URGENT HELP! FLIR ZEUS PRO 640 LOST 3rd OF LENS AR COATING OUT OF NOWHERE!!

[NinjasHide]

I bought this 100mm lens Amasight Zeus Pro 640 brand new. Took it out the case 1 time to test. Took it out again the other day to test it and discovered about a 3rd of the germanium lens coating (AR coating) was cracked, flaked, peeled off.
I've never touched it, cleaned it or used it yet as I'm still building my first AR15.

This is a disaster from what little info I can find online. Honestly there's nearly nothing on the subject except for some vague mentions of a thermal AR coating on thermal optics bringing the sensitivity from about 45% to 90% in thermal accuracy or sensitivity but it was pertaining to variables in thermal in general. It was also a post of some guys claim in a forum online. I found no evidence to support it much less anyone who had this issue. Google searches are fruitless.

Is there anyway to repair this coating? Ive read theres not. I spoke to opticsplanet and they won't take it back after 30 days. Ive had the scope almost a year. Flir has me registered under warranty for 1 year. My 1 year is up in about a month. Flir told me to contact Opticsplanet and if I run into any barriers to contact them again.

What is this coating made of? Can I still use the scope and detect over a mile away still?
Its a 100mm lens. the Armasight Zeus Pro 640. The best one they made.
I know the lens is 1st or 2nd most expensive part on the scope.
Im pretty upset. In fact I'm extremely upset. I spent just under $5K on this and never used it.

PLEASE, anyone out there can give me any hope or advice or ANY info I'd greatly appreciate it or just direct me to someone knowledgeable on this topic.

Thank you all.

 

[CoryT]

Get with FLIR and get it on an RMA for return ASAP. You cannot repair that and it NEEDS that coating.

 

[NinjasHide]

Get with FLIR and get it on an RMA for return ASAP. You cannot repair that and it NEEDS that coating.

Thanks. Im talking to Flir who said to contact opticsplanet for the 1 year warranty. They said they only do 30 day returns. So its back to Flir. The lady I spoke to in email said to contact her again if I run into any issues. Opticsplanet isn't going to help that's for sure. I did register my scope just days after I bought it with Flir for the 1 year warranty. That warranty runs out in a month & 1/2.

 

[ChristianSilver]

Be diligent, make sure you get an RMA w/ FLIR.

 

[NinjasHide]

Be diligent, make sure you get an RMA w/ FLIR.

Do you know if Flir will repair it, having bought it through Optics Planet less than a year ago?
I registered it with Flir days after I bought it.

 

[Islas82]

Do you know if Flir will repair it, having bought it through Optics Planet less than a year ago?
I registered it with Flir days after I bought it.

No experience with Flir but I would imagine they’ll stand by their product, specially being that expensive. 1 1/2 months is still a good chunk of warranty.

 

[Smokin7s]

Flir and optics planet had bad experiences with both

 

[ChristianSilver]

Do you know if Flir will repair it, having bought it through Optics Planet less than a year ago?
I registered it with Flir days after I bought it.

Mixed thoughts, when I buy thermals I buy directly from manufacturers site. If I can’t do that I use a very reputable vendor. EuroOptic etc.
Opticsplanet meh no…

Like l stated earlier, be diligent, save all correspondence with both parties.
Get an RMA before the 1 year is up. Good luck.

 

[ChristianSilver]

I’m almost positive FLIR will take care of your lens issue.

 

[BuildingConceptsllc]

Do you know if Flir will repair it, having bought it through Optics Planet less than a year ago?
I registered it with Flir days after I bought it.

Contact flir and tell them your unit broke and they need to fix it. It's under warranty so there shouldn't be any issue at all. Get an RMA and send it to them per their instruction in the RMA. I'm sure they will fix it or replace it. That's what warranty is after all. There's no reason to do anything with opticsplanet and it's very strange to me that flir would tell you to do that.

 

[Sincerd]

I'd call, email and call again till you find someone willing to send lable and rma. And I'd bitch about them trying to push off on optics planet. Defect items rarely go back to the distributor after so much time has passed.

 

[lariat]

You need to ride flir hard. They aren’t always the most responsive. I still have a brand new ir camera I bought from them and it doesn’t work. They admit the error but still won’t fix it. I even cornered the entire booth of reps at AUVSI this year and rode their ass about it. No response after we traded emails. Stay on them tight.

 

[Smokin7s]

I’m almost positive FLIR will take care of your lens issue.

If it’s a even close to warranty being up they’ll probably drag him along and push it under the rug they don’t give a fuck about a civilian product

 

[rustyinbend]

HELP URGENT ... my brand new GMC Yukon Denali that only has 1,500 miles on it just had all four side doors spontaneously blow off the vehicle while driving to the local grocery store. Can anyone here give me advice on how I should handle this catastrophe?

(Sorry ... I just couldn't stop myself.)

 

[skinney_7]

That sucks, I heard FLIR was done with the commercial market regarding weapon sights, even after they bought up Armasight. I would of definitely went a different route with a thermal scope man. Hope you get it taken care of.

 

[BurtG]

Never heard good things about flir or OP cust service

 

[LSUbeatUby40]

Do you know if Flir will repair it, having bought it through Optics Planet less than a year ago?
I registered it with Flir days after I bought it.

Being that FLIR decided to shit on the public market a few years ago and Optics plant being just worthless.. You might not get an RMA, but at least you have communication with them prior to your warranty expiring and would have any legal standing over either of them..

Good luck and being that you are new, the thermal game is a "get what you pay for" game.

ALWAYS remember this.. FLIR hates the public market. Optics planet sucks major nuts.. Use literally anyone else..

 

[NinjasHide]

Thank you guys! Im going to talk to them today and keep you posted.
Im already talking to Leandra Kalesnik but I've been told to try to talk to Steve or Ron in the RMA warranty department. Those 2 I hear are very helpful and well known to help with RMAs on old rifle scope warranties.
Well see what happens.

 

[NinjasHide]

Being that FLIR decided to shit on the public market a few years ago and Optics plant being just worthless.. You might not get an RMA, but at least you have communication with them prior to your warranty expiring and would have any legal standing over either of them..

Good luck and being that you are new, the thermal game is a "get what you pay for" game.

ALWAYS remember this.. FLIR hates the public market. Optics planet sucks major nuts.. Use literally anyone else..

you are correct on everything you said bro!

 

[NinjasHide]

UPDATE:
So I contacted Armasight after 4 months of Flir circus emails and calls you wouldn't believe. Absolutely a pile of sh*t company. Dodging and disrespecting and flat out try to get you to give up. I never lost my cool.
It all ended with Flirs chief of operations/sales (after 4 months mind you) emailing me (and after RMA dept was about to send me a label) and says "I apologize but the warranty department no longer exists for your product and has been outsourced by competitors..Let me know if I can be of further assistance". Which is another whole story..
I recall his name being Jeremiah? Cant recall since I deleted every trace of their smell on my email in anger. I cant stand them.
And if you have any reason to like Flir I pretty much hate you too.

Armasight got right to work trying to help me. Got a RMA in 2 days. Requested a fix of the AR coating and possibly add missing reticles (MIL/MOA). Thermal arrived at repair dept December 13th. I just got it back today January 9th. Took about 17 working days. 23 or so days total. Not bad.
They reused my bubble wrapping around the case and scope. Exactly how I sent it. All my worries dissolving the more I observe. Great care they took of trivial matters. I hear guys get scopes back from UPS worse than before and often blame the manufacturer. Armasight knows this keeps it calibrated and aligned. Often overlooked and extremely serious.
They replaced the 100mm objective lens, updated the firmware to version ZHSC1604230748 and software version to 1080.
I see the lens is rebuilt with new parts. My RMA said they replaced internal components and external parts but didn't say what. And I cant confirm this, but I swear my display looks better than 640 now. It looks widescreen HD. Its better than it was for sure. The display is bigger and clearer. The grainy lines are gone. They used lens tightening rings that I notice are different. They have calibration notches in the rings that I've read elsewhere you should take a photo of to reference if ever it comes loose or out of alignment in a pinch. Before it was a solid sealed ring. They upgraded the HELL out of this thing and im trying to find out what they did.
Im ecstatic! It's like Christmas again! Violent Night!
In addition it was electronically aligned, re-calibrated, tested, cleaned and default operation re-verified by GG in RMA dept.
Best of all I got MIL and MOA reticles! Hell yea! Now I have reference to point of impact. Dude do you know how much new life just got breathed into this Zeus Pro?
I swear the picture seems 60hz. I feel like Little Nicky movie..
This Pepsi tastes like Coke!
No its not deprived themal syndrome. It now says Armasight and their new slogan on boot. It did say Flir. Flir still appears bottom right after boot. There are slight differences in enhancements and settings but I need more time to dig in.
Very good experience with Armasight. Im waiting for their 640 12um pitch thermals. This 336 crap shouldn't even be online. Ill be buying Armasight again. However..
Arken Optics EP5 FFP MIL/MIL scope is my next purchase

WOOP WOOP! Happy 2023!
..phuk flir