Rifle Scopes Opinion on IOR

Re: Opinion on IOR

How in hell did this turn into a piece about Liberty Optics or Scott Berish? Why would Berish want to cast aspersions on my comments now, when he acted Very Concerned about them 2 yrs ago? Why would Berish relate so many confidential experiences of how shitty IOR has treated him and now act as if he said none of it?

I have never said one friggin ugly or rude thing about the guy.
I have never bought a scope from him.
I have no gripes with Berish.

But, I did wonder, after spending 45mins with him on the phone why he called me? Actually, he sounded half in the bag that night.

It has been a couple of years, yet when shit falls out of the sky on you, like IOR-Valdada did in my life, you remember the details. Scott Berish was not involved.

I also emailed Mike at CSGunworks about this 2-12 IOR; along with a couple other IOR dealers I knew of. Several relayed stories of customers getting ill-treatment from IOR and they had to go in their own pockets to take care of their buyers.

I don't see Mike hawking IOR stuff so aggressively, and don't recall him ever doing so.


When Berish called me that Friday night he sounded half in the bag. I don't know what his purpose here is in identifying me other than by my chosen hide identity?

I read only the top few lines of Berish's post beneath my last one. If the guy says I am a liar or nutcase for not forgetting the shitty IOR products I got scammed with, then why would he tell me all the horror stories, (which I haven't mentioned), over the phone? I also wonder if he was in the bag, does he even remember the conversation?

This is nothing personal between Berish and I.


What I did not know, what is not publicized anywhere, is that at the time I bought IOR=Valdada products, they only had 2 employees. In my professional career, I dealt with many small businesses, but none that had exclusive marketing rights for $800-$2000 per item products with annual sales presumably in the Millions, which only had one employee besides the owner.

Consider that Leupold has 650+ ees, Zeiss has thousands, mostly in photographic and graphics arts, Burris is a subsidiary of Beretta as is Sako/Tikka, Bushnell is likely another large employee firm. Even US Optics has more than two employees, although probably under 25 or 50.

Scott did relate to me that, "The IOR-Valdada business model relies on replacement of warranted scopes, not repair; since they have no repair or service technicians." Ask yourself if you want to spend $1000 or more for products marketed by a company that headquarters out of some crappy 500sf hole in the wall office in a downscale industrial office park, uses a code-a-phone to take messages, and is too small to even qualify for a group health plan? I know I don't.

The shoddiest thing about the whole IOR-Valdada business model is that IOR of Romania is affiliated with and backs it. No other reputable scope manufacturer operates in this manner. No other premium optics import firm awards dealerships to anyone who can order a couple thousand dollars of product as a first order.

None of this is about Scott Berish. It is bullshit to pretend that it is. Buy from whomever you want, but consider that when the head-cheese of any small company dies, the company dies with it unless some 2nd banana associate can buy out the owner and continue on.

When Redfield went out of business, and the name was later bought by Meade Optical (another major telescope binocular maker), they would not honor the old Redfield warranties. How would that go with IOR's valdada branded merchandise? To be sure, the European IOR stuff is not branded with "valdada".

Lots of concerns when shopping/buying expensive optics, and optics ARE more likely to break, have problems than any other firearm acccessory. I don't need anything that might ever break if IOR-Valdada imported or sold it.



 
Re: Opinion on IOR

Just thought I chime in
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I am from Europe.
IOR Romania CS. I called them with the intention of buying a scope for my L1A1. Few minutes wait til I get a lady who speaks English. She states after two sentences that the line is poor and I should write an email. She gives me the email and hangs up. I write the email give all my contact info. Never heard of them since. Guess they didn't need my money.
So I instead started to build my entry level low budget long range setup. That is how I got here
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Re: Opinion on IOR

Swamper
I guess the reason Scott and liberty optics are so involved in this thread is due to this fact, If you make a purchase through him for a IOR or anyother product he stands behind the products that he sales!!

Im sorry for your past problems with IOR but from my understanding you bought yours secound hand, this sounds like you got took!

I did not start this thread to start a pissing match!!! but you made it one, so with that said start your on thread and stay out of mine!

As for Scott and Liberty Optics I have talked to him and he was honest and belived in what he sold and his buisness.
We need to support our venders and not bash them, Without them the Hide would not be what it is!!!!
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Re: Opinion on IOR

Gee Mac,

Scott Berish ought to just buy out Val The Impaler, then once IOR-Valdada became IOR-Berish we could all be happy! Probably would work out just fine, were SB able to come up with the several million bucks to buy the importing distributorship.

As far as buying "second-hand". I purchased the 2-12x Brand New scope in box from an individual who bought 2 and sold the second. The scope had never been used, was mounted for only 2-3 days in the IOR supplied 35mm rings before sending it in for what I thought would be service adjustment or repair by IOR.

How many guys have spent $1000+ to purchase other used scopes on this board? I know I sold an 8-32x Nightforce NXS to a guy here, and sold the As New 10x IOR to a guy here. The 10x was perfect but to get rid of it I took about $150 of loss. That is how much I think IOR-Valdada sucks. But so what?

In fact, the only really shitty part of owning an IOR product is their distributor. Somebody called him "The Scope Nazi", like from Seinfeld. "No IOR-Valdada replacement under warranty for you!" Berish told me the guy was very capricious about allowing warranty replacements.


I don't really see what purpose Berish has here of trying to cast aspersions on my comments? I have no reason to lie. Until Scott, the employee at IOR remarked to me, "We have had issues with out 6 multiplier scopes", I had not thought of the term or heard it applied.

When IOR Scott told me "You didn't buy this scope to use at low power, did you buddy? Just turn it up and enjoy the scope", I realized IOR was shipping defective merchandise and expected its customers to like it or lump it.

You guys are drinking that IOR KoolAid now, and like it; but wait till you have a problem, or the IOR-Valdada distributor goes away.

Many people here beat up on Leupold, but in my experience a company with over 500 employees and tens of millions in annual sales is more likely to remain in business than one with under 50 employees.

I hope no one has any problems with their IOR scopes. But scopes are complex instruments, and they will need repair.

 
Re: Opinion on IOR

In the last 11 yrs I have bought, and used the following telescopic scopesights plus others:

Leupold vari-x III 3.5-10x LRT M3 side focus mil-dot
Leupold Mk4 M3 6x target dot
Leupold vari-x III 4.5-14 50mm target knobs & mil-dot
Zeiss Diavari 1.5-6x
Leupold LRT vx III 4.5-14 40mm mil-dot
IOR-Bucuresti 6x
IOR-V 10x mp8
IOR-v 4-14 illum mp8
IOR-v 2-12 illum mp8
NightForce 8-32x NXS NPR1
NightForce 2.5-10 NXS FC2
Leupold M8 6x Target A/O mil-dot
Leupold 3-9x 50mm Euro
Leupold vari-x III 4.5-14 50mm
Burris 3-12 XTR illum
(4) other Leupold Mk4 M3 & M1 fixed power scopes
(2) other Leupold Mk4 illum reticle variable scopes


Also own 2 sets of Zeiss armored binoculars, plus other high quality 7x50 and 8x56 binoculars. Have owned Kowa 60mm spotting scope, now own Fujinon spotter.

Also own or have owned many other Leupold, Redfield, Weaver, Burris, Simmons ATEC, Hensoldt fero, Trijicon Reflex, and other scopes over the years.

None of these scopes ever showed anything close to the crappy performance I saw from the IOR 2-12x. I have never seen another scope with, much less crushed the tube on any of my scopes from "over tightening" the ring cap screws.

I was reading the NightForce "operators manual" for the 2.5-10x over the weekend. NightForce advises "No More Than 15 IP To Tighten Scope Ring Caps" and says so in print.

For the last 11 yrs I have used a craftsman 3/8 drive torque wrench to set my scope mount valuse. For almost 20 yrs I have setup and tested every scope I have mounted with a Bushnell 74-3333 boresighting collimator w/grid.


I did buy a 16x Leupold Mk 4 which had a reticle that needed cleaning. I mailed it to Leupold and it was returned fully cleaned and checked out within 10 days of the time I mailed it.

Having used/owned other quality optics, I know that at low and high magnification the IOR should not have displayed gross image distortion. I also know the reticle should be clear when the occular lens is focused and parallax adjusted. When the reticle on the IOR would not remain crisp at any magnification setting when fully adjusted for clarity, I judged the scope to be out of adjustment and in need of repair.

Even someone with cataracts, glaucoma, or other eye disease would have been able to discern the image distortion present in the IOR 2-12.


It was after having my request for service on this scope refused that I learned about how IOR-Valdada operates from the several distributors I talked with. Scott Berish was the chattiest of them. That he now forgets all the dirt he dished on the IOR operation, and tries to defame me speaks volumes about his lack of integrity.

I have bought Brand New, from brick & mortar dealers, Leupold Mark 4 and LRT scopes, plus NightForce and others. Leupold doesn't care if I buy their product used. Zeiss didn't care if I bought new or used. None of the scopes I bought in Brand New or used condition from individuals, aside from the IOR, have ever given me a problem.

Currently, I own 3 fixed power mk4 and 2 variable mark 4 scopes and the NXS 2.5-10x, along with a variety of other quality scopesights. There will not be another IOR in my home until IOR establishes a real business presence in America.