User Panel
User Panel
User Panel
|
Posted: 8/29/2014 4:17:51 PM EDT
I've been thinking about replacing my microdot with a full sized red dot to give me a larger objective to look through when shooting 2 eyes open.
The AIMPOINT PRO gets really good reviews for the most part and seemed perfect - price and size were right, very durable and could be used with my 3X magnifier. At my range today I got to play with one on my gun. The feel and look were great and the dot was very crisp. However - when I turned the brightness setting all the way up, this horrible red glare circled the entire objective and was very irritating and disruptive. 
I was indoors when this occurred but then looked through the window at the bright sunshine. The glare was reduced but still there. Have others experienced this with their PRO? Why does this happen (emitter problem?)? Any comments/feedback is greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance. I hope everyone has a happy and safe Labor day weekend! Best, Jim |
|
|
|
Posted: 8/29/2014 4:26:42 PM EDT
[#1]
Don't turn it up all the way.
|
|
|
|
Posted: 8/29/2014 4:33:22 PM EDT
[#2]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Don't turn it up all the way. N/K 
My other cheaper optics (but decent performing) that I own do not do this. Just want to know why this happens on such a high end optic. |
|
|
|
Posted: 8/29/2014 4:37:17 PM EDT
[#3]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
N/K
My other cheaper optics (but decent performing) that I own do not do this. Just want to know why this happens on such a high end optic. Quote HistoryQuoted:
Quoted:
Don't turn it up all the way. N/K
My other cheaper optics (but decent performing) that I own do not do this. Just want to know why this happens on such a high end optic. Umm...adjust the brightness for the environment?... Its capable of daylight bright in extremely bright sunlight. Use common sense please. |
|
|
|
Posted: 8/29/2014 4:41:28 PM EDT
[#4]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Umm...adjust the brightness for the environment?... Its capable of daylight bright in extremely bright sunlight. Use common sense please. Quote HistoryQuoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
Don't turn it up all the way. N/K
My other cheaper optics (but decent performing) that I own do not do this. Just want to know why this happens on such a high end optic. Umm...adjust the brightness for the environment?... Its capable of daylight bright in extremely bright sunlight. Use common sense please. Geez guys, I get it! I currently do that with the other red dots/reflex sights I own. My point is I have never seen this before on cheaper optics - why on a PRO then? I did mention that I did look outside with it on this bright sunny day in Maryland and the glare was reduced but still visible. Do you own one? If so, please turn it up and let me know what you see please. thanks Any chance it could have something to do with the ARD being in the down position across the lens? |
|
|
|
Posted: 8/29/2014 5:44:12 PM EDT
[#5]
Would you ever need to use it at the brightest settings?
I've owned a Aimpoint PRO before, as well as a few other optics that also bloomed when on the higher illumination settings. It never bothered me as I never had to turn it up that bright. |
|
|
|
Posted: 8/29/2014 5:46:06 PM EDT
[#6]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Geez guys, I get it! I currently do that with the other red dots/reflex sights I own. My point is I have never seen this before on cheaper optics - why on a PRO then? I did mention that I did look outside with it on this bright sunny day in Maryland and the glare was reduced but still visible. Do you own one? If so, please turn it up and let me know what you see please. thanks Any chance it could have something to do with the ARD being in the down position across the lens? Quote HistoryQuoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
Don't turn it up all the way. N/K
My other cheaper optics (but decent performing) that I own do not do this. Just want to know why this happens on such a high end optic. Umm...adjust the brightness for the environment?... Its capable of daylight bright in extremely bright sunlight. Use common sense please. Geez guys, I get it! I currently do that with the other red dots/reflex sights I own. My point is I have never seen this before on cheaper optics - why on a PRO then? I did mention that I did look outside with it on this bright sunny day in Maryland and the glare was reduced but still visible. Do you own one? If so, please turn it up and let me know what you see please. thanks Any chance it could have something to do with the ARD being in the down position across the lens? If you turn up the PRO to max brightness... it is too bright for any regular use unless you are shooting directly at oncoming headlights on bright mode...or into the sun. Turn it down a couple of clicks and it wont happen plus you will have the added benefit of a smaller dot and more accurate shooting. |
|
|
|
Posted: 8/29/2014 5:46:43 PM EDT
[#7]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Geez guys, I get it! I currently do that with the other red dots/reflex sights I own. My point is I have never seen this before on cheaper optics - why on a PRO then? I did mention that I did look outside with it on this bright sunny day in Maryland and the glare was reduced but still visible. Do you own one? If so, please turn it up and let me know what you see please. thanks Any chance it could have something to do with the ARD being in the down position across the lens? Quote HistoryQuoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
Don't turn it up all the way. N/K
My other cheaper optics (but decent performing) that I own do not do this. Just want to know why this happens on such a high end optic. Umm...adjust the brightness for the environment?... Its capable of daylight bright in extremely bright sunlight. Use common sense please. Geez guys, I get it! I currently do that with the other red dots/reflex sights I own. My point is I have never seen this before on cheaper optics - why on a PRO then? I did mention that I did look outside with it on this bright sunny day in Maryland and the glare was reduced but still visible. Do you own one? If so, please turn it up and let me know what you see please. thanks Any chance it could have something to do with the ARD being in the down position across the lens? Seen what? It just gets bright as fuck. Probably bad for your eyes. Every red dot will have a starburst effect if it's too bright for the environment. I've had 3 and I love them. |
|
|
|
Posted: 8/29/2014 5:52:51 PM EDT
[#8]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Seen what? It just gets bright as fuck. Probably bad for your eyes. Every red dot will have a starburst effect if it's too bright for the environment. I've had 3 and I love them. Quote HistoryQuoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
Don't turn it up all the way. N/K
My other cheaper optics (but decent performing) that I own do not do this. Just want to know why this happens on such a high end optic. Umm...adjust the brightness for the environment?... Its capable of daylight bright in extremely bright sunlight. Use common sense please. Geez guys, I get it! I currently do that with the other red dots/reflex sights I own. My point is I have never seen this before on cheaper optics - why on a PRO then? I did mention that I did look outside with it on this bright sunny day in Maryland and the glare was reduced but still visible. Do you own one? If so, please turn it up and let me know what you see please. thanks Any chance it could have something to do with the ARD being in the down position across the lens? Seen what? It just gets bright as fuck. Probably bad for your eyes. Every red dot will have a starburst effect if it's too bright for the environment. I've had 3 and I love them. Me too, I had to send one back for flawed glass and I still love them. |
|
|
|
Posted: 8/29/2014 6:17:49 PM EDT
[#9]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Geez guys, I get it! I currently do that with the other red dots/reflex sights I own. My point is I have never seen this before on cheaper optics - why on a PRO then? I did mention that I did look outside with it on this bright sunny day in Maryland and the glare was reduced but still visible. Do you own one? If so, please turn it up and let me know what you see please. thanks Any chance it could have something to do with the ARD being in the down position across the lens? Quote HistoryQuoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
Don't turn it up all the way. N/K
My other cheaper optics (but decent performing) that I own do not do this. Just want to know why this happens on such a high end optic. Umm...adjust the brightness for the environment?... Its capable of daylight bright in extremely bright sunlight. Use common sense please. Geez guys, I get it! I currently do that with the other red dots/reflex sights I own. My point is I have never seen this before on cheaper optics - why on a PRO then? I did mention that I did look outside with it on this bright sunny day in Maryland and the glare was reduced but still visible. Do you own one? If so, please turn it up and let me know what you see please. thanks Any chance it could have something to do with the ARD being in the down position across the lens? Maybe, just maybe... ...your cheap dots just don't get as bright as the Aimpoint. The Aimpoint will work in extremely bright ambient light situations where your cheap dots may not. Solution? Don't turn it too far up. |
|
|
|
Posted: 8/29/2014 6:52:56 PM EDT
[#10]
My F-15 makes a loud boom sound mid flight, usually at about 750mph. I've owned many Cessnas in the past, none of them have had this issue. What's wrong with my eagle?
In all seriousness though, the pro is much brighter than your average red dot, you can't just crank it to 11 and leave it there. Once you see how much glare comes off of desert sand at noon in July, you'll understand the need for the nuclear glow. |
|
|
|
Posted: 8/30/2014 12:35:58 PM EDT
[#11]
Why are you guys not directly answering the question of OP? And, yes, some "cheap" dots are capable of intense, extremely bright maximum settings for full noon day sun, shooting into the sun. Some "bloom" severely, some little or none. My Lucid M7 microdot has a setting like that. It has almost no bloom when wide open, which is very bright. I've not used the PRO, but the T-1 is equally bright on maximum setting and does not seem to have the problem OP describes with the PRO. Is this a PRO issue or was he using a defective optic?
|
|
|
|
Posted: 8/30/2014 6:36:20 PM EDT
[#12]
yes they all friggin bloom when you turn the reostat up all the way . now are you happy . my eotech does this , my leupold mk4 cqt does this and my leupold mk4 2.5 x 8 does this under the right light conditions . lucky me god gave me the mental capacity to turn it down to an acceptable level . if you put a 20 watt light bulb in one side of a light and a 100 watt bulb in the other then turn the dimmer up all the way which one do you think will be brighter and cause more glare ? turn it down half way and then tell me which one you can read fine print better with .
|
|
|
|
Posted: 8/30/2014 7:54:39 PM EDT
[#13]
The mepro tru-dot RDS comes out next month BTW. I have one on preorder, I only mention this because I wanted an eotech but didn't like the battery life. So considered an aimpoint pro but don't like the battery and didn't like looking through a tube, preferred the eotech window. The mepro is like the best of both worlds.
|
|
|
|
Posted: 8/30/2014 11:21:52 PM EDT
[#14]
The highest setting on a PRO is for when you are outside in extremely bright conditions. Inside I turn it back about 3-4 clicks from max.
|
|
|
|
Posted: 8/30/2014 11:39:49 PM EDT
[#15]
What use is its higher settings if they bloom badly? Would it not be better to be noon time bright and not bloom severely?
Many, I repeat, many, other dots can do that. My Leupold VX-R Patrol scope with Firedot reticle, only .3 mil in size, is intensely bright on maximum setting and has no discernable bloom at all. It is bright enough to shoot in the direction of the sun on an extremely bright day. My Lucid M7 is almost as good. Are you saying the PRO has essentially useless settings on the high end? |
|
|
|
Posted: 8/30/2014 11:40:44 PM EDT
[#16]
What use are its higher settings if they bloom badly? Would it not be better to be noon time bright and not bloom severely?
Many, I repeat, many, other dots can do that. My Leupold VX-R Patrol scope with Firedot reticle, only .3 mil in size, is intensely bright on maximum setting and has no discernable bloom at all. It is bright enough to shoot in the direction of the sun on an extremely bright day. My Lucid M7 is almost as good. Are you saying the PRO has essentially useless settings on the high end? |
|
|
|
Posted: 8/31/2014 12:21:21 PM EDT
[#17]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
What use are its higher settings if they bloom badly? Would it not be better to be noon time bright and not bloom severely? Many, I repeat, many, other dots can do that. My Leupold VX-R Patrol scope with Firedot reticle, only .3 mil in size, is intensely bright on maximum setting and has no discernable bloom at all. It is bright enough to shoot in the direction of the sun on an extremely bright day. My Lucid M7 is almost as good. Are you saying the PRO has essentially useless settings on the high end? I don't know which of your repetitive posts to reply to.... |
|
|
|
Posted: 8/31/2014 12:43:19 PM EDT
[#18]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Geez guys, I get it! I currently do that with the other red dots/reflex sights I own. My point is I have never seen this before on cheaper optics - why on a PRO then? I did mention that I did look outside with it on this bright sunny day in Maryland and the glare was reduced but still visible. Do you own one? If so, please turn it up and let me know what you see please. thanks Any chance it could have something to do with the ARD being in the down position across the lens? Quote HistoryQuoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
Don't turn it up all the way. N/K
My other cheaper optics (but decent performing) that I own do not do this. Just want to know why this happens on such a high end optic. Umm...adjust the brightness for the environment?... Its capable of daylight bright in extremely bright sunlight. Use common sense please. Geez guys, I get it! I currently do that with the other red dots/reflex sights I own. My point is I have never seen this before on cheaper optics - why on a PRO then? I did mention that I did look outside with it on this bright sunny day in Maryland and the glare was reduced but still visible. Do you own one? If so, please turn it up and let me know what you see please. thanks Any chance it could have something to do with the ARD being in the down position across the lens? It happens because the Aimpoints have some of the brightest available settings in any red dots. I have 4 different Aimpoints (2 H1s, M4s, M3) and all of them can do this when they are turned to high for the environment. |
|
|
|
Posted: 8/31/2014 1:04:16 PM EDT
[#19]
I trust my life with one at work every day...Nuff said.
|
|
|
|
Posted: 8/31/2014 1:20:13 PM EDT
[#20]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
What use are its higher settings if they bloom badly? Would it not be better to be noon time bright and not bloom severely? Many, I repeat, many, other dots can do that. My Leupold VX-R Patrol scope with Firedot reticle, only .3 mil in size, is intensely bright on maximum setting and has no discernable bloom at all. It is bright enough to shoot in the direction of the sun on an extremely bright day. My Lucid M7 is almost as good. Are you saying the PRO has essentially useless settings on the high end? That bloom is completely gone on those freshly fallen snow blindingly sunny days during our Iowa winter days. Nice crisp red dot remains. Lesser RDS sights wash out and are useless. That, the battery life and it works under extreme conditions from hotter than hell summer days to sub zero winter. Simply set the intensity to match the conditions you work or play in and you are good to go. |
|
|
|
Posted: 8/31/2014 1:27:00 PM EDT
[#21]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
What use is its higher settings if they bloom badly? Would it not be better to be noon time bright and not bloom severely? Many, I repeat, many, other dots can do that. My Leupold VX-R Patrol scope with Firedot reticle, only .3 mil in size, is intensely bright on maximum setting and has no discernable bloom at all. It is bright enough to shoot in the direction of the sun on an extremely bright day. My Lucid M7 is almost as good. Are you saying the PRO has essentially useless settings on the high end? You seem to be missing the point. It will bloom if it is too bright for the conditions. The highest setting is very bright, so you must be in a very bright environment to use it. Think of an oncoming car's headlights. During the day, headlights are hardly noticeable, at night, they produce glare. Same light source, different ambient lighting, so different effect. |
|
|
|
Posted: 8/31/2014 5:18:51 PM EDT
[#22]
Just look at it like it's now a big Eotech reticle! Obtw, my Pro does the same thing. Not a big deal.
|
|
|
|
Posted: 9/1/2014 8:32:37 AM EDT
[#23]
I tend to just leave my Pro 2-3 clicks down from max. Thats normally a good compromise between indoor and outdoor or at least you only need to click it one way or the other to suit the current conditions.
|
|
|
|
Posted: 9/1/2014 1:24:18 PM EDT
[#24]
Sorry for the double tap. I don't think I'm missing the point at all. I don't see discernable bloom through a T-1 on maximum setting. This is NOT an anti-Aimpoint question. OP sees a lot of bloom on his PRO at high settings. I'm saying that Leupold seems to have solved the problem with its fiber optic fed Firedot. INTENSELY bright at maximum setting with no bloom. Even the inexpensive Lucid's M7 circle dot is extremely bright on max setting with virtually no bloom.
Where I'm headed is to try to figure out if the PRO is (1) brighter than max brightness T-1, or (2) if his PRO is defective, or (3) if it is an inherent issue with all PRO dots, not present in T-1s and some other equally bright dots. Those seem to be the three choices. Which is it? |
|
|
|
Posted: 9/1/2014 1:30:25 PM EDT
[#25]
On maximum setting where? If OP is indoors, he's going to see a shit load of bloom. The PRO gets BRIGHT. It's meant to be used in all conditions. Even in the brightest conditions here in Texas on a light background, I have never even come close to needing max brightness.
If he were to go outside on a very sunny day where there was snow covering the ground and put it on max, he would see a perfectly round dot. Your Lucid probably does not come even close to as bright as the PRO or EO Techs come. None of my budget optics have and I've had all of them BUT the Lucid. Can't speak of the T1 as I've never used one at max brightness. There is nothing wrong with his PRO. He just has it way brighter than it should be for his environment. |
|
|
|
Posted: 9/1/2014 2:33:07 PM EDT
[#26]
Maybe it is your eyes? Aging of the cornea and general degradation of your eyes would cause blooming and fuzzy images
|
|
|
|
Posted: 9/1/2014 8:23:09 PM EDT
[#27]
If you want to run your PRO at max brightness, just turn it around and use it as a laser sight.
This is my Micro at max brightness. That's the ass end of my pistol against the wall. 
The dot will project across the house in the dark. I can't imagine it being very good for your eyes. |
|
|
|
Posted: 9/2/2014 9:31:45 AM EDT
[#28]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Your Lucid probably does not come even close to as bright as the PRO or EO Techs come. None of my budget optics have and I've had all of them BUT the Lucid. Want to bet? I took the M7 microdot outside yesterday in full noon sun and pointed it at the galvanized, reflective bright steel roof of my barn. Almost like pointing it at the sun. Easily as bright as hunting in snow. I also pointed it at white clouds very close to tge sun. The circle dot reticle was VERY visible and no discernable bloom. And we can't generalize about Lucid, as the Lucid HD7, which I also have, is not nearly as bright. There is no way (at least for me) to demonstrate this brightness in a photo. My point, once again, is there is no rational reason to make a brightness setting available that has a distracting degree of bloom that you guys are reporting. All of the replies here seem to now be saying that the phemenon is a characteristic of the PRO and not a problem unique to OP's unit. I can tell you that it is possible to avoid this, as I have seen with T-1, with Leupold's Firedot on its scopes and Delta Point reflex, and even on the Lucid M7. |
|
|
|
Posted: 9/2/2014 9:35:29 AM EDT
[#29]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Want to bet? I took the M7 microdot outside yesterday in full noon sun and pointed it at the galvanized, reflective bright steel roof of my barn. Almost like pointing it at the sun. Easily as bright as hunting in snow. I also pointed it at white clouds very close to tge sun. The circle dot reticle was VERY visible and no discernable bloom. And we can't generalize about Lucid, as the Lucid HD7, which I also have, is not nearly as bright. There is no way (at least for me) to demonstrate this brightness in a photo. My point, once again, is there is no rational reason to make a brightness setting available that has a distracting degree of bloom that you guys are reporting. All of the replies here seem to now be saying that the phemenon is a characteristic of the PRO and not a problem unique to OP's unit. I can tell you that it is possible to avoid this, as I have seen with T-1, with Leupold's Firedot on its scopes and Delta Point reflex, and even on the Lucid M7. Quote HistoryQuoted:
Quoted: Your Lucid probably does not come even close to as bright as the PRO or EO Techs come. None of my budget optics have and I've had all of them BUT the Lucid. Want to bet? I took the M7 microdot outside yesterday in full noon sun and pointed it at the galvanized, reflective bright steel roof of my barn. Almost like pointing it at the sun. Easily as bright as hunting in snow. I also pointed it at white clouds very close to tge sun. The circle dot reticle was VERY visible and no discernable bloom. And we can't generalize about Lucid, as the Lucid HD7, which I also have, is not nearly as bright. There is no way (at least for me) to demonstrate this brightness in a photo. My point, once again, is there is no rational reason to make a brightness setting available that has a distracting degree of bloom that you guys are reporting. All of the replies here seem to now be saying that the phemenon is a characteristic of the PRO and not a problem unique to OP's unit. I can tell you that it is possible to avoid this, as I have seen with T-1, with Leupold's Firedot on its scopes and Delta Point reflex, and even on the Lucid M7. I'm sorry - but you've not used a PRO on full power so how can you bet me on something you've never seen? It IS possible to avoid it on the PRO. Don't use it on max brightness unless ABSOLUTELY necessary. It's obscenely bright and brighter than any red dot I've used. The firedot reticle equipped scopes are a completely different kind of optic and not comparable to a red dot such as Aimpoint. |
|
|
|
Posted: 9/2/2014 7:35:48 PM EDT
[#30]
We obviously have a failure to communicate. I'll leave it to the group to figure out why. All I can say is that bloom is bad. I have had red dots with it and don't like it. If an optic has it, it should not. Bloom is bloom regardless of the technology.
This can be eliminated even at intensity levels that allow shooting almost directly into the sun or with highly reflective backgrounds. If an optic has such bloom at its maximum settings, either those settings were never useful, or if theoretically useful, the design is not keeping up with technological advances that have been achieved with the T-1 and even now have trickled down to the $200 level. |
|
|
|
Posted: 9/2/2014 7:50:12 PM EDT
[#31]
My primary optic on my AR is the Aimpoint Pro. I've done a few classes and thrown a few thousand rounds down range. I've tried the 4x ACOGs and the variable vocg and preferred the Aimpoint over them.
However I did get the chance to try the 1-4 Elcan SpecterDR and was BLOWN AWAY!!! I cried when I had to put my aimpoint pro back on and send the elcan back.... now my rifle just doesn't feel the same... I think I screwed myself until I get the courage to pay for the Elcan.
|
|
|
|
Posted: 9/19/2014 10:25:26 AM EDT
[#32]
It is better to have brightness and not need it, than to need it and not have it.
|
|
|
|
Posted: 9/19/2014 2:38:09 PM EDT
[#33]
My PRO blooms at the highest setting. I've literally never encountered a situation that I needed max brightness. It's stored 2 clicks down from max, bright days require one click up.
|
|
|
|
Posted: 9/19/2014 6:17:12 PM EDT
[#34]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
My F-15 makes a loud boom sound mid flight, usually at about 750mph. I've owned many Cessnas in the past, none of them have had this issue. What's wrong with my eagle? In all seriousness though, the pro is much brighter than your average red dot, you can't just crank it to 11 and leave it there. Once you see how much glare comes off of desert sand at noon in July, you'll understand the need for the nuclear glow. Best analogy ever |
|
|
|
Posted: 9/19/2014 6:33:24 PM EDT
[#35]
Bloom, starburst, red dot not perfectly round is your eye sight.
On one of these forums an optometrist explained in detail several paragraphs long why it does that. Everyone thinks the aimpoint doesn't produce a perfect round circle but that is not the case. Astigmatism also makes the dot look bloomed. I can't explain but an eye doctor can. Using the dot on lower settings with both eyes open and focusing on target and not on dot is the way to go. |
|
|
Win a FREE Membership!
Sign up for the ARFCOM weekly newsletter and be entered to win a free ARFCOM membership. One new winner* is announced every week!
You will receive an email every Friday morning featuring the latest chatter from the hottest topics, breaking news surrounding legislation, as well as exclusive deals only available to ARFCOM email subscribers.
AR15.COM is the world's largest firearm community and is a gathering place for firearm enthusiasts of all types.
From hunters and military members, to competition shooters and general firearm enthusiasts, we welcome anyone who values and respects the way of the firearm.
Subscribe to our monthly Newsletter to receive firearm news, product discounts from your favorite Industry Partners, and more.
Copyright © 1996-2024 AR15.COM LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Any use of this content without express written consent is prohibited.
AR15.Com reserves the right to overwrite or replace any affiliate, commercial, or monetizable links, posted by users, with our own.
