Tweeters,

Here's my story of scope durability. About 25 years ago, when I was just out
of college living in Madison WI I splurged on a low-end Swift 15-60X zoom
scope. My house at the time had dormer windows on the second floor which
made it easy to get out onto the roof from my bedroom, and the top center of
the roof had a 5' by 5' flat area where I used my new scope for star-gazing.
At least until the night that a gust of wind took the scope and tripod over,
down the roof, and two stories down to land on the rear sidewalk.

I think the scope luckily landed on one of the tripod legs (the foot was
snapped off) then on the objective end of the scope, producing a severe dent
that prevented the hood from extending. However, the optics were just the
same as new! I still use it.

Tom Besser