A couple of years ago I bought a secondhand pair of Minox BD 8x32 BR binoculars off eBay for the bargain price of £36. When I got them I could see why they were so cheap - the eyepiece coatings look like they'd been cleaned with sandpaper, there was a large scratch on one objective lens, the 'Minox' sticker was missing off the front, focusser was graunchy and full of sand and the IPD was so slack that if you put the bins down the optic tubes would move apart by themselves! Despite all that they still gave an excellent view, despite the abuse they'd obviously recieved the quality still showed through.
Last month I decided on a nice new pair of Vortex Diamondback 8x42s to replace the Minoxes with, relegating them to a backup pair. I mentioned about the state of the battered Minoxes on here, and shortly afterwards got a PM off someone from the service department of Minox in Germany suggesting I sent them in for a free service. I also had been in contact with Rob Spicer from Minox UK who was very helpful and replied promptly to my emails. I sent the binoculars to him, who sent them off to Germany for their service. I put in a note detailing the above problems - also one of the twist up eyecups had come adrift and often came off when I tried adjusting it - the other one was pretty reluctant to move as well.
Rob kept in touch with me, replied quickly to my queries and warned me it may take a little while longer to get the binoculars back as their service department was busier than usual. Well, today - about 3 weeks after I sent them off, I got my Minoxes back!
They looked like a new pair of binoculars - rubber armour replaced, eyecups moved smoothly, focusser lovely and smooth, new 'Minox' badge, immaculate lenses and coatings - they looked like a new pair of binoculars! I looked then at the paperwork that came with the binoculars.... and they were in fact another pair! Different serial number, they obviously weren't new, there was a tiny dent on the focus wheel, few minute marks on the armour but not a problem at all. They even sent the binoculars back with a set of lens caps - the one-piece eyepiece rainguard and two objective covers - excellent!
I'm very pleased with the service I've recieved from Minoxes' service department, who have replaced the binocular despite me not being the original owner, kept me informed throughout the process and quite prompt service despite sending to Germany and high demand. In fact, I'm seriously considering keeping these little Minoxes and selling the recently-acquired Vortex binoculars!
(I don't work for or are connected with Minox by the way!)
Last month I decided on a nice new pair of Vortex Diamondback 8x42s to replace the Minoxes with, relegating them to a backup pair. I mentioned about the state of the battered Minoxes on here, and shortly afterwards got a PM off someone from the service department of Minox in Germany suggesting I sent them in for a free service. I also had been in contact with Rob Spicer from Minox UK who was very helpful and replied promptly to my emails. I sent the binoculars to him, who sent them off to Germany for their service. I put in a note detailing the above problems - also one of the twist up eyecups had come adrift and often came off when I tried adjusting it - the other one was pretty reluctant to move as well.
Rob kept in touch with me, replied quickly to my queries and warned me it may take a little while longer to get the binoculars back as their service department was busier than usual. Well, today - about 3 weeks after I sent them off, I got my Minoxes back!
They looked like a new pair of binoculars - rubber armour replaced, eyecups moved smoothly, focusser lovely and smooth, new 'Minox' badge, immaculate lenses and coatings - they looked like a new pair of binoculars! I looked then at the paperwork that came with the binoculars.... and they were in fact another pair! Different serial number, they obviously weren't new, there was a tiny dent on the focus wheel, few minute marks on the armour but not a problem at all. They even sent the binoculars back with a set of lens caps - the one-piece eyepiece rainguard and two objective covers - excellent!
I'm very pleased with the service I've recieved from Minoxes' service department, who have replaced the binocular despite me not being the original owner, kept me informed throughout the process and quite prompt service despite sending to Germany and high demand. In fact, I'm seriously considering keeping these little Minoxes and selling the recently-acquired Vortex binoculars!
(I don't work for or are connected with Minox by the way!)