Do you care where certain binos are made? (1 Viewer)

[NDhunter]

Nope, doesn't matter to me a bit where a binocular is made; the only important parts to me are the optical and mechanical quality and the warranty/reputation of the company.
The little Nikon ED50 is MiC and has been an outstanding tool for me and has suffered quite a bit of abuse.
Most electronic equipment is MiC, and seems to require much the same level of careful construction as you might expect in binoculars.

Justin

Good point, it is important who makes the optics, Nikon is very experienced in
making quality optics in many different countries.

Nikon does things better, and I also have the ED50, I say wow every time I
use it.

Jerry

 

[Kevin Conville]

For me it is antithetical to the outdoor/nature experience I'm after if I have a Chinese made binocular in my hands and I won't have it. Not only do I not trust products made there but the global conscience is not fortified either. They are spending their collateral at a breathtaking rate and create a negative wave that ripples throughout the world.
Sometimes the price of goods is greater than just the monetary cost.

Well that'll probably get this moved to Ruffled Feathers. Sorry.

 

[Sancho]

If one were to base all purchasing decisions on moral and political questions, it would be difficult to justify, for example, putting petrol in our cars, currently buying anything made in the U.S.A., quite possibly (depending on one's viewpoint) anything made in the UK, or anywhere in the developing world. Including most of the clothes we wear. Also forget about buying coffee, bananas, avocados, etc. As for electric cars, for those who want to drive them, consider the ethical problems involved in the battery manufacture (and disposal). And forget about ever buying one's loved one a diamond ring, unless you go dig for the diamond yourself. If one objects to 'MiC' products, one is free to peruse all the 'MiC' products/components in the home, in the car, in the computers and phones we're communicating on, and dump them. There would be very little left. If it's a question of price point and quality, well, one cuts one's cloth etc., and not all birders in the developed world have the luxury of sourcing their optics from responsible, ethical and very expensive companies in Germany or Austria.

 

[NDhunter]

Sancho: Your thinking is way too deep. We are just talking about optics, binoculars...
Don't go beyond that.

Jerry

 

[Ries]

Funny how my first bins were put together in China but with Japanese lenses...the view was/is awesome but the build was not good... Sure China can deliver quality when the ordering party is willing to offer up more margin or make the market price higher, and too put quite an investment in quality control. To produce in China is in my opinion often an excuse to make more profit or able to offer a lower market price. So I'd be careful to buy a Chinese product, all consumer experiences should make me trust it (as the Nikon 50edl

 

[42za]

Hello,

Welcome to the New World Order.

Pride of manufacture no longer exists , cheap manufacture , maximum profit and huge quantities do exist however , the throwaway society rules.

Cheers.

 

[Kevin Conville]

If it were just a matter of ethics and morality and man's inhumanity to man and nature, then I'd mostly agree with Sancho in his post #23. But there's more to it, for me.

When I think of Germany I think of Leica, Zeiss, and Swaro* optics. BMW and Porsche cars and motorcycles. Meticulous craftsmanship and pride of engineering and manufacturing high quality stuff.

When I think of Japan I think of Yanagisawa and Yamaha musical instruments. Honda and Toyota cars and motorcycles. Takahashi telescopes. Nikon and Fujinon optics. Advanced metallurgy and knife and sword making. World class food and an appreciation for deriving the most out of raw materials.

When I think of China I think of melamine in baby formula. Toxic drywall. Sewer derived cooking oil. Villainous smog and pollution. Mountains of cheap plastic things potentially tainted with industrial waste. Bogus, sometimes toxic or ineffective pharmaceuticals. And a general pervasive feeling of fraud.

I'm avoiding these countries' legacy of inhumanity, along with Britain's and America's, and many others.

* Yeah, Austrian I know. A distinction w/o much of a difference.

 

[Sancho]

Sancho: Your thinking is way too deep. We are just talking about optics, binoculars...
Don't go beyond that.

Jerry

You're right Jerry. Apologies, I was way off-topic.

 

[Binastro]

When I see Made in India or Made in China on optics, alarm bells start ringing.

Whether I would buy them is a matter of judgement.

B.

 

[Pinewood]

When I see Made in India or Made in China on optics, alarm bells start ringing.

Whether I would buy them is a matter of judgement.

B.

Hello B,

As I understand, Zeiss assemble all its optical microscopes in India. I do not how much control Zeiss has over production but the Zeiss name still means something. I suspect that India gives export industries less trouble than China might.

Stay safe,
Arthur :hi:

 

[giosblue]

Why are optics any different than any other quality product that's made in china?
A quality product is a quality product wherever it's made.

 

[WJC]

Why are optics any different than any other quality product that's made in china?
A quality product is a quality product wherever it's made.

The keyword is “quality.” The following is not at all political. It is strictly from news sources and LIFE from those of us who are old enough.

You are absolutely correct. If you have the money, they have the product. But you must choose wisely. Reluctance might be related to the fact that they have sent us poisoned dog food, killing some of our fur babies. They have sent us baby formula laced with melamine powder and, skipping over other bad examples, they are responsible for sending us 3 or 4 debilitating to deadly viruses including COVID-19, which according to today’s death total is 162,540 in the US alone since February.

There is a difference between what the Chinese people CAN do and what some of them HAVE DONE. I have shopped Kunming United Optical and would again. :cat:

Bill

 

[Kammerdiner]

I agree with those who link optics to larger market trends and environmental/social/political concerns. America isn't blameless here.

Plus, I'm 50% German (50% pure American mutt) and have traveled throughout Germany, Switzerland, Austria. I have a soft spot for that part of the world. Hence, three Swaros, a Zeiss and a Leica.

Mostly, though, if it works and I can trust it, I'll carry it.

 

[StephenHampshire]

The keyword is “quality.” The following is not at all political. It is strictly from news sources and LIFE from those of us who are old enough.

You are absolutely correct. If you have the money, they have the product. But you must choose wisely. Reluctance might be related to the fact that they have sent us poisoned dog food, killing some of our fur babies. They have sent us baby formula laced with melamine powder and, skipping over other bad examples, they are responsible for sending us 3 or 4 debilitating to deadly viruses including COVID-19, which according to today’s death total is 162,540 in the US alone since February.

There is a difference between what the Chinese people CAN do and what some of them HAVE DONE. I have shopped Kunming United Optical and would again. :cat:

Bill

I recently purchased a pair Visionary Inara 7.5 x 36, new, for a ridiculous price and were pleased to find out they were a product of the Kunming United Optical company. Apart from being an interesting pair of binoculars, my Daughter-in-laws parents live near Kunming, and my Son and his wife have visited there quite a few times, the latest of them being in January this year. The binos fulfill their role of a useful pair to take on a walk with me, brighter than the various x 32's I have got. Sharp enough, but pleasant to use with spectacles. They cost £65 so probably not what the OP had in mind when starting this discussion. Now going to post this by clicking on my MIC bluetooth mouse

 

[fazalmajid]

About the “chabuduo” culture:

https://aeon.co/essays/what-chinese-corner-cutting-reveals-about-modernity

About quality fade:

https://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article/quality-fade-chinas-great-business-challenge/

 

[cottonbase]

@fazalmajid

The customer, and only the customer, defines value.

 

[WJC]

@fazalmajid

The customer, and only the customer, defines value.

Yep. And as long as SOME of those customers ask questions like: “Why doesn’t my binocular offer the “proper figure 8” image?” or “Why is it that no matter what telescope I use the stars are still just little dots?” we can count on them to lead us. :cat:

“Common sense is so rare these days it’s considered a superpower.”— Dave Ramsey

Bill

 

[cottonbase]

Not sure sarcasm adds much to the thread.

 

[WJC]

Not sure sarcasm adds much to the thread.

Hi Cottonbase,

You’re right, it doesn't. But I can’t see where a taste of reality hurts. Bino forums—even BF—are rife with facts that aren’t. Lately, I’ve been accused of that myself.

The customer certainly has the right to say what pleases HIM or HER. I would not try to dispute that; I have supported it many times. However, some don't stop there. And, oh, how many times have I seen the inexperienced with their instantly formed opinions affect the wallets or thinking of the unwary. I did not make up the two examples above.

Do I not have a right to an opinion? That opinion would be to learn before teaching. That principle predates even the bible. Some proceed humbly and with caution. Doing so, they learn. Others are instantly excited and can only share what they THINK they KNOW muddying the water. All I was saying was to proceed with caution.

“Criticism is something we can avoid easily by saying nothing, doing nothing, and being nothing.” — Aristotle

The truth is not always pleasant or appreciated, but it is always the truth. :cat

Bill

 

[opisska]

I have no knowledge about high end binos, but reading that people are vary of "optics" made in China makes me want to respond.

In astronomy, both amateur and "easy professional" we use optics made in China regularly, mainly mirror telescopes though. However I have to say that this optics is cheap yet of extremely high quality. Making a parabolic mirror is an operation that can be basically brought to perfection under the economy of scale. The mirrors coming from Chinese vendors are one like the other and its obvious that they make so many of them, that it has simply become easy. This is not an evaluation based on feelings, but simply on optical testing.

It's obviously up to everyone to decide what to buy, especially if there may be moral considerations and quality is not the only aspect in the decision. But the idea that Chines optics is subpar in quality may be to a large extent just a marketing device of the companies that do not produce in China.