2016 Best Optics Warranty

[Slugz]

Team,

Thanks for all the useful posts on the forum. Pretty interesting what you can find with that search button. I've been saving my pennies, not drinking as much beer and working extra in preparation to upgrade my binos. I'm not sure how far I'm gonna jump into the pool with regards to price so I have a 1000-1500$ list and 1501$ and above list. All the brands you would expect are on thoses list. After some more research there seems to be a pretty large difference in warranties, speed of warranty work and general over all experience if something breaks. What say ye oh great and powerful Eastmans Forum. Who has the best warranty on mother earth?

168 days till the archery opener in Colorado!! All the best.

 

[Fink]

Kinda hard to beat the lifetime warranty provided by Vortex, and you can get legit pair of binos from them for well under $1,500. I've not personally utilized their warranty, but I have worked with their customer service department, on a shipping mix-up, and they are first rate folks. I honestly don't see myself ever buying another brand of optics other than Vortex.
Although, I do like the looks of a Leupold scope on a wooden stock rifle.

 

[go_deep]

I personally have never had to send anything in to be fixed, but my brother has.
He sent in a Leupold scope last year, the scope was around 20 years old, 2 weeks later there was a brand new on his door step, they said they didn't stock the parts anymore for the one he sent in, so here's a new one, on us.
He intentionally bought a pair of Swarovski binoculars that were damaged (gave like $100 for them) in hope's that if he sent them in for repair they would fix them. You guessed it about 45 days later fixed up on his door step, just like new, he only had to pay to ship them to them.

 

[TimberJunkie]

That's a great question. I can offer three different experiences , all are pretty good. First, I will start with vortex. I have sent 3 different Vortex items back for warranty work. I sent some viper HD binos in for a broken focus knob, came back within two weeks no question asked, I also sent back a diamondback spotter than I never liked, I told them on the sheet how it never worked well and I wanted to upgrade. They called me and offered an upgrade to the viper hd spotter for an extra $+169. I took them up on it. Great deal. And I also sent Vortex a set of Fury binos that got dropped and one of the mounts busted. Also fixed correctly. No charge, no questions. I love the Vortex customer service. Great warranty. Regardless of how much you spend, they warranty everything the same. Even their rangefinder, which some optics companies limit the warranty on.

I had a lesser experience with bushnell, they did warranty a broken focus knob, but they had lots of questions, and it took about 45 days to get back, definitely not something to do during breaks in hunting season.

Most recently I sent in a Leupold gold ring spotter, I today broke off the whole eyepiece on a rough atv ride, my pack fell off atv when a bungee snapped. I was super bummed and skeptical whether or not it would get fixed. Customer service called me and wanted to let me know they had it and we're doing the work, no charge and back in about 30 days. Great warranty and good products.

I think as far as warranty, I would choose Vortex, but Leupold was pretty damn good too.

Good luck.

 

[Ikeepitcold]

I agree. Vortex is awesome and you can get a great pair of binos for the money you have to spend.

 

[LaHunter]

If the warranty is your primary criteria, then you are surely aware of the Vortex warranty. Their warranty is tough to beat and their CS seems to be top notch as well. The only concern I would have with Vortex binos / rifle scopes is that I read a lot of posts where people are actually needing to use the warranty (I have no experience with them).
If you want the best binos you can find within your budget, that may be another story. You can find a used (like new condition) swaro binos within you price range if you look hard and are patient. The Swaro warranty is excellent, and most likely you will never need it unless you abuse the glass.
Good Luck

 

[Slugz]

Thoughts on the Vortex brand comparing to the European glass? Ive read a lot and most have said equal in viewing, clarity.

 

[WRO]

Thoughts on the Vortex brand comparing to the European glass? Ive read a lot and most have said equal in viewing, clarity.

They're not i dont care what anybody says, that being said, meopta swarovski, and zeiss all have great cs and warranty.

The meostars are the same price as the razors and significantly better optically. At 1500, I'd recommend a set of used high end glass, you can get slchds, hts, and possibly used elsv's for that number or close.

 

[LaHunter]

I owned a Vortex Razor HD 65mm spotter for 2-3 years and liked it. It is a good spotting scope. My hunting buddy has a Swaro STS 65mm spotter. I have looked through both side by side in varying hunting conditions in WY. In ideal conditions, the difference between the two is less noticable. In dim light, the difference is much more noticeable. The Swaro glass is better, and you pay more for the superior glass. I have no experience with Vortex binos and rifle scopes however.
I ended up selling my Vortex spotter because I found a good deal on a Swaro STS 65mm spotter.

 

[mnhoundman]

I had a pair of Burris 8x42 binos my wife got me probably 10 year's ago, the eye piece came off so I ( not knowing about warranty) threw them into the drawer never to be seen again! Until I found this (great forum) and learned about the great warranty these optic companies have, anyway I emailed them and they told me to see send them in, about ten days later a Steiner predator box shows up!! Bam, brand new pair of predators! I guess they are the same company. So THANKS to all the great folks here!!
Oh, and they are the clearest best piece I have ever had, buddy has a pair of swaros, not the most expensive ones, but side by side I couldn't hardly see any difference not for the money anyways.

 

[Mr Drysdale]

I have a set of Leica binos that I've had 20 years. Never needed warranty. If I lost them I would take out a loan for a new pair. Only experience I've had was with Leupold. Lost a turret cap on an LPS. Called the company and they sent me two over night free of charge.

 

[Extractor]

I have had a Leupold scope that I fell with and broke the objective lens on a sheep hunt in Alaska, sent them in figuring I would pay to have it fixed. Leupold repaired the scope, no charge. I've had to send back two Swarovski scopes for repair, knocked loose reticles, both were repaired without charge. No experience with Vortex but have heard nothing but good things about their customer service. I'm guessing if you spend good money on quality optics you'll get good service. Trying to save money on optics is penny wise and pound foolish.

 

[missjordan]

Last year I sent back two different sets of optics back, one to nikon and the other to vortex. My nikon binos I sent them back twice as they still were broken and got back a brand new pair the last time. Turn around time vortex was slower than the Nikons but I also sent them back right In the middle of hunting season. This week I have a Burris scope I need to mail back so I'm curious to see what the turn around time is for them

 

[BigSurArcher]

Warranties are great and all, but IMO are far too over-hyped in optics. Some companies push their warranty harder than others as a selling point, while others don't need to because their quality sells itself. In reality all upper-end optics companies will help you out just fine if something goes wrong. A warranty won't help you spot game, and the odds of even needing to use a warranty are incredibly low on top tier binos. Best to make your purchase based on performance. You'll likely need to look through them for hundreds, if not thousands of hours before the odds add up for something to go wrong requiring warranty work. Buy the best you can, take care of them, and they'll take care of you.

 

[6mm Remington]

Leupold Scopes and spotters are covered very nicely under their warranty. I have had great luck with Leupold. I wish Leupold still made their Gold Ring binoculars.

For Binoculars I would go Zeiss Conquest.

 

[WRO]

https://youtu.be/mEB7WbTTlu4

 

[Alabama]

I had a pair of Burris 8x42 binos my wife got me probably 10 year's ago, the eye piece came off so I ( not knowing about warranty) threw them into the drawer never to be seen again! Until I found this (great forum) and learned about the great warranty these optic companies have, anyway I emailed them and they told me to see send them in, about ten days later a Steiner predator box shows up!! Bam, brand new pair of predators! I guess they are the same company. So THANKS to all the great folks here!!
Oh, and they are the clearest best piece I have ever had, buddy has a pair of swaros, not the most expensive ones, but side by side I couldn't hardly see any difference not for the money anyways.

Burris 10x42 signature select series was one of the best binos I have ever owned. It's too bad they discontinued them.

 

[Slugz]

Warranties are great and all, but IMO are far too over-hyped in optics. Some companies push their warranty harder than others as a selling point, while others don't need to because their quality sells itself. In reality all upper-end optics companies will help you out just fine if something goes wrong. A warranty won't help you spot game, and the odds of even needing to use a warranty are incredibly low on top tier binos. Best to make your purchase based on performance. You'll likely need to look through them for hundreds, if not thousands of hours before the odds add up for something to go wrong requiring warranty work. Buy the best you can, take care of them, and they'll take care of you.

True. But before dropping coin on a once in a lifetime purchase......I want to ensure it works ......lifetime. some of the high end German glass bought in the US......with paperwork filled out correctly at purchase......took 75 days to return. Just trying to get a feel for what the current state of affairs are in the US is all. Thanks all for the useful input! All the best.

 

[ando_31]

I'm not trying to get people excited by saying this, but it seems that a lot of people have used the vortex warranty which would concern me a little if I were in the market for a new optics. Either their product breaks more often or perhaps it is because people might be harder on "budget" binoculars. I'd personally be most concerned about the quality of the glass instead of comparing slight warranty differences.

I had a pair of leupold cascades that broke without me even touching them one morning. Leupold sent a new pair no questions asked, but I was without binoculars for a period of time on my hunt. I now carry a high end big eye pair and a high end compact pair on my trips.

 

[stevevan]

There are good values out there on $ spent for optics received. However, having said that I believe that optics are truly something that you get what you pay for and to me the optics are at the top of the list of importance for equipment I want on a hunt. My advice is not to try and save money when purchasing optics. Buy the best you can and if there is one item to maybe stretch your budget, do it on quality optics.