My Search For a New RDS (and Questions)

Tactical Gear Optics & Mounts
1

Please do not point me to the search button. I have read dozens of threads start-to-finish. Also, this is not an Aimpoint VS Eotech thread - though comparisons are impossible to avoid.

I am looking for a new RDS for a 16", lightweight (sorta), middy. I have a budget of right around $500.00 and too many other projects to "save awhile longer and buy a T1, ModelX, etc.

I have lots of experience, mostly very good, with Eotechs. I have a few hours of range time behind a friend’s T1, and no shooting experience with an Aimpoint PRO, though I’ve bugged the shit out of the sales guys at a local police supply.

I have my choices narrowed down to:

Eotech EXPS 2-0

Aimpoint PRO

H-1

Here are my thoughts on these:

EXPS - heavy, wide, much talk of problems with early models (not EXPS), short(er) battery life. I am not sure about the quality or long-term durability of the QD mount. Really, really like the look, feel, sight picture, reticle, and clean and uncluttered-ness of this sight. Great past experience despite general hoopla about Eotechs. Price OK. My current favorite and hands down winner if lighter or smaller.

PRO - Great battery life, OK reticle (2 MOA), need to replace mount for lower 3rd cowitness (more $), spectacular reputation, but very, very “cluttered” and busy look. I know all the doo-dads and appurtenances fade away when shooting both eyes open - but this thing looks like a high school engineering project. Unconventional positions make dot much harder to acquire than Eotech, but easier than H1 (for me, at my level of famliarity). If the PRO was more streamlined, it would be an easier decision. Price at G&R with ADM or Larue mount is OK.

H1 - light, small, expensive. MUCH difficulty with unconventional shooting positions. Not so quick to acquire dot at current level of famliarity. Afraid I will always regret not getting the T1 if I go this route. Is H1 absolutely GTG for a HD rifle / primary SD weapon? Also, I see many people selling T1s and H1s - several of whom cite small diameter tube as the reason.

So - whaddayathink? New Eos GTG? H1 not just a “hunters” scope?

2

I started with one EOTech, bought another, then I got an Aimpoint H1 and soon sold both.

Had the H1, have used it in a carbine class (etc.), got an ML3 and a PRO, and recently agreed with a friend to sell him my H1 for a new PRO +$50, win/win for both of us.

I like the bigger lens of the PRO, whether or not it really matters with both eyes open. On paper the EOTech is a better technology, but for me in my use it did not seem to have any benefit, with battery life and nagging reliability concerns the downsides. IMHO one of the EOTech downsides is the stock built-in mount, which does not seem secure unless you do things that the manual tells you not to do (tighten it massively or use loctite). My ML3 in an ADM mount is perfect, unfortunately my wife loves it so it’s on her gun. My PRO in the QRP2 mount is just fine for me.

3

There is a reson a lot of folks have changed from larger RDS’s to Aimpoint Micro’s. I used to used the full size Aimpoints (i.e. 30mm M4’s, ML3’s). After trying a Micro, I never looked back. The 10mm lens size difference is not noticeable (at least to me). Whether under normal or unconventional positions, I could never tell a difference. YMMV

Less clutter, less weight, etc. For me it was win-win.

As far as H1 vis T1, unless you need night vision capabilities and will be diving with your firearm to depths greater than 15 meters, the H1 is the way to go.

4

Don’t be afraid of that.

5

An H-1, or T-1 is good.

However, don’t discount the 1.5X ACOGs.

6

Owning or having owned those listed, I would choose the H-1.

No problems or regrets.

My second choice would be the Pro.

7

My 4moa T1’s dot is a blob.
My 4moa Comp M2 is sharp.

EoTech wouldn’t even be on my radar if I were shopping for a red dot.

8

Umm the H1 is not that hard to shoot from un conventional positions at least I haven’t found it to be. Personally I would say get a good lower power variable scope instead like the TR24 but if you want just an RDS the H1 is a great choice. Skip out on the Eofails.
Pat

9

If you are tight on your 500 budget you’ll never go wrong with the pro…i love mine and you’ll have money left for ammo or other projects.

sent from my overcompensation tool known as the galaxy note

10

I own and regularly shoot an EXPS2 (OPMOD), an Aimpoint PRO, and an Aimpoint T-1. Aimpoint PRO vs the EXPS2 is pretty much a wash IMHO, price notwithstanding. The EXPS2 is actually a little lighter than the PRO. I’m not a fan of the T-1.

11

Thanks for the input - the small diameter of the Micros is an issue I’ve heard raised before, but that is subjective. How did it inhibit your use of the optic?

Was your Eothech an EXPS? If so, what was the actual problem with the QD mount? My understanding is that smoe earlier models used ARMS levers, and I know what the deal was with those.

12

I didn’t find the small diameter of the H1 to be much of an issue, although I didn’t prefer it. The fact that the design is so clean is a big plus. However, I found that the optical quality of the H1 was visibly worse than any of the 30mm models, with distortion and a sometimes blurry dot. Also, I did some static testing with the H1 and ML3 side by side and found that I could see quite a bit of parallax with the H1 looking at something 50 yards away, and virtually no parallax with the ML3. I think this is an issue of the very short tube for the H1 and the required heavily curved mirror/lens. I don’t know if that actually matters in real world use, but I didn’t like it.

I had the EOTech 552 and XPS2-2. Both have the same mount system as far as I can tell, which is a simple clamp and screw. The screw supplied is very small and in my experience tends to loosen itself. If you tighten too much they can break, and the manual tells you not to use loctite. I didn’t personally experience other reliability issues, but a close friend had a 512 (?) that ate batteries, practically requiring a new set with each use. The XPS2-2 had the 2-dot reticle and I found that too blurry to be useful unless viewing it through an aperture buis, or in extremely bright conditions.

13

Thanks to those who have taken time to reply. Multiple posters have mentioned issues with the glass and / or the dot in the micros. This is not something I’d heard before. Since the precision afforded by the “one” MOA dot of the Eotechs is an important feature to me, this gives me more food for thought.

At this point, the PRO is out of the running. I can’t deal with all the clutter even if it is semi-transparent with both eyes open. It must be important to others, or Aimpoint wouldn’t have moved the battery compartment on the M4S. No doubt the PRO is a good sight at a great price, but it is not for me.

The Eotech is still at the top of my list, and I have yet to hear anyone with an actual issue from an EXPS2 model. The haters are quick to dredge up their favorite 512 or whatever story - but even a Google search with various combinations of “EXPS”, “problem”, “mount”, “failure”, “issues”, etc. does not give me pause. “Nagging reliability concerns” is not data.

So now, it is the EXPS2-0 Vs the H1 in a DD mount. I’m hoping to find a Labor Day sale, but I doubt I’ll beat G&R’s combo price in the Micro/DD combo.

14

I was so close to pulling the trigger on a PRO several times. Ended up being better for me to Get the C3 and a Wilcox mount rather than buy a new mount for the PRO.

I like it.

15

If you want the EoTech, just buy it. The EXPS line is better than the rest.
I used one for a while, it was ok, it just didn’t fit my criteria for use, which at this point calls for a low powered variable for GP, and an “always on” T1 for “grab in the middle of the night and go” application.

If you have not developed your expectation for performance yet, you might as well just get what you want. The EoTech loses in a few categories for me that bumps them out of the running, but they are decent optics. Buying something due to someone else’s preferences and biases will only cause you to constantly question your purchase instead of focusing on how to use it to the best of your ability.

Typos brought to you via Tapatalk and autocorrect.

16

I almost spit out my coffee when previous posters mentioned parallax and Aimpoint lens concerns with the Micro’s. What a crock.

“Nagging concerns”??? Even on this forum you will find a multitude of quanitified eotech problems. It sounds as if you are already sold on the eotech and are trying to get justification here for your decision. Get the eotech and put it under some hard use. If there are issues, you can send it back to eotech for repair or purchase an Aimpoint.

17

I have never seen any parallax on my T-1 and I doubt that there is any to any significant degree.

I do find the smaller tube irritating in that seeing the dot requires a somewhat more precise head alignment. That can be ameliorated with training, but I still find it occasionally irritating. I also do find the (4MOA) dot on mine to be blurry and comma-shaped (no, I don’t have any astigmatism) and I also find the device to have annoying internal reflections and flare in some lighting conditions. I don’t have any of these problems with my PRO, and I find the supplied mount for the PRO to work just fine. The long battery life is something I consider to be neither a plus or a minus in my use.

As for the EXPS, I do appreciate the 1 MOA dot. I’ve found the mount to be fine…no issues with that at all. I have a couple of them and they have been completely reliable for me. Battery life hasn’t been an issue for me. I do have storage capacity for about 6 or 8 CR123 batteries on those rifles. The optic gives plenty of warning of low battery.

All that said, if I were going to buy another optic, it would likely be another PRO. Cost-efficiency is just too good (assuming one can hack the mount, and I can…I just don’t see the issue with that). I’m not sure what the OP means about the “cluttering” issue. I don’t get that issue at all.

18

You would be mistaken if you think I am reverse justifying a decision. I am seeking up-to-date info on RECENT experience with specific models of Aimpoints and Eotechs. I have yet to find a multitude of quantified problems with THE EXPS2.

You would also be mistaken to take me for a noob or for someone who has not run guns (25 years) and limited types of optics (12 or so years) hard.

19

Never asked for a resume.

You asked questions here and they were answered.

As stated before:

Get the eotech and put it under some hard use. If there are issues, you can send it back to eotech for repair or purchase an Aimpoint.

Good luck with you optic choice.

20

Have you put an H1 and ML3 side by side (literally) and viewed objects 25, 50, and 100 yards away while moving your eye all around the field of view of each sight?

Until you do, your comments are worthless.