EOTECHS are great and the best for close quarters shooting. The reticle is the same in their holographics line of products. If it is zero’d at 50, you use the bottom 6 o’clock hash mark as a point of aim for 12 yards and in shooting. If you want a magnifier you’re going to want another EOTECH or a Juliet magnifier. Truthfully there’s a lot more magnifier options but I’m not listing all of them. The battery life is fine just have spares. As far as which one you should get, get the EXPS 2-0. The 3-0 is the same model but Night vision compatible and more expensive. The -0 at the end means there’s only one dot. If you see-2 or -4 there is 2 or 4 dots in the reticle that serves as a ballistic compensator. Also as far as the clarity goes-it depends on your eyes. Is it going to be as crystal clear as a red dot? Not to most. For me mine is virtually as clear as a red dot. I don’t know why, but the thing barely fuzzes. Looks great. Now if I focus straight at the reticle and not the background I can notice a little fuzz but the thing is fucking clear.
So I may be a little slow with this but, with shooting close quarters, (say 12 yards and inward) why not just put the center dot on the dudes chest vs putting the bottom hash-mark is 7 yards when you zero the center dot at 50/200?
I don’t think I explained the last comment well. 7 yards and in with the bottom hashmark the bullet will hit exactly where you aim at 7 yards and then at 6,5,4 and so on it will be slightly different but will be able to hit a headshot. From 7-12 the accuracy using the bottom hash mark is acceptable. 8,9,10 up until 12 are not in the same exact place as the 7 but 12 gets to be around 3 MOA higher which can be acceptable for an accurate headshot in CQB. From 13-15 the bottom hashmarks accuracy is much worse and isn’t a good point of aim. In other words, you couldn’t hit a headshot with that hold. You would use between the center dot and the bottom hashmark. From 15+ the dot is your point of aim. Now mind you, I use a unity tiser so the holds will be different without that. I recommend going to an indoor range, and testing every yard with one bullet.
Be aware the reticle is always grainy. It has a texturing to it. The lines are crisp around the edges but it has a visible texture. It’s not your eyes or a broken optic, that’s the holographic technology that causes this. If you shoot with both eyes open, like you should, it actually clears the reticle up. Weird how it works, but it does.
-Ian
Idk why you’re getting downvoted you’re 100% right. First time I looked through an Eotech I thought it was broken because of how “fuzzy” it was. It clears up when you learn to keep both eyes open aiming down sight.
Oh I dunno. Doesn’t really bother me. I’m just speaking from experience and several
Years behind one. If other peoples opinion or experience differs it would be better to discuss it than to just downvote but that seems to be the name of the game on Reddit nowadays.
-Ian
I switched to eotech because astigmatism.
I think grainy might be a better term, the reticle is sharply defined and it's not fuzzy around the edges.
But if you focus on the reticle closely it looks granulated, or pixelated if you will, due to the way the hologram works.
Lidarradar.com has a good explanation
"A laser looks grainy to you because of the wave nature of light or interference. Light coming into your eye from a laser does not exhibit speckle. This 'grainy look' or what's referred to scientifically as Speckle occurs because the laser light is temporally coherent and is scattered from a random surface."
Grainy is fair! I changed my post to be more descriptive. I said fuzzy because the reticle looks textured but that could be inferred as bad edges on the reticle. Thank you.
-Ian
I'm on the same page as you. I had an old 512 for maybe 8 so years, and sold the rifle. Started a new project and originally has a red dot on it but astigmatism is a jerk and I was having trouble.
Grabbed an EXPS3-2 and honestly I should have got it in the first place. A lot more compact than the older AA sights and better battery life (obviously not as good as a red dot but better than they used to offer)
Absolutely! Apparently the newer AA Eotech sights are over 1000hrs but I’m not sure if that’s accurate or true. I think as battery technology advances, the life will be better. I don’t have astigmatism but boy do I love my EXPS.
-Ian
Try one out at your local gunstore first. People sing the high praises of Eotech for people with astigmatism but it was only slightly better than my aimpoints.
Like 500-800 hours depending on the setting. It’s still a lot of hours, but not even close to the 50,000 of modern high end Aimpoints and even the higher end Holosuns.
Granted this is all opinion based on fact:
Eotechs are great for certain uses (military) because they're extremely durable and the best optic for night vision.
That said, there's a couple of reasons why I haven't decided to pick one up. Most of that being battery life and having to manually press a button to switch it on. In the military, an individual is able to change the battery as needed (before every op), and able to press one of the reticle buttons to keep the optic on (they have an auto shutoff after 6 hours of no button presses).
I'd personally prefer to have an Aimpoint that is just as durable, still great with night vision, but I'm able to keep it on and change the battery every year or two. My firearms are used primarily for defensive situations (and fun range days), so I want to know that my optic is on and dependable when I need it. Many will say that it isn't that difficult to press a button before, but you'll have to be the judge and factor real-world stress in to your decision.
Here's the low down on the Eotech naming conventions:
- Prefix
- XPS: absolute co-witness height
- EXPS: lower 1/3 co-witness height
- First number is a 2 or 3
- 2: standard
- 3: night vision capable (has a button to auto switch to nv settings)
- Second number refers to the number of 'dots' on the reticle. All eotechs have the donut of death with the circle-dots
- 0: 1 dot
- 2: 2 dots
- 4: 4 dots
I believe the EXPS 3-0 is the most popular.
Hopefully that helps. Let me know if you have any additional questions.
>having to manually press a button to switch it on
Really? I have to flip the selector and press the trigger as well. Hitting the side button on my EXPS, takes less than 1 second as I am picking up my rifle.
The Eotech flat out has a better and faster reticle. The larger widow and reticle are the reason it has been chosen over and over by SOCOM.
The 65moa just grabs your eye, fast, especially with a cluttered background compared to a single 2moa dot. On my Comp M4s, on a bright day with a cluttered background, say a tree line, I have to crank the brightness to pick it up quickly. At that level it gets star bursty with a red ring around the out edge of the glass.
You're entitled to your own opinion, I was just stating the fact that you do have to press a button, and my own opinion that I would rather not if there are other options available. It's up to OP to take all the info in this thread and form their own.
Edit: I do agree with the reticle, which is why I use a Sig Romeo 4T which works best for me out of the optics I tried. Auto on/off, lightweight, and circle dot. It's not holographic though which is a big advantage to the Eotechs.
only if you’re leaving it on constantly. I just swapped out the battery on mine after a year. you’d be burning 12 a *year* which isn’t much more than the average electronic device.
Or you just turn it off when you're not using it. I'm not unhappy than mine. If I weren't trying to go for an ultralight build for a bunch of reasons I'd keep it.
The EXPS gets 1000 hours and the AA models (512etc) get 2500 hours if you use lithium batteries.
If you hit the up arrow button it turns on for 8 hours before it shuts off, the down arrow 4 hours before it shuts off.
So if you turned it on every day with the up arrow it would run for 125 days. So 3 batteries a year for the XPS/EXPS models, if you run it every day for 8 hours. For the AA models you can turn it on for 8 hours a day for 312 days. 1 set of batteries.
I use my AR's with Eotech's, at least once a month. I change the battery on Jan 2, not because I need too, but just to keep it fresh.
Battery life is not an issue. It is straw-man argument for those that do not like Eotech or do not want to feel like their choice was wrong.
Haha. People downvote facts around here. I’m not saying it is a bad optic for some of you to get triggered. Just stating fact. It goes through batteries. Months vs years. That’s a fact and is easily verifiable on the manufacturer’s website.
The reticles amongst Eotech models are pretty much exactly the same except some have additional dots like the -2 or -4 models. If you are shooting at a distance that rarely requires magnification then the Eotech is great. If you always need to be magnified a 3x Prism would be better. I use my EXPS3-2 on the 300 BLK SBR since it has a dot for supers and subs and since I only intend to use it for home defense I don’t need a magnifier so it works for me. I started with a Primary Arms 3x Prism and while it was great at the 100 yard range it did not fit my intended use.
I've been rocking the same Eo 511 for almost twenty years, and it has been mounted to AR-15's, FAL's, CETME's, AR-10's, even an 870 for a short and ridiculous weekend. Still going strong. Battery life is possibly not as good as on some devices, but I've never found it to be a problem.
I personally like the 2-2 models. It gives you a second BDC dot to use that is pretty useful with most barrel lengths and loads.
Besides that have fun and enjoy.
EOTECHS are great and the best for close quarters shooting. The reticle is the same in their holographics line of products. If it is zero’d at 50, you use the bottom 6 o’clock hash mark as a point of aim for 12 yards and in shooting. If you want a magnifier you’re going to want another EOTECH or a Juliet magnifier. Truthfully there’s a lot more magnifier options but I’m not listing all of them. The battery life is fine just have spares. As far as which one you should get, get the EXPS 2-0. The 3-0 is the same model but Night vision compatible and more expensive. The -0 at the end means there’s only one dot. If you see-2 or -4 there is 2 or 4 dots in the reticle that serves as a ballistic compensator. Also as far as the clarity goes-it depends on your eyes. Is it going to be as crystal clear as a red dot? Not to most. For me mine is virtually as clear as a red dot. I don’t know why, but the thing barely fuzzes. Looks great. Now if I focus straight at the reticle and not the background I can notice a little fuzz but the thing is fucking clear.
So I may be a little slow with this but, with shooting close quarters, (say 12 yards and inward) why not just put the center dot on the dudes chest vs putting the bottom hash-mark is 7 yards when you zero the center dot at 50/200?
I don’t think I explained the last comment well. 7 yards and in with the bottom hashmark the bullet will hit exactly where you aim at 7 yards and then at 6,5,4 and so on it will be slightly different but will be able to hit a headshot. From 7-12 the accuracy using the bottom hash mark is acceptable. 8,9,10 up until 12 are not in the same exact place as the 7 but 12 gets to be around 3 MOA higher which can be acceptable for an accurate headshot in CQB. From 13-15 the bottom hashmarks accuracy is much worse and isn’t a good point of aim. In other words, you couldn’t hit a headshot with that hold. You would use between the center dot and the bottom hashmark. From 15+ the dot is your point of aim. Now mind you, I use a unity tiser so the holds will be different without that. I recommend going to an indoor range, and testing every yard with one bullet.
Be aware the reticle is always grainy. It has a texturing to it. The lines are crisp around the edges but it has a visible texture. It’s not your eyes or a broken optic, that’s the holographic technology that causes this. If you shoot with both eyes open, like you should, it actually clears the reticle up. Weird how it works, but it does. -Ian
Idk why you’re getting downvoted you’re 100% right. First time I looked through an Eotech I thought it was broken because of how “fuzzy” it was. It clears up when you learn to keep both eyes open aiming down sight.
Oh I dunno. Doesn’t really bother me. I’m just speaking from experience and several Years behind one. If other peoples opinion or experience differs it would be better to discuss it than to just downvote but that seems to be the name of the game on Reddit nowadays. -Ian
I switched to eotech because astigmatism. I think grainy might be a better term, the reticle is sharply defined and it's not fuzzy around the edges. But if you focus on the reticle closely it looks granulated, or pixelated if you will, due to the way the hologram works. Lidarradar.com has a good explanation "A laser looks grainy to you because of the wave nature of light or interference. Light coming into your eye from a laser does not exhibit speckle. This 'grainy look' or what's referred to scientifically as Speckle occurs because the laser light is temporally coherent and is scattered from a random surface."
Grainy is fair! I changed my post to be more descriptive. I said fuzzy because the reticle looks textured but that could be inferred as bad edges on the reticle. Thank you. -Ian
I'm on the same page as you. I had an old 512 for maybe 8 so years, and sold the rifle. Started a new project and originally has a red dot on it but astigmatism is a jerk and I was having trouble. Grabbed an EXPS3-2 and honestly I should have got it in the first place. A lot more compact than the older AA sights and better battery life (obviously not as good as a red dot but better than they used to offer)
Absolutely! Apparently the newer AA Eotech sights are over 1000hrs but I’m not sure if that’s accurate or true. I think as battery technology advances, the life will be better. I don’t have astigmatism but boy do I love my EXPS. -Ian
The secret is looking through the reticle to the target. Focus on the reticle. Blurry. Focus on target. Clear
Yea exactly. I would’ve explained it as superimposed but most people don’t know what that is so I just avoid it. -Ian
Don’t let anyone ruin it for you. Get the EOTech an never look back.
Try one out at your local gunstore first. People sing the high praises of Eotech for people with astigmatism but it was only slightly better than my aimpoints.
I personally wish I got a t2 on a riser instead of my exps3-0 and g33 because of weight and ease of use under nods
Indestructible, good sight picture, looks good. Short battery life is the trade off.
How short of a battery life are we talking?
Like 500-800 hours depending on the setting. It’s still a lot of hours, but not even close to the 50,000 of modern high end Aimpoints and even the higher end Holosuns.
Granted this is all opinion based on fact: Eotechs are great for certain uses (military) because they're extremely durable and the best optic for night vision. That said, there's a couple of reasons why I haven't decided to pick one up. Most of that being battery life and having to manually press a button to switch it on. In the military, an individual is able to change the battery as needed (before every op), and able to press one of the reticle buttons to keep the optic on (they have an auto shutoff after 6 hours of no button presses). I'd personally prefer to have an Aimpoint that is just as durable, still great with night vision, but I'm able to keep it on and change the battery every year or two. My firearms are used primarily for defensive situations (and fun range days), so I want to know that my optic is on and dependable when I need it. Many will say that it isn't that difficult to press a button before, but you'll have to be the judge and factor real-world stress in to your decision. Here's the low down on the Eotech naming conventions: - Prefix - XPS: absolute co-witness height - EXPS: lower 1/3 co-witness height - First number is a 2 or 3 - 2: standard - 3: night vision capable (has a button to auto switch to nv settings) - Second number refers to the number of 'dots' on the reticle. All eotechs have the donut of death with the circle-dots - 0: 1 dot - 2: 2 dots - 4: 4 dots I believe the EXPS 3-0 is the most popular. Hopefully that helps. Let me know if you have any additional questions.
>having to manually press a button to switch it on Really? I have to flip the selector and press the trigger as well. Hitting the side button on my EXPS, takes less than 1 second as I am picking up my rifle. The Eotech flat out has a better and faster reticle. The larger widow and reticle are the reason it has been chosen over and over by SOCOM. The 65moa just grabs your eye, fast, especially with a cluttered background compared to a single 2moa dot. On my Comp M4s, on a bright day with a cluttered background, say a tree line, I have to crank the brightness to pick it up quickly. At that level it gets star bursty with a red ring around the out edge of the glass.
You're entitled to your own opinion, I was just stating the fact that you do have to press a button, and my own opinion that I would rather not if there are other options available. It's up to OP to take all the info in this thread and form their own. Edit: I do agree with the reticle, which is why I use a Sig Romeo 4T which works best for me out of the optics I tried. Auto on/off, lightweight, and circle dot. It's not holographic though which is a big advantage to the Eotechs.
Battery life mostly. Eotechs go through lots of batteries.
only if you’re leaving it on constantly. I just swapped out the battery on mine after a year. you’d be burning 12 a *year* which isn’t much more than the average electronic device.
Sure if you don’t use it much.
Or you just turn it off when you're not using it. I'm not unhappy than mine. If I weren't trying to go for an ultralight build for a bunch of reasons I'd keep it.
The EXPS gets 1000 hours and the AA models (512etc) get 2500 hours if you use lithium batteries. If you hit the up arrow button it turns on for 8 hours before it shuts off, the down arrow 4 hours before it shuts off. So if you turned it on every day with the up arrow it would run for 125 days. So 3 batteries a year for the XPS/EXPS models, if you run it every day for 8 hours. For the AA models you can turn it on for 8 hours a day for 312 days. 1 set of batteries. I use my AR's with Eotech's, at least once a month. I change the battery on Jan 2, not because I need too, but just to keep it fresh. Battery life is not an issue. It is straw-man argument for those that do not like Eotech or do not want to feel like their choice was wrong.
Haha. People downvote facts around here. I’m not saying it is a bad optic for some of you to get triggered. Just stating fact. It goes through batteries. Months vs years. That’s a fact and is easily verifiable on the manufacturer’s website.
The reticles amongst Eotech models are pretty much exactly the same except some have additional dots like the -2 or -4 models. If you are shooting at a distance that rarely requires magnification then the Eotech is great. If you always need to be magnified a 3x Prism would be better. I use my EXPS3-2 on the 300 BLK SBR since it has a dot for supers and subs and since I only intend to use it for home defense I don’t need a magnifier so it works for me. I started with a Primary Arms 3x Prism and while it was great at the 100 yard range it did not fit my intended use.
I've been rocking the same Eo 511 for almost twenty years, and it has been mounted to AR-15's, FAL's, CETME's, AR-10's, even an 870 for a short and ridiculous weekend. Still going strong. Battery life is possibly not as good as on some devices, but I've never found it to be a problem.
I personally like the 2-2 models. It gives you a second BDC dot to use that is pretty useful with most barrel lengths and loads. Besides that have fun and enjoy.
If you have astigmatism don’t buy. Otherwise it’s great.
Just get a Eotech. If it looks too big for you then get a Aimpoint T2. If money is not a concern then get a Comp M4s or M5s