Which EOTech Holographic Sight

[Warp]

After spending a few more hours researching various threads on the AR15 Forum where there are hundreds if not a thousand users of these two brands (EoTech and Aim Point) the main detraction regarding the EoTech seems to be not the optics, since that's subjective (not quality issues), battery life, because that is what it is, the user needs live with it or not.

It seems that commencing in 2010 when the issues with the 500 series until the XPS came out there were many 500 units that had issues due to battery orientation and recoil affect and subsequent electronics failures. That seems to have passed with the transverse design. Is that a safe assumption? I couldn't find and failure issues with the new design, just the age old AP vs EoTech standard stuff.

I stopped dedicated research, myself, when I got to that point because I decided there was no way I could trust the company (eotech) that put out so many units known to be of poor quality, for so long. When I want quality, when I want something that WILL WORK, I try to avoid companies that basically say "yeah, we know our product was crap before, but we just now fixed it, it works, we promise!". Maybe 5+ years later I will buy that, if it still looks that way. Maybe.

BTW: I have never ever been a fan of arf.com, going back years and years before I even had an interest in AR15s, let alone owned one. Give me the rifle section of a different board or m4carbine.net every time. (that's where the real subject matter experts and industry professionals post, BTW)

 

[SpentCasing]

Warp, you will find many post from soldiers on the internet trashing the quality of Colt. But you decided to find out for yourself what was what. All items should be taken that way. Find out for yourself what works and what doesnt.

As far as M4C goes, all Im gonna say is follow the money. Many, many SME have been banned from there for not following the group-think mentality and have jumped ship to Lightfighter. WarroirTalk is far worse but thats a different thread. You want raw facts from people whos job it is to pull triggers and not to sell merch, join LF. M4C is "pitchmen" for certain brands only, even if you can get a cheaper item built to the EXACT same specs then well, uhh, it isnt PROVEN!! And then when it is proven, then well uh... you guys are "fanboys" or "paid shills" and the specs are fake. Then when the certs are shown its well.... uh... Ive never seen torture tests! And on and on. Get the point? Follow the money on that site and look closer as to why so many respected people are banned.

 

[allaroundhunter]

You have described the perfect niche for the EOTech and it fits there better than pretty much any sight I know given your parameters.
You can find sights that use less batterys, have better magnification, are more robust but they fail at the simple purposes you desire.

Saying that the Aimpoint fails at these uses is rather far fetched. The Eotech and the Aimpoint both fill the same niche, so saying that the Aimpoint wouldn't work here does not help your argument for the Eotech...

Now, I prefer an Eotech, just because I like the open style red dot, the reticle, and because mine has been 100% reliable. However, in the near future I intend to get an Aimpoint PRO or T-1, because you really can't argue with the battery life, and I would like to be able to keep the optic on my HD rifle on continuously without worrying about running out of power. It is hard to beat either, and in the end it pretty much is just a "different strokes for different folks" scenario. Pick what you like, and if it doesn't work, get your warranty refund if you can, as both manufacturers have them (2 yrs for Eotech, lifetime for Aimpoint I believe), and buy the other.

Sent from my HTC One X

 

[Girodin]

WarroirTalk is far worse but thats a different thread.

Warrior talk is an advertisement not a forum. That place is a joke, and that is the nicest word I can use for it.

 

[gotigers]

Well, as i said earlier. Every LEO i have interacted with prefers Eotech. Bigger sight window, better reticle, etc. I have taken classes from some of these LEOs and every class they always mention eotech as their choice. Aimpoint is a great red dot. The aimpoints battery life makes Aimpoint a better choice for active military, IMHO. Because you never turn it off, so when you need the gun at a moments notice jumping out of your bunk it is ready, but the last few eotech models are reliable. Eotechs i've seen run for years with thousands or rounds and rough treatment, seldomly failing.

Why does there always have to be the guy that can't just answer an OPs question without bashing something and hijacking a thread?

And AR15.com has its problems. Most of it is the General Discussion thread. You need to have a long fuse and a sense of humor to enter those waters. The AR15.com tech threads are great sources of info. I have learned quite a bit from the very knowledgeable members. There are always one or 2 members that are jerks, but it looks like even THR has it share.

 

[Warp]

Well, as i said earlier. Every LEO i have interacted with prefers Eotech. Bigger sight window, better reticle, etc. I have taken classes from some of these LEOs and every class they always mention eotech as their choice. Aimpoint is a great red dot. The aimpoints battery life makes Aimpoint a better choice for active military, IMHO. Because you never turn it off, so when you need the gun at a moments notice jumping out of your bunk it is ready, but the last few eotech models are reliable. Eotechs i've seen run for years with thousands or rounds and rough treatment, seldomly failing.

Why does there always have to be the guy that can't just answer an OPs question without bashing something and hijacking a thread?

And AR15.com has its problems. Most of it is the General Discussion thread. You need to have a long fuse and a sense of humor to enter those waters. The AR15.com tech threads are great sources of info. I have learned quite a bit from the very knowledgeable members. There are always one or 2 members that are jerks, but it looks like even THR has it share.

Sometimes people like to make sure the OP knows what they are getting into.

 

[dprice3844444]

i will stick with iron sights.hard to break them,no battery problems,no electronics to just take a dump in the middle of things.gotta remember murphy's laws.

 

[Warp]

i will stick with iron sights.hard to break them,no battery problems,no electronics to just take a dump in the middle of things.gotta remember murphy's laws.

Good irons are more reliable.

Of course, you can always use both the RDS and irons, if you like.

 

[wojownik]

Well, as i said earlier. Every LEO i have interacted with prefers Eotech. Bigger sight window, better reticle, etc.

This discussion prompted me to take a look at the Aimpoint CompML3 last night. The guy at the shop (awesome guy, former military and LEO, very easy going) talked up the Aimpoint quite a bit based on his experiences. However, when I took a look thought it, I noticed star-burst and a lot of internal glare, and the narrower sight window took getting used to. He noted that it may be due to my eyes/glasses. So he himself conceded that, whether or not the Aimpoint may offer advantages (and it well may), the sight would be pretty much useless for me.

So, YMMV, but get your hands on each model for comparison. I'll have to stick with EoTech, because the clarity of the reticle/dot, no glare, wider field of view. Whatever the advantages of the Aimpoint, it looks like I can't use it.

I'm not posting this as an invitation for yet more Aimpoint vs. Eotech sniping.

All I am saying is that it would be wise for the buyer to take a hand-on look at both models before making the investment (or make sure the store had a reasonable return/exchange policy).

 

[allaroundhunter]

i will stick with iron sights.hard to break them,no battery problems,no electronics to just take a dump in the middle of things.gotta remember murphy's laws.

It is hard to argue with the innate usefulness of iron sights, especially if your optic goes down for one reason or another.... That is why many of us use either a quick detach optic with a BUIS, or use iron sights that co-witness with our optic. Best of both worlds.

Sent from my HTC One X

 

[joed]

I looked at the Eotech models and chose the 512 because of the AA batteries. In the event the world falls apart I'd have an easier time finding batteries then if I owned a different model.

 

[DAdams]

The Buy Is....

Despite the fact that my original question didn't include this turning into what it has... an alternate product shootout and a tangential run at various websites, here is what I decided to do; for now.

I think ultimately I will purchase and try both types of products since I can see the relative merits of each. I wasn't able to do a side by side comparison, no one around here had both items. I did have a chance to counter evaluate a 500 series EOTech from a visual standpoint.

I was going to try a Primary Arms red dot and I may yet, the prices are certainly attractive and since I'm not LE or Military where my life depends on an optic I may yet. They are all out of stock. I guess the word is out.

I did some shopping around for best prices and free shipping.
This is what I decided on.

Now tell me what a great decision I made (or didn't).
Thanks for all the input.



Aimpoint PRO $380 and free shipping.
http://www.aimpoint.com//products/all-products/product-singleview/product/PRO/

 

[Warp]

I will tell you that the price o that PRO is a screaming good deal.

Do you have a backup iron site?

 

[DAdams]

Do you have a backup iron site?

Yes, this is the upper.

 

[Girodin]

Aimpoint PRO is a great optic and for $380, I doubt you would ever find anything better. Where did you buy the Aimpoint?

 

[Matthew Courtney]

The Aimpoint Pro is a great optic. I prefer a micro for 1x because it weighs half as much. It is only 4 ounces lighter but save 4 ounces on the optic, the rail, the barrel, and the buttstock and all of a sudden, the rifle is a pound lighter. Might not seem like much, but for the guys who go in behind the dogs and have to keep up with the K-9's for as far as it takes, well, it matters to them.

 

[Warp]

The Aimpoint Pro is a great optic. I prefer a micro for 1x because it weighs half as much. It is only 4 ounces lighter but save 4 ounces on the optic, the rail, the barrel, and the buttstock and all of a sudden, the rifle is a pound lighter. Might not seem like much, but for the guys who go in behind the dogs and have to keep up with the K-9's for as far as it takes, well, it matters to them.

Saving 4 ounces on the optic, and the rail, and barrel, and the buttstock might cost you as much money as buying another rifle, though. Some people aren't up for the expense when a slightly less-light (not really heavy) option is every bit as reliable and durable.

 

[wojownik]

First there was the critique of Eotech vs. Aimpoint, and now its talking down the Aimpoint Micro vs. Aimpoint Pro. This thread seriously got hijacked and domineered.

 

[Warp]

First there was the critique of Eotech vs. Aimpoint, and now its talking down the Aimpoint Micro vs. Aimpoint Pro. This thread seriously got hijacked and domineered.

Did you catch that the OP just bought an Aimpoint?

 

[EdLaver]

Here's why I chose the Eotech 512 A.65:

* Double A's are easy to find and cost less
* I'm guessing you don't need night vision options
* It costs less than the others in the line-up
* Doesn't require any additional mounting hardware and you can easily flip up your rear sight for perfect co-witness.

 

[Girodin]

Not only did the OP buy an aimpoint. The OP just specifically asked about the aimpoint PRO in post #62.

I personally bought a T1, and all other things being equal prefer it over other aimpoint models including the PRO. However, all other things are not equal, notably the price. The PRO is a great value for around $200 less than the T1 or even H1s. Sometimes more depending on mounts.

If one really wants to save weight, the T1 makes a difference but a short barrel is going to make a MUCH MUCH bigger one. Spend the $200 on a stamp (or even towards a Cav arms lower), provided you get to chose what gun you buy, instead of a micro and you will get a much better weight savings, if weight is that big of a concern. I realize that a SBR may not be viable option for everyone. Just as spending hundreds and hundreds of dollars more to have a 6.5lb rifle instead of a 7.5 lbs rifle isn't viable for everyone either.

 

[W.E.G.]

I looked at the Eotech models and chose the 512 because of the AA batteries. In the event the world falls apart I'd have an easier time finding batteries then if I owned a different model.

Is there anything to the idea that AA batteries are more likely to leak than 123's?

BTW, I have a couple AA-powered EOTECH 512's that are five or six years old.
No problems with either sight so far. Only used for light duty to date.
I only keep batteries in one of them, and I make it a point to swap the batteries out every few months.

 

[Matthew Courtney]

The High Road is a forum, not a unum.

 

[Ehtereon11B]

Aimpoints are far more reliable and durable in my experience. I have broken 3 Eotechs of various models in the past 2 years just simply by using them. Thankfully they didn't come out of my pocket. The CompM4 by Aimpoint is one of the best optics I have ever used for 1X use. CompM2 is ideal if you don't need NVG capability. Oh and as far as battery life, it is measured in MONTHS on Aimpoint. I put a fresh battery in my CompM4 and left it ON for 14 months.

 

[basicblur]

Is there anything to the idea that AA batteries are more likely to leak than 123's?

We need to quit talking battery sizes, and start talking battery technology so we're comparing apples to apples!
You can get AA's in multiple flavors (I've only seen CR123 in lithium) - I put only AA & AAA Energizer Ultimate Lithiums in my high tech toys for the following reason (flying on memory here) - it's my understanding lithium battery technology was (at least partially) developed for use in space, where they don't want leakage or venting.

So...when you talk batteries, talk technology first, size second!?

The jury's still out as I don't have nearly the track record with lithiums as I do with alkalines and heavy duty batteries - no lithium leaks so far, so I'm going on a bit of faith as I'm hoping the info I've read on lithiums not leaking (maybe they're just less prone to?) is true.
I won't even touch anything less than alkalines, as in my experience non-leakers seem to be the rule instead of the exception - alkalines may not leak like the old heavy-duty batteries, but I currently have a Mini-MagLite that's locked up solid from alkalines leaking while it was in my vehicle glove box (can't crack the end with Channel Locks).

BTW-you may want to read Post #21 and re-think batteries a bit.

I always get a laugh outta folks that like AA's since they'll be easier to find during the Apocalypse (honey, I'm going to take my AR and fight the marauding looters to run down to the local big box store for some AA's for my EOTech!).

Really? What kind of prepper are you that you don't have a healthy stash of batteries on hand?

EDIT: Check out this post and download the PDF he references.