Subject: Binoculars
Date: Nov 9 12:49:24 1999
From: Mike Wagenbach - wagen13 at yahoo.com


--- "bcbc.holtz" <bcbc.holtz at prodigy.net> wrote:
> Hi Tweets,
> I'm in the market for some new binoculars. Could
> I please have some
> suggestion on some shops (Seattle-Tacoma
> area)/internet sites that carry
> good binocs at reasonable price? THANKS!!
>
> Brad Holtz
> bcbc.holtz at prodigy.net
> Graham,WA
>
>
I just bought a new set at Close Scientific
Instruments, in Belltown (between downtown Seattle and
the Seattle Center--parking is pretty easy during the
day.) Prices seemed pretty good, as did selection,
for a small shop. I looked mostly at Bausch and Lomb
and Zeiss. I'm not sure what else he might have had.


The owner, Mr. Close, is pretty amusing. Unlike most
sales clerks, he is pretty opinionated and won't
hesitate to say what he thinks. He also does repair
work, so he will tell you about the internal
construction of the glasses and how easily they can be
serviced. After a little while he seemed to conclude
that I wasn't a COMPLETE loser, and started pulling
out some classic porros, like WWII vintage Navy 7x50s
and 35 year old Swifts, just for fun. Clearly, this
guy really likes binos.

The shop is right on the street, so you can step
outside and look at starlings, pigeons, tree bark, a
gull flying by, etc. under natural light, which I
found helpful.

I'm usually repulsed by the idea of shopping as
entertainment, but in this case I felt that the
difference in price relative to mail-order was well
spent. Soon, this guy will retire or his block will
be razed for a condo, and there will be one less
chance to deal with a real owner/proprietor instead of
some clueless part-timer working for a corporation.


=====
Mike Wagenbach wagen13 at yahoo.com
wagenATuDOTwashingtonDOTedu Seattle WA

The problem with expert advice is that it so often conflicts with one's plans.
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