Docter Optic.

Your Customers Will Appreciate This Company's HIgh-Quality Optics - And Modest Price Tags

There's a new name in the optics game - at least, it's a name that's still new to most American sportsmen. In Europe, Docter-Optic is well known as a manufacturer of quality optical products, including riflescopes and hunting binoculars.

Docter-Optic made its first appearance in this country at the 1992 SHOT Show in New Orleans. American distributors and retailers showed a fair amount of interest in the obviously high-quality products on display. But when it came to ordering high-end German optical goods for their customers, many buyers were initially reluctant to try a new brand. They tended to stick with familiar names like Zeiss, Leica, Steiner and Austria's Swarovski.

According to John Bedlion, director of marketing and sales, Docter-Optic offers products of similar quality as other famous-name German companies but at prices some 40 percent lower.

"This is one reason Docter-Optic has become so widely accepted in Europe," said Bedlion. "European sportsmen demand top-quality optics, but they're happy to get them at a lower price. Frankly, we welcome comparisons to competing products offered by other German optics makers."

By the 1994 SHOT show in Dallas, buyers began showing increased interest in the company's products. Docter-Optic, through advertising and increased sales, is beginning to establish itself with American dealers.

"We're in the process of building a dealer program," said Bedlion. "We sell dealer-direct, with 'just in time' deliveries. Our pricing system allows dealers a full 36 percent markup over minimum advertised price (MAP). On top of that, we give an additional 4 percent discount 'jump start' with the first order.

"In areas where we have a strong dealer base, we're advertising in regional publications."

Upon "proof of performance" in the form of tear sheets, Docter-Optic has a 4 percent advertising allowance that's paid to dealers biannually.

Docter-Optic is planning addition dealer-incentive programs for the future. Last year, the company offered-dealers a chance at an all-expense paid hunting trip to Germany.

Before creating his new optics company, Bernhard Docter was a supplier of various types of optical systems. He had some new ideas for manufacturing high-quality glass, including the blank molding of aspherical lenses. This new technique allows the production of top-quality lenses used in binoculars and riflescopes at a lower cost than traditional methods.

Docter-Optic GMBH was founded in Wetzlar, Germany, in 1984. The company soon purchased the sporting optics division of Carl Zeiss/Jena, along with former Zeiss factories in eastern Germany. These factories and their product lines became available after the unification of Germany. Carl Zeiss/Germany retains controlling interest in Zeiss' western German facilities. Docter-Optic later acquired the former Jenaer Glaswerk glass-manufacturing plant in Schleiz, Germany, as well as several other optical companies. Today, the Docter Group worldwide encompasses 14 companies with 16 separate production facilities and employs more than 1,800 people.

In addition to expanding its sales in Europe, Docter-Optic now markets its products through five foreign subsidiaries in the United States, Japan, Singapore and Thailand.

While Docter-Optic is best known for its quality binoculars, riflescopes and spotting scopes, the company manufactures a wide range of optical goods. These include spotlights, automobile headlights, projecting lenses and specialty optical systems used in a variety of industries.

For American sportsmen, the company offers 52 different binoculars - including compact and full-sized models in both porroprism and roof-prism varieties, ranging from 7x to 15x in magnification.

Docter-Optic also manufactures variable-power riflescopes in 1-4x, 1.5-5x, 1.75-6x, 2.5-10x and 3-12x magnification. Fixed-power scopes include 4x, 6x and 8x models. All Docter-Optic rifle-scopes come with the 30mm tubes so popular in Europe. These oversized European-style tubes are being increasingly accepted by serious American hunters who appreciate the extra light-transmitting abilities. While European rail mounts are available on special order, most Docter-Optic scopes sold in this country use conventional ring mounts. Several U.S. manufacturers, including Leupold, Red field, Burris, Millett, Beuhler, Warne and Conetrol, offer 30mm scope rings.

Until this year, the only Docter-Optic riflescope available with aspherical lenses was the 8x56mm fixed-power model. In 1995, aspherical lenses will also be offered in the company's 1-4x, 1.5-5x and 3-12x variable scopes. The company's rubber-armored 8x32 and 10x40 B/GA roof-prism binoculars also feature aspherical lens construction.

"In addition to reducing costs, aspherical lenses weigh slightly less than conventional lenses and transmit more light," Bedlion claims. "Fewer optical components are necessary, which reduces the number of glass-to-air surfaces. These lenses also provide a crisper, sharper viewing image."

I've had the chance to field test the Docter 8x32mm B/GA binoculars and was favorably impressed. These are very compact, lightweight binoculars. With the integral rubber eyecups folded down (which provides a comfortingly full field-of-view for eyeglass wearers like myself) the little binoculars are only 4 7/16 inches tall. Adjusted for my eyes, they're just 4 3/8 inches wide. Sans neck strap, the binoculars tipped the scales at a featherweight 24 ounces. Viewing quality was very good. Images were bright and crisp, and no eyestrain was apparent even after prolonged viewing.

New for this year is a porroprism 7x50mm Navigator binocular with a built-in magnetic compass. This is an accurate, high-quality compass with fluid dampening. According to Docter-Optic, the body is completely sealed, shock resistant, and 100 percent waterproof. A special anti-UV radiation coating on the optical surfaces cuts out 95 percent of ultraviolet rays.

Another new offering from Docter-Optic is an illuminated reticle offered on variable VZF 1-4x24mm, 1.5-5x32mm and 3-12x56mm riflescope models. The company also offers the Docter-Optic 8x21C monocular, which provides high-quality viewing in an extremely compact package.

For additional information, contact Docter-Optic Technologies Inc., at 4685 Boulder Highway, Suite A, Las Vegas, NV 89121; [phone].