Viking Optical Centres Avis 

Issue with a pair of KOWA SVII binoculars. They inspected and as less than one month old they replaced them. New ones arrived next day.

I visited the Edinburgh store yesterday after travelling from the Dumbarton area especially. The lady there was very very helpful and nice and gave me a lot of her time to pick and test various models. Fortunately noone else was in the shop but I'd just have waited. I was initially coming to look at the Swarovski CL pocket bins but after looking at them, some Zeis and eventually Leica Ultravid models of binoculars and monocular, I plumped for the Leica Ultravid 8 x 20 and I am absolutely delighted with them. I didn't buy them because they were cheaper than the Swarovski, I actually liked them better and they were noticeably smaller and lighter.
When I got home I compared them to a pair of Opticron 8 x 42 which were £200 ten years or so ago. So not exactly rubbish and a reasonable comparison. The new ones were slightly better despite the physics and obviously far far smaller and lighter. I looked at some birds in daylight and they are great. I even looked at the moon later as well as Mars and again got great views despite the obvious limitations.
One thing is great that these feel great wearing glasses. I have always taken my glasses off for both binoculars and my camera but these feel great with my glasses on so that's a win. Not only saves faffing but vital seconds are saved if I want to look at something quickly.
The only very very slight negative is that although the case is really good it is awful big and in some ways defeats the point of such small binoculars. It will be handy and has a belt loop. I'll use it but will probably get a micro fibre pouch to allow pocket use.

Absolutely delighted and great to get the level of service and being able to test a variety to get the perfect choice.

UPDATE 18/4/25. I thought this might be helpful. As I said originally the case is brilliant but far too big and defeats the purpose of such small binoculars. There are lots of mentions of this on forums. I bought a 14cm x 10cm micro fibre pouch from The Ed Hicks Way and its perfect to go in a pocket and in the pouch. However, the piece de resistance is that having tried Leica sources I ended up buying a pair of objective lens covers from Opticron 25mm OGXS with an outer diameter 30-31mm. They have a loop that goes over the barrel and they fit absolutely perfectly. Some people may not like this but to protect such expensive glass I think they are great. Totally happy now that the lens are protected and makes a perfect pair of pocket binoculars even better. Pity Leica don't seem to do them but hey ho. Love these

Great product and customer care (I needed to delay my order) was spot on - thanks

Good information about each item which was extremely helpful.
Easy to order and efficient delivery. Our grandson is delighted with his birthday gift.

I received a Viking monocular as a present. Great bit of kit but the focusing was very stiff. I got in touch with Viking who said to send it in but I might have to pay as I couldn't find the warranty card. They kept me informed, including to let me know there'd be no charge, and all contacts with Viking were very pleasant and cordial. Now got it back, better than ever. The customer support/repair experience couldn't have been better.

Fabulous binoculars at a knock-down price, because it was ex display :)

We sent our viking binoculars down for repair recently after dropping them - what a great service. Friendly, efficient and tip-top all round, the binoculars are working better than ever. Many thanks to Edward who kept us in touch with everything and Stevie the technician who did the work. Very happy to recommend them.

Purchased telescope 2 yrs ago from RSPB, eyepiece developed a fault, took it in to RSPB Conwy, service there was excellent, and item was repaired under warranty within a month. All good!

Beautiful binos, excellent service & from my home county. Thank you.

Top company, easy ordering, good price. Binoculars delivered next day by DHL, that well packaged even Evri would have found it too hard to damage the goods.

Great service, good price, friendly staff.

Excellent no nonsense website and very helpful people. My first call for optics and accessories and I’ve never been disappointed . Highly recommended.

Just had a pair of RSPB binoculars repaired after over 10 years of use. They have done a fantastic job. They are now like new, and it only took just over 2 weeks. What great service. I certainly recommend them .Thank you. P.S. Price was reasonable too.

Good quality product, efficient processing of the order and delivered as promised.
Have used Viking Optical for a repair of binoculars via RSPB and was impressed with the efficiency and informed processing of all aspects.

The site was easy to.. it had what I wanted.. packed with care ., speedy delivery plus well informed via email..
Opened my parcel it was just what I wanted easy to use plus very clear . I will certainly use Viking again excellent company thank you

Superb service for a very trusty old pair of bins. Absolutely recommend the team at Viking for a trustworthy and professional service.

Viking were excellent from start to finish, great communication, swift and fantastic workmanship and extremely helpful

Quick service, goods received in perfect condition.

Excellent service from Viking Optical repair team from first point of contact through to the assessment on how they could fix the issues, then the repair, and finally the quick dispatch back. Out in the field it feels like a new scope again. Thanks guys - happily recommend your service 🙂.