Are there knockoff binoculars being sold on the market today (maybe Ebay). I know there are knockoff purses, watches, sunglasses, etc. and didn't know if there were any binoculars out there? Has anyone run across this?

I don't know about optics, but there is a problem on ebay now with people selling high end bows and then just keeping the money. Be wary of anybody with zero feedback, don't use western union, and don't deal with anybody outside of an auction.

Are you serious? Optics are the one thing you don't want to skimp on. They are one of the few places where spending more money for a name brand is actually worth it. If you want some cheap binos, go to Academy and buy a $20 pair of Tasco's. Otherwise pony up and spend the money on a good pair of binos that will last you a long time, not give you horrible eye strain headaches, and actually allow you to see something.

Knockoffs are exactly that: knockoffs. They are crap and will begin to fall apart or quit working correctly after a short period of time. It you want the status symbol of having a pair of Swarovski or Zeiss binos, go buy the real thing.

[This message has been edited by Log (edited 1/22/2007 8:46a).]

Log- I think he is wanting to make sure he avoids knockoffs. I don't think he is looking to actually buy knockoffs. Thats how I read it, anyway.

Log -
Thanks for the jewish comments and analysis of my post. I asked a simple question because I do buy the high end stuff. I have never skimped out on optics. However, if I can buy a pair of binoculars or scope off ebay for $200-250 cheaper than I can in a store, you can bet your @ss that I am going to do it. Reason I asked was because last night they had some 10x42 Swarovski El binoculars on ebay that were going for like $700 and were new in box. 15 minutes after I made the original post, they were removed from Ebay. Not sure what that was all about.

If you mean "knock offs" as in they look like Swarovski's - yes, there are some out there. The glass is not the same, the mechanical is not the same, and they basically take a $39 pair, paint em up like a name brand $1500 pair and sell them for $700.

If you mean European glass that "mistakenly" made its way to the USA - there is some of that too. Mainly out of NY City. This glass is good stuff, but will have no warranty. Not much of it around, but it does show up. It is usually about 30% less than the comparable glass that was legally shipped to the USA.

How to tell the difference over the internet? That I can't help you with. Its kind of like those Mexican Rolex's.

terl -
That is exactly what I am talking about. Just afraid that I was going to buy a pair of "Swarovskis" through ebay for $700, get them in the mail and realize that I had been taken to the house. The pair I was looking at on ebay had all the warranty and user paperwork with it, but that is still pretty skeptical. I figured someone out there was making knockoffs of the actual thing, but with alot less quality. It is ashame that people pull that crap.

I misunderstood your post, and I apologize. There have been alot of posts recently regarding "good" cheap binoculars, so that's what I assumed you were looking for. It's hard trying to get people to look as binos as a lifetime investment and to buy quality the first time, so I get frustrated explaining it.

As far as Ebay, what you probably saw were a pair of "Grey Market" binoculars. Typically these are sold by outfits out of New York City, so if they seller is from NYC, I'd avoid them. I have heard that the NYC outfits are honest though. Also some of them are out of Europe, and I've heard that these are where most of the scams come from, so I'd avoid these too.

Grey Market binoculars (Swarovski/Zeiss/Leicas) are perfectly good and the same as the ones you would pick up at Cabelas or BassPro. However, they are not improted and distributed through a U.S. factory rep. If something goes wrong with your binos that you buy at Cabelas, which are distributed through the U.S. rep, you contact them and send the binos to them for service. They then send them to the factory in Europe for service. I think you only pay shipping to the U.S. rep as well, since the lifetime warranty on these takes care of the rest of the cost. With Grey Market versions, you have to personally send the binos to the factory in Europe for service. Plus, I believe that the Grey Market versions do not carry the lifetime warranty. So any work you have to have done, you pay for. So, you can take the risk with these as save a couple hundred dollars at the outset. But if something goes wrong, you could easily be out several hundred dollars in shipping and service fees, depending on the exchange rate.

I bought the U.S. version of my SLC's. Haven't had a single thing go wrong with them, and I've bashed them around pretty hard a few times, which would probably have really wankered a lesser brand. I think I'd be alot more careful with them if I'd bought Grey Market, but I don't worry about it since I'm fully covered.

Try Barska, they aren't really knock offs but do seem to be above average quality for very reasonable prices. Academy,Oshmans and I think Gander Mountain may have a few in stock.

Log, can you or someone else explain grey mkt a little more?

This is what I was talking about:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ih=007&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWA%3AIT&viewitem=&item=170073463528&rd=1&rd=1

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grey_market

Log, good info. Learn something new every day.

I've bought 2 cameras from a NY outfit. Both worked out great.

In fact, I bought the 3 year extended warranty on one for $20. Literally, at 2 years 11 months it broke. I sent it back and they fixed it lickey split. That was 3 years ago and it still works great.

FYI - That was Family Photo and Video. Not sure if they carry binoculars.

I'm guessing birders buy more binos than hunters as they have been talking about grey market binos since 2000. Some are grey...some are rip offs. Some of their comments:

If you are saving more than $700 on Swars they may not be grey.
Don't pay via Western Union.
Can you get a USA warranty?

I have bought two pair in the last year(not via Ebay etc)...The only difference that I see from the Ebay photo is that the ones I bought came in a hard green foam filled case.