Old binoculars
I’ve been doing a bit of housecleaning in my new home and, in the process, have come across many an old binocular. Bill is not the type to throw anything, away, so, okay, that does make more work for me, but it also makes it fun when I come across some of these old binoculars. For the most part, these old binoculars have seen better days; like most old binoculars, the prisms are badly out of alignment and, since these old binoculars haven’t been used or focused for many years, most of the focusing mechanisms are stuck. No, I won’t get these old binoculars fixed, because fixing old binoculars is never cost effective. On the other hand, I won’t throw these old binos, away, either. I like the older binoculars and will just put them on the shelf as decorations and also to remind me that I have been using and selling binoculars for a very long time.
Looking at these old binoculars reminds me of how things have changed over the years. All of the old relics in the photograph were made in Japan, for instance. In those days - back in the 70s and 80s and well into the 90s – made in Japan was equivalent to our current made in China. There really were no made in China binoculars in those days and all the cheap and mid-priced binoculars were made in Japan.
How things have changed! The expensive stuff - Swarovski binoculars, Zeiss binoculars, Leica binoculars, Steiner binoculars and so on - still come out of Europe, but “made in Japan" now means a good to premium grade binoculars, such as the superb Nikon EDG binocular, both in terms of quality and price. In other words, don’t look for a cheap binocular made in Japan – you won’t find it. As with nearly all manufactured products, the production of less expensive binoculars has moved to China to keep the price, down.
Where will the cheap binoculars of the future be made?
Rod: 12:37 AM )