Swarovski 10x32EL - does age matter
- Thread starter GeoffWood
- Start date
If they aren’t suffering from wear & tear or fungus etc - then they will be as good as they ever were optically. They don’t wear out from looking through after all.
Compared to the very latest model available - will you be missing out on anything? Well, especially where the top manufacturers are concerned there’s so little room for genuine improvements that the latest model out (whatever it is) may have minor improvements in some optical aspect or some supposedly even better coating to let rain run off (or some such) plus the size & shape may change but these changes don’t always suit everyone.
The model you mention are an excellent glass & if you consider them suitable for your use & their condition is what you’d wish then them being made in 2003 is about the last thing I’d worry about especially with the Swarovski back-up behind them.
Compared to the very latest model available - will you be missing out on anything? Well, especially where the top manufacturers are concerned there’s so little room for genuine improvements that the latest model out (whatever it is) may have minor improvements in some optical aspect or some supposedly even better coating to let rain run off (or some such) plus the size & shape may change but these changes don’t always suit everyone.
The model you mention are an excellent glass & if you consider them suitable for your use & their condition is what you’d wish then them being made in 2003 is about the last thing I’d worry about especially with the Swarovski back-up behind them.
Happy stalker
Well-Known Member
I have a pair of Swaros that are 30+ years old and still as clear as the day I bought them.
Happy stalker
Well-Known Member
And have seen plenty of work over the years
My set of 10x42 Els are 22 years old. I bought them just after they came back from a full service and they looked brand new, suspect they will outlive me
Buy them and get Swarovski to service them. Good as new.
I bought my EL 8.5 x 42 in 2003 and are still great.
I was thinking of " upgrading " to the " pure" binoculars.
But most folk say, if you have a pair of ELs, don't bother. Optically it's not worth spending to change them.
Out of interest, in 2003 my binoculars cost £750.
Cheers
Shoppe
I was thinking of " upgrading " to the " pure" binoculars.
But most folk say, if you have a pair of ELs, don't bother. Optically it's not worth spending to change them.
Out of interest, in 2003 my binoculars cost £750.
Cheers
Shoppe
GeoffWood
Well-Known Member
Update
I decided to buy the 10x32 ELs
They were delivered this week came with box, booklet, lens covers etc the coverall condition is excellent for age.
However, there is a fine scratch on the RHS ocular lens, which does not appear to affect the view.
The seller has offerred me 2 options :-
Return for a full refund
or, accept a £100 partial refund, which I am tempted to accept.
I could just carry on using them as they are, or have them fixed.
Just wondering what the cost of service with Swarovski would be??
I decided to buy the 10x32 ELs
They were delivered this week came with box, booklet, lens covers etc the coverall condition is excellent for age.
However, there is a fine scratch on the RHS ocular lens, which does not appear to affect the view.
The seller has offerred me 2 options :-
Return for a full refund
or, accept a £100 partial refund, which I am tempted to accept.
I could just carry on using them as they are, or have them fixed.
Just wondering what the cost of service with Swarovski would be??
WildBoarHunter
Well-Known Member
I got a second hand Swaro Habicht riflescope earlier this year which turned out to have a scratch on the back lens. Swarovski gladly fully serviced it but charged 325 € for the service. It's not their fault someone sold me a scope "in excellent condition". I know many people had different experiences with swarovski service department. However as far as I'm concerned I'm not buying any second hand optics anymore if it's really not in excellent condition.
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That's a difficult decision to make.
Maybe one way to help you decide is as follows.
If they arrived perfect and you were 100 % happy but 2 months down the line, you scratched the lense.
Would you live with it as it does not appear to affect the vision?
Or would you put them away to get repaired at your cost?
In this cost ,they would probably service the binoculars at the same time.
Looks like cost would be roughly £300 Plus.
Maybe see if could get a bit more money from the seller?
Cheers
Shoppe
Maybe one way to help you decide is as follows.
If they arrived perfect and you were 100 % happy but 2 months down the line, you scratched the lense.
Would you live with it as it does not appear to affect the vision?
Or would you put them away to get repaired at your cost?
In this cost ,they would probably service the binoculars at the same time.
Looks like cost would be roughly £300 Plus.
Maybe see if could get a bit more money from the seller?
Cheers
Shoppe
GeoffWood
Well-Known Member
Thanks for your input.
Your suggested way of looking at it is interesting.
I paid £790 for the binoculars. If I accept the partial refund, it would bring the price down to £690.
Alternative way of looking at it, if I was offered the binoculars for £690, with a fine scratch, would I have bought them?
May be not
That’s a good price. The scratch won’t affect the vision, but can you live with the fact there’s a tiny imperfection. If you can, take the partial refund and perhaps get it replaced in 10 years when you have a service.
mickyfinn
Well-Known Member
I like a few other chaps above still use the old 10x42 ELRange, had them new when they first came out, but the rang finder button recently got damaged, sent them off to Swarovski for repair, at the time thought it was a bit expensive but when I received them they came back like new, all new green rubber casing plus other new bits so money well spent.
Swarovski charge £200 to replace front objectives of NL pure [just one side]
£200 per ocular as well. Given this is NL it may be different for the EL range or older, but not by a lot I would guess. Zeiss did both oculars on FL binos for £152 inc full service.
Zeiss have a real asset in EBCR and if I needed only one binocular would probably play a major role in future purchase decisions.
GeoffWood
Well-Known Member
I did get the binoculars, accepting the discount.
To be honest, I can't see what (if any) difference the scratch makes. I'm very happy with them
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