of viper HD's 10x42's, and one Viper HD 85mm spotter for work. I've had most of them for over 5 years and some for 10, my Razors all have the paint worn off of them they've been used so much and my HST has held zero and still hits steel at 1K after 6 years on the rifle and has killed a dozen animals.

They do offer a great warranty, they are the only company to offer a lifetime warranty on the electronics in their range finder, leica, swaro, zeiss, leupold, sig, etc. none of them do and most don't offer over 3 years. I am on my 3rd range finder in 5 years, I feel like my new Razor's will be the last pair I have to buy.

Maybe I'm just lucky but if feel like they get a pretty bad wrap online for offering a great warranty. I do know one thing is for sure, my gear gets used and used hard, I've had seveal motorcycle crashes with my Razors on my chest and have spend hundreds of hours behind them as well as my older viper glass at work.

Glad you've had a good experience with vortex. If I had to go through 3 rangefinders in 5 years I wouldn't be pleased. I've had two of their scopes- yes they have worked, but I still have sent them both in with tracking issues.

 

[nphunter]

Glad you've had a good experience with vortex. If I had to go through 3 rangefinders in 5 years I wouldn't be pleased. I've had two of their scopes- yes they have worked, but I still have sent them both in with tracking issues.

I wasn’t really happy. The vortex is actually my 4th I’ve had, the others were 3 different brands and were all $300-$400 range finders that quit. I still have them but they aren’t reliable enough to archery hunt with.

 

[TheGDog]

This...

Is why you buy a high-grade backpack... the first time.

(This was a used Badlands 2200, where the Hip-belt kept sliding it's way loose from the load of the meat and all the sweat wetting up the belt thru-and-thru. Like every 30-40 yards during the hike-out I had to re-tighten the damn thing. I begin to tighten the ever-loving snot out of it so it'd stay put for a lil bit. But that resulted in this horrendous pack-rash.

Thankfully the Kifaru EMR II doesn't seem to do this.

<Cue the sounds of the crowd Gasping in Horror!>

I know.. I know.. sorry to do that to your eyes.

 

[EastHumboldt]

I see a belly button. I think you may have some problems with your technique. Most of us wear the pack on the back....

 

[EastHumboldt]

Btw also not a Badlands fan. MR

 

[TheGDog]

I see a belly button. I think you may have some problems with your technique. Most of us wear the pack on the back....

I do realize that's you just being funny. But no... it was from the belt up in front having problems staying snug at the buckle. and constantly having to re-tighten it.

This didn't emerge until like the second or third day back home. My first deer harvest.

 

[Fatcamp]

Way too early for that, bro.

 

[5MilesBack]

That looks more like a bacterial infection than pack belt rash. Your pack belt was getting all the way up to your chest (8-10" of vertical movement)........while carrying a heavy load??????

 

[TXCO]

Packs, clothes, binos, etc.

Ive also tried to do trips or hunts on the cheap that didnt pan out. Those were the most painful lessons.

 

[Brian Fahs]

I am lucky to be at the point in my life that I can have just about any gear I want and am still young and fit enough to use and enjoy it.
I am blessed to own top shelf stuff in every piece of gear I have.
That being said there was a time when money was an issue and I had to work my way to the top shelf with gear.
We all need to have struggled or suffered with our gear to enjoy the benefits of owning and using the best. If we were just handed the best gear we would not appreciate it so much.

 

[WCB]

I've had a few of the opposite experiences...I've realized that some very inexpensive stuff works better and keeps me from crying twice...first from paying a stupid amount of money and second realizing that stupid amount of money was a waste.

 

[TheGDog]

That looks more like a bacterial infection than pack belt rash. Your pack belt was getting all the way up to your chest (8-10" of vertical movement)........while carrying a heavy load??????

I typically fasten at about the belly button line or maybe even a little above it sometimes. This was when I use to wear regular belts on the pants. The lowerback issue thing. With a belt on... the cinching of the hipbelt against the Nylon belt would cause the edge of the nylon belt to dig into me.. and in that region back there... for me.. that will cause me to get very hobbled and painful by end of the day. So it was a constant struggle to find a balance between how loose/low to allow the pants belt to ride... in order for it to be below the line of pressure from the HipBelt so as to avoid that problem. And it doesn't help that my body-type is blessed with an ample "power center" in the lower abdomen area. I also think the over-the-handlebars crash/trauma that created my long-standing lowerback issue also affected innervation to the muscles in that area to a small degree, due to small things I've noticed over the years.

EDIT: and YES the belt was moving that much because it wasn't holding cinched for beans that night!

 

[Scottyboy]

I’ll do the inverse; saved for a custom rifle from Alamo Precision. Ended up being a horrible experience, I lost several hundred bucks (almost 800 IIRC) when I had my FFL sell it as soon as I received it. My lesson was; why do custom when they won’t deliver what you want when I can buy off the shelf for kinda what I want at a fraction of the cost, no 18 month lead time and it will shoot as good as it needs too for my needs.

 

[Mosby]

This theory of buying the best works in reverse on women. I knew a guy who explained this to me years ago. Said his first wife was a Ferrari. Expensive and incredible to look at. He said the problem was she was expensive to maintain, broke down frequently and everybody wanted to take her for a test drive. He said he made sure his second wife was a Chevy. Reasonably priced. Easy to maintain. Nobody tried to steal her and she was pretty reliable.

 

[KurtR]

getting a custom gun built quit messing with the factory junk

 

[TheGDog]

This theory of buying the best works in reverse on women. I knew a guy who explained this to me years ago. Said his first wife was a Ferrari. Expensive and incredible to look at. He said the problem was she was expensive to maintain, broke down frequently and everybody wanted to take her for a test drive. He said he made sure his second wife was a Chevy. Reasonably priced. Easy to maintain. Nobody tried to steal her and she was pretty reliable.

Meh... guess I lucked out in some ways... I'd say she's a "Chevarri"!

 

[30338]

I used to buy some optics that had lifetime warranties and great customer service. They proved quite expensive in lost time and opportunities. Now I buy stuff that doesn't require warranty work as of yet anyway.

My pet peeve and not sure it is related to this thread but will mention it. American companies come up with great product ideas, start out making products here, holding companies buy them out, then outsource the manufacture overseas. Drives me nuts and I go to great lengths to pay more for American made stuff. So in regards to that, I never ever worry about paying more to support fellow Americans even though I hear the "have to buy the cheap crap to stretch my dollar" line all the time.

 

[Lou Sid]

Used to buy cheap muskie gear like rods and reels. Now I buy shimano tranx reels and custom 9ft plus rods. So much easier to throw baits all day.

Started with a badlands pack, now have a kifaru fulcrum.

 

[EastHumboldt]

This theory of buying the best works in reverse on women. I knew a guy who explained this to me years ago. Said his first wife was a Ferrari. Expensive and incredible to look at. He said the problem was she was expensive to maintain, broke down frequently and everybody wanted to take her for a test drive. He said he made sure his second wife was a Chevy. Reasonably priced. Easy to maintain. Nobody tried to steal her and she was pretty reliable.

Absolutely do not tell her you think she’s a Chevy