Leupold & Stevens - 100 years
Almost every outdoorsman has heard the name Leupold. Leupold is known for producing high quality binoculars and scopes. The company got its start when Fred Leupold, a German immigrant, partnered with a good friend, Adam Vopel, and started a company called Leupold and Vopel. From 1907 to 1947, they earned a living repairing surveying equipment in the Portland, Oregon area. They eventually began producing their own line of surveying equipment which included a wide variety of products, including tripods and compasses. In 1947, the name of the company changed when J.C. Stevens, an engineer, joined the company. With Stevens on board, they began to produce water-measuring devices. When World War 2 started, Leupold and Stevens began making gun sights for the Merchant Marine. Waterproofing was an extremely important part of making the sights. After the war, Fred’s son, Marcus enjoyed hunting deer with a scoped rifle. One day, he was ready to shoot a deer when he discovered that he could not see the deer through the scope because it had fogged up. Marcus was convinced that with his waterproofing knowledge and the knowledge of his father and Stevens, a better scope could be produced.
In 1947, the first Leupold scope was made. Leupold built a scope that was virtually fog free, thanks to a process they developed where the air in the scope was extracted and the scope was filled with nitrogen. In 1962, Leupold introduced the Duplex Reticle, a more accurate crosshair system that was an industry first. It later became an industry standard.
Today, Leupold continues to make leaps forward in optics technology. One example is their Switch Power binocular, which is available in two models. Both models offer the user more magnification with the flip of a switch. The 42mm version starts as a 10 power. After flipping the switch, you have a 17 power which brings the user up close and personal to their subject. The other version is a 32mm lens which starts as a 7 power and can be switched to a 12 power. “In the past, similar binoculars with a zoom feature have been available. We have found that many people get nauseated as they look through the binoculars while they are zooming. With the Switch Power, simply flip the switch and reach the next level of magnification. There is no in between, thus eliminating the nauseating feeling caused by zooming,” Tim Lesser of Leupold said.
They also have a Rifle scope called a VX7. According to Lesser, when they designed this scope they took everything they’ve learned about building scopes over the years and put it into this new scope with a few new advancements. Most notably, the windage and elevation dials are integral. Instead of removing a cap to adjust the windage or elevation, simply unscrew the cap. It pops up and you can make your adjustments by rotating the cap left or right. When you are done, push the cap down and re-tighten it. The glass in the VX7 is lead free and offers the best resolution offered in a Leupold scope. The VX7 offers a new lens coating called Extended Twilight Lens Coating. This coating is said to provide better visibility in low light conditions.
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Zwickey Broadheads - 70 years One of the most trusted broadheads in the industry is Zwickey Broadheads. Their simple yet effective designs stand the test of time. Jack Zwickey, son of the founder, recalls a simpler time when his dad, Cliff, got into the archery industry. “My dad made a living as a tool maker, but made a bow hinge on the side. He cut a bow in half and attached this hinge to both halves so the bow could be folded in half. If a string broke on a regular traditional bow, the sudden thrust could crack the limbs. If a string broke on a bow equipped with the hinge, the bow would fold in half and the limbs wouldn’t crack. He made the hinges until 1941, when he decided to make broadheads because hunting was increasing in popularity,” Zwickey recalled.
Jack Zwickey wasn’t impressed with the broadhead models available on the market at the time, so he designed one that was stronger. It was basically two broadheads laminated together, which created an extra thick, extra tough broadhead. He later decided that the head should have three laminations; three thicknesses for the front, one thickness for the cutting edge. He patented the broadhead and started selling it. At the time, there weren’t many broadhead options so hunters started buying the first production Zwickey broadhead - the Black Diamond. It had a reinforced tip unlike other models. It could glance off bone and provided great penetration. During World War II, Zwickey Broadheads experienced trouble because of the steel shortage. A famous bowhunter came to the rescue. “We weren’t sure what we were going to do. Steel was scare and people wanted broadheads. We needed the money from the broadheads to put food on the table. Fred Bear got his hands on some scrap steel from Detroit and sent it to us to build some broadheads. From that steel, we produced 17,000 of our 4-blade Eskimo broadheads. Fred Bear bought all of them,” Zwickey noted. Ironically, the man who saved the day also caused a little heartache. “We were going great guns until Bear decided to make broadheads. When they started making broadheads, we had some lean years because everyone bought their broadheads instead of ours. We didn’t know what we were going to do. We weren’t making heads so we started stump shooting everyday. We got sick of losing arrows, so we developed the judo point. We hoped that that head would help us, but it didn’t. We sold very few. People slowly began buying our broadheads again and we haven’t changed much over the years. People still like them - just the way they are,” Zwickey explained.
Zwickey agrees with the statement - “If it’s not broken, don’t fix it,” so he hasn’t offered a new broadhead in years. This year, a few friends in the industry asked for a new broadhead. “My friends at 3 Rivers Archery and a few other longtime fans of Zwickey broadheads wanted us to build a broadhead that was slightly narrower and offered a longer cutting edge for increased penetration that they could use on extremely large game like the Cape Buffalo. We just introduced the No Mercy Broadhead to accommodate hunters who need a beefy broadhead for extra large game,” Zwickey stated. Zwickey isn’t interested in getting rid of the business or retiring anytime soon. “I enjoy the business and it’s what I have done my entire life. I will continue building broadheads as long as I can,” Zwickey added.
The No Mercy is a two-blade broadhead made of carbon steel. The main blade on the head is .025-thick, while the beefed up tip is .055-thick, giving it extreme strength to break through bone. The broadhead is long and narrow at 2 ½” by 1 3/16”. The No Mercy has a single bevel so the broadhead can be matched to the direction of the feathers’ wing. The result is more arrow rotation and greater accuracy. The No Mercy is available in 130 grains.
Zwickey continues to offer the Eskimo two-blade broadhead, which has been one of the most popular broadheads through the years. The Eskimo comes with the triple thick bone-splitting tip Zwickey is famous for and is 2 ½” long by 1 3/16” wide and made of tough carbon steel.
Atsko/Sno-Seal - 75 years Atsko got their start making Sno-Seal for ski boots. Sno-Seal is a beeswax-based product designed to waterproof leather. When it was invented, most people used grease or animal fat to waterproof leather boots. Ome Diaber from Switzerland invented Sno-Seal and lived most of his life in Washington. He was an inventor and a mountain climber. When Sno-Seal was first invented, it was marketed by a company called Anderson and Thompson Ski Company - a manufacturer and distributor of downhill skiing products. They purchased the right to the product on a yearly basis.
In the late 1970’s, A & T Ski Company went out of business. Sno-Seal lost its appeal because plastic ski boots were being replaced with leather boots. Curt vonVesser was making ski binding for the ski company and offered to purchase the Sno-Seal product from Diaber because he saw potential for the product in the hunting industry. Diaber accepted because he knew the ski industry wasn’t doing well and needed to sell bindings. vonVesser named the company Atsko because when he purchased Sno-Seal, the ski industry was still buying some of the product. vonVesser wanted his company’s name to be close to where Anderson & Thompson Ski Company was in the industry directories,” said Dan Gutting, Vice President of Atsko.
Marketing Sno-Seal to hunters was very successful because Sno-Seal worked well on leather hunting boots. Atsko introduced several products to the outdoor market. One of their most successful products is the Sport Wash. “Most laundry detergents cause clothes to gain weight and can quickly cause waterproof garments to lose their effectiveness. Sport Wash washes out of clothes completely and does a great job eliminating odors in the clothes. Sport Wash doesn’t contain any ultraviolet brighteners, which is very important,” Gutting added.
vonVesser is an avid hunter. In the mid 1980’s, he was on a hunting trip and noticed that as people walked by a bug zapper that contained a bright light, their clothes started to glow. vonVesser began to wonder if deer and big game animals could see the glow. After doing some research, he realized that clothing companies put ultraviolet brighteners in clothes to make them appear bright. Laundry detergent companies also do this. vonVesser knew the source of the problem and needed to determine if deer could see the problem. Researchers across the country had been researching deer vision and did testing on deer with vonVesser to confirm that deer and big game animals could see the blue glow caused by the UV brighteners. To solve the problem, vonVesser created an Ultra Violet Killer, a spray that eliminates the glow when sprayed on garments that have been treated with the UV brighteners. The UV Killer and Sport Wash are two great products for Atsko and for hunters who want to blend into their surroundings.
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