Red Dot Optics & Warranty Questions - Your opinion please

[FTP_Shooting_Sports]

15 minutes ago, zzt said:

FTP, you are in error.  Trijicon warrants their dots for the life of the original owner.  Leopold's warrants their dot for lifetime, even if you are not the original owner.  Burris warrants their dots (FF 1, 2 ,3) for life).  Don't know about the FF4.

 

If you don't warrant your dots for lifetime, I'll never buy one.

 

Sorry you are only partially correct. Go to their website and look at Trijicon and Leupold. They make specific references to the electronics which are the failure point in red dot sights.  The warranty policy for red dots differs from their non electronic scopes.  As far as Burris goes, we don't consider them to be competition grade optics so we did not investigate their warranty policy.

Trijicon

Credo^®, Credo^® HX, LED ACOG^®, MGRS™, MRO Patrol^®, MRO^®, RMR^® Type 2 (Automatic LED and Adjustable LED Versions), RMR^®HD, RMR^®cc, RCR™, SRO^®, Tenmile^®, Tenmile^® HX, VCOG^®:

Electronics are warranted to be free of defects in material and workmanship during normal use for a period of five (5) years from date of original manufacture.

 

Leupold
 

Part of the web site says this:

 

Built for a lifetime of performance - if at any time your Leupold riflescope, mounts, red dot, binocular, or spotting scope doesn’t perform, we will repair or replace it for free - whether you're the original owner or not.

 

But then they have an electronics section:

ELECTRONICS LIMITED TWO-YEAR GUARANTEE

Leupold electronic products, which include rangefinders, thermal products, and other electronic devices, are warrantied against defects in materials and workmanship for two-years from the date of purchase. If the product is found to be defective, Leupold & Stevens Inc. will repair or replace it free of charge, within that two-year period. Proof of purchase may be required to verify warranty.

[RJH]

1 hour ago, zzt said:

FTP, you are in error.  Trijicon warrants their dots for the life of the original owner.  Leopold's warrants their dot for lifetime, even if you are not the original owner.  Burris warrants their dots (FF 1, 2 ,3) for life).  Don't know about the FF4.

 

If you don't warrant your dots for lifetime, I'll never buy one.

 

Zzt you are in error on the trijicon.  5 Years on electronics

 

I don't own a Leopold dot so no comment there

[392heminut]

16 hours ago, FTP_Shooting_Sports said:

 

 As far as Burris goes, we don't consider them to be competition grade optics so we did not investigate their warranty policy.

 

 

 Or maybe because they actually do have a lifetime warranty? Optics are optics and that is selective reasoning. Who decides what brand is competition grade, and by what criteria?

 

You've been touting your sights here for some time and now try to justify a lesser warranty by excluding another sight in you discussion because you deem it non-competitive?

Edited March 20 by 392heminut

[Joe4d]

54 minutes ago, 392heminut said:

 Or maybe because they actually do have a lifetime warranty? Optics are optics and that is selective reasoning. Who decides what brand is competition grade, and by what criteria?

 

You've been touting your sights here for some time and now try to justify a lesser warranty by excluding another sight in you discussion because you deem it non-competitive?

yeh I found that surprising...I just put the Burris 4 on my 617..  Hopefully it works ok. I had to return the Burris 3 for a refund, as I couldnt get the battery installed.. was just an odd bad design.. I fought with it for 30 minutes at my desk and figured If I couldnt do it there, no way I would be able to do it at the range.  The 4 uses a 16XX battery and a deeper screw top with more threads, so it starts easily without having to compress the battery.. I imagine mine wasnt the only 3 returned and they fixed on the 4.
I do like that FTP though I have on my 627, I might put the burris on my wifes 22 carbine. and get the short FTP for the 617.  

[FTP_Shooting_Sports]

We deem it non-competitve for multiple reasons:

 

Glass too small and lens quality not great

Dot quality poor compared to other options on the market

 

Most importantly, very few IPSC and USPSA shooters are using Burris products for pistol competition. Just look at the equipment survey for USPSA Nationals and you will see the brands that most competitors are using. Competitors typically seek out every advantage and Burris just has not made the cut despite their warranty. If a new, better model comes out that offers an advantage, competitors will typically buy it.
 

We are not trying to slam other brands and we understand people have different priorities for their purchases including warranty. If a lifetime warranty is a priority for you, then there are a few brands that will meet your needs. We are trying to balance everything while offering a product specifically geared for pistol competition.

 

Not many manufacturers will go on the internet like we have to get feedback and we realize that not everyone will agree with what we feel are the advantages of our optics or why we feel others may not be as good.  That's why there is consumer choice which is a great thing.

 

Thanks for all the feedback so far
 

 

 

[Cuz]

3 hours ago, FTP_Shooting_Sports said:

We deem it non-competitve for multiple reasons:

 

Glass too small and lens quality not great

Dot quality poor compared to other options on the market

 

Most importantly, very few IPSC and USPSA shooters are using Burris products for pistol competition. Just look at the equipment survey for USPSA Nationals and you will see the brands that most competitors are using. Competitors typically seek out every advantage and Burris just has not made the cut despite their warranty. If a new, better model comes out that offers an advantage, competitors will typically buy it.
 

We are not trying to slam other brands and we understand people have different priorities for their purchases including warranty. If a lifetime warranty is a priority for you, then there are a few brands that will meet your needs. We are trying to balance everything while offering a product specifically geared for pistol competition.

 

Not many manufacturers will go on the internet like we have to get feedback and we realize that not everyone will agree with what we feel are the advantages of our optics or why we feel others may not be as good.  That's why there is consumer choice which is a great thing.

 

Thanks for all the feedback so far
 

 

 

 

While I do like and will compete with Burris scopes, I tend to agree with you that their red dot is not up to par for competition use.  I have a couple of them, and had used them for a bit, but I've since moved on to Holosun and Trijicon.  I put one of the FF3 optics on a revolver I never shoot, and the other one?  Heck, I can't even remember where that one is.

 

Good luck with your optic, I will pop over to your website and check it out.  I'm not sure when I'll be ready to buy another optic, but the simple fact that you are here is good enough for me to add it to my list of considerations when it's time for another red dot.

[FTP_Shooting_Sports]

59 minutes ago, Cuz said:

 

Good luck with your optic, I will pop over to your website and check it out.  I'm not sure when I'll be ready to buy another optic, but the simple fact that you are here is good enough for me to add it to my list of considerations when it's time for another red dot.

 

We appreciate that

[zzt]

FWIW, the first five red dots I bought were Burris FF3 8 MOA.  The first was on a competition 1911 45.  40k rounds later it is still going strong.  I did have to send one back after a long while (5-6 years), because the windage screw let loose.   Three weeks later I had it back.  Different serial number, and it still works.  I do agree there are better choices for USPSA and SCSA.

[ReconNav]

On 3/20/2024 at 12:59 PM, FTP_Shooting_Sports said:

Most importantly, very few IPSC and USPSA shooters are using Burris products for pistol competition. Just look at the equipment survey for USPSA Nationals.

Isn't the same true for your company? What percentage of shooters at Open, and/or CO, nats, are using your products?

[JRM83]

On 3/19/2024 at 7:11 PM, FTP_Shooting_Sports said:

 

Sorry you are only partially correct. Go to their website and look at Trijicon and Leupold. They make specific references to the electronics which are the failure point in red dot sights.  The warranty policy for red dots differs from their non electronic scopes.  As far as Burris goes, we don't consider them to be competition grade optics so we did not investigate their warranty policy.

Trijicon

Credo^®, Credo^® HX, LED ACOG^®, MGRS™, MRO Patrol^®, MRO^®, RMR^® Type 2 (Automatic LED and Adjustable LED Versions), RMR^®HD, RMR^®cc, RCR™, SRO^®, Tenmile^®, Tenmile^® HX, VCOG^®:

Electronics are warranted to be free of defects in material and workmanship during normal use for a period of five (5) years from date of original manufacture.

 

Leupold
 

Part of the web site says this:

 

Built for a lifetime of performance - if at any time your Leupold riflescope, mounts, red dot, binocular, or spotting scope doesn’t perform, we will repair or replace it for free - whether you're the original owner or not.

 

But then they have an electronics section:

ELECTRONICS LIMITED TWO-YEAR GUARANTEE

Leupold electronic products, which include rangefinders, thermal products, and other electronic devices, are warrantied against defects in materials and workmanship for two-years from the date of purchase. If the product is found to be defective, Leupold & Stevens Inc. will repair or replace it free of charge, within that two-year period. Proof of purchase may be required to verify warranty.

 

It says right there that red dots will be repaired or replaced for free for life. Their electronics sections doesn't mention a 2-year warranty on red dots, only their other electronic products. I couldn't find the fine print to determine if they lump their dots into that electronics category, but I can tell you for absolute sure that Leupold replaces their red dots past the 2 year mark.

 

To your original question, I looked at your optics as an option but the warranty was a no-go for me. Every pistol-mounted red dot I have ever owned required a warranty replacement at some point. Maybe things are different now (returning after several years away from the game), but my past experience indicates that a long warranty is a requirement.