Customer service is NOT dead...

[JW_Halverson]

Not at Steiner Optics! Some may remember the bad day I had last November when I broke my expensive binoculars while out hunting.  Bill told me it would take 5-6 weeks from when they received the broken ones before they would ship.  Well, he exaggerated, because they received them on the 2nd of Jan and my new ones arrived today!  I do not feel disposed to call him up and complain, not at all!

Love me some Steiner Predator 8x42 eyeball stretchers!

[chamookman]

Always nice to hear this JW. There's no substitute for quality glass ! Bob

[PEARL DRUMS]

Another fine example of getting what you pay for.

[JW_Halverson]

Another fine example of getting what you pay for.

Honestly, I feel I got more than I paid for.  After all, the break did not happen in normal use.  I TOLD the guy that I DROPPED THE BINOS, it was MY fault.  And they blanketed the whole situation with their warranty, nonetheless. 

Yes, there are better optics, even in Steiner's lineup and you can go beyond the limits of good sense spending money on glass.  But these are light years ahead of anything in the $200 range that I usually limit myself with.  They were well over $400 when I got them, but I see them on sale in various places for as low as $329.  I can't recommend them enough.  Several times when it was after legal shooting hours (30 minutes after legal sunset here in South Dakota), I was able to use these glasses to pick deer out of standing timber.  They have an optical coating that color adjusts to make the game stand out from the surroundings, and it amazes me!  I have watched deer by moonlight thru these and if they were a rifle scope I could have easily made the illegal shot! 

[PEARL DRUMS]

Good fishing poles are the same way. I had a St Croix spinning rod back in the day, I broke it twice. They lost money on that one, but made money on the other dozen I bought and never broke. I wanted to be a Bassmaster when I grew up . Tried it, lost all my money and gave up!

[Aaron H]

Maybe one day Chris, besides, have you grown up yet?

[JW_Halverson]

Don't grow up, Pearlie, it's a trap!

[soy]

Nice!

[Wolf Watcher]

JW:  I had an old Leupold variable scope on a rifle I used for several years when I was outfitting and guiding hunters.  It had been dropped, was on the rifle that my horse stepped on. and was a beat up looking sight.  I bought a new rifle for a hunt I was planning in Namibia and the dealer told me he would send the old scope in and see if they could fix it for me.  I thought that would be cheaper than a new scope so I agreed.  Well the people at the Leupold factory called back and said they no longer had parts for that old scope, would I accept a replacement?  They had two models that would work well with the gun that I had bought.  Of course being the greedy person that I am I chose the most powerful and expensive of the two.  I could have bought three of the old scopes for the price on the one they gave me!  All it cost me was the original postage for the relic I mailed to them!  I still can't believe in this day and age of product fraud that a company would replace something so out of production.  Every gun I have has a Leupold mounted on it.  PS:  I talked today with a fellow that had caught an bald eagle in a trap.  It took two men to finally get the bird free, but the results for the fellows was not good.  Blood and ripped up coats!  Joe 

[JW_Halverson]

I've had a little experience with Leupold and cannot complain.  A friend has had some extensive dealings with them and will fight for Leupold's reputation at the drop of a hat and is known to carry an extra hat just for contingencies!

I have seen the results of eagles caught in traps, generally when an inexperienced trapper puts the set too close to the bait.  So far, I have had my hand in catching up 17 bald and golden eagles and have yet to be grabbed back.  Never found anyone that could teach me how to do it, so I sorta figgered it out for myself.  Either I am VERY good or VERY lucky, and I don't really care which it is!

[stickbender]

     I am also a BIG Leupold supporter!  They went above and beyond what they should have for me.  I dropped my rifle, from a tree I had climbed, well actually, the quick detach sling swivel, quick detached, and a rock jumped out and caught the rifle, by the scope, right at the bell where the front lens sits.  It was not broken, and it was still spot on.  So I continued hunting with it, and a few months before the next hunting season, I looked through the scope, and saw little trees.  The nitrogen had leaked, and a mold, or whatever had grown in there.  I also had scratched the rear lens with the hammer spur of my pistol, while carrying it slung over my shoulder.  But it was on the outside edge, and did not interfere with the sight picture.  Well, a scratch is not exactly correct, it was a gouge.  Any way, I sent it back to Leupold, and told them what had happened, and not to worry about the back lens, as that was purely my fault.  A week later, I got a notice that it was being repaired, and there was no charge.  A week after that I got the scope back, with the back lens replaced also.  I still have that old scope.  I bought it when I was in the Army, when I was stationed in Italy, at the gun club on base.  It is a 3-9 x 40, with a duplex cross hairs.  I wrote them a big thank you letter, and told them they had customer for life.  And they do.  All of my scopes are Leupold.  I have Five of them, and one pair of Leupold rogue 10 X 25 binoculars, but I also have a pair of Steiner, 10 X 25 binoculars, and they are great, also.  But I am definitely am a Leupold fan.  The most expensive scope I have is the 3.5 - 10 X 50 Vari-X II.  I would love to be able to afford their top of the line models, but I am quite happy with the ones I have.  I have Friends have, Swarovski and Kahles scopes, and they are phenomenal scopes, but they are not that far ahead of the Leupolds I have for the price range difference.  Yes, I would love to have one of those, but I can't afford them, and I VERY happy with my Leupold, in quality, clarity, adjustments, shock/impact limits, and of course warranties! Glad to hear that Steiner stands behind their products also.  I had bought the Steiner binoculars for my Girlfriend, but she liked my rogues better, because of the eye cups, so I had to get her a pair of those, and I kept the Steiners.  I personally, can't see any difference in clarity, or magnification between the two.

                                    Wayne