Leica binocular service

Why are some people reporting a comprehensive free service where Leica go above and beyond yet others are being charged just to send in the binoculars to be looked at?
I'm considering a small pair from the likes of Nikon, Leupold, low end Zeiss and Leica and warranty is important to me. Leopold seem to have a lifetime warranty but dont seem to have any small or medium pairs at the moment.

Some of the Leica binos have lifetime warranty, other are limited to a fixed period I believe.
 
Sounds pretty decent. The compact ones I was looking at only cost £350 though so would soon become a non viable option to start posting to Portugal. If they came with a good warranty that covered it then fair enough. If I find that 3 years down the line repair costs were high due to posting across Europe then I would be better looking elsewhere.
 
If warranty is of prime importance it would be worth looking at the Vortex range as their warrantee is apparently the best out there, I have certainly not heard anything to the contrary.

It's a balancing act. I value the warranty but not at the expense of all else. I have read many contrasting Vortex reviews and now so confused that I've discounted them. I like the look of the Zeiss Terra 8x32, Nikon Monarch 7 8x30 and the Leica 8x20. Similar prices but the Nikons and Zeiss only have 2 years which, even though not overly expensive as far as working binoculars are concerned, would make them very expensive paper weights if they only last 19 months.
 
It's a balancing act. I value the warranty but not at the expense of all else. I have read many contrasting Vortex reviews and now so confused that I've discounted them. I like the look of the Zeiss Terra 8x32, Nikon Monarch 7 8x30 and the Leica 8x20. Similar prices but the Nikons and Zeiss only have 2 years which, even though not overly expensive as far as working binoculars are concerned, would make them very expensive paper weights if they only last 19 months.
I can understand where you are coming from and reviews are often conflicting so its difficult to make a decision based on them, what is interesting is the conflicting reports on this thread about Leica which really makes the point. I have a set of Leica 8x 50 that I bought twenty years ago at a very good price and never had an issue with them, I do however think some of the very latest bins available are slightly better in last light but not enough to make me want to change. The only way to assess how good something is will be by trying it out yourself in the conditions you are likely to operate in. My son bought a pair of Vortex Diamond backs 10 x 42 just for general use and I was quite impressed how good they were for the money and to be honest if I was to change and didn't want to get well into four figure cost territory I would seriously look at the Vortex Viper range which on a technical review when compared to other at over three times the cost are only just behind. If I wanted to spend four figure it would be the Razor range which according to some reviews matches the very best of the rest. For me if I were to have my time over I wouldn't put so much emphasis as I used to on ultra low light performance of the bins rather spend the extra on the scope because I can always see a lot more through a good pair of bins than I can through a good scope.
 
Just some info regarding Leica service.

Applicable for Leica UK Sports Optics sales

There is NO lifetime or 30 yr warranty on Leica sports optics in the UK.

Any warranty for Leica binoculars is for the original owner only and is not transferraable.

Leica charge a minimum of £65 for a repair/service estimate.

I found this out the hard way having purchased a second hand pair of Ultravid 8x42 BAs which had several problems. Thry had scratched optics, some internal haze and a pungent chemical smell from the rubber armouring.

They were forwarded to Leica in Portugal and I received two estimates. One was for 'essential work' £189.25 involving rearmouring, internal clean and recollimation. A second estimate for £319.25 was forwarded for 'desirable work' which involved replacing the objective and eyepieces glass and replacing the eyecups.

I went for the more expensive option.

The good news is that they were overhauled and returned to virtually 'as new' condition. They had all eyepiece and objective glass replaced, new eyecups, fully rearmoured, the internal assembly cleaned,recollimated, regassed , fully serviced and returned via a premium DHL International courier.

I have a feeling they may have upgraded the optics because there was a distinct lack of Chromatic Aberration when returned. There was little to start off with but seemed to have become virtually zero, even with very high contrast situations ie magpie in brilliant sunlight perched on a white wall.

Leica performed the service and repair work to a very high standard.
 
Some of the Leica binos have lifetime warranty, other are limited to a fixed period I believe.
Actually there's different warranties for certain countries. The US get all the free warranty stuff as Leica have stiff competition from Swarovski. Sadly it doesn't apply to the UK as I found out in August 2020.
 
Just some info regarding Leica service.

Applicable for Leica UK Sports Optics sales

There is NO lifetime or 30 yr warranty on Leica sports optics in the UK.

Any warranty for Leica binoculars is for the original owner only and is not transferraable.

Leica charge a minimum of £65 for a repair/service estimate.

I found this out the hard way having purchased a second hand pair of Ultravid 8x42 BAs which had several problems. Thry had scratched optics, some internal haze and a pungent chemical smell from the rubber armouring.

They were forwarded to Leica in Portugal and I received two estimates. One was for 'essential work' £189.25 involving rearmouring, internal clean and recollimation. A second estimate for £319.25 was forwarded for 'desirable work' which involved replacing the objective and eyepieces glass and replacing the eyecups.

I went for the more expensive option.

The good news is that they were overhauled and returned to virtually 'as new' condition. They had all eyepiece and objective glass replaced, new eyecups, fully rearmoured, the internal assembly cleaned,recollimated, regassed , fully serviced and returned via a premium DHL International courier.

I have a feeling they may have upgraded the optics because there was a distinct lack of Chromatic Aberration when returned. There was little to start off with but seemed to have become virtually zero, even with very high contrast situations ie magpie in brilliant sunlight perched on a white wall.

Leica performed the service and repair work to a very high standard.
Who do you contact to arrange service?
 
Actually there's different warranties for certain countries. The US get all the free warranty stuff as Leica have stiff competition from Swarovski. Sadly it doesn't apply to the UK as I found out in August 2020.
Reading this yesterday made me dig out the paperwork for my Leica binoculars. The warranty states 30 years with the first ten years covering labour and parts and after than just parts. I was surprised to discover that I have had them for 19 years so far so nearly 2/3rds of the way through the warranty. So far absolutely no problems, I just hope that I don't ever have to test the warranty as I would be devastated to find that the warranty isn't worth the paper it is written on.

P.S. still a superb quality product.
 
I've just emailed them a few days ago after my Geovid's stopped ranging beyond ~500m despite a battery change etc, the service dept. got back to me today explaining one other thing to try before them going back under warranty.

I can't fault them so far!

Ben
 
Back
Top