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Where premium quality meets exceptional value. ZEISS Conquest HDX.

So....I've been trying to contact Zen-Ray... (1 Viewer)

You can not create a good meal by overcharging for a lousy one either. The worst restaurant meal I ever had was from a very expensive, highly regarded place in San Francisco. Mac & Cheese would have been an improvement.

Steve:

I suspect you are a "meat and potatoes", type of guy.....!

Jerry
 
Steve:

I suspect you are a "meat and potatoes", type of guy.....!

Jerry

I've been known to consume meat and potatoes ;). However they can be screwed up as can anything. I am not a frequenter of expensive eating establishments, but I have been to a fair number. In my experience the quality of the meal depends mostly on the goals of the establishment and how well those line up with the expectations of the customer. Some are just expensive. Some are both expensive as well as a couple of levels above good.

On the other hand, there was this little non descript looking Mexican place in Abielene, Texas. Not expensive, lots of food and the best Mexican I've ever had in my life. :t:
 
Drifting off topic here but I will risk posting that I have been lucky enough to have had great food from Stockholm and Lochmaddy in the north to as far south as Durban but the most reliably great food at great prices has been at small hotels in France. Never had a bad meal at any of them.

Getting back to Chuck's point I don't think there has been a single model of which I haven't tried more than one example with a focus-action issue.

Lee
 
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I've been known to consume meat and potatoes ;). However they can be screwed up as can anything. I am not a frequenter of expensive eating establishments, but I have been to a fair number. In my experience the quality of the meal depends mostly on the goals of the establishment and how well those line up with the expectations of the customer. Some are just expensive. Some are both expensive as well as a couple of levels above good.

On the other hand, there was this little non descript looking Mexican place in Abielene, Texas. Not expensive, lots of food and the best Mexican I've ever had in my life. :t:

Just so, really good food takes dedication, which is more often found in small ethnic places. Local kids are a key indicator imho, if they are present along with their parents, it suggests eating at the place is considered a treat.
That said, few birders in my experience are gourmets, so our opinions here may simply provide another illustration of the Dunning Kruger effect.
 
There speaks someone driven to a state of near-madness by Seattle's incessant rain.

We should all send him our condolences and give thanks that we don't have to suffer in the same way.

Lee

I'll just leave this here.......

https://youtu.be/yoINOifaV3E

BTW, its a beautiful day out today, sunny with clear blue skies........:eek!:
At least for right now anyway, might be different in a few hours |:d|
 
A small update: I was able to reach "Charles" at ZR using his direct email he told me "please send it back to us so I can pick a pair for you."

I sent the bins back on Sat.(3/10) and they where delivered yesterday(3/13) I sent another email informing about there delivery(no reply yet). That's where I'm at now, I hope to have replacements by the end of the week.

Second update: Replacement bins finally arrived yesterday(3/27) Had to send a reminder email on 3/22 to get them to ship.

Out of the box the focus wheel felt stiff and very little play. I worked the focus back and forth about 10 times and it was apparent that there was about the same amount of play as the original pair.

Looking inside and I see the exact same problem: a screw is backed out and wiggles up and down with the movement of the focus wheel.

So I sent Charles a video and picture of the problem and asked for a complete refund yesterday(3/27), and am waiting for a response which seems to take around 2 days.

After inspecting them more I found the left Objective lens has a cloudy/hand print type appearance on bottom portion that is on the inside of the lens. Didn't notice this till after I emailed Charles about the refund....

Really wanted to like these 7x36's and Zen-Ray but I think I will stay clear from now on.
 
BigWok,

That is a real bummer to hear. I use to own the 7x36 and it had no issues. I sold it... big mistake. I was considering buying another one with the deal going on right now, but after reading this thread I am not so sure anymore.
 
Second update: Replacement bins finally arrived yesterday(3/27) Had to send a reminder email on 3/22 to get them to ship.

Out of the box the focus wheel felt stiff and very little play. I worked the focus back and forth about 10 times and it was apparent that there was about the same amount of play as the original pair.

Looking inside and I see the exact same problem: a screw is backed out and wiggles up and down with the movement of the focus wheel.

So I sent Charles a video and picture of the problem and asked for a complete refund yesterday(3/27), and am waiting for a response which seems to take around 2 days.

After inspecting them more I found the left Objective lens has a cloudy/hand print type appearance on bottom portion that is on the inside of the lens. Didn't notice this till after I emailed Charles about the refund....

Really wanted to like these 7x36's and Zen-Ray but I think I will stay clear from now on.


Charles finally replied to my 3/27 email on Monday 4/3 telling me to send them back.
I did and they where received yesterday 4/6. Just awaiting my refund now.

Charles also emailed me a interesting response to the problem with the binos:

"Thanks for the feedback. I have asked out engineers on the screws inside the focus mechanism. They told me they are not backed out screws at all. Due to internal space constraint, the mechanical design internal to the binoculars are not completely symmetric. As a result, one side of screws appears to protrude more than the other side. But both of them are securely fastened to their designed positions. We haven’t seen any loose screws over the last 10+ years.
Thanks
Charles"

The way I see it there is an inherent design flaw, others may see it differently.
 
I checked my 7X36 and found the screws shown in your photo. As with yours, one sticks out more than the other.

Has it been established the screws are the source of the focus play? If not, then I see the screws as just part of the design and not necessarily a design flaw.
 
Has it been established the screws are the source of the focus play?

Well on the 2 pair I had the screw seemed to at least contribute to if not cause the play.

I say this because it wiggles back and forth with movement of the focus wheel. This happens because the screw is protuding from its intended position and not fully seated.

If it was fully seated and not protruding then there would be no/minimal play in the focus system and possibly fix the problem.

Building this play into focus from the start by not compensating for the non symmetrical design is the design flaw I see.

The use of a shorter screw, shorter shoulder on the screw or even a washer are just a few ideas for probable fixes of this flaw.
 
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