Repairing an older pair of Frontier EDs (1 Viewer)

[Regimeta]

Hey,

I have an older pair of Hawke Frontier ED 8x43s with a need for repairing. The optics still work great, but there are several other problems. The hinges are really loose, and holding the binos from one barrel lowers the other by their own weight, making it hard to keep a steady IPD. I have lost the cap from the front with the Hawke logo, which may or may not affect that. The focuser is also a bit stiff at times and sometimes makes a bit of noise. The diopter adjustment is also quite a bit off - with corrected glasses, I can get a clear picture when the diopter is about halfway to the minus side. The diopter adjustment seems to work fine, but looks like it has shifted somewhat. It is also a bit loose.

Is there anything I can do to repair these, or should I send them somewhere? Would Hawke even repair these, as a newer model has come out and these are around 8-9 years old?
I have newer binoculars and these have mainly been gathering dust or been used by my friends when birding together. I still think the image is great and it would be a shame to let it go to waste.

If I were to contact Hawke, should I send an email to their UK address? I live in Finland.



PS. These were my first binos and that might add a bit of sentimental value to them, making me eager to repair them.

 

[dwatsonbirder]

I would recommend contacting Hawke in the first instance - a friend of mine had a pair of Sapphire's which required repair, when he sent them in they were not economically viable to be repaired, and he was offered a pair of the Frontier X of the same specification for a nominal fee.

 

[Regimeta]

I contacted Hawke by email and got great customer service. It appears all the issues I had were repairable by myself. I had tried to tighten the central hinge by myself before, but had not noticed some very small screws that keep the hinge from loosening, which fixed the issue. I also managed to adjust the shifted diopter. I asked about spare parts for my broken lens caps, rain guard and the missing tripod attachment cap, and they'll be sent to me by air mail.

As for the stiff focuser that makes noise, I'll try to apply some kind of grease to make it smoother. Hawke suggested something with the consistency of vehicle/axel grease. I'll have to look into that.

With new spare parts, the binos will be almost like new. For the price and the optics, they surely have hold up well. Feels great to have my old binos usable again.

 

[Binastro]

Well done.

Terveisin,
B.

 

[ZeNiTh-PbArM]

Hawke suggested something with the consistency of vehicle/axel grease. I'll have to look into that.

Make sure to use silicone based lubricant and NOT lithium grease as used for vehicle lubrication as it hardens over time to the point of completely seizing the focuser. Axle grease is NOT fine for binoculars.

Cheers
zp*