What solution do you use for cleaning your expensive optics?

[briancorneal]

I've read all over the internet to not use windex to clean your optics, so I was wondering what kind of stuff do you use to clean your lens without killing the lens coating.  A quick search on Hunt Wa did not come up with anything more than a lens cloth, etc.  Is there any cleaning solutions you can bring in the backcountry?

[bobcat]

I use lens cleaning tissues that I buy at Costco. Like these:

http://www.costco.com/Browse/Product.aspx?Prodid=11532286


But then I don't really have expensive optics, so my opinion really isn't worth much.   

[Heredoggydoggy]

I've had good luck with a product called Op Drops, made by McNett.  It's packaged in a leak-proof 1 1/4 oz bottle, carried in a Microfiber bag that you use to clean the lens with after a couple of drops of the liquid are put on the lens.  By coincidence it's made in Bellingham WA.  I think I got it from Brownells, but it probably can be found in Sporting/Ski shops.  Small and packable, it sounds like just what you need.  It's an anti-fog & lens cleaner.

[briancorneal]

I use lens cleaning tissues that I buy at Costco. Like these:

http://www.costco.com/Browse/Product.aspx?Prodid=11532286


But then I don't really have expensive optics, so my opinion really isn't worth much.   

Expensive is all relative.  For me, it's ~$300 10X42 Nikon Monarchs.  I just know that it has lens coatings that I don't want to mess with, and would like to use a lens cleaning solution.

[Heredoggydoggy]

The catalog said it was used by benchrest shooters.  I've used it on Leupolds, Nikons, and Burris Scopes with no ill effects.  Used it to clean a buddy's scope lens that looked like it was stored in a barn for a year.  Was so cruddy I didn't think he could see through it.  Looked like new when I got done.

[75johndeere]

Windex has ammonia in it some say it affects the coating on the lenses

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[washelkhunter]

Kodak lens cleaner works great.

[brokehunter]

I use tissue or lens tissue, and breathe on the lenses and wipe them off. Then again, my optics are a pair of 10x50 Simmons I picked up for 10 bucks at a pawn shop so perhaps my suggestion should be inored

[Eli346]

 Make sure you get the dust off first with either an air blast or a lens brush. Don't use the felt tip on the other side of those lens brushes as you never know what is on it after packing it around the brush. Then just use a lens wipe (a couple of bucks for about 50) or I think I'm going to try the OpsDrops that Doggy mentioned; they sound pretty nifty!

[MadHatter]

I use lens-pen.  Has a built in brush for big debris and the cleaning tip works really well.  They are like $10 just about anywhere cameras are sold...

Sent from my sniper hide...

[Bean Counter]

The ammonia in Windex will break down your coatings on any binoculars, not just the expensive ones.

For the back country, nothing beats the weight, convenience, and simplicity of a lens pen that I have seen. 

[briancorneal]

Anybody ever use the zeiss lens wipes?  I'm thinking they're handy and light for the backcountry. 

http://www.amazon.com/Zeiss-Pre-Moistened-Lens-Cloths-Wipes/dp/B0030HG054

[bearpaw]

I took 4 of the Swarovski North America reps hunting a few years back. They said the worst thing is a lens pen as it keeps grinding in the dust you wipe off. They advised soapy water and dry lightly with a very soft clean lens cloth. Only clean when absolutely needed. I only clean about 2 or 3 times a year even though I spend several months in the field.

[jburkett]

i picked up a cabelas brand fine optic  cleaning kit  and it has worked out very well for me  it is in a small  water proof  case and has wet wipes, dry wipes, lens spray, q-tips, a lens brush, and a micro fibre towel  in it.  i pack it every where i go, on every hunting trip.    i  also carry the nikon monarch 10x42,  and when they get dirty  they might as well be a 10$  pair from walmart.   i think the lens kit was  20$  or so and mine has lasted two seasons  and has enough spray left for two more.

[wraithen]

Otis makes a kit that works well with a lense pen and a spray. That said, the army only allows us to use one thing on our flyers night vision goggles. Premium lense tissue. End of story. It is great at getting dust off and works anywhere and doesn't weigh a darn thing. Just gotta use gentle strokes. 

[MadHatter]

I took 4 of the Swarovski North America reps hunting a few years back. They said the worst thing is a lens pen as it keeps grinding in the dust you wipe off. They advised soapy water and dry lightly with a very soft clean lens cloth. Only clean when absolutely needed. I only clean about 2 or 3 times a year even though I spend several months in the field.

That's interesting... I think the problem is that people don't use them right... If used they way they are designed to work they are awesome... I know that there are high end scope/optic makes that recommend them like Trijicon and Leupold. But, again, used wrong they can damage your optics, but that's just like anything... If you use a lens cloth wrong you can grind dust into your lenses.  The key to use whatever you choose the right way to protect your optics...

Sent from my sniper hide...

[ICEMAN]

I use lens-pen.  Has a built in brush for big debris and the cleaning tip works really well.  They are like $10 just about anywhere cameras are sold...

Sent from my sniper hide...

 

[Bob33]

Soap and very warm water. Only clean when necessary.

[sjhgraysage]

I own Swarovski 10x42, this is what I do:
Get a can of compressed air and blow of any dust accumulated on the lenses.
Then I moisten a piece of tissue with rubbing alcohol and gently wipe in a circular motion, it evaporates quickly.
then blow any lint left from the tissue with the can of air, done.
My binocular is 11 years old used every year and like new.
A "lense pen" will never touch my lenses as long as I'm alive.
I used the same procedure on my scopes.
An old camera repair guy told me about using kleenex tissue many years ago, not the ones with the lotion on them.
Clean TP fresh off the roll is soft and work fine.

[Bigshooter]

I've talked to leupold and swarovski about how to clean optics and they both told me the same thing.  Breath on them and wipe them with a microfiber cloth.  Both told me not to use anything else or you can damage any coating on them.  Alcohol is one of the worst things you can use according to both of them, followed by a lens pen.

[bobcat]

I would never use toilet paper on my optics. However I do keep a couple old pairs of cotton underwear to use for cleaning lenses.

[pianoman9701]

I use Insta Clear wipes and solution from Visionworks (used to be Pearl and another one) on my eyeglasses and binos. The wipes are microfiber. I also blow off the big chunks with a camelhair brush/plunger you can get at a camera shop for about $4. I would never use plain cotton, kleenex, or the tail of my t-shirt. Also, the Badlands bino pack has a microfiber cleaning cloth built in.

[dvolmer]

Just use your sweaty old pair of undies when you get to the top of the hill just before glassing!!!

JK

I use Bausch & Lomb Sight Savers.  they are pre-moistened lens cleaning tissues that are individually packed and disposable.  work great on glasses and optics.  they are anti-fog and anti-static

[268bull]

Go to the hardware store and look up the paint dept.. They should ( most do ) carry a cotton painter's hood. Same consistency as a good cotton t - shirt. They're cheap, so buy a couple, and switch them out every other day. ( I hunt the west side here in Oregon, generally wet here in mid Oct. rifle season ) :tup:Bull ( I like to wash them in hot water, no softener, and hot dry them, no dryer sheets. They get good and soft and will clean really well. I like their cleaning ability better than a micro fiber cloth. )