Squeaky focus wheel on binos

[douglasfir]

Squeaky isn't exactly the right word for it, but it's the best I can think of. My Bushnell Legend M binoculars are great, but the focus wheel has started making noise when turning it. It is not loud. I've worked the focus wheel quite a bit and that hasn't made it go away. The focus wheel seems to work fine otherwise, although it is not the smoothest.

I know I haven't described it well. But if I'm making any sense, is this a normal thing with binoculars? Is it a sign that there is an issue with them? Is it the sort of thing that merits a return to Bushnell?

I really like the glass, and to get better glass I'd have to spend a lot more than I spent on these binos, so if this is just a normal thing then I'm happy to live with it.

 

[westsloper]

I think I know the noise you're describing, and I think it's common on the Bushnells you're talking about. They have great optics but the focus wheel has been a common complaint.

 

[gregory r]

I had a Vortex bino that had a squeak in the focus wheel.
After a bit of observation, I found that the ribbed rubber on the focus wheel was making just the slightest contact with the rubber armor of the bino, in one spot of the revolution of the focus wheel.
I just sanded a little rubber off of the focus wheel ribs with an Emory board, and the squeak went away, and the focus wheel smoothed out.