Is It Safe to Buy Used Binoculars?

Not all used binoculars are created equal, but if they’re in good shape, they’re perfectly safe, and a savvy option to get more bang for your binocular buck. Happily, those that will serve you well are easy to spot.

  Do You See What I See?  Even the cheapest binocular is a specialized optical

instrument, designed to do two things: they magnify what you’re looking at, and they let in more light than your unaided eye, making things easier to see in low-light conditions. Neither of these functions is diminished by time or amount of use, and a good pair of binoculars, treated and stored with care, will last.

Look Before You Leap  Different kinds of binoculars can withstand varying

degrees of shock, and while this may also be true of you the user, depending on what you’re looking at, it becomes a factor for the second-hand shopper. Binoculars that have been dropped or kicked—or messed with by the bear who came so close to your campsite you no longer needed the binoculars—run the risk of being jarred out of collimation, which can result in double vision. Broken lenses can be replaced and collimation—that is to say, the alignment of the lenses with the mechanical axis—can be readjusted at an optical store,

but it’s important to take those used binoculars for a test drive before you buy to make sure they’ll give you a nice clean look at your subject, and not a double image. Bring this issue into focus by visiting this website to learn more about optical gear stores in San Diego.