SUPERB 1X OPTIC FOR NEAR FIELD TARGETS
Highest quality electronic sight for tactical and fast moving targets within 300m. No magnificaton (this is available with the addition of a companion 3X magnifier), but extremely clear illuminated reticle with 1 MOA dot surrounded by a 68 MOA aiming circle. Easy to adjust for brightness, as well as windage and elevation with very little to no mechanical backlash. Essentially no parallax in the optic: if the reticle is on your target, then so is your shot. Extremely robust and nearly immune from temperature extremes and moisture. An accessory cover is highly recommended, but not necessary. A bit expensive for the casual plinker, but for any serious applications this unit will not fail you when the going gets tough. This item performs just about any service that does not require long distance magnification or night-vision compatibility. I would buy this again without hesitation.
EOTECH or Aimpoint
After months of research and use of both the EOTECH and Aimpoint sights I wanted to write a review that might help others struggling with this epic debate about which sight to purchase as it is huge investment to your weapon. As you might have guessed, I'm clearly going with EOTECH as the winner. I have quite a bit of experience using both sights for CQB and at distance target engagements (400-500m). First, both sights are accurate and durable without question. However, the Aimpoint drastically interferes with a shooters peripheral vision which is crucial whether or not you are conducting CQB or distance shooting as you need to be aware of your surroundings, thus a win for the EOTECH. As for battery life, who cares that the Aimpoint lasts for 5 years unless you are building a doomsday cache in the ground and do not plan to return to that location for 5 years. I can carry an extra CR123 battery with me as its weight is insignificant and if Im constantly using my EOTECH I can swap batteries once a month during my routine checks and inspections or every six months if my gun primarily sits in the safe. For home defense situations, with a bush of a button the EOTECH switches on to power level 12 to give you an instantly visible sight to start engaging targets. So as far as battery life being a selling point, I would say do not let that sway you into buying an Aimpoint. Additionally, the EOTECH out performs the Aimpoint as you can range find targets with your EOTECH which is very important when you need to place quick and accurate fire on target and need to know your holds. Lastly, depending on which model you buy you can use different parts of the optic to acquire holds at close range such as using the bottom of the 65 MOA ring to place POA / POI at close targets, this cannot be done with the single dot Aimpoint as you will need to apply your hold off as your POA and bore alignment will be offset. So to conclude this review, as a frequent shooter I would recommend the EOTECH over the Aimpoint, as you need to be able to see your targets and what is around and behind it which the EOTECH allows you to do easily and rapidly.
Compact, Rugged and Reliable!
I ordered this sight specifically for review for all of my blog fans/followers and firearms enthusiasts alike. Although this was not my first experience with an EOTECH, I had never personally owned one. When the EOTECH arrived, I was impressed from the start. The EOTECH sight comes packaged in a nice plastic case with snaps that open and close. When I opened the case, the weapon sight and all of the accessories were neatly packaged and secured in a foam material that was cutout to the shape of all of the contents. I immediately removed the sight and all of the warranty paperwork. Before I decided to play with my new weapon sight, I wanted to read the instruction manual and look over all of the warranty paperwork. I was amazed to find that EOTECH warranties all of their products for 2 years from your original purchase date. I can say that I only expected a 90 warranty at minimum and 1 year at the most. But because EOTECH take pride in their products, they give you a no BS 2 year warranty! Obviously like most warranties, misuse, abuse or unapproved alterations are not covered under the warrantyso take care of your weapons sight! As I began reading through the instruction manual, I discovered that the XPS2-0 is the shortest model of weapon sight that EOTECH currently makes. I did not realize this when I ordered, although I will say that the shorter look of the sight is what attracted me to it from the start. This was great because a shorter sight means more room for magnifiers, flip sights or whatever you plan to put on your picatinny rail. After reading through the manual and feeling comfortable with how everything operates, I began to play with the sight. Turning on and off couldn't be easier with the small rubber buttons. You press one to turn the sight on and press both for a few seconds to turn it off. I found that due to the location of the on/off buttons, it did not seem that turning the sight on accidentally would be a problem. Unfortunately a lot of sights have the on/off switch located somewhere on the sight that can be easily bumped, turning the sight on. There is nothing worse than getting to the range only to find that your sight was turned on accidentally and your battery is dead. That in itself can ruin a range trip. With the EOTECH, this is not a worrynot only because of the button location, but because the XPS2-0 has an "auto shut-off" after 8 hours. This can also be programmed to 4 hours should the user decide in a shorter cut off time. GENIUS! Speaking of batteries, the XPS2-0 runs off of one single 123 Lithium battery. The less batteries the better in my opinion. However, even though it only runs off of one single battery, it is said to last up to 600 hours on the normal brightness setting. 600 hours is a lot of time. Depending on how much you actually use your sight, a single battery could last you for years of continuous use! The XPS2-0 has a really simple battery compartment which is sealed with a newly designed tethered cap that includes an "o-ring" for a tight and complete seal. This is especially important for users that hunt, cause we all know when it rains, it pours. As long as the battery compartment is sealed correctly, EOTECH claims that the sight can be totally submerged for approximately 10ft. Not that I plan on going swimming with my EOTECH anytime soon, but it is nice to know. Another amazing benefit of the XPS2-0 is that it weighs in at only an amazing 8oz! Again, the smaller the better, the lighter the better. Like most EOTECH's the XPS2-0 is 1x magnification and has an unlimited eye relief. That is probably my favorite feature of the EOTECH sights. Because of the unlimited eye relief, I can place the EOTECH as close or as far away on the rail from my head. This gives you an unbelievable amount of options, especially when your using the sight in conjunction with other rail mounted accessories. The XPS2-0 has a standard EOTECH sight aperture, with a single dot located in the center of the ring. It has 20 adjustable brightness settings which can be changed simply by pressing the on/off buttons which are also marked with up and down arrows. Up is brighter, down is dimmersimple. I really like having 20 brightness settings, as the brightest setting can really assist when shooting on a bright sunny Florida day. The lowest setting can also be beneficial when using in low light conditions (EX: Hunting). Unfortunately the XPS2-0 is NOT night vision compatible, but no skin off of my back. I don't plan on owing or using night vision any time soon! The XPS2-0 mounts to ANY weaver style rail, so it is not limited to just AR-15's. My XPS2-0 mounts to my Springfield Armory SOCOM II very nicely. The sky is the limit when it comes to mounting optionsso if your weapon has a weaver style picatinny rail and 2 3/4" of rail space, then you can mount it. I have spoke with several turkey hunters who love the EOTECH models which they mount to their shotgunsway more effective than a simple bead. The EOTECH is very versatile as I have come to discover. I ended up mounting my XPS2-0 to the top rail of my custom built Rock River AR-15 rifle. Now the XPS2-0 comes with two different mounting screws. One is a standard Allen key style screw and the other is a quickly removable thumb screw. I decided to go with the thumb screw, as this gives me a quicker option of moving the sight should I need to while in the field. Nothing wrong with the Allen screw, as long as you keep an Allen Key handy with you at all times. Once you have the EOTECH installed on the desired location on your rail, you can now install your iron sights, magnifiers, etc. With my particular build I decided to use Magpul's Gen II MBUIS flip sights. I can say thisOne of the biggest pains in using optics with irons is always co-witnessing. Co-witnessing is the ability to use your iron sights through the window of your optic. This is impossible with magnified optics, and can even be difficult with non-magnified optics. The XPS2-0 gave me 100% co-witness with the MBUIS flip front and rear sights. The irons sights can be clearly seen through the window and in the event I ever have an optic malfunction or dead battery, I can use my irons with no problem. This is a great and very important feature. Now that I have gone over most of my favorite features, I will tell you about what I personally think of the EOTECH XPS2-0. I LOVE IT! Plan and simple. I have used the EOTECH during several hunts in North Carolina. The XPS2-0 was everything I could have wanted an more while in the field and the ever changing environment of hunting. I know that one morning, the weather got as low as 15 degrees during a hunt and the XPS2-0 was affected one bit. It function flawlessly and without issues. I have also used the XPS2-0 during a few steel range days that we set up. I love the fact that the EOTECH holographic weapon sight can be used with both eyes open. This can be a difficult for some shooters as most of us were taught growing up to close one or the other eye when aiming down the sights. I was taught this concept several years ago when training for the Sheriff's Office. I still use it and think it is the most beneficial way to shoot, especially with EOTECH weapon sights. The XPS2-0 is lightning quick when acquiring a target, then switching from one target to the next. I see the EOTECH as a toolit will only work as good as you allow it to, but with proper practice and patience it can be your best "go-to" optic when the SHTF. All in all I am extremely pleased with the XPS2-0 model. It is light, compact, user friendly and tough as nails. I knew there was a reason my agency has EOTECH weapon sights on all of the issued AR-15 rifles. Because they workPERIOD. I would highly recommend the XPS2-0 to any of my friends or family. Keep in mind that this review is for only one specific model that EOTECH offers. EOTECH makes many different sights, apertures and options. Do yourself the favor and buy an EOTECH, you will not be disappointed. I hope that you found this review to be beneficial to your decision in choosing a quality optic. Have fun, be safe and shoot on! -Michael Sapp
