The leupold warranty

[Firebird]

I’ve posted about recent experiences with vortex and Swarovski. I’ll add a couple experiences I’ve had with leupold as well to keep the scales balanced. It is probably worth mentioning that I’ve used night force scopes and I still have a couple Zeiss scopes and have not yet had occasion to test their warranties, but they also don’t get into the field much as more favored firearms.
In my early twenties I got my own first rifle paid for with my own cash. It is still my favorite rifle but the scopes it has worn have varied. The first scope I bought was a leupold vx-2 which I got from a pawn shop. It worked well enough for some elk for me and my dad shot his last mule deer with it. It was still on the rifle for my mtn goat and remained true even after me and the horse my father in law called “Rodeo” had a physical altercation. I eventually got a bigger fancier scope for it and the vx-2 went to my first 7mm-08. I know the scope and rifle got bumped and ended up on the tile floor at one point. I still killed a whitetail that fall but I had a hunch the scope was not right. I sent it to leupold with a hand written note. I explained that it was a second hand pawn shop scope that had been launched off a horse and maybe bounced on a cheap hotel floor and had spent its life strapped to a magnum rifle and an oxes back. The ox is me, I’m big and strong and I have a time proven affirmation that something cool is always just over the next hill.
Leupold send back a brand new vx-2, clearly better than the one I had sent them. It was excellent customer service and I’ve remained a loyal customer ever since.

 

[JimP]

My one and only Leopold warranty was with a pair of binoculars. I sent my old set in to have the pivot point tightened up and a few other small problems, two weeks later I had a new set of binoculars sitting in my mail box.

I have heard of people of picking up second hand Leopold scopes off of Ebay for pennies on the dollar and then sending them in and getting new scopes back with no charges..

 

[Firebird]

Round two with leupold was also good. I primarily bowhunt for mule deer and elk. I have several rangefinders, one for bow hunting, one I bought that Still works but I’ve upgraded as long range shooting and some target stuff have become popular. And one that I found on the road at the public shooting range.
One day I dropped one of the leupold rangers. I forget the model but it ranged to something like 600 yards. The drop was significant and it simply would not work. I didn’t have a receipt or the box or anything so I sent it back with my apologetic hand written note. Told them it was old I had dropped it and if they couldn’t fix it, that was ok, I would understand. One day a box showed up with a printed note that the electronics on mine were ruined and not covered by the warranty any longer. They had sent a model that was better than the one I had sent them, a 1000 yard model which I still have. Expired warranty, user error and for all they know I stole it. But they replaced it better than new. They have treated me well but im grateful to say I haven’t had to test their warranty very much!

 

[Deepfork]

I've had the same experience with Leupold over the years. Every scope I have sent back to them had suffered from obvious abuse. A couple of repairs and a couple of replacements no questions asked. There was one exception. I took in Mark 4 as part of a trade. It was a little foggy and would not sight in so I sent it to Leupold. About a week later I get a call from Leupold, they explained that they could not help me. No parts or replacements available for my Chinese knock off Mark 4!

 

[Firebird]

The mark 4 (not the Chinese model) was actually what I put on my .300 so I could become a long range ninja. A policeman I was shooting with one day offered to buy it to my advantage so I let it go. I replaced it with my first swarosvski and that’s what is still on that rifle.
My favorite leupold products were the vx-L models, They don’t make them anymore. If I had known they were fazing them out, I would have stocked up on them.
I got .375 wby scope from Warpig on this forum-my “dangerous game scope”- I really love it. It’s the vx-6 1-6 x 24mm. It’s a wonderful tool!

 

[baxterb]

I sent in a 1-4 for a stiff power ring and they replaced the internals etc. but later I noticed the scope fogged so sent it back for more work. I hope they fixed it.

 

[CastShooter]

I've found the best warranty is the one rarely, if ever, used. In that regard it's why all my optics have a gold ring. I've had to use their warranty service once in my life.

I got a VX-2 that was not passing a box test. Sent it in and they rebuilt the body. I didn't realize that 3 months later the VX-Freedom was going to replace the VX-1&2.

Luckily, they fixed the VX-2 and didn't saddle me with a "cheaper" replacement.

 

[PARA45]

When my wife and I were dating, she wanted to buy something special for me, and she wanted it to be hunting related since she knew how much I love to hunt. So, we agreed on a binoculars. This was 17 years ago, and my wife bought me a 10x50 Leupold binoculars.

I used the heck out of these binoculars, and took them everywhere I went, to include my first trip to South Africa. Well, like anything good in life, one of the pieces came loose, and the bridge that connect the binoculars cracked. Since these binoculars had so much sentimental value, I made it work even with those flaws. One day my wife said why not send them to Leupold and see if they can be repaired. Not a bad idea, but I thought that they would end up being replaced.

I packed them and sent them to Leupold, hoping that they could be repaired. Three weeks later, a box was at my doorstep, and I had a brand-new set of binoculars, unfortunately not the ones my wife had bought me. Leupold never asked how they broke, or if they were abused or not. They just replaced them, no questions asked. Leupold has my loyalty and will continue to be a loyal customer.

 

[R.M.C.]

I'm a Leupold guy pretty much since birth, my dad had one on a ruger.243 as long as I can remember. Never remember re-sighting in unless we switched ammo. Now I have them on all my rifles, only needed warranty work when they literally got smashed .

 

[rookhawk]

I own a bit of leupold glass myself. I view them as the ground-floor on good glass with excellent service. I never understand why people buy the other economy alternatives made in china instead? I've never seen a 100 scope pile of refurbished Leupolds for sale at any store, but I sure have seen crates of refurbished Vortex scopes. Makes you think.

My Leupold price elasticity is about $400-$450. Any more than that, you can get into the entry level swarovskis at $625. For the person on a budget, or for the person that doesn't think a particular weapon warrants a more expensive scope, its really hard to turn your nose at leupolds.

Thanks for sharing the great USA warranty testimonials. Glad to hear they are still top notch.

 

[JES Adventures]

I’ve posted about recent experiences with vortex and Swarovski. I’ll add a couple experiences I’ve had with leupold as well to keep the scales balanced. It is probably worth mentioning that I’ve used night force scopes and I still have a couple Zeiss scopes and have not yet had occasion to test their warranties, but they also don’t get into the field much as more favored firearms.
In my early twenties I got my own first rifle paid for with my own cash. It is still my favorite rifle but the scopes it has worn have varied. The first scope I bought was a leupold vx-2 which I got from a pawn shop. It worked well enough for some elk for me and my dad shot his last mule deer with it. It was still on the rifle for my mtn goat and remained true even after me and the horse my father in law called “Rodeo” had a physical altercation. I eventually got a bigger fancier scope for it and the vx-2 went to my first 7mm-08. I know the scope and rifle got bumped and ended up on the tile floor at one point. I still killed a whitetail that fall but I had a hunch the scope was not right. I sent it to leupold with a hand written note. I explained that it was a second hand pawn shop scope that had been launched off a horse and maybe bounced on a cheap hotel floor and had spent its life strapped to a magnum rifle and an oxes back. The ox is me, I’m big and strong and I have a time proven affirmation that something cool is always just over the next hill.
Leupold send back a brand new vx-2, clearly better than the one I had sent them. It was excellent customer service and I’ve remained a loyal customer ever since.

I've had the same experience with Leupold going back 40+ years and they always stand behind their products, thats why they are my go to. Swarovski certainly matches up to their service, at a different price point though. I've had dealings with Zeiss and Leica that did not match the above mentioned in terms of service.

 

[Rusty Iron]

I've found the best warranty is the one rarely, if ever, used. In that regard it's why all my optics have a gold ring. I've had to use their warranty service once in my life.

I got a VX-2 that was not passing a box test. Sent it in and they rebuilt the body. I didn't realize that 3 months later the VX-Freedom was going to replace the VX-1&2.

Luckily, they fixed the VX-2 and didn't saddle me with a "cheaper" replacement.

I agree! I’ve had Leupold scopes on my rifles for >30 years and have used the warranty a few times, mainly for scopes I’ve bought used. The service has been exceptional. They have a rep and repair center near our home and that is a huge plus. Before that was set up we had to send to the USA. Much nicer not having to ship internationally and deal with customs.

 

[uplander01]

Leupold is the standard by which all riflescope warranties are judged. They make good riflescopes at realistic price points. I wish they still made the 1.5-5 1" tube vx 3 without the big bulky knobs on it. IMO it was the best safari scope for the working man ever designed, only thing that could have made it better is if they made it 1/4-3/8" longer tube out front for big mauser actions so the front ring isn't right over the glass.. I had one of these scopes on a 500 jeffery, whoever owned it before me had cranked down on that front ring right over the front lens, shattered it, possible a shot broke it as well, I have no way to know, its the way the rifle came to me. I sent it to Leupold service, they simply didn't didn't baulk at all, sent it back to me perfect in 3 weeks. Its truly sad so many people have abandoned Leupold (an iconic american brand) and are on the Vortex train nowadays,.....for the life of me I have no idea why, their stuff just seems cheap to me.

 

[NTX]

My story is similar to others mentioned- I sent in an old vari-xIII from the early 90s with a smashed objective bell (still worked) with a note requesting a price to repair the damage. I had the scope back in 10 days and they replaced the bell and threaded it for modern lens covers, cleaned all lenses, rebuilt the seals and re-purged, and reset the parallax at no charge. Easy to get behind that kind of service.

 

[Woodcarver]

Similar story here. After 30+ years of using Leupolds, I sent my first one back this year; a Vari-X II with the old gloss finish that the reticle broke on. A few weeks later, it arrived back on my doorstep with a good reticle, and new gas.
I also sent a pair of cheap Wind River binos in at the same time with a bridge that was twisted (had to use them like a monocular). Several weeks later a new set of their Rogue compacts showed up. Now the Grandkids have a set of binos again (that I don't have to worry about how they're treated).

 

[Ptero]

Just to add to the list. I am a huge fan of the Leupold VX-R 2-7x33 scopes with Firedot illuminated reticle, particularly the Ballistic Plex reticle with the small circle and cross hairs. This reticle really catches my eye and heIps me get on target quickly. I really like the 2-7 magnification range...dialed down it works for up close fast work, and 7 power is plenty of magnification for longer shots. I can't understand the trend towards scopes with magnification ranges that give the Hubble Telescope a run for its money! Of course, this particular scope has been discontinued, so I end up trolling the internet looking for used or new old stock examples and buy them whenever I can. Having said all that, I just bought a used one off of the Fleabay which appeared to be nearly unused. Turns out the battery cap/switch was defective and wouldn't work right. One call to Leupold Customer Service and Chris the service tech had a new battery cap/switch in the mail to me, no charge. Leupold may not be the best glass out there, but they are pretty good, and their customer service is top notch....now if I can just get ahold of a VX-R 1-5, IER with Firedot, I'd really be set!

 

[375Fox]

I’m really glad to read how Leupold stands behind their warranty, but I have to wonder what you guys do to scopes to get to test so many warranties! I’ve never had to send in a scope or pair of binoculars ever for any manufacturer.

 

[baxterb]

I sent in a 1-4 for a stiff power ring and they replaced the internals etc. but later I noticed the scope fogged so sent it back for more work. I hope they fixed it.

Well, turns out they could not fix it THREE times. On the fourth return to them they replaced the scope. I told them I had lost confidence in the scope and will not use it. I do not know why they could not fix the fogging issue but at least I have a new scope that should not fog.

 

[mdwest]

I went through a Zeiss phase and almost exclusively bought their products for a handful of years.. and have occasionally tried a few other brands (ranging from Vortex to Swaro).. but have for the most part been a Leupold guy most of my life..

Leupold was the first "quality" optic I could afford in my younger years.. and was the brand I bought most frequently until the point I hit my zeiss phase.. A few years ago I learned about the Leupold VIP program (highly discounted prices for veterans, law enforcement, other public servants, industry professionals, etc) and have returned to almost exclusively buying Leupold (I dont think Ive bought any other brand... optic or binos.. in the last 3 or 4 years?).....

All that said.. having used several dozen of their scopes, a few different pairs of binos.. a spotting scope, etc.. over the course of 4 decades.. I have never once had to take advantage of their excellent warranty...

Ive had their glass on heavy recoiling rifles (375, 416, 458, etc).. carried their stuff all over Africa, Alaska, the lower 48.. and took a few of their products to Afghanistan and Iraq as well back in the day... and have never once had anything made by leupold fail on me..

With the pricing I get through VIP, while admittedly top tier leupold isnt the same as top tier german/austrian glass.. I cant really justify buying anything else.. I can easily pick up VX5, VX6 line optics for similar pricing to entry/mid grade german/austrian.. and can pick up VX3 and VX Freedom for less than most anything else out there that resembles reasonable quality.. combine that with the warranty.. and its the best choice available almost every time (for me).. .

 

[Ptero]

I’m really glad to read how Leupold stands behind their warranty, but I have to wonder what you guys do to scopes to get to test so many warranties! I’ve never had to send in a scope or pair of binoculars ever for any manufacturer.

Well this last one wasn't my fault...but I do tend to use my gear pretty hard (not abused, I just don't baby my stuff). Of course, I was an Infantryman for a good chunk of my 25 years in the Army, so I can be a little bit like a gorilla with a rock!

@mdwest I agree the VIP program pretty much cinches the deal with using their products!