-
Welcome to BirdForum, the internet's largest birding community with thousands of members from all over the world. The forums are dedicated to wild birds, birding, binoculars and equipment and all that goes with it.
Please register for an account to take part in the discussions in the forum, post your pictures in the gallery and more.
Recent content by AegisEag
-
A
Habicht with sticky rubber
For accuracy. I actually haven't used the Habicht the entire 7 years I owned it. I initially got it to watch the interface between concrete beam and hollow block walls to see if it is continuous. It was not bought for birdwatching. So the whole time it was kept in the pouch. I only took it out... -
A
Habicht with sticky rubber
So where can I find the caps to cover the objective lens of the Habicht 8x30W and the green eyecups (the long black original eyecup cover can't fit anymore). I don't know how long I can scrap the stickiness in the bare body after I removed the degraded leatherette so I want all the lens covered... -
A
Habicht with sticky rubber
For option two. How long will the leatherette available online last? If I have to remove all the disintegrated leatherette and all the sticky stuff in the bare body. I need to cover all the lens and eyepieces first. Where will I get a cup that can cover the 2 objectives and the 2 green eyecups... -
A
Habicht with sticky rubber
Btw.. in the Pentax Papilio II 10 times cheaper. The body armor is still as good as new. Why didn't Swarovski used the armour like in the Papilio II? -
A
Habicht with sticky rubber
Yes. Hot areas and with high humidity is the likely cause then. Maybe also dark places. I guess I didn't wipe the sweat in the leatherette when I held it 4 years ago. -
A
Habicht with sticky rubber
What exact brand/model of radon detector are you using? I haven't used one before and I'm browsing models at amazon now and will order later. What model do you recommend? I saw this... -
A
Habicht with sticky rubber
Pictures are worth a thousand words. I bought the Pentax Papilio the same time as the Habicht. Look at the molds at the sides of the Papilio. But none at the Habicht! My packing tape is not holding in the latter because the stickiness can make it slip and not stick. Besides the Gorilla tape or... -
A
Habicht with sticky rubber
I mean, if thousands of Habicht owners kept it in the dark 5 days a week and only use it weekends. And the leatherette is as good as new. And only less than 10 of us have the problems. Then it may have more specific causes. So if dark place, high humidity, moderate temperature are not supposed... -
A
Habicht with sticky rubber
No. I've been so busy at work that the Habicht and other cheap binos were kept inside cabinet for 4 years. No DEET exposure even at my unit. So the theory darkness has to do with plasticizer migration is sound. While all my optics got molds, the Habicht is totally molds free, so this proves... -
A
Habicht with sticky rubber
Even with the degraded leatherette in my Habicht wrapped in packing tape. I'm not complaining much. Why. Because the lens have no molds or fungus! All my other binos or scoping scopes have molds in the lens. The Habicht is the only one I own with nitrogen inside and perhaps the only bino I'll... -
A
Habicht with sticky rubber
PW42. Is your Habicht in the dark often? Mine was more often in the dark because I seldom used it. Darkness may have something to do with the deterioration (see the theories below by a chemist which we can support or debunk in the case of the Habicht leatherette). Btw.. I was assigned to Africa... -
A
Habicht with sticky rubber
I just put the transparent tape over the leatherette. I couldn't remove the leatherette because the stickiness was also in the bare body. I guess the purpose of the leatherette is to make it softer to touch than the bare body, right? Or are leatherette in binos for decoration only? Has anyone... -
A
Habicht with sticky rubber
I can't fathom how a few area of leatherette on a high end bino can degrade like that. Didn't they know it would occur? What kind of leatherette did they use? and how does it compare to the ones used in other brands? The devils is in the details. Let's get to the details of the composition of... -
A
Habicht with sticky rubber
Oh. So Gorilla tape is much stronger than a Duct Tape. But the problem is they are not black. And if you use a binocular that can shine in the forests, wild animals like a Gorilla can spot you easier. So the clear tape may still be best. Yes it can slip a bit because of the sticky residue in... -
A
Habicht with sticky rubber
In the first image you can see the leatherette breaking down or flaking off on its own. I didn't cut it. In the second image I was able finally to fix it by taping the leatherette with transparent packing tape. It works! I can finally hold it again. For more serious birdwatching. I'll put the...