Are Arken scopes actually good?

[redcon1]

It wasn't until late 43 that we really had the bottleneck fixed, and learned how to make good glass...

We can make diamonds now and we can make them with radioactive waste so they function as batteries and we can make them at the nanoscale. I would like to think that we could make high quality optical glass of we had to and, in the event of a major war with WW2 like supply chain problems, I'll bet we can make the traditional glass optic basically obsolete.

 

[Varminterror]

@Megawatt maker - you are terribly jaded. I’ve never had any problem determining the country of origin for any optic I’ve ever bought - it’s not a state secret. Sure, maybe you need to pick up a phone to link specific models to their origin, but none of these companies are hiding that info. I’ve been working with these folks for way too long and found this info for every model I’ve ever explored.

Some tasks are harder for some folks than others, I suppose.

 

[12Bravo20]

I know the Swampfox will not hesitate to say that their scopes and glass is made in China if you ask them. While yes some companies don't make the information easy to find on websites, most will tell you if asked.

We are lucky today that manufacturing has gotten better and cheaper. Years ago our choices were more limited. AS others have mentioned, there are only som many plants that produce topical lenses. And companies set the standards they want from the plants.

Yes I am one that is happy with the performance of the Arken and Swampfox scopes. Neither will compete with more expensive scopes and most people know this. But both brands do fill a niche for less expensive optics.

 

[mavracer]

I have a SH4 6-24 and an EP5 5-25 for a guy learning dial elevation and deal with wind the fact that they track perfect is fantastic. The glass is good enough for this.

 

[Varminterror]

I would love to sit down with an Arken, a Diamondback Tactical, a Venom, Strike Eagle, Athlon in that price range

A couple of buddies and I are talking about doing something like this in January… granted, there are a bunch of such reviews out there, and folks pass them off as biased by sponsorships or ignore the results as “my eye can’t tell the difference,” or “my eye likes the opposite,”…

But, I just picked up a Burris RT25, a buddy has an Arken, a Diamondback Tactical, and a couple Athlons, I ordered a Vortex Venom for my son, another buddy has a Strike Eagle, and think I can get my hands on a Bushnell MatchPro for a couple of weeks. So we’re planning probably in late Jan or Feb to get together with all of these budget optics to do some side by side comparison so we have some references to offer onboarding PRS and Rimfire shooters…

Luckily, these cost a lot less than our primary optics on our centerfire guns, so we can have more of them in one place at a time without spending all of our primer money…

 

[12Bravo20]

Varminterror, I look forward to your reviews of the different scopes.

I was only able to compare the Arken SH4 to the Swampfox Patriot, several Nikon Prostaff scopes, and my Bushnell Elite 4500. Of course the Bushnell Elite was better than the rest. But the Arken and the Swampfox scopes are as good or better than the Nikon Prostaff scopes I own.

 

[Walkalong]

But the Arken and the Swampfox scopes are as good or better than the Nikon Prostaff scopes I own

I should hope so.

 

[12Bravo20]

I should hope so.

Needless to say, my Nikon Prostaff scopes are sitting in a drawer now.

 

[Walkalong]

I have one on my .458 Win Mag, it works.

 

[.45Coltguy]

Nikor[think Nikon] made/supplied all the glass for their binoulars, spotting scopes, rifle scopes, microscopes etc for decades. Now, not so sure. There is another major player in Japan making very good glass for whoever buys it. Name escapes me right now, but, I'll find it. As mentioned on p.2, Shott is the main player in Europe. As we all know, China is also producing glass at many price points.

Edit: I believe the other Japanese glass maker is called J.O.L.[Japan Optics, Ltd.].

 

[Varminterror]

Nikor[think Nikon] made/supplied all the glass for their binoulars, spotting scopes, rifle scopes, microscopes etc for decades. Now, not so sure.

Nikon used some glass made in Thailand, Phillipines, and China as well.

“Now,” Nikon isn’t making riflescopes at all, and their production for sport optics remains varied between at least China and Japan.

 

[12Bravo20]

Nikon used some glass made in Thailand, Phillipines, and China as well.

This is very true. The Nikon Prostaff lenses were at the bottom end of quality and most likely made in China. As you went up in models/prices then the glass was made elsewhere.

Yes I still have a couple of Nikon Prostaff scopes but they never really impressed me much.

 

[GravelRider]

Well, eight days since I placed my order, and it is still "awaiting processing." I guess I've been getting accustomed to regular shipping times again. Anyone have any idea how long it is generally taking them to ship? The scope and rings I ordered were in stock without lead times.

 

[12Bravo20]

I ordered my SH4 on Oct 8th and received it on Oct 12th. Maybe send them an email and ask. I know they were quick to respond to my emails.

 

[GravelRider]

I ordered my SH4 on Oct 8th and received it on Oct 12th. Maybe send them an email and ask. I know they were quick to respond to my emails.

Thanks. I just emailed them. I also noticed that the original confirmation email I got from them was from [email protected], rather than from an @ArkenOpticsUSA.com domain like is on their website. Any chance you could confirm that you received a legitimate confirmation email from that address?

 

[12Bravo20]

Thanks. I just emailed them. I also noticed that the original confirmation email I got from them was from [email protected], rather than from an @ArkenOpticsUSA.com domain like is on their website. Any chance you could confirm that you received a legitimate confirmation email from that address?

Yes that is the same email address that I got my confirmations from. Use the following address will get you a quick response
[email protected]

 

[GravelRider]

Thanks @12Bravo20

I got a response from them in minutes after I emailed them. They said they're running 5-7 days behind schedule due to the sale and release of a new scope model. I can certainly understand that, and appreciate their very fast response.

 

[12Bravo20]

You're welcome. And I am glad to see that they got back with you so quickly. I can say they are very attentive to getting back to customers.

 

[45/30-06OKIE]

Lol I have seen people say to buy Arken because "they are a veteran owned company". Uh, I'm pretty every single scope of theirs comes from the peoples republic of china... So how does that make it better? And everything I've seen about them reads like an infomercial lol.

Just get a Vortex Viper series on sale, they are made in the Philippines (better than China) and my three Viper HS #4319s are bright as heck and are very clear even at 24x zoom. I'd put them against a Leupold VariX/Freedom series all day long.

 

[nugi]

Recently did a side by side with Arken SH4 4-16, Vortex PST II, and Athlon Midas. The Arken was a noticeable half pound heavier and aggressively bulky compared to the other two. To my eye I could only see a difference at the highest magnification (16x), with the Vortex I could see one hash smaller on the chart I was using and with the Midas I could see 1 or 2 hashes smaller than with the Arken. For less than half the price that seemed great

 

[bihj]

Meopta is offering several scopes in that power range and for close to that price point.

 

[redcon1]

I'm thinking hard about buying another one. I took the Arken 6-24 off my AR10T and put it on my AR15 build. It's pretty big for that rifle. The scope is larger than any other scope I have ever owned. It looks like it would be right at home on a Barret M82. I suspect some of that robustness will translate into increased durability. It worked on my AR15 just fine but it's just overkill so I think I want to do some switching around and that means I have to buy another scope.

I'm seriously looking at buying a second Arken. I probably will but I'll go for something smaller with the better glass. The quality is there and the price is undeniable. I have been thinking on it for a few days and inspecting the one I already own. It's a lot of scope for the money. It's made in China and that sucks but I can't afford to put multi-thousand dollar US made scopes on all of my rifles and I already own one so I have a pretty good idea what to expect if I buy another one. I'm quite sure I'm going to buy another one.

 

[LoonWulf]

I'm thinking hard about buying another one. I took the Arken 6-24 off my AR10T and put it on my AR15 build. It's pretty big for that rifle. The scope is larger than any other scope I have ever owned. It looks like it would be right at home on a Barret M82. I suspect some of that robustness will translate into increased durability. It worked on my AR15 just fine but it's just overkill so I think I want to do some switching around and that means I have to buy another scope.

I'm seriously looking at buying a second Arken. I probably will but I'll go for something smaller with the better glass. The quality is there and the price is undeniable. I have been thinking on it for a few days and inspecting the one I already own. It's a lot of scope for the money. It's made in China and that sucks but I can't afford to put multi-thousand dollar US made scopes on all of my rifles and I already own one so I have a pretty good idea what to expect if I buy another one. I'm quite sure I'm going to buy another one.

Take a look at the new 30 mm models they're offering that might fit the bill a little better.

 

[redcon1]

Take a look at the new 30 mm models they're offering that might fit the bill a little better.

I'm trying to order one but I'm having trouble with the credit card payment feature. Whenever I try to get to the credit card information page, it keeps giving me an "Authorize.Net error: E00013 Invalid Setting Value. hostedPaymentReturnOptionscancelUrl must begin with http:// or https://." error message instead of taking me to the payment page. Anyone else having this problem or is it just me?

 

[Walkalong]

Usually it's just me.

But no, haven't tried to order one.