Eyecup on Monarchs -- I give up, need new recommendation (1 Viewer)

[medora66]

I have two pairs of Nikon Monarch 10x42s.

I'd say they were great binoculars had the eyecups not REPEATEDLY broken -- I estimate that I have sent our two pairs back for repairs at least eight times over three years, at considerable shipping expense and inconvenience. We're not particularly hard on these ... honestly, I'm not sure why we're plagued with the continually-crumbling eyering, but with spring migration in full swing -- and another repair looming (where I will be without my binoculars for another few weeks) -- I give up.

I do see there are other scattered reports of these problems (found via Google search) -- which I guess makes me feel better, but it's not exactly reassuring. So, I'm going to put these suckers on Ebay after they're repaired and buy something new. I'm looking at the Eagle Optics Ranger 10x42, and the Vortex Viper 10x42s. The Vortexes would be a real splurge for me, so if y'all think they are truly best, you'll need to wow me with your posts!

And ... any others I should check into?

Thanks for your help. I look forward to a future where I will NOT know all the people at Nikon tech support by name.

 

[NDhunter]

I have two pairs of Nikon Monarch 10x42s.

I'd say they were great binoculars had the eyecups not REPEATEDLY broken -- I estimate that I have sent our two pairs back for repairs at least eight times over three years, at considerable shipping expense and inconvenience. We're not particularly hard on these ... honestly, I'm not sure why we're plagued with the continually-crumbling eyering, but with spring migration in full swing -- and another repair looming (where I will be without my binoculars for another few weeks) -- I give up.

I do see there are other scattered reports of these problems (found via Google search) -- which I guess makes me feel better, but it's not exactly reassuring. So, I'm going to put these suckers on Ebay after they're repaired and buy something new. I'm looking at the Eagle Optics Ranger 10x42, and the Vortex Viper 10x42s. The Vortexes would be a real splurge for me, so if y'all think they are truly best, you'll need to wow me with your posts!

And ... any others I should check into?

Thanks for your help. I look forward to a future where I will NOT know all the people at Nikon tech support by name.

Medora:
I am wondering how anyone could have their eyecups crumbling on any Nikon modern Binocular as you are stating here. Eyecups do not crumble in any experience that I have had with any optic, and surely not with a Nikon.

You state 8 times in 3 years, what is your purpose in this post. 8-P
Hard to believe!!
Jerry

 

[Tero]

Most of my problems were when they did not go in or out properly
http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=128981&highlight=cups

The Monarchs I put the old rubber band there to keep them out.

 

[ceasar]

Medora:
I am wondering how anyone could have their eyecups crumbling on any Nikon modern Binocular as you are stating here. Eyecups do not crumble in any experience that I have had with any optic, and surely not with a Nikon.

You state 8 times in 3 years, what is your purpose in this post. 8-P
Hard to believe!!
Jerry

The Nikon Monarchs, when they originally came out, had a serious problem with their multi-position eye cups. They would not stay in the up position. This wasn't a problem for people who wore glasses but was a big problem for those who didn't. I experienced this problem when I borrowed a 10 x 42 Monarch from my friend who wore glasses. I don't wear glasses and when I used them the right eye cup kept collapsing. Maybe Medora got a couple of old stock Monarchs when he bought them.

Tero's solution of using rubber bands to keep them in the out position would work, but the first time they were sent back for repairs to Nikon they should have been given a permanent fix.

Bob

 

[Kammerdiner]

And ... any others I should check into?

Thanks for your help. I look forward to a future where I will NOT know all the people at Nikon tech support by name.

Since I'm guessing you don't wear glasses (if you did, what could go wrong with the cups?) you should look into the Zen ED2 and the Bushnell Legend Ultra ED--both with ED glass like the Viper, but significantly lower in cost. I'd have the Zen 10x43 right now, but I wear glasses and the eye relief with glasses is only marginal from what I hear.

 

[medora66]

Thanks for the suggestions so far. Will definitely look into the Zen and Bushnell. Does anyone recommend the Eagle Options 10x42 as a comparable model?

For those puzzled by my problems: my husband wears glasses. I don't (though I do occasionally wear sunglasses, and use these with those). We use the binoculars interchangably -- so one minute, he'll use them with his glasses, and the next minute I'll use them without.

So, I do need to rotate the eyecups frequently. They need to work. Imagine that!

I don't beat them up. I really do care for them. We do do a lot of birding in sandy areas, and the sand does get caught in these eyecup assemblies which seems to aggravate things, but I make a point to clean them after every outing. That shouldn't be causing this kind of problem.

When I said they "crumbled" -- less than precise language on my part. The eyecup problem usually begins with the cups moving less than smoothly -- herky-jerky. Then, eventually, they seem to tilt off their axis, making it difficult to rotate them into different positions. And then, after awhile, the ring just breaks off entirely. This last time, the whole assembly cracked (this because trying to rotate the eye ring during the "herky jerky" phase torques it), and I was left with several thin plastic pieces on the floor -- the parts that actually screw into the binocular body. It appeared as though the cheap plastic, um, "crumbled."

This has happened over and over. Nikon has always been nice about the repair, but if you add up the amount of time I've been without one or both pairs, it really does start to get crazy. Plus, all the UPS postage.

Nikon is not offering to replace -- just to repair. If any of you have any other suggestions, let me know (superglue and rubberbands aren't going to work, sadly, and as I understand superglue would void the rest of my warranty anyway). Otherwise I am thinking I will have to dump these entirely.

 

[Tero]

I think you need another pair. Maybe a low end roof prism 8x42, Vortex, Alpen or other. In the long run it becomes troublesome to share a pair. I do not recommend a 10x42 Monarch or other, though I had a pair. 220 dollars
http://www.opticsplanet.net/vortex-diamondback-8x42mm-binoculars-d248.html

It will be so much easier to view at the same time. Eventually both of you will want the 8x42 and neither one the 10x42.

I own both 8x and 10x and do make use of the 10x, mostly in winter.

 

[medora66]

Thanks, Tero. We actually DO have two pairs of Monarchs, one for each of us, and we're supposed to "care for our own pair," but inevitably we'll be in the house, see something out the window, and grab the other's pair because it's closest. In the car, ditto. Eyering swiveling commences, and then all hell breaks loose!

I'm going to check out some of the models you recommend today. Thx.

 

[NWBirder]

I have ZEN ED2 7x36 and 10x43. I almost exclusively use these two pairs these days. I also have an older model of ZRS 10x42. The sharpness is fairly close to ZEN ED2. But it has a yellowish tint when I check it against a white background. The new 2010 ZRS is reportedly much better in that regard with dielectric coating and, with a lighter weight. It should be a step up from Nikon Monarch.

http://www.zen-ray.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=264

 

[brocknroller]

Thanks for the suggestions so far. Will definitely look into the Zen and Bushnell. Does anyone recommend the Eagle Options 10x42 as a comparable model?

For those puzzled by my problems: my husband wears glasses. I don't (though I do occasionally wear sunglasses, and use these with those). We use the binoculars interchangably -- so one minute, he'll use them with his glasses, and the next minute I'll use them without.

So, I do need to rotate the eyecups frequently. They need to work. Imagine that!

I don't beat them up. I really do care for them. We do do a lot of birding in sandy areas, and the sand does get caught in these eyecup assemblies which seems to aggravate things, but I make a point to clean them after every outing. That shouldn't be causing this kind of problem.

When I said they "crumbled" -- less than precise language on my part. The eyecup problem usually begins with the cups moving less than smoothly -- herky-jerky. Then, eventually, they seem to tilt off their axis, making it difficult to rotate them into different positions. And then, after awhile, the ring just breaks off entirely. This last time, the whole assembly cracked (this because trying to rotate the eye ring during the "herky jerky" phase torques it), and I was left with several thin plastic pieces on the floor -- the parts that actually screw into the binocular body. It appeared as though the cheap plastic, um, "crumbled."

This has happened over and over. Nikon has always been nice about the repair, but if you add up the amount of time I've been without one or both pairs, it really does start to get crazy. Plus, all the UPS postage.

Nikon is not offering to replace -- just to repair. If any of you have any other suggestions, let me know (superglue and rubberbands aren't going to work, sadly, and as I understand superglue would void the rest of my warranty anyway). Otherwise I am thinking I will have to dump these entirely.

medora,

The solution is simple. If you like the Monarchs otherwise, let your hubby keep the fixed pair, and he'll keep the eyecups in the "down" position, and you can buy another pair for yourself (the new ones with dielectric coatings) and set the eyecups to the position that's most comfortable for you.

Granted, the eyecups shouldn't be breaking down so frequently, and certainly not crumble in your hands like a chunk of blue cheese.

There are two basic types of twist-up eyecups: those with grooves built into the plastic eyecups themselves, such as the Monarch's, and those with groves made in the metal housing below the rubber covering of the eyecups, such as the Nikon Premier LX L.

Needles-to-hay, the plastic grooved variety are going to wear out a lot sooner. I had droopy eyecups on my Minolta Activa and on my Pentax PCF V, both of which had no metal housings underneath them.

After five years, the twist ups on the Nikon 8x32 LX still stay put where I set them (and they don't even have clicks stops!).

If you buy other inexpensive bins with twist ups, and share them with your husbad, the same thing might happen.

So your choices are either buy his and hers pairs or scale up to a Nikon Premier or another such bin with metal housings under the rubber eyecup covers.

I have to warn you that the rubber Nikon uses in the LX (not sure about the LX L) wears rather quickly. Not an issue for eyeglasses, but it is for non-eyeglass wearers because the top of the eyecup starts to take the shape of your eye orbits after a while, and there also seems to be some chemical interaction with sweat so you get little bubbles forming on the rubber.

I thought Nikon fixed this problem with the LX L's eyecups since they are made of a different material than the LX, but I recently read a report complaining about the same issue with the LX L's eyecups. Of course, the fix is simpler, you just order a new pair of rubber eyecup coverings.

Others can chime in with their recommendations of bins with metal housings under the eyecups if you want to step up.

Of course, if you chose to go the "his and her" route, you will have to mark your pair so your husband doesn't accidentally take it buy mistake or just take yours because it's convenient and he left his pair in the truck.

I suggest a couple Elmo stickers to personalize your pair.

http://www.amazon.com/Party-America-Elmo-Stickers/dp/B00073IBLA

No respectable guy is going to go into the field with a bin with Elmo stickers on it! But a mom can get away with it.

 

[blizdas]

medora,


There are two basic types of twist-up eyecups: those with grooves built into the plastic eyecups themselves, such as the Monarch's, and those with groves made in the metal housing below the rubber covering of the eyecups, such as the Nikon Premier LX L.

Needles-to-hay, the plastic grooved variety are going to wear out a lot sooner. I had droopy eyecups on my Minolta Activa and on my Pentax PCF V, both of which had no metal housings underneath them.



Others can chime in with their recommendations of bins with metal housings under the eyecups if you want to step up.

The Ranger binoculars are very similar to your Monarchs however one distinct difference is that we do use a metal housing in the eye-cup mechanism. This was a design upgrade after we observed the rate of wear on the plastic mechanisms.
The Vipers have a metal eye-cup housing as well. :t:

Ben

Ben Lizdas
Sales Manager
Eagle Optics
www.eagleoptics.com

 

[NWBirder]

it is surprising that Monarch still uses plastic eyecups. Even the $170 binoculars I have uses metal housing. It shouldn't add much cost to upgrade to metal frame.