Problem with green coating of EL SV 8x32 (5 Viewers)

[OrangeO]

There isn't anything on this earth that someone, somewhere, can't find fault with.

The posts I was responding to were about issues that I think could be improved. Just because I don't think they are perfect doesn't mean I'm finding fault where there isn't one.

I often complain about the NL, but you can't blame the binoculars for a lack of contrast and too much CA, the NL do very well in these points in particular.

Just my two cents..

Andreas

NL does have great CA control in the center but it does exhibit it outside the center. It's great but it can be improved. For me the lack of contrast goes hand in hand with the flare issues. In situations that have a bright area and a dark area the dark area can often exhibit lack of contrast. It can improve with eye placement but being so sensitive to eye placement is precisely the issue.

As to my NL32: there is no problem.
FSB is 10/10
FHR is 11/10
Strap lugs 10/10
Light weight self made fabric strap utilizing lug adapters 15/10
Objective covers removed.
Ocular rain guard flipped to facilitate easier removal, stringed to strap.
Diopter adjustment lever 10/10.
Optically perfect for my eyes 10/10.
Wasp waist weight balanced is perfect for my aged arthritic hands 11/10.
Focus wheel well placed functions as it should no change needed 10/10.
Armor with fine tooth texture complements the sexy shape of the wasp waisted NL design 12/10.

The FSB is cool but I wish it had outside pockets and that the strap stood in position and didn't slide around. They retail for $99 individually which seems ridiculous in my opinion and I hope nobody buys them for that much, it's a $30 bag at most, $40 if I want to be generous.

I haven't gotten the FHR yet but it's also cool... and overpriced.

I actually like the Shrek ear strap knobs but I lost one when it fell off. Call it user error, or more generously "trial and error". I like the design overall but it was not intuitive for me. Thankfully they sent me replacement ones for free.

I remove the objective covers and that is why I find it a poor design. If they are attached it's a great design, other than obstructing the view when its windy. Since I don't use them attached the pieces stick out of the covers and don't always allow the binoculars to slide smoothly in and out of the bag. The piece that attaches to the rim of the objective hood has been doing its job but the design overall is not as good when unattached as when it is attached.

I don't use a strap and have no issues with the eyepiece covers, they work great.

The diopter lever works great.

Optically the wide field of view is impressive, the color is natural, and the sharpness is stunning but I feel I have to fiddle too much in certain situations to get a better view.

The barrels feel fantastic and its probably my favorite thing about the binoculars. They make the weight in the hands very well balanced.

The focus wheel in a good position and it gets the job done but it requires a lot of turns on that makes me miss my mark at times, it also slightly coarse. I think the gold standard for a smooth focus wheel is the Zeiss SF, now that's perfect.

It is a fantastic looking binocular, I feel a bit vain but that matters to me.

 

[Crex67]

anyone on here bothered whether or not swarovski use environmentally friendly formula armour(the problem armour) on their binoculars?

No, I don't....

 

[Crex67]

But it seems they finally solved the armor problems some suffer from...

 

[seawatcher]

But it seems they finally solved the armor problems some suffer from...

View attachment 1588118

Aaah! Nice - from the days before the annoying Field Pro strap attachment loops

 

[Nick R.]

I bought my EL SV 8x32 new in May 2019 and I have just noticed that the green plastic coating has started to peel off just where my right thumb touches the barrel. Has anyone noticed the problem of the green material peeling off, either there or elsewhere on the binoculars.

These are the first alpha binoculars that I have owned and I am extremely disappointed as my previously owned binoculars of lesser repute have never had this sort of problem. Of course the optical performance of the Swarovski bins remains excellent.

Mike

Hi Mike, I’ve been searching the internet and found your post- I have this problem with my CL 8x25 binoc too. I got them out of their case recently and was amazed at how the rubberised coating had degraded and was cracking peeling off without any pressure. This must be a product fault . Please let me know if you had any luck dealing with Swarovski direct. I’ve emailed and are waiting for a response.
Thanks Nick ( New Zealand)

 

[dorubird]

Hi Mike, I’ve been searching the internet and found your post- I have this problem with my CL 8x25 binoc too. I got them out of their case recently and was amazed at how the rubberised coating had degraded and was cracking peeling off without any pressure. This must be a product fault . Please let me know if you had any luck dealing with Swarovski direct. I’ve emailed and are waiting for a response.
Thanks Nick ( New Zealand)

You can vote here

Poll - Trying to get some numbers on Swarovski rubber armour issues.

Photos of ELs belonging to me and other birders locally WOW - I would be VERY upset! I have a pair of 3yr old EL32s and 1.5yr old NL32s and have never had an issue with the rubber.

www.birdforum.net

 

[tenex]

I have this problem with my CL 8x25 binoc too.

Welcome to Birdforum. Sorry to hear this -- if you contact Swarovski they will of course repair it under warranty.

 

[stereotruckdriver]

New armor.
Slc is a rebuild 7x42, 8x32 is 10 + yrs old. After 10 years the SV did have 1 crack develope on the bottom of the armor, probably an 1/4 of an inch.
Sent to Sona , replaced armor, interior, exterior cleaning. Replaced focus mechanism, new eyecups, new objective and ocular covers.
0 cost!
I have 5 others older, no problem.
Just wanted to share.

 

[stereotruckdriver]

Armor is great!

 

[SGBirder]

Repaired with reportedly new armour material. Hopefully it holds up in the same use and storage conditions.

Original armour in top pic, new armour in bottom pic. Texturing seems to be slightly more pronounced.

 

[Bryan W]

Hi Mike, I’ve been searching the internet and found your post- I have this problem with my CL 8x25 binoc too. I got them out of their case recently and was amazed at how the rubberised coating had degraded and was cracking peeling off without any pressure. This must be a product fault . Please let me know if you had any luck dealing with Swarovski direct. I’ve emailed and are waiting for a response.
Thanks Nick ( New Zealand)

I've just registered after reading through this thread (which was... quite an experience), after finding the same issue with the same model under what sounds like similar circumstances. Mine were kept in the case unused for maybe 3-4 months when I was ill. The coating seems to have degraded during this in-case storage. Beforehand it had got a bit loose-feeling in places but now it's quite tacky and discoloured, and cracks have appeared near the objective lenses. I'm happy to get them fixed at some point (luckily I can drop them off at Swaro's UK base), I just wondered if being unused for some time could have been partly responsible.

 

[MandoBear]

I do find the notion of biodegradable armour rather self defeating. If the armour was durable it wouldn't need replacing and biodegradability wouldn't be an issue - it's not as if the rest of the binocular is biodegradable (thank heavens).

Interestingly, I've had a couple of other polyurethane rubber degradation issues (on other products) recently - the outer rubber cover on my Garmin Etrex 30 suddenly turned into crumbly cheese (remedied with a replacement shell from eBay), and the hard PU rubber piston seal in my 28 year-old air rifle had also become brittle and cracked - fixed with a replacement seal. In the same week too, the PU shock absorbing midsoles on my favourite pair of walking boots also began to crack and crumble (now sent off for a resole). Doing a bit of research reveals that polyurethane is subject to breakdown over time by a process of hydrolysis. Some formulations are more or less resistant than others, but that's just what PU rubber does. I'm guessing that the formulation used by Leica in their old BA and BN series Trinovids was of the more resistant variety.

I applaud Swarovski for their environmental sustainability ambitions, but I really do feel they've got the balance wrong here - not just for the satisfaction and use of the product by the consumer, but also in terms of life cycle impact of the product. In my world, the armour should within reason last as long as the product.

As a sidenote here, I have an EL SV bought in 2018, and a CL Companion bought in 2019. Both are still fine (so far) but the lingering concern over the durability of the armour does detract from the overall ownership and use experience.

 

[MandoBear]

Repaired with reportedly new armour material. Hopefully it holds up in the same use and storage conditions.

Original armour in top pic, new armour in bottom pic. Texturing seems to be slightly more pronounced.

When you say "with reportedly new armour material" do you mean that Swarovski themselves advised you that the armour was of the new specification? I knew that they were thinking about it, but I didn't know that they'd actually done anything practical about it yet.

 

[tenex]

but I didn't know that they'd actually done anything practical about it yet

We have been told (notably by Jan) that new armor is now in use, although contrary remarks still occur, even from some Swaro distributors.

Doing a bit of research reveals that polyurethane is subject to breakdown over time by a process of hydrolysis. Some formulations are more or less resistant than others, but that's just what PU rubber does.

What's puzzling is how often the manufacturer gets this wrong, if they understand the problem. The previous generation of my (and my wife's) Asolo hiking boot was notorious for sole breakdown; ours are doing fine. Perhaps this can be taken as a good omen for Swaros.

 

[Jos Stratford]

We have been told (notably by Jan) that new armor is now in use, although contrary remarks still occur, even from some Swaro distributors.

This remains Swarovski's biggest failure during this entire episode with poor armour - a total lack of official communication. Even now, unless someone knows differently, the company itself makes no actual statement on the use or not of new armour and different distributors/apparent conversations with the company are giving contradictory information. This does nothing for the company other than provide fertile ground for rumour mills to churn ever on.

 

[MandoBear]

We have been told (notably by Jan) that new armor is now in use, although contrary remarks still occur, even from some Swaro distributors.

What's puzzling is how often the manufacturer gets this wrong, if they understand the problem. The previous generation of my (and my wife's) Asolo hiking boot was notorious for sole breakdown; ours are doing fine. Perhaps this can be taken as a good omen for Swaros.

Thanks - that's useful to know. If in the future I need to get my Swarovski binos re-armoured, it's good to know that the problem has been fixed (probably)... 😉

 

[Paultricounty]

Thanks - that's useful to know. If in the future I need to get my Swarovski binos re-armoured, it's good to know that the problem has been fixed (probably)... 😉

I’m so glad the fix is now official 😉

 

[Hikerboy]

I've been wondering about this lately, and with the current Swaro promotion/sale, I might purchase those NL's I've been lusting over, even though there's a decent chance they'll come with the older armour. For a $600+ savings, it might be worth it.

 

[Jason Bugay Reyes]

I've been wondering about this lately, and with the current Swaro promotion/sale, I might purchase those NL's I've been lusting over, even though there's a decent chance they'll come with the older armour. For a $600+ savings, it might be worth it.

Go for it...

 

[Jason Bugay Reyes]

I've been wondering about this lately, and with the current Swaro promotion/sale, I might purchase those NL's I've been lusting over, even though there's a decent chance they'll come with the older armour. For a $600+ savings, it might be worth it.

If it happened, they will replace the armour for free including servicing the focusing wheel etc within the warranty...