Should I purchase third party warranty for Nikon eii's? (1 Viewer)

Long time lurker here of the binoculars sub-forum. Just want to say that I took a chance and ordered a set of 10x35 eii's from the eBay because of what I've read here and at Holger's homepage. My father and I are going on an epic, once in a lifetime, road trip across the American west this summer and I wanted the best binoculars I could get for the price.

Why the 10x? I had originally bought the 8x30 eii from a seller in Japan, but he promptly flaked on me. While I was waiting for paypal to return my binocular fund money, my father bought the Nikon M7 10x42. I really enjoyed the power compared to my original pre-dielectric Monarch 8x42, so I decided to get the 10x eii. I paid $563. I probably could have bought them for a little cheaper from Amazon Japan by using a forwarding service, but I didn't think of it at the time.

I got them a couple weeks ago and I must say they are excellent, but I just haven't had much time to really analyze the image they provide (back at school full time). Besides the wonderful 3D effect, I do find the M7 to be pretty comparable. I actually think the M5 that I looked through at a store are pretty close to the M7 as well, just a little bit narrower FOV. Are the eii the best binocular available for the dollar? I don't know.

The lack of a warranty does bother me a bit, if only for the reason that Nikon's service is so awesome here in the States. They have taken care of my father and I when they probably shouldn't have. So well recently that I should probably start a different thread and tell all here on birdforum. Anyways, I will end my first real post with a question: Should I or any other eBay purchasers of eii's buy the third-party warranty that the auction site offers (3 years for $85)?

If it covers theft, accident etc. etc. Yes.
It depends what is covered and whether they actually pay up.

Welcome to the Forum. I am beginning to think the Birdforum is recruiting PA residents!

It appears you have done a fair share of reading and know the good, the bad, and the ugly on these binoculars. Your intended usage appears to be more general viewing than picking up the most minute details of birds. Your Nikon EII 10X35 with the wide field and realistic presentation will provide you some spectacular views during the trip and the 10X should serve you well in the wide open spaces of the west.

I personally would not buy the Square Trade warranty, which is much like an insurance policy. From what I read, it covers defects, not accidental damage. I have both the 8 and 10X EII black bodies that another member was kind enough to sell me and I have had no problems. If it is good out of the box, I suspect the odds are it will remain that way for many years, well past the 3 year extended warranty period mentioned.

There may be some failures about the black body models posted here, but I can not recall any. The only EII issues that come to mind are the older gray body models where the covering comes off. Treat the EII well, and the odds are you should be good for the long term. Hopefully some of the other EII owners will join this thread and report their experiences.

If there were a failure, you would have to send it back to Square Trade. I wonder how qualified they are to do the repair. There is a good chance they would just refund your money.

If you do have to get a problem fixed on your own dime, I would assume a cost of $250 or less. If so you are risking about $165 ($250 - $85), most likely less, in the unlikely event of a failure. Assume the risk and take the $85 dollars saved and apply it to a nice camera for recording this once in a lifetime epic vacation with your father.

It is good to hear that you and your father have had good luck with Nikon USA repair. I do wonder if they would repair a Nikon EII, even for a charge, since it was not imported by Nikon USA. I also wonder if they even stock parts for that model since they do not carry it any more. I suspect it would most likely be best to send it to an independent repair service. Several good ones have been mentioned on the Forum. Another possible option would be Nikon Japan.

I hope you come back later this summer and let us know how the EII performed on your Family Vacation!

Thank you Binastro and BruceH for your responses. I guess a warranty that doesn't cover accidental damage isn't really worth having. I generally take pretty good care of my optics, but you never know what may happen. I bet Nikon USA won't touch them, but I bought them knowing full well they probably wouldn't. As for Nikon USA warranty service, I think between my father and I we have used them at least five times and that we have only been charged twenty dollars two or three times. Only my fault once!

I might eventually write up a comparison of my eii's, my dad's M7, and our newest model, the Aculon 10x50 we received courtesy of Nikon USA. The Lookout III's we sent in for a cleaning had an unfortunate incident with chocolate milk! It's been a good month...

Anyways, my dad is really looking forward to birding in the southwest as it has been a while since he has been there. I should've started a lifelist when I was a kid, but I might start one on this trip since he will be birding.

Three years ago I returned some USA warranty 8x30 EIIs for repairs (loose covers, eyepiece problem) and Nikon declined to repair them and instead sent me a pair of 8x32 SEs, which I since have become very fond of. Long story short, I was able to get some EIIs from Japan and now use both in different conditions,

I would not advise, then, returning EIIs to Nikon USA.

David

David Swain said:

Three years ago I returned some USA warranty 8x30 EIIs for repairs (loose covers, eyepiece problem) and Nikon declined to repair them and instead sent me a pair of 8x32 SEs, which I since have become very fond of. Long story short, I was able to get some EIIs from Japan and now use both in different conditions,

I would not advise, then, returning EIIs to Nikon USA.

David

Click to expand...

Now that is really sad!

I can see Nikon USA not wanting to repair the coverings coming loose from the older EIIs (although it shouldn't be a big problem--I've reglued mine a couple of times and now I'm glad I didn't ask Nikon USA to do it) but what about fixing something like collimation problems on EIIs? That shouldn't be a complicated thing to fix on that binocular.

Doesn't Nikon USA have technicians in the United States with the ability to fix something like that? What do they do with their Aculon porro prism binoculars if one is sent back because of a collimation problem?

Replace it with another one? Talk about throw away technology! How cheap is it to make them?

I wonder if Mike Freiberg could address this issue and let us know just what Nikon USA can do if problems come up with binoculars it sells in the USA. Are they all going to be replaced rather than repaired?

Bob

I question most of the secondary warranties-
clearly the sellers expect to spend less than they collect

edj

I guess I would be surprised if Nikon wouldn't repair the EII for the $20 fee, even if it weren't an official import. I would also be surprised if they wouldn't align a USA EII or do other repairs that were not dependent on out of stock parts. Not long ago, I sent in a very cheap pocket roof that is many years discontinued, and they fixed it rather than sending me a new one, even though the labor cost was probably higher than the cost to Nikon of replacing with the latest made in China equivalent.

As for warranties. You should be able to get a personal articles policy from any of the major insurance companies that will cover loss, damage, theft, repair, replacement, or if not replaceable will pay you in cash the declared value. I have one for all my gear. It costs about 1% of declared value per year, which is a way lower rate than the $85 offer you are considering.

--AP

I have a pair of EII 8x30 (I think it´s my fifth!), which I love. A few years ago, I had a pair of EII 10x35, which I also loved, but dropped. I sent them to Nikon UK and they re-collimated them perfectly. Don´t know why I sold them, foolish move. On a road-trip westwards across the U.S., nothing bad is going to happen to your binos. Just don´t drop them. They´ll serve you well. Enjoy the trip!

Thank you all for your replies. I will be checking into getting a personal articles policy as Alexis recommends.