FrankD
Well-known member
I thought it might be a good time to start a general discussion on the issue of quality control. I have two pet peeves that surround my experiences with optics over the last half decade or so. The one is quality control. Quality control at almost every price point is significantly poorer than what I would expect without knowing anything about the industry.
To point out one particular example, a few months ago I bought a demo Leupold Cascade porro from the local sporting goods store. It was in perfect condition optically, mechanically and cosmetically. I enjoyed using it thoroughly for reasons I have mentioned elsewhere. I was subsequently forced to sell it but eventually decided to purchase another. The second unit, though as nice from an outward perspective just did not offer me as relaxed of a feeling as I did with the first unit. I tinkered with a variety of different settings to see if it was possibly just me (allergies for example) or whether it was something with the bins. Eventually I took them out one evening and attempted to focus on some of the stars. What I noticed was an issue with focusing those stars in the right barrel. I could never seem to get that barrel to star test well. My thoughts were obviously that there was some sort of alignment issue with the lenses/prism within that barrel.
I subsequently returned it and bought a third pair from a different retailer. This pair is just as consistant optically, mechanically and cosmetically as the original. It is a pure joy to use and I really hope to keep it for some time.
I guess my point is that this is just one example of what I see as being probably the most significant issue facing the sport optics industry today. I sincerely wonder how many binocular purchasing choices were the result of poor experiences with a unit that suffered from quality control issues.
Thoughts or experiences anyone wants to share on this issue?
To point out one particular example, a few months ago I bought a demo Leupold Cascade porro from the local sporting goods store. It was in perfect condition optically, mechanically and cosmetically. I enjoyed using it thoroughly for reasons I have mentioned elsewhere. I was subsequently forced to sell it but eventually decided to purchase another. The second unit, though as nice from an outward perspective just did not offer me as relaxed of a feeling as I did with the first unit. I tinkered with a variety of different settings to see if it was possibly just me (allergies for example) or whether it was something with the bins. Eventually I took them out one evening and attempted to focus on some of the stars. What I noticed was an issue with focusing those stars in the right barrel. I could never seem to get that barrel to star test well. My thoughts were obviously that there was some sort of alignment issue with the lenses/prism within that barrel.
I subsequently returned it and bought a third pair from a different retailer. This pair is just as consistant optically, mechanically and cosmetically as the original. It is a pure joy to use and I really hope to keep it for some time.
I guess my point is that this is just one example of what I see as being probably the most significant issue facing the sport optics industry today. I sincerely wonder how many binocular purchasing choices were the result of poor experiences with a unit that suffered from quality control issues.
Thoughts or experiences anyone wants to share on this issue?