I broke my SF so you don't have to... (2 Viewers)

[perterra]

I don't care the angle, the temperature, the sun spot activity - a high quality bin should not snap like that, no excuses.

Quality is fitness for use in the eyes of the consumer. Clearly this is not fitness for use as binoculars are field gear and need to be robust.

So Zeiss is supposed to build one that is unbreakable but lightweight enough that folks with cricket bat shoulders won't whine and complain. Because it sure seems more complain about weight than impact resistance. I would guess that a polymer would be the answer but then the purists whined about that.

Everything will break if the impact is in the wrong place. If it wouldn't you probably couldn't pick it up.

 

[Steve C]

Zeiss will reply...you are correct. Only one out of 100,000 will ever break at that location. Welcome to a very exclusive club. Send it in and let's get you a replacement.

Assuming the cast part is not faulty that is likely a close enough figure. However with a clearly mis-cast part like that, more like 90 out of 100 might break. I think it gets at how many parts (frames) will be botched like that one obviously is/was will ever get past QC. Probably never will ever be 100 of those though (shouldn't be anyway). So one way or another, yeah, the club is exclusive.

HN, I'd be pretty surprised if Zeiss does not reply. I also would be pretty surprised if they charged you a dime. I'd bet you get a new binocular and somebody at Zeiss will take the busted one to somebody and there will be some discussion over what went wrong there. There ought to be a bit of embarrassment at Zeiss when they get a look at HN's return. Further I don't think the proper vs improper use idea should even be an issue. The issue is the faulty frame.

 

[perterra]

Assuming the cast part is not faulty that is likely a close enough figure. However with a clearly mis-cast part like that, more like 90 out of 100 might break. I think it gets at how many parts (frames) will be botched like that one obviously is/was will ever get past QC. Probably never will ever be 100 of those though (shouldn't be anyway). So one way or another, yeah, the club is exclusive.

HN, I'd be pretty surprised if Zeiss does not reply. I also would be pretty surprised if they charged you a dime. I'd bet you get a new binocular and somebody at Zeiss will take the busted one to somebody and there will be some discussion over what went wrong there. There ought to be a bit of embarrassment at Zeiss when they get a look at HN's return. Further I don't think the proper vs improper use idea should even be an issue. The issue is the faulty frame.

I couldn't see the break clear enough in the photo to determine if the casting was faulty or if it broke on a transition (radius of a shoulder or spine).

There is a bunch of speculation in everyone's post on this subject. Does anyone really doubt Zeiss will do right by the customer?

 

[brocknroller]

Zeiss will probably "Do-Right" by HN. If not, Dudley will.

The real question is whether this damage was due to a "freak accident" (crushed by a five-legged cow) or if it's a harbinger of accidents to come as more SFs get into the butterfingers of birders' and hunters' hands. Zeiss will know what happened after inspecting the bins, though whether or not they will share that info with HN remains to be seen.

Zeiss set a high (north) standard with the Conquest HD. That abuse video was great marketing. It even had me thinking about buying one. In fact, when I saw a demo unit for $200 off the new price, I PMed Mike Jensen about replacement eyecups for the 8x42 model, but they weren't available at the time. By the time they were, my wallet wasn't available. Story of my life in a nutshell.

As to the above question if Zeiss should build a bin that is both unbreakable and lightweight enough for cricket bat shoulder birders. The answer is easy: Of course, they should! After all, outside of Norway, which has the highest wages in the world, who could afford an SF but a cricket bat shoulder birder? Aside from trust fund kids and IT geniuses who hit it big with their IPO, the primary customers for the SF are geezers, who might have cricket bat shoulders, necks, knees and hips. I can attest that decades of playing high impact cricket is starting to put 'cricks" in more than just my neck.

Almost falling while shoveling the driveway didn't help either.

Epic Fall

Brock

 

[Pileatus]

Zeiss will probably "Do-Right" by HN. If not, Dudley will.

The real question is whether this damage was due to a "freak accident" (crushed by a five-legged cow) or if it's a harbinger of accidents to come as more SFs get into the butterfingers of birders' and hunters' hands. Zeiss will know what happened after inspecting the bins, though whether or not they will share that info with HN remains to be seen.

Zeiss set a high (north) standard with the Conquest HD. That abuse video was great marketing. It even had me thinking about buying one. In fact, when I saw a demo unit for $200 off the new price, I PMed Mike Jensen about replacement eyecups for the 8x42 model, but they weren't available at the time. By the time they were, my wallet wasn't available. Story of my life in a nutshell.

As to the above question if Zeiss should build a bin that is both unbreakable and lightweight enough for cricket bat shoulder birders. The answer is easy: Of course, they should! After all, outside of Norway, which has the highest wages in the world, who could afford an SF but a cricket bat shoulder birder? Aside from trust fund kids and IT geniuses who hit it big with their IPO, the primary customers for the SF are geezers, who might have cricket bat shoulders, necks, knees and hips. I can attest that decades of playing high impact cricket is starting to put 'cricks" in more than just my neck.

Almost falling while shoveling the driveway didn't help either.

Epic Fall

Brock

Once again, it's impossible to build an unbreakable binocular. Every business writer knows that.

 

[HighNorth]

You are always a charming joker Brock!

I have to inform you that I'm not an old geezer, neither do I have cricket bat shoulders!

Despite my Norwegian salary, the SF still left a sizable hole in my pocket. I hope that hole won't be even bigger after all this is over...

 

[Troubador]

Attempting once more to upload the pictures.

HN

Do you have any idea when your poor SFs will reach Zeiss?

On your third picture (shown below) there is a thin-section piece of metal like an upside-down L-shape that is part of the hinge. This piece is not visible on the other two pictures. What happened to it?

Lee

 

[Pileatus]

HN

Do you have any idea when your poor SFs will reach Zeiss?

On your third picture (shown below) there is a thin-section piece of metal like an upside-down L-shape that is part of the hinge. This piece is not visible on the other two pictures. What happened to it?

Lee

Look closely, it's there.

 

[HighNorth]

HN

Do you have any idea when your poor SFs will reach Zeiss?

On your third picture (shown below) there is a thin-section piece of metal like an upside-down L-shape that is part of the hinge. This piece is not visible on the other two pictures. What happened to it?

Lee

Hi!

I'm not sure when the SF will reach Zeiss, but the dealer sent it to Germany on the 25th, so I expect it to arrive sometime next week.

The broken L-shape part is there in the other picture, it's just poorly visible because of the white background.

 

[Troubador]

Look closely, it's there.

Hi!

I'm not sure when the SF will reach Zeiss, but the dealer sent it to Germany on the 25th, so I expect it to arrive sometime next week.

The broken L-shape part is there in the other picture, it's just poorly visible because of the white background.

Thanks Guys, yes I can see it now. I lost it against the white background just like you said HN.

Lee

 

[oetzi]

Did you post the pic compressed?
Increasing contras and resharpening works, but the original could be larger to give a better impression

 

[HighNorth]

Did you post the pic compressed?
Increasing contras and resharpening works, but the original could be larger to give a better impression

Yes, the image was compressed. The original is almost 3 MB.

 

[brocknroller]

You are always a charming joker Brock!

I have to inform you that I'm not an old geezer, neither do I have cricket bat shoulders!

Despite my Norwegian salary, the SF still left a sizable hole in my pocket. I hope that hole won't be even bigger after all this is over...

I didn't think you would know aboot Dudley Do-Right, since you're not a Yank or a canuck, and being young with dark chest hair.

He was a cartoon character I used to watch when I was growing up:

Dudley_Do-Right, eh?

Given that you're accident prone, I suggest you ask Zeiss to send you a Conquest HD and refund the difference in price. You can use the refund to put a down payment on a new Tesla electric car. They are all the rage in Norway, and as an electric car owner you can use bus lanes, park for free and don't have to pay road tolls.

tesla-car-norway/

Brock

 

[Binastro]

. Not sure how good a Tesla car would be at -38°C.
I don't think the range would be very good or whether it would work at all.

But the Conquest HD is nice.

 

[HighNorth]

I didn't think you would know aboot Dudley Do-Right, since you're not a Yank or a canuck, and being young with dark chest hair.

He was a cartoon character I used to watch when I was growing up:

Dudley_Do-Right, eh?

Given that you're accident prone, I suggest you ask Zeiss to send you a Conquest HD and refund the difference in price. You can use the refund to put a down payment on a new Tesla electric car. They are all the rage in Norway, and as an electric car owner you can use bus lanes, park for free and don't have to pay road tolls.

tesla-car-norway/

Brock

Hi Brock!

I think the Conquest HD is great, but I would rather have my SF back.

The environmental organisation Bellona actually did this stunt last year, when they drove a Tesla about 230 kilometers from Kirkenes to Murmansk:
http://barentsobserver.com/en/business/2014/03/pollution-solution-19-03

I'm pretty sure they didn't do it in - 40 C though. :smoke: Apart from the cold, I'm not sure the Tesla has the range to really be useful up here. The distances are huge, and there is also the lack of charging stations...

 

[HighNorth]

By the way, here's the original picture (cropped) as Oetzi requested.

 

[oetzi]

Black arrow: An irregularity in the cast?
White arrow: Where is the smooth curve to avoid a stressriser?

 

[mooreorless]

I wonder if the location crack "black arrow" goes across at all?

 

[Troubador]

HN

Since the accident took place within your home, it should be covered by your home contents insurance if you have bought this.

Lee

 

[Elmer Fudd]

I assume you use your "s" glass to check if your "z" glass is clean

Do they provide glass for eye glasses?

Now I know why those Sarow don't work with my eyes. The matter lies in the fact that I have "Z"-eye glasses. |<|