Prefer Aimpoint. EOTech tends to get busy. Kind of a KISS thing.
 

I've owned both.  

EOTech had a better reticle and ran on batteries I could buy at wal-mart.  

Aimpoint has much longer battery life and simpler controls.  I don't have to look through it to know if it is turned on and at what setting.

Aimpoint is the one I still have.  Sold the EOTech.

<I SPECIFICALLY REQUESTED THAT POSTS BE INFORMATIVE. IF YOU CAN'T FOLLOW THE RULES, DON'T POST - Z>

aimpoint here.



i like the simple dot and battery life.

the eotech looked fuzzy.  small astigmatism.

I voted Aimpoint.  I've owned an M2 and now I have a T1.  Eotech's are fine red dots but I wanted the longer battery life plus I want an optic that would stand up to a lot of abuse.  After seeing these videos, it just made my decision a lot easier.  The plus side to the Eotech is that you can use AA batteries which are readily available but with the release of the Aimpoint M4(s), and it's 80,000 hr battery life (off of 1 AA), I'm still stuck on Aimpoint.

Aimpoint times 2.  I also own an EOtech, but it's on a fun gun.

The M4s is built like a tank but takes AA batts and runs forever.

From my experience;



Aimpoint:





-Pros: Compactness, long battery life


-Cons: No integral mount, battery is not as common





EOTech:





-Pros: Larger window, built in mount, more common battery


-Cons: Larger overall, less battery life

 

I have run both for several years in "the" box.

I prefer the EoTech by a wide margin over the Aimpoint.

EoTech:

+ Small package/footprint, especially the XPS series.
+ Built in QR mounts and cowitness.
+ BRIGHT dot
+ 65 MOA "aiming" circle; to me, helps me center the shot under "duress".
+ It's not tubular = much easier to use both eyes open technique.
+ Easy to use with helmet mounted NODs due to parallax free aiming.
+ Rugged.
+ Common batteries (AA, N, 123)
-  Battery life less than a bazillion years.

Aimpoint:

-  Large (long) footprint; fills rail (as does AA model Eo).
-  Mount extra; have to decide on 1/3 or absolute cowitness.
-  Dot too small/not bright enough in some desert conditions.
-  Tubular = you have to look through it; at least I do plus NODs have to be lined up to look through the tube.
-  Scope itself is rugged but rotary switch is subject to damage and easy to accidentally turn on; not such a big deal on the newer models where the battery last "forever".
- 1/3N batteries not so common unless your unit orders them by the case but who cares since the batteries last "forever".

I have experience with the Eotech 552 and the Aimpoint T1.  I prefer the Aimpoint and believe it is a better optic.  The battery life is superior and it just seems more robust.

I like the simple red dot of the Aimpoint compared to the busy hologram of the Eotech.  The Aimpoint is easier to turn on and off, but that doesn't really matter since I never have to turn it off.  The battery life is about 50,000 hours.  I cannot say the same thing about the Eotech.  I have also had problems with keeping a zero on the Eotech.  This may be due to a crappy mount though.  YMMV, as this is just my personal experience and opinion.

Traded my ML3 for a M4s Aimpoint as the M4 is even more rugged than the ML3.

Both were left on 24/7 (at a intensity good for inside the house in the dark) as they were on the HD rifle. If something goes bump in the night I demand that the optic be ready to go. If it ain't I'm probably going to use the BUIS instead of dinking around with switches or buttons.

Lots of guys I shoot with use EOtechs. I've seen 3 different shooters using them in matches have their Eotechs crap out. Not due to a low battery as replacing the batteries (after the stage was over) didn't fix it. Leaving the batteries out for a few hours or iovernight did.

Optics get you hits faster but they have to be as near to 100% reliable as possible. For me, reliability trupms every other consideration. BSW

If you haven't yet seen this thread about using the Eotech reticle for range estimation, do yourself a favor and check it out:

http://www.ar15.com/forums/topic.html?b=3&f=18&t=495665

Try doing THAT with an Aimpoint..

I have a 511 A65..I like the 1 MOA dot and the 65MOA ring to refrence the target in bright light. Thats really about it..short battery life sucks

I took a 3-day class with my ML3 and loved it.  I shot a 5-shot group I could cover with a quarter during the morning zero.  

The instructor took his aimpoint and threw it against the wall, then put it back and dropped the gun onto the floor.  The aimpoint didn't quit.

One of two guys running EO's had his crap out.  Range staff got it up and running, but from what I've experienced Aimpoint is a more dependable and solid unit.

ETA: Shot group was from 50 meters.

I've had both and kept the aimpoint since the eotech reticle was a little fuzzy to my eyes, but I did like the wider field of view of the eotech.

I really wanted to like Eotechs because I prefer the reticle but in the end I got rid of the one I had and went back to Aimpoint.  Battery life and reliability don't even compare between the two.

I have seven or eight EOTs, all 552s (lost count) only had problem with one and that was fixed by the company. I used them exclusively until I started having battery problems with a few of them, draining batteries when off, and general low battery life.

Breaking point was going to get the HD gun a month or so after replacing the batteries and they were dead, from non use-could not live with that.

I now have 2 M4S APs, and a T-1, they stay on all the time, one has been on for a couple years. I really like this in a HD weapon. set it and forget it.

The EOT has the better reticle for pure CQB work. Many high speed guys I know use them for this purpose (Im not HS in anyway), but they run offensive ops combined with fresh batteries and high speed gear for each mission.

The AP has better battery life and a better GP optic- this IMO makes it better for a HD weapon, when it needs to be ready all the time and it always on.


EOT better CQB optic, AP better battery life, If you want to keep up with EOT batteries, then it will be the better choice.

Had an Eotech

Prefer the eotech due to reticule and look, but wish it had the battery life of an aimpoint.

I have both and shoot with both often but I voted for Eotech because the circle dot seems faster to me.

Aimpoint only because of battery life.  

My 552 and Comp M2 have both been problem free.

I have shot and own both and prefer the EOTech by a small margin.  

I simply find the EOTech easier to use with the A65 reticule.  I also find the Aimpoint's tube design to be "darker" subjectively to me, though I shoot both eyes open.  The Aimpoint just seems a little bit more invasive in my sight picture, it has a bigger "footprint."  

Battery life is also relatively irrelevant to me because I switch batteries out long before they have a chance to go dead on the Aimpoints, so the battery life doesn't really save me much.  Just force of habit.  

Neither are my primary sights as I prefer ACOGs with MRDs and the ELCAN Specter DR for general purpose work, so either Aimpoint or EOTech tend to be specialty short range / CQC optics for me though I would have little trouble using them at distances.  In my opinion, both are fantastic optics and will serve you well whether as a primary battlesight or CQC sight but for me, the slight edge goes to the EOTech for reticule and layout.  

~Augee

I prefer the reticle of the EOTech hands down, but the battery life of an Aimpoint is phenomenal

Only have experience with AP (M4s).  Why I chose AP (and all these points have held true this far in my ownership of the optic):

-Reputation for being bulletproof
-Simplicity
-Other worldly battery life

I absolutely love the fact that you can leave these things on for years and years and don't really have to think twice about battery drainage.  With that said, I will likely swap the battery out every few years simply for insurance.

I have a T1 Micro.

Its ULTRA light, very small and snag proof, AWESOME battery life (with a very common battery), low profile (lets you use it on guns other than AR15 and get a good cheek wield), and VERY tough (I have dropped mine from 4-5 feet several times before - by accident and its stood up to it all)


I have witnessed 2 EOTech's go dead (one 511, and one 551). Both had very bad battery draw when off, and one had problems clamping down right on a mil.spec AR15 upper. Now I WILL note that many of the battery draw problems I have head of (aside from my own experience) are from the 511/551's.

I have had both.  If I ever buy again, it will be an Aimpoint.  The Eotech design is great, but I have been plagued with battery problems with them to the point I have had it.  Aimpoint has been flawless and the Micro is a marvel.

Put me down as a solid Aimpoint consumer.

EOTech XPS 2-0: Below is my reasoning.



The first thing I did when I looked at what optic to go with was to ask what it would really do for me. I am a civilian not a law enforcement officer or military so that impacted my decision, because I have different needs and priorities over what they may have however slight. At any rate that is the prism I view things from and if you're LEO or MIL probably better off hearing from one of them instead of a civvi with who has different concerns/priorities.



Primary Purpose: Home Defense.



Secondary Purpose: SHTF.



Other Purposes: Range fun, carbine courses, and competition.



Now SHTF is a broad category, but the way I look at is that your garden variety SHTF is not a "Mad Max" or "Red Dawn" situation where a reasonable person would believe they were excused from following the law. My State has clear and well defined statutes dealing with self-defense of myself and others as well as self-defense of property. These statutes form my "Rules of Engagement" during an SHTF scenario. As a consequence I will either be legally transporting my firearm out of the danger zone before disaster hits by safe retreat or staying within my home in a purely defensive static position until the situation dictates otherwise. In short, I do not see myself doing long patrols or having no access to batteries for long periods of time. So battery life is not my over-riding concern. It's still "a concern," but it will not trump other features.



I don't have night vision. I'd like it at some point, but I'm simply not in a position to afford it so a night vision option on my optic was not a necessity either at this point. I think folks who purchase either the Aimpoint or the EOTech regardless of their choice should save themselves the money of the NV versions and go with the non-NV. Money adds up and if you don't have NV that cash is better spent on picking up Night Vision or actually spending it on ammo, training, or maybe something totally non-firearms related (God forbid right).



I looked at everything under the sun. I looked at a wide range of optics, red dots, and HWS. Trijicon, EOTech, Aimpoint, and even other companies. I decided on the EOTech XPS for the following reasons:



A. It is not a tube. I don't have as narrow of a corridor to pick up my sight picture. To see the red dot in the Aimpoint I have to be within its FOV even with both eyes open. One of my eyes still has to be within the "cone" if you will of the 30mm or 20mm tube to see the red dot and target. The heads-up type display gives me larger field of view so that my head can be in various different unconventional positions and still pick up the holographic sight picture.



B. The transverse battery of the XPS model eased my concerns about past reported issues with EO-Techs and their battery contacts. I have read reports that EOTechs have had in the past powered off or drained batteries all due to the recoil shock overtime. I've never seen this first hand, but it gave me pause in selecting the primary optic that will defend my family. The battery in the XPS is not going to be as impacted by recoil and so far I have seen no negative reports of battery contact issues or drainage issues with the XPS.



C. Size and weight. The XPS is very light and takes up very little rail space, which was important to me.



D. Up to 600 hours on a decent 123 battery at a useable brightness setting, which isn't bad for me. I can afford to switch out batteries and my EOTech is not on me at all times so it is not on at all times. Even the eight hour battery auto shut-off doesn't concern me, because I don't sleep more than eight hours at night and during the day the rifle is secured in my safe while I am at work with my CCW pistol. The EOTech comes out at night for things that go bump with my pistol serving as my primary and immediate means of defense during the day time.



E. The sight picture itself. With the Aimpoint I was going back and forth between 2 MOA or 4 MOA. Each seemed like I was compromising something. With the 2 MOA the dot just seemed at times a little too small and I honestly worried a bit that under stress I might not pick it up that fast. With the 4 MOA the dot just seemed too big for some of the shots I'd like to take at the range to test my own accuracy and that of my rifle. With the EOTech I get the 65 MOA ring and 1 MOA dot. That gave me the confidence to know that in a Home Defense situation there was no way I was not going to pick up that 65 MOA ring for a close engagement under stress and yet the nice additional bonus of a very small and precise 1 MOA dot for the range where I'd have more time to take shots.



F. It's not only American made and an American company, but it's made in my home State of Michigan (Trijicon is located here as well). Makes me feel good if I can go with a good product that also happens to be US Made. I also like the fact that I could literally get in my car and drive 1 1/2 hours to their headquarters if I wanted to. We've got 15% unemployment and so if I can buy a good product here at a fair price I sure do.



Honestly, if I was in the hills of Afghanistan I'd probably want an ACOG or a ELCAN Specter DR. If I was in the streets of Iraq I'd probably go with the Aimpoint. For home defense though I think the EOTech XPS trumps them all.

A friend wanted an optic.  I suggested AP.  He had to have an Eotech.  I got one for him and he mounted it on his AR and shot with it exactly once.  About 1.5 yrs later, before heading out to a course, he needed to verify zero with lead free ammo.  His Eotech didn't work, AA batteries had died (he had turned the unit off, and had not used it in the intervening period of time).  

The first requirement of an optic is that it work on demand.  Actually, I'd say the first ten requirements of an optic are that it work on demand.  Whether you leave the thing on or not is immaterial to a consideration of reliability.  AP battery life is phenomenal.  Because it does not chew batteries (unit left on or off) unpredictably it is more likely to work on demand.  That an optic "needs" a kill switch tells me something........and that something is not nice and reassuring.

Two of my older ones, a M2 and a 7000SC, don't see alot of use so are not left "on".  They are on their original batteries (like around 5-6 years old) which continue to work perfectly.

The vaunted FOV "advantage" is a non-issue - unless you have never heard of Binden.

Sam

The most important criterias in an optic to me are durability and battery life, therefore my money goes to Aimpoint.  My office issued rifle has an eotech which has done good, but changing the batteries every range day gets old.

Since Silent has once again stated so fully and eloquently what I would have said (except I prefer AA Eotechs like the 517), I think I'll keep this brief then join the wife to watch "The Quiet Man" w/John Wayne.

I've owned and used numerous Aimpoints and Eotechs over the years. Aimpoint gets the nod for ruggedness & insane battery life, hands down. However, I find the Eotech's reticle faster to acquire & use, especially when shooting from awkward positions w/sloppy cheekweld. This was proven to my satisfaction during a couple of carbine classes last year where a single dot just wasn't as fast to acquire/use under stress (YMMV). If Eotechs are as bad as some would have us believe then why no plethora of horror stories from the harsh environment of the sandbox where people use Eotechs daily to protect their lives?
Tomac
ETA: Surprisingly, I've had more Aimpoint problems (1, a bad rheostat on a NIB M4S) than Eotech problems (0).

I chose the EO as I love the reticule and it is made in the US of A.  Plus they are tough, tough, and then some.

Aimpoint

To me the Aimpoint (M2) is the better sight. I have had three Aimpoints and two EOTechs and I only own Aimpoint now. It is the more durable sight, holds zero indefinitely, the glass is better protected, battery life is far better and replacement batteries are much smaller and lighter. Plus I can add a killflash.

The EOTech reticle is too busy and is very blurry to me. i have also used the EOTech with just the 1 MOA dot and it can be hard to find at times. Plus the battery life is nowhere near the M2. All of my EOTechs had wandering zero especially when thrown in and out of cars and such.

The only bonus i give to the EOtech and the reason i kept trying to like them is they do have a better field of view and I much prefer the square sight window,

Had an EO 552 and a T1
EO's reticle is better by far.
T1's battery life by far.
No longer have either.

This, exactly.

Plus, you get 1,200 hours on a set of LITHIUM AA batts w/ the 512, versus 10,000 hours on one battery on the Aimpoint (plus if you buy a decent mount like Larue, or an Aimpoint battery doubler, you can house an extra battery meaning you won't need a spare for 2 YEARS of constant on.

Aimpoint for me. I prefer the simple dot vs. the Eotech reticle, the more traditional feeling tube design and the much longer battery life. I have also seen several Eotechs with adjustment issue (windage adj stopped working).

I voted EOtech, for what it's worth I love Aimpoints. However the value I receive from Eotech is better. While the Aimpoint batteries last years, the Eotech doesn't do too bad in battery life. I like the heads up display of the Eotech better than the tube. The only downside of the Eotech to me is having to adjust the brightness up when you turn it on. The Eotech recticle is super fast for me and allows precise shots at longer range with the 1 moa dot. Either one is a great optic and will outlast you, for me it's Eotech.

Eotech reticule is nice, but i find it too "busy" and if your eyes aren't that great its much easier to see your target with the single dot of the aimpoint

I own and have shot a lot with both and find myself to be much faster with the EOTech due to the reticle, the larger window, and the lack of tint in the window.

My experience is with Eotech 512 on a RRA and an Aimpiont CompM2 on a CMMG.

Eotech is nice, good field of view, easy to zero, integrated mount, AA batteries are nice. On the negative side, the reticle was fuzzy, didnt like the dot inside circle. Rapid fire shots were on target just not that great, batteries go quick

Aimpoint also nice, fieldof view narrowed a bit, little harder to zero (for me at least) mount is extra, batteries (n type) can be hard to get. As most have said battery life is wonderful, replaced mine once, in 3yrs, have left on for weeks at a time. Holds zero, take mine off for cleaning so I dont gunk it up with solvents. Shots seem to be quicker, less distraction, tighter groups.

Both are great quality optics and will do the job. I think I'm the only one of the patrol rifle guys in my dept with an aimpoint, everyone else has eotech, with an acog thrown in once or twice. As with most things, is personal to everyone, try one out and get what works best for you.

i've shot with both and find the eotech reticule too cluttered.  i've personally seen eotechs fail, but not aimpoints.  they are both quality sights and as a consumer i appreciate the competition the two companys bring to the world of optics.  if i had to choose between the two (aimpoint or eotech) i'd choose the aimpoint due to previously stated reasons (battery life, simplicity, reliability).  HOWEVER, i would feel more comfortable trusting my life to a Trijicon product and i'm disappointed that they were not also included in the poll.

I used to own an Eotech , but sold it to buy an Aimpoint.

For me , the Eotech was too busy of a reticle. I was also having concerns over battery life when it passively discharged in about 2 months. I like an true co-witness - with the red-dot sitting exactly on the top of the front sight post. The Aimpoint is much easer to see to co-witness for me.

And less important , I just think the Aimpoint looks better.

-JC

I have an Aimpoint Comp M4 and I love it. I decided to go with the Aimpoint over the Eotech because of battery life and duribility.

Aimpoint for me, Reasons: Battery life (80k one AA battery), ruggedness, simple dot,

Against Eo, Reasons: Too busy, way less battery life, many reported failures here and other places.

Did a bunch of research first, came out with an AP.

I loved my EOTech (552 rev F), which I sold to fund an ACOG, but regardless I'd buy another one without a second thought.  I loved the reticle, and I felt it was a huge improvement of the aimpoint dot.  While the aimpoint is leaps and bounds above the EOTech concerning battery life, I feel the EOTech's advantages are worth the drop in battery longevity.

Eotech, because:

1) I'm extremely partial to the reticle design.
2) I prefer viewing the reticle through a window rather than a tube. To those who say that it doesn't matter when you're shooting with both eyes open, consider this: your eyes rely on light transmission to create an image. Tubular red dots restrict the majority of the light coming to whichever eye is lined up with the sight. Therefore, despite the fact that it appears only as a "shadow" when both eyes are open, there is still less combined light coming into your eyes. Less light = darker image.
3) Integral mount
4) About 2/3 the cost of an Aimpoint + quality mount.

I like Aimpoints though, they're still nice sights.

I voted Aimpoint.  The eotech reticle is fuzzy to me, probably just my eyes, but I don't have that problem with Aimpoints.