How are you cleaning your scope lenses?

[rangeball]

Just curious what's the best way. Is windex and a cotton cloth as good as any?

[nic58]

I use the brush on a Lenspen to brush any dust and particles off and then clean with liquid lens cleaner and a tissue.

[rossman40]

The way I do it is with a soft brush to get most of the large stuff off so your not grinding it in. You can get one of those "Lens Pens" which work out pretty good. As far as cloth, dedicated lens cloths are nice, just regular cotton has a different weave and fibers. Looking at chemicals you want to protect the lens coatings and supposedly the worst thing you can use is ammonia which supposedly eats the coatings. I like to use to the lens cleaner towelettes that are pre-packaged.

Basiclly brush off the big stuff, hit it with a lens cleaner towelette and before it dries hit it with a lens cloth.

Now if it is like 2 inches of mud just take running water (not pressurized out of a spray nozzle) and flush the stuff off the lens before you try wiping it off and grinding it in.

You can go mack-daddy on your cleaning and at the end apply a anti-fog compound but those coating only last a short time.

[artjr338wm]

On a lens that requires only simple cleaning I start with brushing it clean until I can no longer see any type of dirt like matter or debris on the lens. The brush I use for this is a make-up/cosmetic application type.

After I am 100% certain there is nothing left on the lens that might scratch it, I then use a lens cleaning paper wipe to apply a slight amount of lens cleaning liquid.

I then use the same approved for lenses paper wipe moistened with lens cleaning solution to clean my lenses.

Lastly I use a clean dirt free synthetic lens cloth to finish cleaning my lens.

I use this proses for all my optics. Been doing this for 15+ years with no scratches so far.

I might be parinoid, but seeing as all my optics lenses have coatings on them, I am simply to scared to use anything on them that is not spacificly designed for use to clean optics.

[artjr338wm]

Rossman, in your post you state that you have used ant-fog that has actually worked. I have tried every product I could find, and to date never found one that would not fog. I have tried Cat crap,
scope dope and afew I can not recall, and none worked.

I tried them on my bino's, scopes and prescription glasses. Maybe you know something I do not, is there a trick or some new product you can share with me?

I have read a few postings on the net of people who have tried ant-fog applications for car wind shields made by Rain-X that claimed to work well, but I was not willing to risk my bino's lens coatings to give one a try.

Thanks,
Arthur.

[Jon]

Arthur. Looking forward to the answer you get. Really good question.

[rossman40]

The best I found is what came with some high-end Moto-X goggles which I was told came from C-Clear. The main thing is to follow directions and it will still not stop fogging resulting from huffing and puffing on the eye piece after a 100 yard dash in 30°. But it will cut the time down for it to clear. Another one that is helpful is these lens cleaner towelettes from Bausch and Lomb with "Fogshield". Vortex supposedlly has one in a kit that also works somewhat.

I think due to the anti-refective nature of most sport optics lens coatings they do not work the greatest. You just hope to control somewhat.

Someone was coming out with a spray on coating that would be like the Bushnell Rainguard but I ain't seen it yet.

[artjr338wm]

Thanks Rossman.

I am a glasses wearer and between that and having my bino's and scopes fog I am always looking for some way to stop all three, but especially my glasses from fogging. Fogging glasses and optics have caused me more grief than any other repeat problem while hunting. Especially while glassing for looooong hours while hunting out west. My binos and spotter always fog while glassing in the early sub-freezing morning hours right at first lite. If I had a dollar for every explative fogging optics caused me to mutter while glassing I could buy a elk land owner tag in Utah AND pay to be fully guided as well.

If you ever find that product you spoke of or any other anti-fog that actually works you would be doing all of us hear a great service by making such a product known to us.

Thanks and be well,
Arthur.

[12ptdroptine]

Try a product called Clear View ..I am pretty sure. I will check again(on the name) at work. I use it to keep my glasses from fogging up at work. It works. The rep at Leupold told me to get it. Use it in the morning before you go out ..and it works. The more often you use it the better it works. And I never use anything on my glasses or scopes and bino's BUT a regulat lens cleaning micro cloth. Anything made from wood products will scratch glass.... (paper) even those towlets Rossman talked about (at least where I work) are made of pre moistened paper.
Drop

[rossman40]

Actually the product to use is lens paper. The main reason is the lens paper is lint free. I've seen mega-buck optics cleaned with it. We used to get it in a book like, rip out a page and use it then pitch it. Myself I like the lens micro cloth and carry at least three in my hunting gear (last batch I bought were Nikon for like $1.50ea), use it a few times and/or if I think it's dirty, I pitch and get a new one out. I know one guy that has a fancy lens cloth holder on his bino strap and the same cloth has been hanging on it for years. I have a lens pen I carry in the field and inside it is one the cloths and I carry with me about three of the pre-mositened lens towelettes (I have a ziplock full in the gear). The ones I have now are pretty fancy ones from Zeiss and they do say on them that they are a "pre-moistened lens cloth" (I get them thru a hospital). I have used the B&L version in the past which is more like paper.

[rangeball]

Found the zeiss pre-packed wipes at walmart for $3 a box of 50.

[artjr338wm]

12ptdroptine,
Please get back to us on that anti-fog product, as it would be of great help to me, as well as others if it works.

Arthur.

[zakjak221]

I use a lens pen as well,never thought about lens paper--good idea.
BTW Rossman,I really like my Nitrex Tr2 scope that you recommended a while back. Very good quality/features for the $$.

Mark

[northny]

Re: Cat Crap (brand name) lens anti fog. I use this for my glasses while skiing and playing paintball, in both cases on glasses worn underneath goggles. I have found it to work quite well (far better than anything else I have tried over decades) BUT ONLY IF I APPLY IT RIGHT BEFORE USE and REAPPLY IT AT LUNCH TIME. I have found that applying the night before was little different from not using anything. I do it right before heading out in the morning, and I am fine. If I do not reapply at lunch performance will "crap out" (pardon the pun) early in afternoon. I probably reapply every three or four hours

[esshup]

I use the lens pen, lens cleaning paper, and lens cleaning solution from a camera store. I'm also paranoid about the coatings on the lenses.

I also keep butler creek or blizzard scope caps on all my scopes. I figure that the less dust/dirt that they are exposed to, the better. They're nice when it's raining out too, just keep the cap (s) closed until it's time to shoot.