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Swarowski Service second to none (1 Viewer)

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balfour16

New member
A while back I dropped my seventeen year old Swarowski EL 42's whilst getting out of the car and as luck would have it they landed on the strap holder lug which broke off. I took the binoculars into my nearest Swarowski agent, the excellent Birder's Store in Worcester which is run by Brian Stretch. Brian sent them off to Austria for an estimate as to how much the repair would cost. Today they arrived back with the repair completed. In addition the following work was carried out:

New Eyecup Set fitted

New Left Housing fitted

New Left and Right Coats fitted

New Swarowski Logo fitted

Various Small Parts fitted

Here is the astonishing part of the story. All of this work, itemised by Swarowski as coming to nearly £300 was carried out free of charge !!

People might want to bear in mind the sort of service that Swarowski offer when buying new optics.
 
They are a fabulous company, Nikon take note!!!!!!!! You could do the same if you try.

My 20 year's scopes with them at the moment, along with the 20-60 eyepiece.

They are going to sort it all for me.

Some years ago I went to the factory, and mentioned I had another slight problem, they whisked me and the scope away and mended it Free of charge.

Recommend them 100%
 
Fully agree !! I have had binoculars in service with all of the top brands Swaro, Leica, Zeiss and also Nikon and Kowa, and while all of them, except Kowa (who took almost 3 months for a recollimation job on an almost brand new Highlander), did a good job and performed their service promptly (even Nikon, their service center in Switzerland seems exceptionally good), Swaro has proven several times to be the most generous when it comes to cleaning, replacing small items, upgrading eyecups etc. etc.
Another big advantage with them: they also perform service on binoculars that are 50 or more years old, something Zeiss told me they could not do anymore (I was informed they do not have the necessary tools any more !?!?).
 
It is good business practice for Swarovski to do this when possible and often it is easy to do.

Their big expense, other than the cost of labor, seems to have been the new left housing which I suppose is where the strap lug broke? And there was probably a good supply of replacement eye cups still available for this series.

There was a u-tube posted here a while back by one of the Porter's from Birding Digest, I think, about getting her EL binocular cleaned and refurbished. I recall that the covering over the objective tubes was easy to remove and replace. The lady in charge tore the covers off the tubes with her fingernails so they could fit it with new coats on both tubes.

Bob
 
+1 on the comments about Swaro's service....

I lost an objective cap on my 8x32 EL's a while ago whilst bushwalking. I happened to mention it to a Swarovski rep recently at an optics expo.

He asked for my address and a couple of weeks later a new pair of objective covers rocked up in the mail....

can't fault their service!!

cheers
Jeelan
 
Canip said:
Another big advantage with them: they also perform service on binoculars that are 50 or more years old, something Zeiss told me they could not do anymore (I was informed they do not have the necessary tools any more !?!?).
Click to expand...

Isn't that because Swarovski's older binoculars are basically the Habichts, still in production today. While Zeiss had many different products more than 50 years old, all of which are long out of production?
 
Ceasar,

I have been wanting to see again the video that Diane Porter put up during a trip, with other birders, to Absam but have not been able to find it


Acurrent link would be appreciated.
 
dalat said:
Isn't that because Swarovski's older binoculars are basically the Habichts, still in production today. While Zeiss had many different products more than 50 years old, all of which are long out of production?
Click to expand...

Yes, that's well possible. Doesn't help me much, though, when one of the older Zeiss binos in my collection needs serivice. Of course, I can get repairs or internal cleaning done at a number of independent optics shops, but I would prefer a "Swarovski-like" service also from Zeiss if I had a choice. I know that today's financially driven managers at Zeiss or Leica will shrug their shoulders and find me helplessly old-fashioned.
 
Canip said:
Yes, that's well possible. Doesn't help me much, though, when one of the older Zeiss binos in my collection needs serivice. Of course, I can get repairs or internal cleaning done at a number of independent optics shops, but I would prefer a "Swarovski-like" service also from Zeiss if I had a choice. I know that today's financially driven managers at Zeiss or Leica will shrug their shoulders and find me helplessly old-fashioned.
Click to expand...

HI Canip

What model / year is it that needs attention?

Lee
 
Canip said:
Fully agree !! I have had binoculars in service with all of the top brands Swaro, Leica, Zeiss and also Nikon and Kowa, and while all of them, except Kowa (who took almost 3 months for a recollimation job on an almost brand new Highlander), did a good job and performed their service promptly (even Nikon, their service center in Switzerland seems exceptionally good), Swaro has proven several times to be the most generous when it comes to cleaning, replacing small items, upgrading eyecups etc. etc.
Another big advantage with them: they also perform service on binoculars that are 50 or more years old, something Zeiss told me they could not do anymore (I was informed they do not have the necessary tools any more !?!?).
Click to expand...

Canip,

Zeiss has been making binoculars for a much longer time than Swarovski has and there are probably a lot more of their old binoculars out there, dating back to World War I and going forward into World War II, than there are old Swarovski binoculars.

I think that may be one of the big reasons why Zeiss won't get into refurbishing their old binoculars.

Bob
 
Last edited:
ceasar said:
Canip,

Zeiss has been making binoculars for a much longer time than Swarovski has and there are probably a lot more of their old binoculars out there, dating back to World War I and going forward into World War II, than there are old Swarovski binoculars.

I think that may be one of the big reasons why Zeiss won't get into refurbishing their old binoculars.

Bob
Click to expand...

Adding that Zeiss-West products are almost all still serviceable, only the JENA products not.

Jan
 
Gijs van Ginkel said:
Canip, post 15,
The 1953 8x56 Dialyt does not carry the name Zeiss, if I remember well, but is still Hensoldt.
Gijs van Ginkel
Click to expand...

Correct, Gijs.
The Dialyt 8x56 was produced until 1967 under the name Hensoldt, after that under the label Zeiss. I assume the the Zeiss instrument is (or better "was", since Zeiss decided last year to stop production) essentially identical with the Hensoldt.
Zeiss wrote to me when I enquired about service for te Dialyt about two years ago that they would have done it in earlier years but then at some point decided not to keep tools and tooling and to let private shops do repair and cleaning service (I don't blame them, it probably was not a profitable business for Zeiss, but this entire discussion is not about profit, but rather long term thinking and customer image)
 
I don't know about a lack of tools but I am sure Zeiss has run out of spare parts for Hensoldt models and the cost of making new parts would be prohibitive.

Lee
 
In October, picked up good deal on a 91' Habicht Porro Leatherette 6x30M, overall good condition. Obtained an RA from SONA and sent in for cleaning, eye cups and tubes replacement and possible glass\prism\coatings upgrade (yellowish tint to superb sharp optics). Day after they received them in RI, I was sent an e-mail notice of intent for Absam, Austria to handle the work, with a 6-8 week turnaround time frame.

At exactly 6 weeks, they were delivered to my door step, ready to go glassing. New eye cups, tubes replaced and small parts and general cleaning (interior\exterior) was performed. The loose hinge IPD now stays in place, focus is very smooth and although there is no mention in the service ticket of any glass\prism\coatings upgrade, Color Fidelity is Very Close to my neutral 1999'-8x30 GA, 2012-7x42 GA and 2015-10x40 GA porro collection (all have glass\coating updates when mnf.)! Sharpness is still "razor edge" and topping it all off, they added a new Swaro case, rainguard and bino strap to the box!

Who knows these past 25 years, there may have been 3 or more owners of these Swarovski 6x30M's that were originally registered through SONA, RI, USA. Total service cost to me from SONA and Absam...Zilch, Zero, Nada, Nothing!!! :eek!: :clap:

Always wanted a high quality little 6X weather proof bino...Got It...Thanks Swarovski!! :king: B :)
 
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