Beware of optics w/electronics.....may have a very short shelf life

[Rembrandt]

A rather costly and eye opening experience this week that folks should be aware of.....

I buy some of the higher end optics because of features, quality, and service provided by those manufacturers. Purchased a Swarovski 8 x 30 laser rangefinder in late 2008. Wonderful piece of equipment to be used out West for hunting and prairie dogs as well as closer to home for whitetails. Cost around $1000, but at the time the only thing on the market that would go past 1500 yards. All my other Swarovski (binocs, spotting scope, rifle scopes) were in my view long term investments for hunting. When I had finished with them, pass along to the kids.

Fast forward to present day, the digital image is suppose to go into a sleep mode after 20 seconds to prevent the battery from running down....mine stayed on and was constantly replacing batteries. Sent it in to Swarovski fully aware it was out of warranty but wanted to get it repaired anyway. Told these would be sent back to Austria and could take perhaps two months. Received an email from Swarovski that they no longer service or repair these because the technology has long since become outdated and the rangefinder had outlived its service life. Swarovski discontinued repairs in 2018 because it was "extremely challenging" to produce and store parts, and they wanted to move onto more advanced technology. They did offer to sell me a new rangefinder made by Kahles at a discount.

So the service life for my $1000 Swarovski 8 x 30 rangefinder lasted 10 years. I got a couple more years of use out of them but essentially they have a very short self life. I asked the people at Swarovski why should I consider purchasing a pair of their new range finding EL binoculars ($3600) when they might pull the plug using the same logic on that product? No answer...

Appears Swarovski's business model is following that of other industries.....planned obsolescence especially if it has software or digital technology. Perhaps I was a bit naive.....certainly got my eyes opened. Will view anything from now on with electronic capabilities as disposable.

 

[The Glockodile]

"So Alfred P. Sloan, the CEO of General Motors, and his colleagues came up with a radical new idea that would change not only the auto industry, but the entire economy: planned obsolescence. GM would simply convince customers that one car in a lifetime wasn't enough."

This is freaking weird. I'm pretty sure I had a post above this one mentioning the geeenius who probably pioneered "Planned Obsolescence," but it seems to have been deleted...

I had a Zeiss rangefinder that I really liked - but the rubber coating started deteriorating - becoming really sticky to the touch.

Only lasted five years.

 

[Aim1]

I had a Zeiss rangefinder that I really liked - but the rubber coating started deteriorating - becoming really sticky to the touch.

Only lasted five years.

I wonder if you got some chemical on it like DEET from bug spray.

 

[illinoisburt]

I understand feeling unhappy that an expensive piece of equipment has deteriorated over time, however I cannot think of any electronics which haven't undergone significant material improvements during the past decade. I would honestly not expect manufacturers to be maintaining parts inventory after this much time for what is obsolete technology.

 

[dogtown tom]

Huh.
And up until now I thought manufacturers of electronics were supposed to stock replacements and repair every product they ever made for the life of the buyer.

OP is going to have a seizure when he realizes the computer he's using has an operating system that will be obsolete in far less time than his electric optic.
Same with cell phones. T Mobile/Sprint just sent me a letter telling me my Samsung phone wont work on their system after Dec 31st.

 

[Drail]

That is today's business model - it doesn't have to work well or last long - it only has to SELL!

 

[ozarkhillbilly]

What you call planned obsolescence I call advancements in technology.

 

[Pat Riot]

I have a Magellan Meridian Gold GPS that is 18 years old. A couple of years ago I called Magellan to ask about software and hardware updates. A lady told me they no longer support “legacy systems”. I wasn’t surprised due to the age of the unit. But what I did find out when I pressed for more information was that they no longer had anyone savvy enough to work on their actual electronic units. All units were now made in China. All the techs they once had either retired or moved on. The only thing they updated or worked on was software. Any defective unit was replaced under warranty. Once warranties run out they no longer care and no longer support the product.

The lady I spoke to said “So, buy a new one.”I said “Why would I buy a new one when you’re support no longer exists?” and then hung up.

I have worked on electronic and electrical systems my entire adult life. I don’t trust anything electronic so I avoid it when I can. The one thing I am sure of with electronics is; when you truly need it to work there’s a darn good chance it won’t.

 

[LoonWulf]

What you call planned obsolescence I call advancements in technology.

I think Its a bit of both.....
Companies build stuff today that will sell, and stock parts for the length of time they expect that model/product to stay "current" by market standards.
While they MAY have parts available in the future for said product, IF that product shares parts with the next generation, once it becomes obsolete, which they plan for, they dont want a back log of parts.
I have a 1000 dollar drone sitting under my reloading bench unused because the battery packs for the newer generation are noncompatible, and they dont have replacements anymore.
My 2000 dollar gaming computer became truly obsolete about a year ago as sourcing parts would cost more than a new build. I believe I built it in 2013.

cant really complain....or at least I dont complain..... my new machine is half as expensive and functionally better while being an over-the-counter unit.

 

[tarosean]

T Mobile/Sprint just sent me a letter telling me my Samsung phone wont work on their system after Dec 31st.

Same letter from AT&T (Different date) although I do own a 5g phone.

That is today's business model - it doesn't have to work well or last long - it only has to SELL!

Not sure about that.. so many things last longer than they did in the past.. Remember when 100,000 miles was too much for a vehicle? Appliances not lasting a decade, etc. etc. etc

 

[hemiram]

I just retired my built in 2010 gaming desktop. Other than a power supply failing (Wow, a LOT of cat hair in there!) a few years ago, it had zero issues, except for some of the usual Windows nonsense. All in all, I got my money's worth out of it. New one is like warp drive compared to it. I can't say I like Windows 10 near as much as I did 7.

I've had stuff fail very early, and other stuff last forever. I have stereo stuff at home I bought in 1971-2 and it still works great. Looks new too. I don't abuse my stuff. One of the nightmare early deaths was a radio I bought for about $40 from a catalog. There was a sticker on it that left residue when I peeled it off, and I took some rubbing alcohol and used it to wipe off the goo, and the case fell apart like a vampire does in a movie when it's exposed to sunlight. It just cracked into pieces in about 30 seconds. I never had any idea that plain old rubbing alcohol could do something like that.

 

[Speedo66]

Yes, it’s the electronics that are killing everything.

Washing machines used to last forever, until they started putting fancy electronics on them. Same for home heating and A/C systems. Inevitably it’s the circuit boards that go.

 

[Robert]

The only part of this that was anywhere near on topic was the word optics... We are done here.