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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... -
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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... -
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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... -
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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? -
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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. -
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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... -
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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... -
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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... -
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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... -
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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... -
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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... -
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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... -
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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... -
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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... -
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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... -
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Habicht with sticky rubber
Wherever you live. Shipping internationally to Austria in Europe and back is expensive. It's not like via UPS to New York for $7 but more than $200. My packing tape will arrive tomorrow. Today I'm asking some chemistry folks if the degraded leatherette can give off fumes in the next 50 years... -
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Habicht with sticky rubber
In my 2nd to last message. I described just doing that, cleaning the bare body sample with cotton bud soaked with isopropyl alcohol. But the black residue wouldn't come off. This is because it's like the entire leatherette just melted and fused with the bare body. Removing them with more... -
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Habicht with sticky rubber
What exactly is the leatherette made of? Does all leatherette have rubber on it? Is it the rubber part that deteriorates or other parts of the leatherette? Anyone got some idea of the chemistry involved so we can know what kind of covering to look for and avoid in the future? -
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Habicht with sticky rubber
I used Swiss knife scissors to start cutting from the hole in the strap holder (see last message too for the details). Then small section suddenly flaked off. So the entire leather was fragile and degrading already. I tried to cut straight to it and didn't expect the inside was also sticky. It... -
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Habicht with sticky rubber
I realized I bought it at Binostore at Italy several years ago. They even shipped the wrong item, and told me to ship it back using Postal Service. So I went ahead to try to remove the leatherette instead of shipping it back. I tried removing a spot as shown in photo above. However, the... -
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Habicht with sticky rubber
It would be very expensive to send it back and forth to Austria. 1. Unless Swavorski would shoulder the cost of sending it and shipping back to me? For those who have shipped them under warrantee (10 years warrantee?). Did they shoulder all the costs? 2. One other risk of sending back is the... -
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Habicht with sticky rubber
In the picture, you can notice the leatherette stickiness in the black photo shade which can transfer to your fingers or cloth. Almost the entire surface of it is sticky. Can I just use a swiss knife scissors to cut the leatherette and remove it. Is the leatherette glued to the main body or not... -
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Habicht with sticky rubber
Yes. It's the leatherette that is sticky. When I wiped it with cloth. The black stuff went to the cloth. When I touched it with my fingers, the black stuff got to my fingers. What caused the stickiness to form? If I removed the entire leatherette. What does the metal look like? -
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Habicht with sticky rubber
I bought it in 2016 shown in picture below. I changed the eyecups to accommodate eyeglasses better. It's the new armored one? I can't risk putting liquid in the body which may reach the lens. It costs $1200 now. Why is it so expensive again? I seldom used it and I don't to return it to... -
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Habicht with sticky rubber
Hi, My Habicht has sticky rubber after years of not using it and just storing it in the pouch. What happened to the rubbers? How do you fix it? When it happened to a bino before. I just put plastic tape over the rubber. Is this the only solution? Thanks!