I’ve been sitting on this one for a while, until it was all said and done.  Now it is…

I am a big fan of the rangefinding binoculars.  I have to admit I’m always intrigued by (if somewhat skeptical of) new gadgets, but combining a rangefinder and binoculars was one of the best ideas I’d heard in a while.   It just makes too much sense. 

A few years back I decided to take the plunge and buy the Bushnell rangefinding binos.  The unit did what I wanted, but it was heavy, clunky, and the glass wasn’t really that great.  I was never really happy with them.  This year, Bushnell has totally redesigned their rangefinding binoculars, and while I did have a chance to look them over at SHOT, I haven’t really put them through the paces.  They are a definite improvement over the ones I bought, and I hope to have a chance to field test them in the near future.

A year or so later, due to my positive financial situation at the time, I decided to spend the money on the Leica Geovid 42EF.  They weren’t cheap, but I was immediately impressed with the quality.  The glass was superb (of course, we’re talking Leica here), and the rangefinder would lock on a 1000 yard target in the blink of an eye.  It was everything I’d hoped for.

Well, it was everything I’d hoped for until last season.  On a hunt at the Hedgepeth Ranch, the rangefinder wouldn’t lock on a target.  Later the same trip, it worked again.  I replaced the battery, and it seemed to work fine again until the hunts up at Coon Camp Springs.  While trying to range a deer for the client, I couldn’t get a reading.  After several failures, I finally got the distance.  The problem continued to be erratic until my last trip to Tejon Ranch.  Finally, the rangefinder refused to return a measurement at any distance. 

At first I got angry, because I hate when an expensive piece of equipment fails.  But then, since I killed the pig anyway, I decided this would be a good opportunity to see just how good Leica’s customer service is.  I had a pretty high expectation, of course, and I can say now that they did not let me down!

First, I emailed a service representative to ask about the return procedures.  He replied almost immediately, and let me know how to send them in.  He also set my expectations reasonably, telling me that it could take up to six weeks to get my glasses back.  I was a little afraid of that, and bummed that I wouldn’t have them for the Texas trip… but I accepted it and sent the binos in to Leica’s service center in New Jersey.

In the package, I included a note explaining what was going on.  In the note, I mentioned that I am a guide and I rely on my equipment.  With hog hunting season coming on full-bore, I told them I needed these fixed ASAP. 

Well, they didn’t get them back to me in time for Texas (I sent them the day before I left), but they had the unit cleaned, purged with nitrogen, and checked out before I returned from the 10-day trip.  They were waiting for me when I got home. 

I haven’t had them out in the field yet, but playing around the neighborhood, everything looks great!  They even replaced the eyecups where I’d worn them out with use. 

If there’s anything lacking, you’ll be hearing about it (as will the folks at Leica), but right now, I couldn’t be more satisfied!

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