[matt green]

Still contemplating the Hawkes I tried out a few days ago but still concerned about that god awful focus traction I found on three different demo models. I've briefly scanned through the various threads but can't find any in depth opinions on the matter so to be specific I've started this thread!!

Basically, I love everything about those Hawkes, I could live with the slow focus but the spongey traction in the focus doesn't exactly inspire confidence with the build quality. While turning the focus wheel through the focus range it got to a certain point and it seemed to cease up a little, becoming increasingly stiff mid range as if something inside was jamming the internal mechanism?

Anyone else find this, is it just a result of uneven lubrication or something possibly more serious?

Matt

[Veracocha]

Can't answer your question Matt but I too am on the cusp of buying a pair but have no idea where to start. Any idea's for a reputable seller and a good price? Sherwwods (local) want £300.

[FrankD]

I think I know what you are referring to. I felt the Promaster EDs that I had actually displayed this a bit more than the Hawkes that I had in my possession. I thought the focus control on my particular unit was actually quite responsive so, if I had to take a guess, I would say that you might have run into a "bad batch". I have had several email exchanges with some of the folks at Hawke back when I bought my pair. They are very friendly. Why don't you drop them a line via their website and see what they have to say about your concern? Who knows, maybe they will send you a "cherry unit". Making a customer happy is what any manufacturer is supposed to be geared towards, right? Word of mouth is a powerful marketing tool.

[Tero]

The Promaster focus definitely gets stiff at below freezing temperatures outside. I did not notice anything else odd about the focus knob or its action. I suspect the others are similar. For me this is obvious in the winter birding of sparrows ducks etc. So I just kind of keep the focus ready roughly at the right distance befoer I get to my spot to view. A bit of an annoyance.

I am not using this in the late spring for warblers etc. where I need wider field, but there the freezing would not be an issue.

[Veracocha]

Originally Posted by Veracocha

Can't answer your question Matt but I too am on the cusp of buying a pair but have no idea where to start. Any idea's for a reputable seller and a good price? Sherwwods (local) want £300.

Well now I can. I popped out lunchtime and bought a pair from LCE in Worcester for £270. The traction on these is absolutely fine; smooth with no unnecessary resistance through the range. No different to my Minox BL's which I can't fault.

[matt green]

Originally Posted by Veracocha

Well now I can. I popped out lunchtime and bought a pair from LCE in Worcester for £270. The traction on these is absolutely fine; smooth with no unnecessary resistance through the range. No different to my Minox BL's which I can't fault.

Sounds like you found a cherry!!

At the end of the day considering the amazing image quality and low price a bit of roughness in the focus shouldn't be too much of a concern, as long as it's not an actuall defect or design flaw...which I'm sure it isn't!!

Hope I haven't put folks off these bins, they are amazing for the money!!

Matt

[Veracocha]

Would hope to have found a cracking pair but with the weather warnings going on at the moment I don't expect to be able to report on their performance for some time.

[matt green]

Originally Posted by FrankD

I think I know what you are referring to. I felt the Promaster EDs that I had actually displayed this a bit more than the Hawkes that I had in my possession. I thought the focus control on my particular unit was actually quite responsive so, if I had to take a guess, I would say that you might have run into a "bad batch". I have had several email exchanges with some of the folks at Hawke back when I bought my pair. They are very friendly. Why don't you drop them a line via their website and see what they have to say about your concern? Who knows, maybe they will send you a "cherry unit". Making a customer happy is what any manufacturer is supposed to be geared towards, right? Word of mouth is a powerful marketing tool.

Recently sent Hawke optics an email as you suggested, and my reply was brief and did nothing to ease my concerns!! I'm coming to the conclusion that maybe the ropey focusing I experianced may have been down to quality
control issues or just plain variability with each unit...there is a limit to what you can get for you £280 afterall!! This combined with the painfully slow focus and unproven warrenty I'm still not convinced to purchase with confidence...as my email reply advised!!

Maybe I'll just go and blow the bank for an 8.5x42 EL

Matt

[NoSpringChicken]

Originally Posted by matt green

Maybe I'll just go and blow the bank for an 8.5x42 EL

Matt

That's a bit rash. I'm sure there is something in between. Have you had a look at the London Camera Exchange used binocular selection? 8x32 Trinovid BN for £499, Nikon 8x32 HGL for £399 or even the aforementioned 8.5x42 EL for £949 and many others. I have no idea what they are like but I am very pleased with the ex-demo 8x32 Trinovids which I bought from them.

Ron

[matt green]

Originally Posted by NoSpringChicken

Have you had a look at the London Camera Exchange used binocular selection? 8x32 Trinovid BN for £499, Nikon 8x32 HGL for £399 or even the aforementioned 8.5x42 EL for £949 and many others. I have no idea what they are like but I am very pleased with the ex-demo 8x32 Trinovids which I bought from them.

Ron

Regularly, and have seen all the above bins you mention!! Really regret not buying the demo Opticron Imagic se 7x42 they had down for £250 a while ago, the 8x42 model is a gem and the 7x42 is probably nicer still!!

They very kindly sent me pics of the Trinovid BN 8x42 they currently have, nice piece of kit for £550!!

Matt

[Veracocha]

I just came back from a local reserve where a company called in-focus were in attendance with a wide array of bins. I thought this was a chance to see whether my Frontier ED's were a decent purchase by putting them alongside some other marques. I heard a lot about Opticron BGA's which were on offer at £299. I have to say that they were a country mile form my Frontiers so my confidence grew a bit. I tried a few other Opticrons slightly less expensive and they were much the same. I plucked up the courage to look at a pair of Svarowski (sp) at around £1200 expecting to get the Hawke's spanked and I had to laugh :), I could not tell the pair apart image-wise. I exagerate not, I came away with a massive smile thinking what quality can you get for £280 ?, well it seems quite a lot. I hope warranty doesn't become an issue but it seems I can afford another three pairs on top of these if it does!

[FrankD]

Matt,

I know it has been suggested to others before but maybe you might want to check further into those Zen EDs. If the conversion from dollars to your currency isn't too bad then they offer a wonderful alternative in terms of quality control and customer service...and I do believe they ship overseas.

[Veracocha]

Originally Posted by FrankD

Matt,

I know it has been suggested to others before but maybe you might want to check further into those Zen EDs. If the conversion from dollars to your currency isn't too bad then they offer a wonderful alternative in terms of quality control and customer service...and I do believe they ship overseas.

Yes they do, following advice from a few members here they responded to my e.mail and they will ship to UK. I expect to make a purchase any day now.

[FrankD]

Originally Posted by Veracocha

Yes they do, following advice from a few members here they responded to my e.mail and they will ship to UK. I expect to make a purchase any day now.

Would you be kind enough to post how long it takes to ship to the UK as well as what they eventually cost to buy from your "side of the pond". I hesitated to recommend them based on what I have read about buying bins here and shipping them to your country.

[Veracocha]

Originally Posted by FrankD

Would you be kind enough to post how long it takes to ship to the UK as well as what they eventually cost to buy from your "side of the pond". I hesitated to recommend them based on what I have read about buying bins here and shipping them to your country.

Ok, with the voucher code "ifish" removing $90 from the overall price and including the $38 for postage it comes to £287.00 delivered and expected 7-10 days lead time. That puts it on the same level as walking into my local retailer and buying the Hawke frontier ED's.

[Glosbirder]

Originally Posted by Veracocha

Ok, with the voucher code "ifish" removing $90 from the overall price and including the $38 for postage it comes to £287.00 delivered and expected 7-10 days lead time. That puts it on the same level as walking into my local retailer and buying the Hawke frontier ED's.

It'll depend on whether you get mullered for Import Duty. HMRC tend to notice packages from North America once they get over £50 or so.....

[joannec]

Originally Posted by Glosbirder

It'll depend on whether you get mullered for Import Duty. HMRC tend to notice packages from North America once they get over £50 or so.....

This is true.....most times they don't check but if they do they add a percentage of the cost plus a handling fee so could end up costing you more than you think. It's happened to me once.

[matt green]

Originally Posted by FrankD

Matt,

I know it has been suggested to others before but maybe you might want to check further into those Zen EDs. If the conversion from dollars to your currency isn't too bad then they offer a wonderful alternative in terms of quality control and customer service...and I do believe they ship overseas.

Thanks for the advice Frank, to be honest if I choose either one of these recently introduced models I'd rather go the route of the Hawkes seeing as they are more UK based and easier to handle before purchase etc.

Had further correspondence with Hawke optics this morning and was very kindly invited to check out a selection of Frontiers at their Suffolk based headquarters, which isn't exactly a million miles from where I live!!

Regarding the focus issue, I've spoken to a friend of a friend who tried out a few Frontier models out and apart from a little minor variation didn't note any problems with the focus workings...and judging by how many birders I saw happily toting them on a recent visit to north Norfolk they certainly seemed quite content with their's!!!

Matt

[bitterntwisted]

Matt,

The focus wheel on mine is stiffer than on my other bins and it is perceptibly stiffer in cold weather than in the heat. This was most obvious in November going from 40C in Gambia to 0C here. It's also much slower than you may be used to. But all these things are just things you get used to after a while - they really don't impact my enjoyment one bit. And I haven't noticed any sponginess - are you sure the play is in the wheel and not in the tips of your fingers as you have to push a little harder than accustomed?

Graham

[NoSpringChicken]

I was at Cley Spy this afternoon so took the opportunity to try the Frontier ED 8x42. I thought they were excellent optically - bright and crisp. They were a bit bigger than I expected and very unimpressive to look at. They were surprisingly light, however, and, if all the money has been spent on optical performance rather than cosmetic appeal, that can only be a good thing.

I have to say, though, I am not sure if I could live with the painfully slow and resistant focusing. I couldn't detect any noticeable play in the mechanism and the close focus was brilliant but it took so much winding to get there.

Interestingly, my other half tried them and thought they were fantastic. She has an astigmatism in one eye and wears glasses and has been unimpressed with just about every other binocular she has tried.

Overall I thought they were excellent optically and brilliant for the price but there were some inevitable compromises to keep the cost down. I also tried the Vortex Viper while I was there and much preferred the focusing and appearance but wasn't as impressed by the image quality.

Ron

[scburts]

I agree with the majority of other posts - the focussing mechanism on my Hawkes is absolutely fine. So it seems as if you were unlucky and got a lemon...

[Veracocha]

Originally Posted by matt green

Had further correspondence with Hawke optics this morning and was very kindly invited to check out a selection of Frontiers at their Suffolk based headquarters, which isn't exactly a million miles from where I live!!

Matt

Today I had the fortune to get an immediate response from a Director at Hawke when I asked for the purchase price of two spare straps to go with my ED's. They are sending me two gratis in the post tonight. Excellent customer service.

[Charltonfan]

Matt
Recently tried out some Hawke Frontiers at East Haningfield reservoir in Essex. I agree with everybody else in that the view through them is unbeatable for the money. I compared them to my Swarovski 8.5x42 ELs and I would say they were about 85% as good optically. The biggest problem for me was the focussing being noticeably rougher than I am used to and being that the Hawkes have slow focusing this seems to exagerate the problem. I reckon they could be frustrating to use in woodland for example when it is often necessary to get quick focus before a bird is gone. Marsh/estuary/viewing across water etc should not really be a problem though once you get ued to them.
I actually ended up buying Swift's Audubon 8.5x44 HHS roof prism from Hanningfield instead of the Hawkes(as a present for my wife). They were not as good as the Hawkes optically but at £314 they were notably better than Opticron's imagic bga se roofs and the build quality,weight,focusing etc was perfect plus they have a 25 year warranty.
To sum up then if you want the best optics as well as top build quality and back up service then I reckon the Swarovski Els can't be beaten but they will cost upwards of £1000. If you can overlook or tolerate the focusing issues then the Hawkes are superb for the price optically. If you are happy to compromise on the optics slightly, but still enjoy a view imho better than most at the price and want top build quality ,then check out the Swifts.
Hope this helps
Steve

[Steve C]

Originally Posted by Charltonfan

Matt
I compared them to my Swarovski 8.5x42 ELs and I would say they were about 85% as good optically. Steve

Well different strokes for different folks. You must have an absolutely crummy Hawke if you can see that much difference. I doubt most Swaro users could pick the image from the Promaster ELX ED or the ZEN ED from the Swarovski. I know of a couple of Swaro users who couldn't see any difference, let alone 15%. But I have no doubt you see what you see.

[falcondude]

Originally Posted by Steve C

Well different strokes for different folks. You must have an absolutely crummy Hawke if you can see that much difference. I doubt most Swaro users could pick the image from the Promaster ELX ED or the ZEN ED from the Swarovski. I know of a couple of Swaro users who couldn't see any difference, let alone 15%. But I have no doubt you see what you see.

I wish I could see 15% difference between my Swaro and ZEN.

As a matter of fact, I don't know how to quantitatively compare those high quality binoculars where any difference is very minor, other than saying they are close or one is slightly better than the other (subjectively of course).