KennyJ
The British Flash
Reged: 04/27/03
Posts: 20139
Loc: Lancashire UK
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Well , I know this would keep Bill Cook busy for a few hours , should he ever find the time !
And several other regulars here have a few to choose from too !
I was wondering which is your favourite SMELLING binocular ?
I have absolutely no doubt about mine .
It WAS the aroma of the Telstar 10 x 50 my late father bought for me in 1966 .
It was Japanese fully coated Porro prism with 5 degree TFOV.
In fact , it still was until not long ago .
It is currently , effectively a 10 x 50 MONocular , but still with two objective lenses and with centre focus !
I bet there aren't too many of THOSE around :-)
I previously stated the year of this purchase to have been 1965 , but in fact , my memory failed me .
It was a TELESCOPE which my dad bought me in 1965 .
The 10 x 50 arrived in June 1966 .
Two pop songs in particular remind me of that day I opened the box , and strangely , bring back THAT smell whenever I hear them .
One was DAYDREAM by the American group Lovin' Spoonful .
The other , PAINT IT , BLACK by a British group several younger American members may never have heard of , called the Rolling Stones .
It had a distinctive aroma which I became as attached to as much as the visual experiences themselves , and I have never held another binocular which had THAT smell about it .
Someone once suggested it was the smell of the leather CASE , but it wasn't .
That binocular retained THAT aroma for many YEARS -- then for some reason , the smell seemed to disappear , almost overnight !
I wonder WHICH ingredient was responsible for that smell ?
My Zeiss 7 x 42 still has a distinctive smell about it ,now well into it's fourth year , but that definitely comes from the interior of the soft case rather than the bino itself .
Any particular favourites then amongst us ?
-- and how about a few explanations about WHAT makes binoculars smell so individual ?
Kenny
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Milton Wilcox R.I.P
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Glassthrower
Vendor - Galactic Stone & Ironworks
Reged: 04/07/05
Posts: 17931
Loc: Oort Cloud 9
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My 15x70 Skymasters smell faintly of roast lamb.
While the 25x100 distinctly smells of bourbon.
Seriously though...
When I got my replacement pair back from Celestron a few weeks ago, they had that "new car" smell. The smell has now disappeared.
MikeG
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Michael Gilmer - Member of the Meteoritical Society & Collector of Falling Stars.
☄ ⒼⒶⓁⒶⒸⓉⒾⒸ ⓈⓉⓄⓃⒺ ☞ www.galactic-stone.com
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Anonymous
Unregistered
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Kenny, I am now beginning to wonder just what exactly is going on over there right now. It was "viewing binoculars backwards" one weekend and now this? Is there anything else you are smelling, huffing, or snorting that we should know about?
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pcad
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 01/17/05
Posts: 2447
Loc: Connecticut
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Kenny,
I can't claim to have an acute sense of smell. So I went to someone who does, my cat. I presented my binoculars to the kitty by placing them on the floor of a small room. Being curious by nature he investigated the binos. While I can't say he had an obvious favorite, he did try to bury my 12-36 x 70's. Can't say I really blame him.
Peter
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Peter
Telescopes 25 - 318 mm
Binoculars 12 - 100 mm
Microscope 50x - 1000x
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Rich N
Post Laureate
Reged: 09/22/04
Posts: 5618
Loc: San Francisco Bay Area, Calif...
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I like the smell of Zeiss and Leicas. The Kowa High Lander has an odd not so nice smell.
But, there is nothing like that new Astro-Physics telescope smell. Just love it.
Rich
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aporigine
sage
Reged: 07/03/05
Posts: 425
Loc: Tuolumne foothills CA
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"2 nostrils and a preference to use both"
Well you just got me sniffing my Fuji 10x70s, and it exudes a hauntingly familiar Expensive Machined Stuff with Wrinkle Black Paint.
Then it hit me: it smells like the good second-hand microscope my dad got me long ago.
My Miyauchis are essentially odorless. Go figger.
cheers aporigine
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Beauty is in the eyepiece of the beholder.
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ngc6475
Fearless Spectator
Reged: 03/02/02
Posts: 5024
Loc: 38°21'N 120°55'W
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My Fujinon 16x70s still smell exciting, with vegetal aromas that are reminiscent of new mown hay and bell pepper, rounded out by a layer of sweet vanilla oak. Nikons have a more serious fragrance redolent of jammy plum and cassis, overlaid with notes of toasty oak stiffened by a backbone of tannin. The Vixens smell of glue and wet dog, but then, so do I!
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Walter
"There are nights when the wolves are silent and only the moon howls."
-George Carlin
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craig_oz_land
sage
Reged: 01/21/04
Posts: 344
Loc: Sydney, Australia
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Quote:
I like the smell of Zeiss and Leicas. The Kowa High Lander has an odd not so nice smell.
But, there is nothing like that new Astro-Physics telescope smell. Just love it.
Rich
Well that just does it Rich. The Kowas are off my wish list now. I glad I found out before laying down big bucks for them.
I have to say that my Fuji FMT-SXs smell great as well as my Tak 22x60s. They have similar but slightly different fragrances.
New car smell doesn't hold a candle to the smell of my binoculars.
Kenny, you must be reading my mind. I was just thinking the other day about how reminiscent the smell of my Fujis makes me.
Craig.
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refractory
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 02/05/05
Posts: 1337
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For what its worth, folks, I can tell you my LEAST favorite-smelling pair of binoculars, a pair of 15x60 SiamKat's that I got originally for a couple of bucks just to check them out (this was before I got my Celestron 15x70).
WWWWhhhewwww! The leather-like covering on the body appeared to be in an advanced state of decomposition, and had a distinctive "barnyard" odor to it, which burned my eyes and made me sneeze and cough uncontrollably.
I promptly sent em back, and got my money refunded. Some people will sell anything.
After my 20x80's got damaged at the star party I noticed a faint odor of fruit jam or some such- seemed to be raspberry. Handwashing apparently is also not a strong suit for the kiddies.
Jess Tauber
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"Keep an open mind, but not so open that your brain falls out." - Richard Feynman
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Steve Napier
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 05/10/04
Posts: 1559
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Exit Pupil............6mm
Field of View.........7 degree"s
Aroma................Pineapple
I knew something has been missing from these reviews.
Steve.
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refractory
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 02/05/05
Posts: 1337
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Well, what about the texture of the bino bodies? Smooth, rough, hairy, serrated? Rich Corinthian leather or glue-bonded dirt? Tactile deserves as much respect as olfactory. Though I take it that taste and sound will be less well represented.
Jess Tauber
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"Keep an open mind, but not so open that your brain falls out." - Richard Feynman
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edwincjones
Close Enough
Reged: 04/10/04
Posts: 7980
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some people will go anything to get their numbers of posts up.
ed jones
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edwincjones
Close Enough
Reged: 04/10/04
Posts: 7980
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don't you all agree?
ed jones
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werewolf6977
Lord High Smasher
Reged: 12/15/03
Posts: 9034
Loc: Hanover, Ohio
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yup
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Pete
6" Apogee/LXD55
Starhopper 6" Dob
Spaceprobe 130EQ
Black C8 OTA
WO Zenith Star 66 Patriot Edition
Sun Pak Pro 7500 Platinum Edition
8X42 Bushnell H2O Porro
7X35 Tasco
10X50 Nikon Actions (Type 7)
15X70 Skymasters
Dell Inspiron Dual Core 531s
"For those who fought for it, Freedom has a flavor the protected will never know"
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Steve Napier
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 05/10/04
Posts: 1559
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No
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Steve Napier
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 05/10/04
Posts: 1559
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Well maybe.
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Steve Napier
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 05/10/04
Posts: 1559
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Not really sure now.
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KennyJ
The British Flash
Reged: 04/27/03
Posts: 20139
Loc: Lancashire UK
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Responding to the point Jess made about TEXTURE ( rather than simply to increase my post count number ) a few months ago I compared the FEEL of optional varieties of Leica ULTRAVIDS , and the leather covered version felt MUCH better in my hands .
However , aesthetically , I actually prefer the other one .
I do like the feel of my Zeiss dialyts though .
I will add that even MY efforts at finding alternative things to do with binoculars has not yet extended to trying to EAT them :-)
Regards , Kenny
Kenny
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Milton Wilcox R.I.P
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Anonymous
Unregistered
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I want to increase my numbers too!!!!
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Anonymous
Unregistered
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Quote:
"2 nostrils and a preference to use both"
Good one! 
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