Long-term owners, how reliable has the IS system been? Comments on various forums claim it fails frequently and costs about $600 to repair.
1508600
I've owned mine for about 5 years now, and although I travel a lot away from home and so don't use them very often, I've never had an issue with them at all.
1508601
My wife and I own three sets, the 10's, 15's and the 18's. See comments from 10/1/13. They all work just fine. (Knock on wood.) We own 5 pairs of non-stabilized binoculars and a Vortex Razor spotting doorstop. Once you use these, you will wonder why your Zeiss is twice the price.
1508602
My wife owns an 18x50IS and a 10x42LIS. I own a 15x50IS. Never any issues. Have never dropped them. Knock on wood. We use lithium primaries only. The spotting scope gathers dust since we bought the 15 and 18 power binoculars. The 10's are MUCH brighter (4.2 exit pupil) and have a good field of view. The image stabilization is really worth it.
1508603
FWIW...I purchased first-generation 12x36's in 1995. (They cost $950.00 back then) Used constantly with never a problem. They still work fine. Sold them used on-line for a pretty penny. Based on that good experience, I upgraded to these. Better glass, more rugged construction, plus the rarity of 8-foot close-focus capability.
1508604
I've had them for about 3 years, with no problems. No repairs needed. However, I saw a review at the time I bought them that said, phrasing the reviewer, as in all things electronic don't expect longevity. I don't know if that's true, but I have used my IS binoculars only for astronomy, not for my casual birding or other low ordinary activities. I love them for astronomy. Ditto all this for my Canon 15x50 IS ones. My only criticism for both are the lens caps.
1508605
It's been flawless and superb ... However, so far we've used it exclusively for bird watching from inside our house looking outside.
1508606
I have had the 10x42 for close to 10 years. I can't bird with anything else. I am spoiled by the crispy view I have in the wind or with the car running. I have hauled them to jungles, on boats, to Scotland and all over this country. The image stabilizer just broke. I have beaten them up so much I am going to replace them instead of trying to get them repaired. My friends don't think they feel good in the hand. That annoyance disappears as soon as you get used to them and then all you notice is the crisp view. I wear the harness so the weight doesn't bother me. I love them.
1508607
I've taken it to a bit rougher places: Colombia mangrove swamps, Costa Rican cloud forest, Gatun Lake in the Panama Canal, Death Valley. No problems at all. However, I'd say I've put less than 200 hours on them. I replaced the regular batteries with 2850 rechargeable ones.
1278205
Don't buy it. I had one fail after 6 months and read about others havung the same problems
2104563
It might save money (if it breaks after 1 year), but I doubt it would save any hassle. I think you still have to jump through all their hoops whether it's under original warranty or extended. No more toshibas for me.
1097283
Still didn't have to repair or replace parts so I don't know. Considering that I have been using mine since October 2013 with no problems, I think buying a new one if it breaks would not be such a big issue considering the price of $74,18. I think placing it properly and checking the batteries after a couple of months for corrosion will help it last.
729766
I am looking into relpacing a new system all together. I bought this in July 2012 and it went out again in August. I received a replacement via warranty in OCTOBER. I installed it a in May of 2013, it only lasted two weeks.
832507
Funny you should ask! I went down to my basement the other day and the light was OUT! The unit is supposed to be under warranty for 5 years. It's been two years since I had it installed. I have already spoken with the folks at Intermatic and will be sending the unit to them for their tech guy to take a look at it to see what went wrong. No matter how this goes, I won't regret having the unit -- if it took a hit that would have taken out my well pump or septic pump, it's still worth the cost of replacing it. But there's still some hope that Intermatic will find that it was a defect in the unit and perhaps it will be repaired or I will be compensated somehow? Hey, if they repair it, I'll keep it just in case there's a problem going forward two more years from now! So - you're right - there is no reset switch and the units are NOT serviceable by the consumer - However, the company is really good and if you send them the unit, they will investigate what happened! Jury's still out on whether I'm just out the cost - we shall see!
781248
I appreciate the answer and will persue the LN-950 system. Cost is no object as the project is small but very important not to fail. Thanks Byron
698210
An old model of this computer costs $599. I don't think this specific model was ever < $600.
2021858
Yes however I went for the 2 year warranty that covers everything and they just send a replacement computer. One year is really short and if the device has issues; repair is too expensive to make it a acceptable option. I'm a systems engineer and manage thousands of systems... PC's have become a commodity. If there's issues throw it away and get a new one. Just my opinion... ~Jim
767008
I got kinda screwed. I bought a used one for almost as much as a new one. The comuter broke in it or something. Would have cost me 80 $ to fix it. I don't recommend buying anything used. Unless its real cheap.
1414687
I have had issues like this in the past. I contacted the seller and they just sent me a new one free of charge, so that is where I started. Also, these units are generic and surfing eBay can yield all kinds of surprises. I paid too much for my unit here, as I found the exact unit on eBay today for less than half price of here . That being said it may be more reasonable to purchase a new unit.
331066
I have the same problem too, this is ridiculous! Has anyone tried getting warranty help? I talked to customer service and it is $99 flat rate repair fee since the unit is about 1.5 years since purchase. Seems high to me, I need a map update as well, I'd be better off buying a new unit. Not very impressed with Garmin customer service.
828416
Yah but dont waiste your money... first off its worth what they sell it for...if u get it installed its just a ticking time bomb before the mass amounts of.problems occur
1090872
The shops I physically took my unit to were as follows...first couldn't do it. The second wanted me to leave it & charge $60.00 just to go into the unit & the 3rd gave me an estimate of $100.00 to repair.
397241
Personally, I follow the philosophy/advice I learned years ago from Consumers Report magazine..."If the item sells cheap enough, consider it an eventual throw-away item" and save your money for its' potential replacement, rather than purchase an extended warranty...This is a quality machine and I have no regrets whatsoever.....Caveat Emptor.
1333694
I bought mine in January 2013 and it worked with mostly no issues up until around February 2014, then it started dropping the Internet, the LAN, and the Wireless. I sent logs to their tech support and they suggested RMA. It has a two year warranty, so I got an OK to RMA it, but, there's no advanced replacement plan available, so it has to be mailed into them, then I have to wait to get a repair or replacement back, which to me, is not acceptable.
1881224
Craig, i'd be happy help you. i have 3 units and they as of today have no problems. we fix most problems ourselves. What's the issue?