I’m in the market for my first higher end binoculars and have it narrowed down to these two in 10x42. I only had the chance to look at them in the store and can tell the swaros are much clearer and can only imagine the difference in lower light.
My only concern is the warranty - vortex is lifetime no fault whereas swaro is limited lifetime. Has anyone dealt with swaro on warranty? Would this deter you at all from buying their product? Interested to hear some opinions as I will be hunting with them and they will get beat and banged up.
Vortex is one of the few brands that I don't carry (perhaps in the future), but I've carried Swarovski for quite a while.
Swarovski warranty/service (should you ever need it) is about as painless as it gets. You can contact Swarovski Optik North America directly, or have an authorized dealer do it. In either case, Swarovski will email you (or the dealer) a prepaid Fedex waybill, with the required customs documentation (important for rifle scopes). Simply box up the item, slap the waybill on it, and either have Fedex pick it up, or drop it off at a Fedex site. Swarovski will contact you once they receive the item, and once again when the service department does an assessment on the item. The only conditions under which Swarovski will provide a repair quote are a) if the repair is required due to user abuse/damage (i.e. crushed scope tube), of b) if the item has been out of production for so long that Swarovski no longer has parts, and must manufacture them. For instances that Swarovski deems there should be a repair charge, their estimate is based on their internal rates (i.e. they do not "mark-up" repairs). This is their stated policy.
In virtually every case (that I've seen as a dealer) the repair is cost-free (they cover shipping both ways, unless it falls into a or b above) and turn-around is 3 to 4 weeks (a bit longer if the item must go to Austria).
In practice, I have seen Swaro repair (at no charge) items that have been damaged due to hard use, accidents, etc... I have also seen them do some very remarkable things for customers sending in out of production/discontinued items.
The optics market is crowded and competitive - virtually every brand has a great warranty. However I would talk to dealers and ask them which brands have the most warranty returns, and why (defects/failures vs. abuse/wear and tear). Also, a good warranty should be a basic expectation, not a selling feature. If you're buying a parachute and the first thing the salesman mentions is the warranty...
