Telescope Reviews: How can I align an older pair of binocs?

That is a very fair and righteous question.

I can't say it is long overdue, because I have answered the SAME question in quite some DETAIL several times on this list. It also brings up one of the main reasons the situation exists—people want instant answers and seemingly have no time for READING or STUDYING or REMEMBERING what they have read.

The second point is that after 37 years in this business, I have some idea of who knows what. I have also hired a number of “professionals” who didn’t know which end was up and did not stay here long. I also know I have done work for several binocular “repair shops.” In 1990, The New York Times ran an article on this world-class binocular repair shop they had in their midst . . . complete with photos. Cory Suddarth (who worked with me at the time) and I had a good laugh, because we had just opened a box of binocular repair projects from those highly praised experts in New York City. You see, the average consumer does not always know the whole story; they just think they do.

You may ALSO note—that even recently—I have pointed out how much work from this list I have turned away and how many FREE projects I have done on my own time for its members!! So, please sir, explain to me—and the other members of this list—how I am benefiting myself in any way by turning work away and doing freebees on my own time. If you can make that point with these readers, you will have my undying respect, whereas right now you are just throwing stones based on what you THINK should be logical.

When you get to the bottom of the whole thing, I think you will find, as many others have, that bill Cook cares for the consumer and tries as hard as possible to not only save them from unscrupulous “manufacturers” and THEMSELVES. The latter being much harder since so many people CLING to erroneous information simply because they want to believe it, and, Heaven forbid, they allow themselves to be proven wrong in public.

Do you wish to prove me wrong, by showing me the world is full of freelancers who really KNOW the non-secrets of collimating binoculars—the EXACT concepts of which I have posted (bullet format) on this list—twice? PLEASE DO. I beg you. Before I die, I would like to know that there are 20 super pros scattered all across America. However, cheap talk, speculation and wishful thinking is not going to make it so!

Oh, I KNOW that you and others can be convinced. But that is because you don’t know what is involved. You see, the trick in marketing is having a big name on the side of the building and the ability to act like you know what you’re talking about while nurturing the ability to “lie through your teeth.”

One repair manager, while playing politician, asked me what I thought was wrong with some of the “repairs” his people were doing for me, because the customer wanted them to be “Factory Serviced”. And I told him honestly: “Because your people don’t speak in English, think in English, or know how to collimate binoculars.” With that honest assessment, I lost a friend of ten years. However, two weeks later a co-worker VERIFIED the very things I had said.

Ah, you say, it can’t be true. Life is tough in the consumer optics world. Have you not noticed that companies are dropping like flies and being bought out rapidly, with more and more work now going to China. Have you not been reading about how many models are being exported under MANY different names? Perhaps not. That’s probably why poor EdZ has to explain over, and over, and over again that THIS binocular is also THAT binocular, and THAT binocular, and THAT binocular, and THAT binocular, only to have the same stupid “This vs. That” question pop up twice on the same list the NEXT DAY!! People either don’t get it, don’t WANT to get it, or can’t grasp the concept that all opinions are NOT equal! The truth is so powerful it does not have to “play fair.”

In the 60’s, many drug users jumped of cliffs, and bridges and buildings, thoroughly convinced they could fly. But guess what physics lesson awaited them seconds later!? Fair? The truth has no room for fairness that doesn’t involve itself.

I have tried several times to give away a $100.00 bill or a NEW bino and case to certain individuals who thought they could prove me wrong about any number of things. So, I will be fair and offer that to you.

I will send you a binocular that is out of alignment (I will pay the shipping) and you or one of your myriad binocular experts can collimate it for you. Then, package it well and send it to me. I will open it up while being filmed and flip the switch on my collimator, and show you what it looks like. I will also PHOTOGRAPH the results and post them on this site.

IF THE INSTRUMENT IS COLLIMATED WITHIN THE OLD JTII STANDARDS, YOU WILL GET THE WATERPROOF, LONG EYERELIEF, RUGGED KUNMING M8 BINOCULAR I HAVE BEEN TRYING SO HARD TO GIVE AWAY.

Finally, I will make you another offer lest you esteem me as your enemy. If you make arrangements to visit my shop, I will take you to lunch and chat about concepts and then take you back to the shop and spend FOUR HOURS with you, TEACHING you all you need to know about collimating some of the most popular binoculars in the world. That’s $800 bucks worth of training, a free lunch and the basis for a brand new CAREER. All Free!! Not bad, huh. And when you leave you will also know that regardless of whether people want to believe me or not I do not make things up as I go, just because many others on these lists do.

Kindest Regards,

Bill

P.S. And even after making you what I felt was a kind offer you called me sarcastic, simply because I see things differently. If you think I’m really sarcastic, I would as you to PM KennyJ, EdZ, pcad, Johnno, Hallelujah, JOAD and others.

And as for as you concern about my “arrogance,” you can ask others about my unbridled arrogance, too. I think when you get to the bottom of things, you may be surprised. If not, I will respect your right to feel that way.

My life is busy. I don’t have time to come here to win a popularity contest. Never have, never will, don’t have to. Thus, whether you believe me or not, makes no difference. But, you have my word that I hit hard for an HONORABLY reason. My loss of respect matters not. What does matter is that people may go away hating me, but knowing more about the realities of consumer optics than they did before they had the misfortune to meet me.

And as for the “TIP” you asked for. I’ve already posted it TWICE along with the fact that what most people on this list call “collimation” is not, and that without the right tools and understanding they will not achieve it. I humbly ask, what more can I do?

Bless you; I’ll go sharpen my horns now and crawl back in my hole.

Cheers,

Bill