Awhile back I posted about my son’s first, and only, optical casualty while serving in Iraq.

My Leupold 12x40 spotting scope he had with him took a whack and the eye piece housing and glass were history. He mailed it home and I sent it to Leupold with no explanation of what had happened or where it had happend...just fix it.

Got an email from Leupold yesterday saying that they were alomost done with it and would be shipping it to me within 5 working days...No charge at all.

So much bad stuff always gets reported on here it’s sometimes nice to give credit and applause when it’s deserved.

I used to tell myself I'd never own a Leupold product...

Then I compared low end scopes and decided the VX-I was a better choice than the other $200 scopes out there.
I think you give up some features for simple quality.

Anyway, I got a VX-I in the mail and the power ring was so tight you'd need a gorilla's arms to turn it.
Sent it to Leupold and got it back in 2 weeks with the ring loosened (it's still tight but can turn it).

With the speed and courtesy they have I've decided that any future glass I buy will be from them.

I guess I'll never understand some types of logic: Buy a scope. It's defective as the power adjustment ring is far too tight. Send it back. Get it back fast (but still not fully satisfied as you note it is still tight but now manageable). Yet you swear that your next purchase will be from this VERY SAME company.

What happened to wanting a product that's right from the start?

Leupold does have a good product line (other than those horrid Rifleman series scopes), though the quality to price ratio can be bettered by a number of other companies.

And yes, Leupold does have good customer service. But hey, they do get lots of practice...

For me, optics are part of my life 365 days a year. Therefore, I can (and must) make unbiased comparisons -- comparisons that take into consideration all pertinent performance areas. And for that reason, you'll find nothing other than Nikon gear in my camera bag and will find that the Nikon name is also quite prevalent in my gun safe.

And yes, I HAVE used Nikon's customer service and was extremely pleased (even impressed). When a rifle took a fall onto a concrete fall during a photo shoot, the Monarch variable took the brunt of the impact. I don't have the paperwork in front of me, but if memory serves, it was 9 days from when I sent it in to the day I received it back -- all at no charge, I might add.

Bobby, Great post!!!! The big L has nothing on the NIKONS!!! other than ridicoulous prices!!! GHD

It's interesting how things are handled at Leupold on a case by case basis. A good friend of mine had a tube bend on his VariX-III 3.5-10 scope. He was so sure it would be fixed and returned at no charge, even boosted "That's why I buy Leupold". When the bill came in for a new tube ($150) I never heard so much bitching and moaning in my life. After a while I asked him why he felt like Leupold should have replaced it, "you bent it" I said. He said he knew somebody that this happened to that was treated completely different. He swears he'll never buy another one. I still buy and use them, but take a lot of praise with a grain of salt.

Terry

Perhaps I just have better “luck†than others do, but I have never had a problem with any of the major manufacturers products or service.

When it comes to too tight or too loose variable adjustments, that’s a fine line and one has to consider that looseness in that mechanism is normally an indication of slop inside...which is a bad thing when it comes to holding and repeating a setting. Power adjustments should be “firmâ€...and each person defines that a bit differently I guess.

I was talking to a Rep from Swarovski UK a while back and he was quite candid in saying that they wanted to match or beat Leupolds customer service and from what i have since heard, they do..but the point is whether you like Leupold products or not, they have been responsible for raising the bar for customer service with in the industry and thats good for everyone!

quote:

Originally posted by Fumbler:
I got a VX-I in the mail and the power ring was so tight you'd need a gorilla's arms to turn it.
Sent it to Leupold and got it back in 2 weeks with the ring loosened (it's still tight but can turn it).

The Leupold power ring adjustment has always been much tighter than other brands. As was indicated earlier, a tight fit is conducive good concentricity and low run-out. It is also helpful in preventing unwanted power drift. I am accutomed to the tight Leupold power ring and like it that way, but I hear this complaint from users of other scopes with some regularity. Admitidly, however, it shouldn't require "gorilla biceps" to change power .

I sent a 20yr old 6x with a badly scratched lens-1 wk later got it back totally gone thru with a new lense-and a lenspen-no charge. I don't know how anyone could do better than that.

I have had the pleasure of touring the Leupold factory in Oregon last year. They have a first class State of the art machining facility with strict quality control guidelines that are second to none.I own 7 leupold scopes and after seeing what goes into every scope there is no other choice. I am proud to own a quality AMERICAN product, not some Japanese Nikon (that could not stand up to the Quality requirements at the test facility) I know I saw it with my own eyes.

quote:

Originally posted by Stonecreek:
The Leupold power ring adjustment has always been much tighter than other brands. As was indicated earlier, a tight fit is conducive good concentricity and low run-out.

If the cam mechanism is too loose, it could bash itself to pieces during recoil. The VX-III series scopes always seem to be easier to turn when compared to the VX-1 and VX-2 types; but then again, along with the superior optics, you get the extra price tag as well.

John

Thunder wrote:

quote:

I am proud to own a quality AMERICAN product, not some Japanese Nikon

I don't want to say you are being naive, but where do you think Leupold's glass comes from??? Let's just say it's not from here in the states........

Does that still make it 100% American, or do you now change your tune?

And unless you own a few Nikon optics and have toured their facility (which I HIGHLY doubt), you have no basis for the type of comparison you made in your post.

Anyone that thinks that the Japanese produce inferior optical products doesn’t know much about optics.

Canon and Nikon have been at the forefront of optical lens technology for a very, very long time. The quality of their lenses has never been approached by anyone except for possibly Zeiss.

Rick 0311 wrote:

quote:

Anyone that thinks that the Japanese produce inferior optical products doesn’t know much about optics.

Canon and Nikon have been at the forefront of optical lens technology for a very, very long time

AMEN!!!

quote:

Originally posted by Bobby Tomek:
I guess I'll never understand some types of logic: Buy a scope. It's defective as the power adjustment ring is far too tight. Send it back. Get it back fast (but still not fully satisfied as you note it is still tight but now manageable). Yet you swear that your next purchase will be from this VERY SAME company.

I didn't expect a perfect scope at the $200 mark. If that was my only problem and I have years of good use out of the product then I consider it a good buy.

I'm impressed by the tracking on my VX-i.
It is more consistent than the $200 Nikons and Bushnells I've owned.
I also like the smaller amount of center to edge distortion compared to the other brands.

Fumbler wrote:

quote:

I didn't expect a perfect scope at the $200 mark.

THAT explains why you bought a Leupold!!!!!

Fumbler-Just had to give you a hard time in the previous post!

But seriously, for app. $239 from Jon at the optic zone (http://www.theopticzone.com), you can get a Nikon Monarch 3-9x40. There's NO COMPARISON with the scope you bought. The Monarch is head and shoulders above it -- in another league, so to speak. But even the BuckMasters series has better edge-to-edge clarity and better resolution than the scope in question. (Are your eyepieces properly adjusted and focused? A cursory glance through an incorrectly or non-adjusted scope can make a $1200 Swaro look no better than a $30 Simmons))

I've fiddled with my friend's 3-9x40mm Buckmaster and to me it's nowhere near as nice as a VX-I.

I didn't know you could get a Monarch for $239 though...

A buddy and I bought equivilent scopes at the same time for new Senderos we were both buying. I went with a Leupold he went with Nikon. At the time there was really no noticeble difference, at least none I could tell with the naked eye. That was 7 years ago and it seems his Nikon lens coatings have sense dulled a bit compared to the leupold. We both use lense covers and both are very careful how we clean our lenses. I dont know if this is an isolated case but I have heard others mention similar results with 10+ year old Nikons.

Optical clarity in the store is one thing , but what about in the early mornin rain.
All things being equal I will take a VX3 leupold. The VX2s are great also. I have a Monarch 3X9 on my 25,06 and a Bushnell 3200 on my 7mag. But I have 6 or 7 leupolds. I will put other glass on lower kicking rifles but on any thing that punishes a scope much I buy a Leupold. I like there mounts too. My frend wrecked a monarch with a 300 weatherby.
And I will say if you want to be 100% american
I think Burris can help you. And I have one of there scops too. I allways give somthing american a hard look before I buy somthing imported. But there just aint to many rifles built in the usa I like much anymore at least not that I can afford...tj3006

Thomas Jones wrote: " My frend wrecked a monarch with a 300 weatherby."


Thomas-I've seen a number of "wrecked" scopes over the years, and they generally have one common denominator: incorrect scope mounting procedure.

I've had to return two scopes in my 48 year life.

One Leupold and one Nikon.


So there!