arsterling180
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If I’m going to buy Chinese glass I’ll just get the match pro.
Are Arken scopes actually good?
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Varminterror
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New MatchPro dropped this week too, should be an improvement over the original. 5-30x56mm
Megawatt maker
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Japan Optics limited isnt a new player. They have been in the glass business for a long time. They have had different names at times, as they bought up other glass makers and such. They bought the remains of Hankko (spelling? They were the NUMBER 1 optic glass maker at one time, so good even the Germans brands were sourcing from them, back in the 90s to early 2000s) after they went to pot. I've read, albeit a bit back, that they were not in the sport optic business, they made glass for medical, astronomical, research...etc. That may have changed the last few years.
Your money but the Arken SH4 is ~$200 cheaper and comes with a nice mount and IMHO has equal glass and better mechanics.
Varminterror
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What are the differences/improvements in mechanics between the Gen 2 MatchPro and the SH4? I wasn’t aware any of the new MatchPros were available yet in the wild.
I don't know. what are the differences between the new gen 2 match pro and the gen 1? did they actually make changes in the erector system? The OG Match Pro uses the Engage series erectors and locking turrets and none of them that I've used are as solid and precise as my Arken. I love my Bushnell Engages and looked hard at a gen 1 Match Pro but luckily I gave the Arken a try and IMHO it's a better optic for less money.
Just got my EP5 5-25x56 scope in today. Great glass and turrets, but the illuminated reticle looks pretty bad. At lower magnifications and illumination settings it's not too bad, but at higher magnifications and illumination settings, especially in the dark or with the front objective cover closed, the reticle looks like it's on fire. I think they call it the starburst effect where the center reticle itself is bright but there's a bright glow around it that moves up and down, left and right as I move the scope around. There also seems to be a lot of light bleed at higher magnifications and illumination settings in the dark. It doesn't look as bad in the bright daylight, but at dusk and at night it's bad. Just wondering if anyone else has noticed this with their Arken EP5 or other model. Do your illuminated reticles look sharp and clear? I'm wondering if mine is defective or if all of them look like that in the dark.
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You probably have a mild astigmatism it's very common and causes what you described.
I'll second what @mavracer said, you probably do have astigmatism. And if the illuminated scope reticle is blooming on you. then a red dot sight will be even worse. My astigmatism isn't that bad (yet) so illuminated scope reticles don't bloom. red dot sight on the other hand definitely bloom. The brighter the illumination is, the worse the bloom gets.
If a scope is blooming then you should think about seeing an eye doctor about astigmatism. It might be worse than you think. And if you have prescription glasses, I highly suggest wearing them while shooting. My prescription glasses definitely help with reticle bloom.
And as others have stated, it will happen with most illuminated optics no matter what brand.
Thanks for your replies. Very illuminating lol. I considered that it might be my eyesight, so I tried using a different pair of glasses recently RX'd and had the same result. I also have four other scopes with illumination and I don't see this problem as with the Arken. I used my camera to record a video of what I'm seeing. The camera picked it up too, so I don't think it's my eyesight. In the video, the flare around the reticle looks blurry, but in actuality it looks like multiple reflections of the reticle that move around as I move my eyes left and right & up and down within the eyebox.
Just wanted to get some opinions before I contact Arken support. The rest of the scope is excellent so I hate to have to send it back for replacement. I've had to return a couple of scopes from other companies in the past and the replacements were no better or worse than the original or had other issues, so I'm going to be holding my breath. I'm hoping for a positive resolution from Arken.
Just wanted to get some opinions before I contact Arken support. The rest of the scope is excellent so I hate to have to send it back for replacement. I've had to return a couple of scopes from other companies in the past and the replacements were no better or worse than the original or had other issues, so I'm going to be holding my breath. I'm hoping for a positive resolution from Arken.
Yes, I've seen those complaints on the 'net. For me, the brightness is not an issue; my scope gets pretty bright, especially at the highest settings. I'm wondering if there's some sort of defect with the illumination system that's causing the flaring in my scope. I'll post a follow up when this gets resolved.
dranrab
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Some issues with dot bleed are not issues with the scope, but rather with our eyes. If you rotate the scope and the issue moves with the reticle, then it's the scope. I have one red dot that has a little oblongation or bleed. It stays in the same place as I rotate the scope. I don't have the same issues with green dots.
I know I do.
The trick with any illuminate reticle is to keep the brightness set as low as possible and still be usable. This helps reduce reticle bloom. This is especially true with dot sights. And yes some will find that green blooms less than red will. It all depends on our individual eye sights. Everyone will be different.
My astigmatism is pretty bad without my glasses on so I keep the brightness set lower to help. Reticles that are etched into the lenses is best for reducing/eliminating bloom.
My astigmatism is pretty bad without my glasses on so I keep the brightness set lower to help. Reticles that are etched into the lenses is best for reducing/eliminating bloom.
Me too, if I'm shooting precision I have to turn my red dots down to keep the dot cleaner. I haven't even put a battery in my EP5 as I doubt I'll ever use the illumination. I actually used the battery to replace the one in my key fob lol.
Different glasses for me will change how it blooms.
The background it's against can effect it.
Playing around with the focus ring will change it.
Illumination settings will change it.
Did you adjust the focus ring on the scope when taking a pic?
On mine it's a fuzzy blob unless I adjust it.
Honestly when I think about it, I have never been out and thought, gee I wish that was lit up.
For myself it's a useless feature and have burned up more batteries from not turning them off than using them.
If the battery dies now I just remove it and don't worry about it.
The background it's against can effect it.
Playing around with the focus ring will change it.
Illumination settings will change it.
Did you adjust the focus ring on the scope when taking a pic?
On mine it's a fuzzy blob unless I adjust it.
Honestly when I think about it, I have never been out and thought, gee I wish that was lit up.
For myself it's a useless feature and have burned up more batteries from not turning them off than using them.
If the battery dies now I just remove it and don't worry about it.
The image in the video looks very much like what I'm actually seeing in the scope, except that the flare is fuzzy. In real life, that flare looks like a bunch of mirror images of the crosshairs all lined up and moving back and forth behind the actual reticle as my eyes or the scope move. The illumination and magnification were both at their highest settings.
I find that reducing the brightness does reduce the flare, but it's still there so it makes me wonder if there's a defect with my particular scope or if it's a design defect with the product. That's why I decided to elicit some opinions before making a decision on whether or not to request a replacement from Arken. If it's a design defect then I guess asking for a replacement wouldn't be worth the time and effort, or the additional cost for Arken.
Arken got back to me today regarding my illuminated reticle flare issue. Pretty quick response and on a Sunday too. Impressive. The rep suggested that I make sure the diopter was properly focused and provided instructions on how to do it. I had actually already had it focused, but followed his directions anyway. Unfortunately, no difference. After reading all the posts in this thread, I decided to hold onto this scope for now and to see how the flare issue impacts my real world use of the scope. I don't anticipate having to use the illumination much and if I do, I have other options available. This overall really is a very nice scope for the money, especially with the discounts, and the lifetime warranty is money.
Thanks to all who replied with your comments.
Thanks to all who replied with your comments.
Yep, I had that adjusted. One of the first things I did when I first got the scope. The Arken rep got back to me today too with the same directions which I again followed just to make sure. Unfortunately, no difference.
I would say it is your scope then. Mine is not all that bright when using it in daylight. I don't notice any bloom during the day and I have to crank the brightness up all the way before I notice any bloom in a dark room. But then again I will get a bloom with any brand scope when I have the brightness turned all the way up in a dark room.
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