Since I've been shopping for binoculars, I've seen lots of 'deals' on refurbished binoculars. These ads pretty much all claim to be manufacturer refurbished; Nikon, Bushnell, Vortex etc...

First of all, what's factory refurbished really entail?

Why do these binos require a factory rebuild (if they were decent quality to begin with)?

Third is, would you buy binos, that are used/abused, then immediately send them into the manufacturer, to get them repaired/refurbished?


And the main question: would you be comfortable buying factory refurbished optics?

All companies will occasionally have a bad egg. With that said, many of the "refurbished" units are actually show demo's or samples.

I would have no qualms as long as I was dealing with a reputable dealer.

My refurbished Nikon Monarch scope is still ticking after six years. I did have the rubber eye piece get lost and Nikon just mailed me another one free.

Say you buy a Nikon scope at Wal-Mart, get out the door and decide you don't want it. You go to customer service and get your $$ back. But due to Nikon's policy, even though these are still "new," they can not go back on the shelf. They go back to Nikon, are thoroughly checked and then sold as a "refurb."

They carry the same full lifetime warranty with one exception: after 90 days, you pay a $10 return shipping charge. That's it.

Most from Nikon have never had anything wrong with them in the first place. I can't speak for the other brands. But like Bob said, a reputable dealar will take your concerns away...

I was just doing a search of previous posts and found just what I needed with this thread.

I'm looking of a scope for my soon to be purchased .223 bolt gun for 100 to max 400 yards, knock around gun. My just arrived Natchezss catalogue has a decent number of "refurbished" scopes. I was looking at their Nikon Monarch riflescopes.

I never heard of a refurbished scope before but sounds like just what I need.

Yes, refurb is fine, and a Monarch is a great choice.