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Message: <blockquote data-quote="WJC" data-source="post: 3327925" data-attributes="member: 25191">First, let me say that ANYTIME I can be proven wrong about something of benefit to my neighbor, I am ecstatic!!! I am not important; the truth is.Having said that, I must point out that I do not recall having said there were no REAL techs in England. However, after talking to England’s own Tony Kaye (seasoned optics repairman) and others there, and knowing how the whole industry has been going, would you say my assumptions about work in the UK were less than logical—at least for the level of work I was speaking of (preposition at the end and all).But, while speaking of work here in Yankland, I will let you judge my thinking. Does that seem fair to you?—I know there are no US manufacturers, as many believe. And, even before the war, Bausch & Lomb got many of their products from Zeiss. —David Bushnell was an importer, not an optical innovator or manufacturer.—I know that when I desperately needed help for Captain’s optical shop, I spent a pile of money calling several locations in several states, on both coasts and in the heartland, trying to find a helper. This included calling companies with whom I did much business, only to come up empty handed.Cory Suddarth has been my best friend since 1976. But, I had to recruit him to come from the most Southeaster state to the most Northwestern state, paying round trip airfare. Although he is my best friend, had I been able to find someone closer to home—with more skill than rhetoric—I would have hired him. Then, there was the sizeable task of convincing him to GO BACK INTO OPTICS; he had been doing yard work for some time.—Dealing with company owners and managers for years, I know most don’t have a staff to do the repair work because, especially today, it would be in no way cost effective.—In the early 90s, I witnessed a sudden and dramatic downturn in repair from Nikon West with the attendant Blarney. Also, 1991, a fellow in New York City took his heirloom binocular to a company that proclaims on their website: “… Manhattan's oldest and best-respected optical practice,” for repair. They weren’t prepared to do the work requested (He wanted every screw removed, the objectives de-swaged, the lenses separated and recoated, and the instrument collimated to MILSPEC) and suggested that he send it to F.C. Meichner [sp] in Boston. Turning first to Frank Janacek and Maryland Precision Instruments, he was told, “Don’t expect too much.” Meichner’s, told him they couldn’t do ALL that was requested, but went on to say the work they COULD do “wouldn’t be cheap.” Ultimately, they told him to send it directly to Zeiss. He did.After Zeiss shunned the work, where do you think they told him to send it? That’s right … across country to Captain’s Nautical Supplies in Seattle! FOUR of the oldest, most prestigious optical repair firms on the East Coast couldn’t do the work. Now then, I’m sure this is the kind of talk that gives Brock more reason to say that Bill Cook is so “full of himself, it’s running out his ears.” BUT, is that braggadocio or just stating facts. And have we grown so weary of the truth we’re now willing to shoot the messenger on sight!? Yes, what I know, who I know, what I have done, and who I have done it for would fill a book. And, frankly, I see no reason to be ashamed of that. I have always done the best I could to give REALISTIC advice to my neighbors, while trying to stay out of court the rest of my life for sharing things they should know, despite what the importer does not want them to know. So, let those who want to take potshots at me go for it. I think it says much more about them than it does about me, anyway. I have been totally out of optics for months, and plan never to return. What I say is not designed to put a nickel in my pocket or make me a folk hero. I have not only continued to write articles this year, I have been called on as an adviser for 3 books on optics, and I’m not going to fall on my sword just to make the armchair opticians happy. There are respected people on this list who have known me a long time and know I don’t bend the truth for anyone or offer comments just to hear his head rattle: Elkcub, Perterra, Troubador, RonH, NDHunter, John Dracon, Binastro, and others. Thus, if I say something that doesn’t SEEM accurate, the honest truth seeker should do well to ponder WHY I said what I said. —And then, there’s the OPTICAL SHOP MANAGER, back East who called me to say: “Bill, I don’t get it; I’ll get the binocular collimated, but then, when I move the barrel, it’s not collimated anymore.” Cory Suddarth worked for me at the time, and was in the shop—less than 10 feet from me—at the time I took that call. This working manager had been, for 10 years, selling conditional alignment as collimation.—Captain’s once had a sister store in Portland, Oregon. Based on the success I was having in Seattle, they decided they needed a Navy Opticalman, too. Everything this fellow knew about optics could be written on the head of a pin, in 4-foot letters. He was a Navy Corpsman who was foolish enough to walk behind an A6 Intruder a few moments from takeoff! It's a long way from the flight deck to the water and he hurt his shoulder. So, without any optical training whatsoever, the Navy placed a sword on his shoulder and said: “Now, thou art an Opticalman.” The owner of that Captain’s store didn’t understand his mistake. Thus, the non-opticalman was doing “optical work” for the consumer.—Finally (Yes, it COULD happen) I know of “repair people” who don’t know much more about binoculars than how to clean external lenses, tighten a hinge, and perform a “conditional alignment”—screwing up a real collimation job—yet they have people who will testify what a great job they did on their bino repair. And I, out of the courtesy some think I never exhibit, bite my lip and keep my mouth shut and fingers still.—And, by the way, I know that Company in New York City is well-respected. I found a New York Times article that sung its praises. That article was wrapped one of the THIRTY BINOCULARS that Cory and I had just received from that company … to REPAIR!Please Pete, the exact words in question were: “More than likely you were sent a REPLACEMENT (repair guys cost money) that had its own problems.” More than likely!CONSIDERING THE WAY THE OPTICAL WORLD HAS BEEN MOVING FOR THE LAST 30 YEARS, DO YOU WANT TO GO ON RECORD AS SAYING THAT MY COMMENT WAS OUT OF LINE OR NOT BASED ON EMPIRICAL INFORMATION?I am glad you are sticking up for you company. But tell me, do you manufacture your binos on the East Coast? I am not a wealthy guy, but if you are my camera and I would like to pay you a visit. If they are manufactured in the UK, I will have a friend drop by. And, if you do not manufacture (as the VAST MAJORITY of bino companies don’t), I would ask you to tell your secret. How is it your firm can make a profit while most of the other bino companies in the West—including some old and big companies—can’t, choosing instead to offer “no fault warranties,” so they don’t have to.As I said, I don’t have a horse in the race, and feel that good customer service in sales and repair should be the deciding factor in most bino sales. Since most companies offer virtually the same goods with different prices and cosmetics, that customer service would be very important to me.“The truth is incontrovertible. Malice my attack it, ignorance may deride it, but, in the end, there it is.”—Winston ChurchillCan we be friends, again?Cheers,BillPS Showing good taste, Ed (and others) have told me I need not broadcast my credentials so freely. And, if people were not so trusting, and we would stop getting new member all the time, I wouldn’t feel the need to do so. It’s embarrassing as heck for me too. PPS There are before and after photos of that New York Bino attached.</blockquote>

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