Experiences with Kowa service in Europe? (1 Viewer)

[Borjam]

Hi,

Sadly I had an accident with my TSN-883. It fell to the ground and the main body is broken in the area where the eyepiece is attached.

Does Kowa Service in Europe work well? I am worried not only about turnaround time but also about performance of a repaired unit.

Thanks!

 

[AOD]

Hi Borjam,

I dropped my 883 2 years ago 😬 and did some minor damage to the lens hood. Unfortunately this damage prevented attachment of the lens cap so I needed to get it fixed. I contacted Kowa & sent photos of the damage. They said they could repair but couldn't give an estimate for costs until I sent the scope to Germany for inspection. After finally convincing Kowa that Ireland was not part of the UK (UK repairs are/were carried out by Viking Optical) but still in the EU they had a quote back to me fairly rapidly. It wasn't cheap (around €325 I think) but the scope had to be disassembled for the repair so fair enough I suppose. Scope was fixed and returned to me well packed and very promptly. Overall I was very happy with the repair and the service (less happy with their knowledge of geography 😉).

Aonghus.

 

[Gzoladz74]

Hi,

Sadly I had an accident with my TSN-883. It fell to the ground and the main body is broken in the area where the eyepiece is attached.

Does Kowa Service in Europe work well? I am worried not only about turnaround time but also about performance of a repaired unit.

Thanks!

I had to send mine to Kowa Germany to have it services earlier this year. Service was very good, overall very responsive and had the scope back less then 1 month after I sent it.
Happy enough with the service.

 

[Borjam]

Great to know, thank you.

The damaged part is the outer casing, the eyepiece support snapped out. Hopefully none of the expensive optical elements took any damage.

I'll keep the forum posted, it's always know how service works.

 

[Borjam]

By the way, Kowa should check the mechanical design of the scope. Not blaming them (it's me who accidentally dropped it) but it doesn't make much sense to have a weapons grade eyepiece mount attached to a thin magnesium body which turned out to be the weakest link in the chain, hence snapping open.

Replacing the mount part would be much cheaper than the entire outer casing.

I have been really busy this week, will send it on Tuesday I hope.

 

[Gzoladz74]

By the way, Kowa should check the mechanical design of the scope. Not blaming them (it's me who accidentally dropped it) but it doesn't make much sense to have a weapons grade eyepiece mount attached to a thin magnesium body which turned out to be the weakest link in the chain, hence snapping open.

Replacing the mount part would be much cheaper than the entire outer casing.

I have been really busy this week, will send it on Tuesday I hope.

I think there is an element of luck depending on how the scope is dropped and what damage it sustains. I had an accident with mine and the body was not damaged but the front element was.

A stronger body may mean a heavier scope (some will complaint). Stronger and lighter may mean more expensive (also, some will complaint). I believe Kowa can't please us all and they try to strike a balance between weight, strenght and cost.

I hope the repair goes well and you get your scope back soon. I missed mine a lot while I did not have it.

 

[Borjam]

Just dropped the casualty at the store where I purchased it, I couldn't go to Madrid before. They will send it to Kowa and let me know what they say.

Fingers crossed

 

[Peregrine Took]

In the UK, Viking Optical are the service agent for Kowa. I've found them to be excellent. I imagine each country will have a similar arrangement and similar service.

 

[Borjam]

Got a call from the dealer on 1st March. Kowa Europe quoted around 650 euros shipping included. They will replace part of the rear housing.

Looking forward to the "it's ready!" call.

 

[Gzoladz74]

Good luck, I know the feeling!

 

[Borjam]

Well it came back today.

Well spent 665 euro. It looks really brand new.

A good service helps justify the hefty prices of this kind of equipment. And keeping a good service is expensive of course.

Thanks to Kowa Europe and of course Optica Roma in Madrid (Spain)!

 

[Gzoladz74]

Great news!