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Alternative NL Pure eyepiece cover? (1 Viewer)

glock24

Active member
United States
I love, love (love) my 8x42 NL Pure binoculars. So does the rest of my family. That said, this pair now resides semi-permanently on a table next to our viewing window with only the eyepiece cover installed (dust protection)

What I'm finding is that a lot of my less-conscience family members remove the eyepiece cover in haste only to inadvertently move the eyecup position. And it's usually only the left or the right eyecup. So maybe my question is two-fold;

1. Any better eyepiece cover options that are less disruptive to changing the eyecup position?
2. Any options for better retention of a set eyecup position?

Any insights would be appreciated.

Thank you
 
NL Pures are known for their lackluster eyepiece covers. It feels like they were designed for long-term storage, as they are way too tight and impractical in the field as is. One local retailer has noted the problem and supplies Opticron covers with a purchase or a pair of NLs.

One trick I've seen people use is to cut the notches inside the covers to loosen them and make them easier to put on and take off. That's also what I've done, and I'm happy with the result. Just grab a sharp knife and 'saw' the notches off. You can always ask Swarovski for a replacement cover for free if you want to keep one intact.
 
Couple years ago, feeling grumbly about the sticky eyepiece covers that came on my ELs, I communicated with SwaroNA. I got a care package a week or so later with covers for the NL. They worked great. I thought at the time EL/NL rubber outer ring ocular diameters must be different. Somewhere along the way I got another of these NL eyepiece covers (cant recall the circumstance). It came with the same part number as the first. The eyepiece cover that came on my NL832 in January was too blasted tight, so I tried the second Swaro spare parts one Id gotten. It works just fine on the NL as well. Possible this spare part unit was made after early production runs of NLs after people with early versions complained. Also possible this part number represents the current newest production. On this Im just guessing. Sorry for the holes in this tale.

Key info?
Part number 740-938A
 
I did two things to improve the fit of the eyepiece covers on my NL Pures as I concur that they're obnoxiously tight.

First, I carefully trimmed / sanded out about 95% of the retention nubs.

Second, once I set my IPD exactly where needed, I lightly heated the U shaped "hinge" area of the cap while installed and let cool off so that the "hinge tension" adjusted to match the IPD.

Doing both made the rainguard much easier to flick off in the field with a thumb, and helped keep the eye cups from being inadvertently turned up or down.
 

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