Decided to Buy a CL 7x21, But Can't Find One Locally (1 Viewer)

[Joe H]

Many thanks for all the great information posted here! I’m in the market for a replacement for my old Leica 8x20 Ultravids which were (through my own carelessness) recently stolen. I’ve decided to replace them with the CL 7x21. None of the local Swarovski authorized dealers in town have one and worse, don’t think they could special-order one. As one of the sales reps put it, “We pretty much get what we get and they sell out. Then we wait for the next shipment”

So first off, if this sort of thread violates any rules of Birdforum please let me know and I’ll delete it or let the moderators know to do so. Also, my apologies if this has been discussed before. If it has, please let me know where and I’ll do some more research. My last optic purchase (an EL 8x32) was about 19 years ago so I’m not at all familiar with the current market.

My question is if anyone here can recommend a store or on-line dealer who is an authorized Swaro dealer, who will ship to the U.S. I am in Alaska but except that a lot of the “free shipping” caveats don’t apply here, mail from the “Lower 48” is reliable.

I’ve looked on-line and see the price is pretty uniform, so I’m not looking for a below retail price, just a reliable dealer with a good reputation who’s likely to have a set in-stock.

Thank you in advance.

 

[[email protected]]

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1680990-REG/swarovski_46159_7x21_cl_curio_compact.html

 

[Joe H]

Thank you, Denco-

I gave them a call and chatted with a very nice young man in sales who confirmed the black 7x21 model was in stock and shipped to Alaska with insurance for a little under twenty dollars. I just received a quote via e-mail so I'll order them momentarily and they should be viewing birds in about 10 days. Thanks again for the prompt reply.

 

[[email protected]]

Thank you, Denco-

I gave them a call and chatted with a very nice young man in sales who confirmed the black 7x21 model was in stock and shipped to Alaska with insurance for a little under twenty dollars. I just received a quote via e-mail so I'll order them momentarily and they should be viewing birds in about 10 days. Thanks again for the prompt reply.

Yes, B&H is a good vendor. $20 shipping to Alaska seems pretty reasonable to me, and they ship fast. Enjoy those Curios!

 

[Joe H]

Just a short note to thank Denco for the link - the Curios arrived today via FEDEX ground (though clearly they flew from NY to Alaska). That's great service! The binoculars are stunning. I'll post some observations after I've compared them a bit with my wife's 8x20s (Zeiss Victory, circa 2004). Suffice to say I'm really happy with them as a replacement for my little Leicas. Thanks again!

 

[Redneckbmxer24]

Looks like you already made the purchase, but in the future I'd highly suggest calling Euro Optic and talking to Jason. He's awesome to deal with, they're probably the biggest dealer in the country, and he'll usually give you a nice discount if you ask. It just saved me a lot of money on NL 12x42's.

 

[[email protected]]

Just a short note to thank Denco for the link - the Curios arrived today via FEDEX ground (though clearly they flew from NY to Alaska). That's great service! The binoculars are stunning. I'll post some observations after I've compared them a bit with my wife's 8x20s (Zeiss Victory, circa 2004). Suffice to say I'm really happy with them as a replacement for my little Leicas. Thanks again!

You're welcome! I like my Curio's also. Enjoy those views in beautiful Alaska!

 

[Joe H]

Thanks to both of you for the links,

Yes, I do have the Curios and I'm not given to excessive acquisition syndrome (though by my wife would probably disagree), so I don't anticipate another optics purchase until one of my three either breaks or gets stolen. Still, it's good to have some options since it seems the days of hanging out at the optics counter and comparing binoculars is over up here. It's amazing really, 20 years ago it was easy to walk into a store and see all of the "alpha" models in pocket, mid and full sizes, and lots of other brands, too. I do prefer to buy from a local vendor, even if it's a bit more expensive because I want to support and encourage local businesses, but during my run up to this purchase, there was just nothing to look at locally. Anyway, thanks again to both of you for the on-line suggestions. Certainly my experience with B&H was flawless.

 

[Trinovid]

My question is if anyone here can recommend a store or on-line dealer who is an authorized Swaro dealer, who will ship to the U.S. I am in Alaska but except that a lot of the “free shipping” caveats don’t apply here, mail from the “Lower 48” is reliable.

Ironically I was able to get a better price from Finland to Alaska, (as they just treated me like a customer) than from the lower 48 who treat us as 'foreigners'!