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Poll - Trying to get some numbers on Swarovski rubber armour issues. (1 Viewer)
It probably just reflects the number of sales and usage - not that many people lug the 56's around compared to ELs/NLs
With the Swarovski's reply to PeterPS in the other thread, the new armour material might actually date back to 2015, not 2010
"The armouring material of Swarovski binos was changed 2015 with the new FP series due to environmental, cosmetic and allergic reasons."
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Documenting my example.
Manufactured in 2019. Purchased in Aug 2020. Carefully used on weekends mostly in city parks. Stored in humidity-controlled dry cabinet. Definitely not abuse, neglect, heavy/intensive/professional use.
Rubber started degrading around 2022. Became tacky to touch (especially after wiping/washing with soap as Swarovski directed), easily scuffed from contact with fingernails. Eventually started breaking off at areas with most hand contact. Then spread to other parts of the binos
First pic in Jan 2023
2nd pic in Jun 2023
Attachments
Post on Facebook seeking affected users from a larger sample size outside this forum (23k members), granted that not all Swarovski users are in that group either, and not all in the group are active. 9 first-hand accounts, FWIW
www.facebook.com
Swarovski Binoculars Users | Looking for any Swarovski binoculars users, especially newer post-2015 models (NL, EL, SLC, etc) in tropical areas, who have experienced the armour di... | Facebook
Looking for any Swarovski binoculars users, especially newer post-2015 models (NL, EL, SLC, etc) in tropical areas, who have experienced the armour disintegrating over time (e.g. becoming sticky,...
www.facebook.com
John Cantelo
Well-known member
I visited the Swarovski stand at the UK's Global Bird Fair on Friday & politely but forcefully pointed out the degree of reputational damage this problem was causing (whilst also praising NL's ergonomics & optics). I didn't catch the name of the person I spoke to but she was called over by a colleague so I guess she was fairly senior and, as she had (I think) a slight German/Austrian accent, I assume she was from 'head office'. She explained that they were well aware of the issue, that the formula for the armour casing had been changed to be more 'environmentally friendly' and that two new formulae (which they hoped would solve the problem) were currently being tested. Whether assuming a new & superior formula is developed, this means the recall of all binoculars with the dodgy armour I don't know.
Even if I hadn't spoken to her I think the message would have gotten through as two others in the (short) queue were holding Swaro bins with shedding armour. Speaking later to a friend in the optics business, he told me of a client whose NLs were becoming denuded after only 10 months of use and that there was now such a long backlog of repairs that the turnaround was months rather than a couple of weeks.
As an aside, I'll add that my spare pair of bins, Kite Lynx 8x30s, needed new eye cup assemblage thanks to being about a decade old & subjected to fairly heavy use. I took the opportunity to pop over to the Kite stand where the very helpful staff said they'd send off a new set asap at no cost. The friend I mentioned above had sold me the Kites & he said in his experience that such service was typical of Kite adding as an afterthought that they also had excellent quality control.
Even if I hadn't spoken to her I think the message would have gotten through as two others in the (short) queue were holding Swaro bins with shedding armour. Speaking later to a friend in the optics business, he told me of a client whose NLs were becoming denuded after only 10 months of use and that there was now such a long backlog of repairs that the turnaround was months rather than a couple of weeks.
As an aside, I'll add that my spare pair of bins, Kite Lynx 8x30s, needed new eye cup assemblage thanks to being about a decade old & subjected to fairly heavy use. I took the opportunity to pop over to the Kite stand where the very helpful staff said they'd send off a new set asap at no cost. The friend I mentioned above had sold me the Kites & he said in his experience that such service was typical of Kite adding as an afterthought that they also had excellent quality control.
Thanks for the update, especially about 2 new formulae being tested! This is great news.
Sounds like they're well aware of the issue, and it's not so isolated since it's significantly impacting repair operations.
Barred Wobbler
Well-known member
My EL 10x42s, bought in June 2016, were re-armoured by Swarovski in late September 2019 after the armouring fell to bits. Since that date they've had very light usage, partly because of the numerous Covid lockdowns, causing fewer trips both abroad and at home, and partly because of a much reduced effort on my part. In other words, they've hardly been used.
In November 2022 I experienced a problem with the focus knob not engaging properly and on investigating with Swarovski, their estimate of several months repair time meant that I just muddled through with the focus performing erratically at times. During the spring of 2023 I noticed that there appeared to be a slight looseness of the armouring beginning, particularly around the cut-out for the logo. In June, the focus knob seized up altogether for no apparent reason, so I was left with no option but to send them off to Swarovski for repair. I sent them off to their UK office on 15th June, and they sent them in turn to Austria. On 6th July I got an email to say they'd been received. They must have gone by horse-cart.
On 10th July, Swarovski contacted me to say they were repairing the defect at no cost to me, and included an itemised (and costed) invoice of repairs to be carried out. In addition to the focus knob repair, they listed other actions; the replacement of the eye-cups (£24.94 - no cost to me) and the armouring of both left and right barrels. Interestingly, the price for each barrel re-armouring was put at £15.14 per barrel (but again at no cost to me). Copy of items is listed at the end of this post.
Now I don't know if replacing eyecups and armour is just a standard procedure when they get binoculars in for repair, or if they needed to take the old armour off to repair the focus knob (I don't know why they would need to), but at only £15.14 per side for armour, it's a pretty low-cost item to Swarovski, so them carrying on with the duff armour might in their eyes be costing them less for the time being than using something that actually works, reputational losses aside.
How long it takes the donkey cart to return my bins remains to be seen, but at least they are moving. Good job I was able to borrow the Opticrons I bought originally in 2000 as a stand-by after I passed them on to my son in 2016 when I bought the Swarovskis.
1 S1825 Repair of focusing mechansm............................1.00 h 111,75 GBP..............Labor Free of Charge *** 0,00 GBP
Disassembly of device and replacement of damaged or defective focusing parts
2 S1953 Quality inspection.................................................... 0.08 h 0,00 GBO.................Labor Free of Charge *** 0,00 GBP
3 694-0269A Eye Cup Set.......................................................2,00 pcs 24,94 GBP............Material Free of Charge *** 0,00 GBP
4 678-947CD Armoring EL 42 mrtree left.........................1,00 pcs 15,14 GBP............Material Free of Charge *** 0,00 GBP
5 678-946CD Armoring EL 42 mrtree right......................1,00 pcs 15,14 GBP............Material Free of Charge *** 0,00 GBP
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Paultricounty
Well-known member
That’s crazy all those issues.
I’m very curious to hear how long it takes to get them back. I sent in a Habicht for service to Swaro North America on 5/5 and didn’t get confirmation for three weeks and we’re told they were sent to Austria, two weeks later I received email on way back to US, about 10 days later got tracking , priority two day shipping. Was very happy with the service. They also put new eyecups on.
Paul
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Barred Wobbler
Well-known member
My query to Swarovski, sent on 4th November 2022 received a reply on 7th November including this statement:
'Due to a system change, the current repair duration is significantly longer than usual. Devices currently arriving in Absam (Austria) will be returned in the 1st quarter of 2023.
We therefore recommend that you do not send in the product until you can spare it for some time.
Thank you for your understanding!'
Given the fact that there was still almost two whole months left of 2022 at the time, and the vagueness of their stated '1st quarter of 2023', I declined to send them until a few weeks ago, when the repair became essential. It's now a month since I sent them off.
Still waiting.
'Due to a system change, the current repair duration is significantly longer than usual. Devices currently arriving in Absam (Austria) will be returned in the 1st quarter of 2023.
We therefore recommend that you do not send in the product until you can spare it for some time.
Thank you for your understanding!'
Given the fact that there was still almost two whole months left of 2022 at the time, and the vagueness of their stated '1st quarter of 2023', I declined to send them until a few weeks ago, when the repair became essential. It's now a month since I sent them off.
Still waiting.
Paultricounty
Well-known member
They had sent me a similar email when I inquired about a service, but my email read 8 to 12 weeks.
Barred Wobbler
Well-known member
EL 10x42s, Sent to Swarovski UK on 15th June for focus knob repair, arrived from Swarovski Austria today. A couple of days short of 6 weeks in total.
Defective focus knob repaired, which was the reason that they were sent off. New armouring on both barrels, new eyecups and new front lens covers, with those attachment rubber straps that let the covers flap all over the place and which will probably snap after a very few weeks of use, just like the old ones did. I'll just take them off and put them in the cupboard.
No charge for repairs or postage apart from the initial postage to Swarovski UK in Surrey, which cost £11.15.
Defective focus knob repaired, which was the reason that they were sent off. New armouring on both barrels, new eyecups and new front lens covers, with those attachment rubber straps that let the covers flap all over the place and which will probably snap after a very few weeks of use, just like the old ones did. I'll just take them off and put them in the cupboard.
No charge for repairs or postage apart from the initial postage to Swarovski UK in Surrey, which cost £11.15.
YuShan
Well-known member
I bought my EL 8.5x42 SV in Oct 2011 and I have no issues at all with the armour 
.
As can be seen from the picture below, it's been heavily used, had lots of weather/UV/moisture exposure and has been through a lot of rough(ish) treatment (backpacking).
So mine is post 2010, but it looks like it has the durable armour.
That Swarovski introduced less durable biodegradable armour for newer production doesn't make sense to me at all. My Swaro costed an arm and a leg and it was totally worth it, because I bought it for life! (some of the best spent £££s ever). I know some people on this forum change binoculars every few years, but I think for most people such expensive binoculars are a once in a lifetime purchase.
.As can be seen from the picture below, it's been heavily used, had lots of weather/UV/moisture exposure and has been through a lot of rough(ish) treatment (backpacking).
So mine is post 2010, but it looks like it has the durable armour.
That Swarovski introduced less durable biodegradable armour for newer production doesn't make sense to me at all. My Swaro costed an arm and a leg and it was totally worth it, because I bought it for life! (some of the best spent £££s ever). I know some people on this forum change binoculars every few years, but I think for most people such expensive binoculars are a once in a lifetime purchase.
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The poll allows you to select multiple answers to let those with more than one model of binocular to respond.
tehri
Well-known member
For some of them, you could even say every few month !!!
Andy Adcock
Worst person on Birdforum
This mirrors my experience almost exactly.
The issue with the focus wheel on mine, was simply that the external cover had detached so was not engaging to turn the wheel, it was just slipping over the wheel without turning it.
I had another issue in that the left, eye piece had detached, the whole thing just came out.
Anyway, long story short and as I wrote in another thread, about a month from start to finish, free repair and (unnecessary) replacement of external armour so after almost fifteen years of ownership with no issues, I just hope my 'bins' are not now covered in the inferior recipe.
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