• Welcome to BirdForum, the internet's largest birding community with thousands of members from all over the world. The forums are dedicated to wild birds, birding, binoculars and equipment and all that goes with it.

    Please register for an account to take part in the discussions in the forum, post your pictures in the gallery and more.
ZEISS DTI thermal imaging cameras. For more discoveries at night, and during the day.

Problems with Kowa Europe (1 Viewer)

MICK SAUNT

Well-known member
Is anyone else having problems in contacting Kowa Europe?
Have got problems with dirt in my 25-60 eyepiece and sent details via Kowa's website on 22nd September. I was issue with a 'ticket' number to track my query and sent a reminder, again via their website, on 29th as I had heard nothing.
Still nothing a week later so I found another email address and sent a third request for an update but to date (13/10) still nothing.
The frustrating thing is that my current eyepiece is a year-old replacement exchanged under warranty due to the same problem and prior to that had to have my original 20-60 eyepiece exchanged under warranty for exactly the same reason.
Having charged a premium price for premium product I think Kowa need to get their act together or next time Swarovski here I come!
 
Is anyone else having problems in contacting Kowa Europe?
Have got problems with dirt in my 25-60 eyepiece and sent details via Kowa's website on 22nd September. I was issue with a 'ticket' number to track my query and sent a reminder, again via their website, on 29th as I had heard nothing.
Still nothing a week later so I found another email address and sent a third request for an update but to date (13/10) still nothing.
The frustrating thing is that my current eyepiece is a year-old replacement exchanged under warranty due to the same problem and prior to that had to have my original 20-60 eyepiece exchanged under warranty for exactly the same reason.
Having charged a premium price for premium product I think Kowa need to get their act together or next time Swarovski here I come!
I have a question because I have the same problem with a 25-60 that was supposed to be cleaned for this problem.

I looked inside the lens from different angles under various lighting. I believe there is a circular groove cut into what appears to be a plastic sleeve that serves as a guide for pins mounted on the movable lens. Turn the sleeve, the pins follow the groove and the lens moves in one of two directions depending on which way you turn the adjustment. Similar to what you may see on an eyecup.

In any case, I saw what appeared to be black slivers (not dirt particles) inside the lens at various magnifications. I'm guessing these are remnants of the groove cutting process or shaved off by the action of the pin moving along the groove.

My 25-60 was returned with specks visible at 55-60. It came back clean at 55-60 but I later saw seven specks at 35-40. I found then while looking at a gray sky.

I have not returned the lens for the following reason. The lens I have produces the finest view I've seen and I've examined the best. Money is not a motivating factor in my selection. The view is stellar and the zoom coupled to the coarse/fine focus is so pleasant I simply don't want to chance getting a lens that is in any way inferior to the one I have.

Good luck and please let us know how you repair/replacement proceeds.

PS
I adapted to the problem by concentrating on birding and, on the rare occasion when I see specks, I zoom a bit one way or the other and the specks dissolve.

PPS
I do check for new specks because I'm afraid the zooming action may create more of them. Time will tell.
 
Many thanks for those details - one or other of these has done the trick!
Sent email Sunday evening and by 8.30 Monday morning had had two responses from Kowa, one an apology and the second a despatch form for completion.
Despatch form sent to Kowa Tuesday and today (Wednesday) FedEx picked up the parcel so by now it's on its way to Kowa in Germany.
So far, so good!

Mick
 
Many thanks for those details - one or other of these has done the trick!
Sent email Sunday evening and by 8.30 Monday morning had had two responses from Kowa, one an apology and the second a despatch form for completion.
Despatch form sent to Kowa Tuesday and today (Wednesday) FedEx picked up the parcel so by now it's on its way to Kowa in Germany.
So far, so good!

Mick

You are very welcome. Been a KOWA reseller in Hungary for years and I still have those contacts. ;)
 
I have seen specks in at least four Kowa scopes or eyepieces (only 20-60x) of the TSN-88X series. They are usually visible at the lowest magnification only but nevertheless distracting, especially if you do a lot raptor watching. I was lucky as the speck in my eyepiece disappeared after some time.
I was hoping the new 25-60x would not have this problem.
 
I was informed by a retailer who had dealt with some eyepiece returns that it had been flecks of paint in earlier stock, rather than dust....rather galling when the EP alone is over £600 in the UK.
If Kowa could sort these QA and after-sales issues, they could rule the spotting scope world.
 
I was informed by a retailer who had dealt with some eyepiece returns that it had been flecks of paint in earlier stock, rather than dust....rather galling when the EP alone is over £600 in the UK.
If Kowa could sort these QA and after-sales issues, they could rule the spotting scope world.
Ditto!
 
Many thanks for those details - one or other of these has done the trick!
Sent email Sunday evening and by 8.30 Monday morning had had two responses from Kowa, one an apology and the second a despatch form for completion.
Despatch form sent to Kowa Tuesday and today (Wednesday) FedEx picked up the parcel so by now it's on its way to Kowa in Germany.
So far, so good!

Mick

Finally sorted!

Confirmation received from Kowa for receipt of eyepiece in Germany on October 21st.
Chased with email November 7th since nothing heard from Kowa
Chased again with email November 14th as nothing still from Kowa
Apology received plus confirmation from Kowa that new eyepiece despatched on same day.
Received new eyepiece today (16th) but won't be able to test until tomorrow!

Not sure if I was just unlucky, but since my first contact with Kowa (via their website on September 21st) it has taken over seven weeks to resolve.

Hopefully, others won't have to wait quite so long to sort what is clearly a known and ongoing problem with the 25-60 eyepiece!

Mick
 
Kowa 25-60 Eyepiece

I've just sent back my third example owing to bits inside the lens. I met a chap in Hungary with bits in his lens and that was his 4th example! Also met several others in UK with same issue. All mine have been worst at 35x when the particles come into focus. In each case they start clear but over time more and more bits appear until they becomes unusable for sea watching. With no UK importer they have to go to Germany to be dealt with. My worry is that the problem will keep recurring and one day Kowa won't be willing to fix /replace it. Then what? Wish I'd bought an ATX instead of 'upgrading' to the new eyepiece.............
 
I've just sent back my third example owing to bits inside the lens. I met a chap in Hungary with bits in his lens and that was his 4th example! Also met several others in UK with same issue. All mine have been worst at 35x when the particles come into focus. In each case they start clear but over time more and more bits appear until they becomes unusable for sea watching. With no UK importer they have to go to Germany to be dealt with. My worry is that the problem will keep recurring and one day Kowa won't be willing to fix /replace it. Then what? Wish I'd bought an ATX instead of 'upgrading' to the new eyepiece.............
This has been going on for some time. My zoom has been cleaned once and there are now specks at a different magnification. Does anyone know if KOWA has a permanent fix to the problem?
 
I've just sent back my third example owing to bits inside the lens. I met a chap in Hungary with bits in his lens and that was his 4th example! Also met several others in UK with same issue. All mine have been worst at 35x when the particles come into focus. In each case they start clear but over time more and more bits appear until they becomes unusable for sea watching. With no UK importer they have to go to Germany to be dealt with. My worry is that the problem will keep recurring and one day Kowa won't be willing to fix /replace it. Then what? Wish I'd bought an ATX instead of 'upgrading' to the new eyepiece.............

Reassuring having read your post that I'm not the only one, the specks in my eyepiece appear at 35-40x zoom (I'm on my 2nd eyepiece). I spoke to a Kowa rep at Birdfair this year and he gave me a business card for a UK sales manager who would arrange collection of the eyepiece for repair in Germany!

Spent a few minutes with the 883 display model, eyepiece showed no issues at any zoom so I'm hoping mine is just part of a bad batch!
 
Last year, the specks (probably loose paint) turned up in my eyepiece. I contacted CleySpy (UK) where i bought it from. I wanted that EP cleaned, rather than replaced and risk it again.
It went back to Germany, and (despite a warned 6-week turnaround) was back in 3, cleaned up and with no re-occurring problems (so far!)
However, i couldn't find a serial number on the eyepiece, so have no guarantees it is the same one although would think this would be Kowa's preferred option, rather than replace.
 
Warning! This thread is more than 7 years ago old.
It's likely that no further discussion is required, in which case we recommend starting a new thread. If however you feel your response is required you can still do so.

Users who are viewing this thread

Back
Top