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Posted: 5/10/2005 7:24:11 PM EDT
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I see a lot of talk about lens pens. My EOTech gets little splatters of CLP/crap on the window. Nothing big, just enough to get annoying. Cleaning it is a pain at the range because it always smears and gets worse. Would a lens pen help me? If so, which one? |
That's what the little "brush" is for on the lens-pen......, first brush the lens clean, then take a few turns on the stopper end (which coats the round stopper/wiper lookin thingy and removes any grit picked up from the last time it was used) remove the cap and "gently" wipe the lens, then replace the cap after a couple serious puffs/exhales to rid the "cleaner" of any loose grit. It is just as important to use the lens-pen properly, "with delicate care" as it is to be careful with the scope or optics lenses. Beats the heck outta anything else I've found and my very old Vari-X III 4.5x14 Leupold (which has been cared for lovingly for more than 15 years) still looks brand new from a glass perspective, and yes the Butler Creek Caps have been on it from the day it first left the gun store. (where-as my dad, who poo-poos the use of the BC caps has Leupold scopes half it's age that I swear has the "coating" completely gone in some spots. Of-course his idea of lens care strays quite frequently into funky elastic scope covers, weird bikini rubbers and the "where's my old paper-towel" territory..........., a definate NO-NO for any quality glass IMO) Mike ps - Lens-pens are cheap so don't be afraid to toss one that looks like ya've got the best of it, (hell I buy them 10 at a time, so if I don't like the way one looks, I pitch it and get a new one). |
I buy the Leupold ones and IIRC the last 10 I bought came from a sale at MidWay (ya know those sales brochure papers they sent ever few months, believe they were $5.95 ea) Taken care of they'll last years, (some I have are years old, litely used, depends on whether your careful to not get the felt wiper contaminated with dust/dirt) and I tend to supply both my dad, bro-in-law, uncles and friends, so that's why I always get extras. Carry one in my briefcase daily, there's one on my living room coffee table, their in almost every gun case I own (where rifle has scope or optic).... Like spare firearms parts, I'm somewhat anal retentive about replacement parts, rebuild kits for mags and gagetry related to survival and arms. With so many scope companys using "highly specialized coatings" on their glass, it's hard to know what's best to use. There's those little tissue paper like squares, all kinds of sprays & cleaners (some of which are definate NO-NOs on coated glass) so I figure if I trust Leupold's glass for my scopes might as well trust what they make to care for it. Mike ps - I hate to pick up a high dollar scope only to find the last time the guy cleaned his rifle's bore he forget to protect his scope lenses/or don't use any protection for them at all and got bore cleaner or some other contaminant on his "high-dollar" glass, which creates spots or eats away the coatings. Yes, my dad is correct the BC caps mentioned above are somewhat distracting & or cluttering, but keeping the lenses covered anytime the scope is NOT in use IS the best protection and the Butler Creek ones work for me, YMMV. BTW, the lens-pen is no subsititute for adequate protection for the scope lenses from the get-go, IMO you should never tote your scope around uncovered (most of them cost too much NOT to take good care of them). |
| I use a regular ol lens pen to clean $5k coated optics daily- I use the same pens you get at the sporting goods store. My company has certified LP use on our laser optics. I would could never use the alcohol based optical cleaner and cloth people are talking about here its not pure enough to evaporate with out residue/ spotting. Only thing better than a lens Pen would be to drag wipe with propanol and that is pretty much impossible on a rifle scope. |
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