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Bushnell Legend M sticky focus wheel (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter Scudder
- Start date
Gently operate the focus back and forth through the range a bunch of times. The friction/stiffness is in the internal mechanism. This will probably solve your problem eventually. It did for my 2 pairs of Legend Ms. Whatever lube you use externally, DO NOT use white lithium greases. A silicone should be fine.
I bought them at B&H Photo a while back, but I only gave them to my mother recently. The focus wheel was stiff straight out of the box and still is.
They are great for the money. I upgraded to Swarovski NL Pure. The Swaro is much better, but the Bushnell is still a very good binocular.
The focus wheel is still stiff on mine after 4 years of regular use as well. Its tolerable for how good they are optically and how inexpensive they were to acquire. And yes, they do live up to the hype provided you don't have to wear glasses and don't mind large bodies. Very very close optically to my conquests and Monarch HGs, slightly smaller sweet spot, equal in brightness, sharpness, excellent color accuracy/neutrality, and CA control. But definitely an overly stiff focuser (internal lubricant choice issue I suspect). Hinge tightness is good, diopter is stable. I found my pairs new on closeout for $160 and $220 respectively. Insane bargains in retrospect and a true testament to Chinese production when they get it almost right. I can bird a 6 to 8hr day without headaches or eye strain. I cannot do/tolerate that with Vortex Diamondbacks or Nikon Monarch 5's, for reference.
Josh Exmoor
Well-known member
I have two pairs of Legend M 8x42's and one is significantly stiffer than the other. It's actually the one I keep inside the house and sees a lot more use. It improves a bit when its warmer, but hasn't really changed in 3.5 years. I love the Legend M's and only wish they were a bit lighter having just drug them on a 60mi, 10k ft elevation gain backpacking trip last weekend.
Chosun Juan
Given to Fly
How does the focus backlash compare between the two ?
On the parent Zen-Ray design, focus stiffness has an inversely proportional relationship with focus backlash ...... so be careful what you wish for.
If I recall correctly, there is an internal adjustment screw that takes care of this balancing act, rather than solely being dependent on lubrication type.
Temperature also plays a part, with the performance of any particular unit being different depending on whether you are in a 50°C desert or sub-zero mountains ......
Chosun 🙎♀️
has530
Well-known member
I am having this same problem. I love the optics but tend not to grab them because the focusing is so stiff and raspy. I called bushnell to ask if there was anything they could do to loosen it up and they said they couldn't know unless I sent them in and I am apprehensive to pay to ship them there to presumably tell me that they are functioning as intended.
You don’t think they will replace with a Forge?
If there is a set screw adjustment to be made, and Bushnell won’t “service” their own binos, you could call Suddarth Optical and see if they will adjust them for you. That way you would know in advance if you were going to get some service for your shipping costs.
suddarthoptical.com
I still think you could advocate for yourself with Bushnell to stand behind their warranty and pony up a replacement Forge for you.
If there is a set screw adjustment to be made, and Bushnell won’t “service” their own binos, you could call Suddarth Optical and see if they will adjust them for you. That way you would know in advance if you were going to get some service for your shipping costs.
Suddarth Optical Repair - Binocular Repair & Binocular Repair Near Me & Binocular Collimation Service & Binocular Cleaning & Binocular Restoration & Fix Double Vision Suddarth Optical Repair
Binocular Repair since 1975 - Suddarth Optical Repair offers binocular repairs, binocular cleaning, binocular collimation and full binocular restoration. SOR offers the best binocular collimation service using a Navy Mark-V collimator. Contact today and click About to find out about our binocular
suddarthoptical.com
I still think you could advocate for yourself with Bushnell to stand behind their warranty and pony up a replacement Forge for you.
has530
Well-known member
This is my fear, I looked through a legend HD once and it was clear that the fast objectives were not doing them any favors compared to their Legend M "predecessors". I am sure that I would be happy with a forge but given their current price points I doubt they would replace them with those.
Interesting, I find my hinge tightness to be spot on perfect. I guess they are really showing that the tradeoff for the great optics for the price is the mechanical qualities/consistency.
I think you are right and I may give it a go. As they are now it takes multiple fingers to get it to budge so I am not using them anyways and don't have much to lose. Might as well give Bushnell a chance to make me happy!You don’t think they will replace with a Forge?
If there is a set screw adjustment to be made, and Bushnell won’t “service” their own binos, you could call Suddarth Optical and see if they will adjust them for you. That way you would know in advance if you were going to get some service for your shipping costs.
Suddarth Optical Repair - Binocular Repair & Binocular Repair Near Me & Binocular Collimation Service & Binocular Cleaning & Binocular Restoration & Fix Double Vision Suddarth Optical Repair
Binocular Repair since 1975 - Suddarth Optical Repair offers binocular repairs, binocular cleaning, binocular collimation and full binocular restoration. SOR offers the best binocular collimation service using a Navy Mark-V collimator. Contact today and click About to find out about our binocular
I still think you could advocate for yourself with Bushnell to stand behind their warranty and pony up a replacement Forge for you.
ZeNiTh-PbArM
Well-known member
Hello, on this model as on most roofs you can adjust hinge tension but the focuser stiffness is not "adjustable" : there is no screw you can turn.
The clearance between threads are a result of machining tolerance and mix & match of the parts.
If the focuser is loose, you can use a heavier grease (often insufficient to compensate the backlash), if it's stiff, you can lap the threads carefully, but that's it. Beyond this, new parts are required to perform a repair.
Cheers,
zp*
Let us know how it works out for you getting warranty service from Bushnell in 2022 on your M’s. I am also curious what they will do for you.
has530
Well-known member
Just got them back from Bushnell. To my surprise I got my binoculars back. Work order says they replaced the focuser! It still has a decent amount of slop, is a little noisy, and harder to turn than I prefer, but it is markedly better than what I sent them. Overall I am pleased (after all, with optics this nice for this price one can't expect mechanical perfection) and these will certainly go back into service.
