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Posted: 4/1/2012 7:28:41 AM EDT
Update: 31AUG12
PK01-VS Battery is dead at 153 days / 3672 hours PK-A Venezuela still running, 153 days or 3684 hours as of 31AUG12 2100 CST 03AUG12 125 days / 3012 hours as of 22:00 CST PK01-VS and PK-A Venezuela I'm launching the red dot battery test today and will be posting the results here and on russianoptics.net The test began Sunday 4/1/2012 at 09:00, this first run is for MAX brightness Batteries used are Duracell 3v DL 1/3N Lithium Battery Model 10315 (CR357 style), Duracell AAA Model MN24000 and Duracell 1.5v AA Model MN1500 (good old copper tops). The plan will be to check the brightness twice a day and record the results. After the max brightness test is complete I'll try to run it again on about 75% brightness and see where they end up. The optics are being left in the garage and subject to daily temperature changes. While I don't count this as field conditions it's better than sitting in the house under air conditioning all day. If I get to feeling froggy I'll put them all in the freezer in a future test. Test includes these optics DL 1/3N models PK01-Vi PK-AS PK23 PK-A (Original grey model) AA models Kobra EKP-1S-03M (Dot and Chevron reticule) PK01-VS PK01-VM PK-A (Venezuelan grey model) AAA model PK01-V More info on the red dots here ETA: Completed: PK23.........................80 hours PK-A original.............96 hours PK01-Vi....................96 hours PK01-VM................120 hours PK-AS.....................125 hours PK01-V*................... 21 days/500 hours* * I think PK01-V is too faint to acquire the dot against light backgrounds in full sunlight as of 4/22/12. I'd call it 500 hours under any conditions. The dot is still usable against most contrasting backgrounds but not very light ones. I'll keep the test running to see when the dot fades out. As of 27APR12 the dot is still visible under most lighting excepting the brightest. 5/1/12 PK01-V is no longer bright enough to see at all during the day Z |
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That picture makes my head want to explode.
All at once it makes me happy, envious, and...I have to go...be right back. |
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cool. I know I've left the PK-A on in the safe for a day+ and it still glows, just not as bright.
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Actually I discovered that the PK01-Vi and original PK-A were still on from the last time I had them at the range, which was a week ago. They weren't on max brightness so I replaced batteries in both and started the test at the same time as the rest.
That's about 144 hours, not too bad of a surprise actually. We'll see how well they do on max. Z |
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Quoted:
That picture makes my head want to explode. All at once it makes me happy, envious, and...I have to go...be right back. +1 on everything! |
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36 hours and they are all super bright, except my Kobra that appears to have popped a circuit. Reticule only flickers on for a second when the on/off is switched. I kinda thought this Kobra was flakey from day 1 and now maybe I see why the other guy sold it so cheap
Z |
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Quoted:
I kinda thought this Kobra was flakey from day 1 and now maybe I see why the other guy sold it so cheap Z haha.. that certainly sucks. Curious to see how this test goes. Just had to sell my only Russian optic, a PK-A.. needed quick cash as the VA sneak attacked me with another boning. So it'll be nice to see the battery test results when it comes time to pick a new optic. I really liked the PK-A, but the left side offset was a tad odd feeling to me. Which was a surprise since I don't mind it with the scope on my NDM. I guess the cheek rest makes all the difference. |
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Both eyes open? I found PK-A and especially PK-AS to be difficult with just my shooting eye, until the light went off in my head
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Yep, both open. I think I'm just so used to optics being on top of the rifle that I had a hard time adjusting my head position to make up for it being off set to the left. I found I always had the dot just barely visible in the right edge of the tube.
I'm sure practice and training would take care of it. But since I had to unexpectedly sell the optic I may as well do some research and explore my options before I buy another. The PK23 on the RS Regulate mount is the other one I'm considering. The others that sit really high off the rifle seem nice, but I don't think I'd like how high up the are. |
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I thought I saw a thread here on the actual battery life of the Kobra EKP-1S-03M being much longer than what the manual states.
edit: here it is http://www.ar15.com/forums/t_4_56/86316_Kobra_Battery_Life.html Quoted:
Sorry about the delay in posting this guys, work has been hectic. The batteries finally quit after a mild bit of brightness loss. As near as i can tell the final time was approx: 520 hrs. Now, if you will recall, this was done with the original factory cheapo batteries. My next task is to try this with a set of Duracells and Energizers. Overall I am beyond satisfied. Also, a factor of note, this test took place thru sevral range trips. So the weapon was fired with the Kobra attached and on. Might as well put it thru its paces right? Feedback anyone? Ideas? We need to keep this discussion going, as i would like to see other optics evaluated as well. Thanks all. |
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Quoted:
Great thread TX...look forward to the final results. +1 |
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Quoted:
I thought I saw a thread here on the actual battery life of the Kobra EKP-1S-03M being much longer than what the manual states. edit: here it is http://www.ar15.com/forums/t_4_56/86316_Kobra_Battery_Life.html Quoted:
Sorry about the delay in posting this guys, work has been hectic. The batteries finally quit after a mild bit of brightness loss. As near as i can tell the final time was approx: 520 hrs. Now, if you will recall, this was done with the original factory cheapo batteries. My next task is to try this with a set of Duracells and Energizers. Overall I am beyond satisfied. Also, a factor of note, this test took place thru sevral range trips. So the weapon was fired with the Kobra attached and on. Might as well put it thru its paces right? Feedback anyone? Ideas? We need to keep this discussion going, as i would like to see other optics evaluated as well. Thanks all. I believe most of these optics will do pretty well and Kobra's seem to have a pretty long battery life. Here's a quote from Kobra Battery Test Quoted:
Well, she's finally dead. My AA Kobra with Ni-MH rechargeables rated at 2300mAH has given up somewhere between 816 and 840 hours. So I can expect at least 800hrs when running these batteries, not bad. As mentioned earlier, the Ni-MH batteries gave no warning before they died. Thursday night it was fine bright and by Friday night totally dead. As of 9pm tonight these optics are at 84 hours if my math is right. PK01-Vi is fading and hard to see in direct sunlight. PK-A is fading but not as much. PK23 is fading also but the flickering dot is still pretty quick to pickup. The rest of them are still bright enough to cast tube halo's unless it's direct sunlight. PK01-VS seems to be the brightest actually and I feel like it's going to burn a hole in my retina. Z |
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7:00AM and PK23 is basically unusable even in the morning light. Despite the flickering dot it's too dim to see outdoors.
I'd put battery life on it between 80-90 hours on max PK01-Vi is getting close to being unusable and PK-A original is dim also but brighter than PK01-Vi and still usable. Z |
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PK01-Vi is completely dead and PK-A (original) is non usable between 96 and 108 hours.
95 hours is probably a fair statement for both Z |
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PK01-VM is completely dead between 120 hours when I checked this morning and now at 3pm CST
Total life was 120-125ish, I'll call it 120 even The remaining optics are running strong with PK-AS beginning to fade Z |
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Tx-ZEN,
First - Congratulations on your site, very nice. I'm a big AK fan also and I've covered the AK well, and will have another piece coming soon on my site (www.shootersjournal.net) which will be titled AK-No Excuses... basically an article where I say there's absolutely nothing wrong with the AK, and extoll its virtues. This is my "protest" piece againt all those writers who are constantly saying they "like" AK's and then begin to talk about how it's inferior to their M4's, etc. Second - THANK YOU for doing what you're doing. Your wide variety of arms, optics, and experience with both is creating a good knowledge base; so thank you so very much for sharing that knowledge. Now a question. Are you benchmarking against anything such as perhaps a US (M68 CCO), or perhaps some other optics? If you wish to use the M68 CCO (Aimpoint CompM2) as a benchmark, I have one on my SGL-20. I could pick up a fresh set of batteries and conform to your testing criteria if you like. |
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Thank you for the compliments
Not benching these against anything other than themselves really, it's no secret Aimpoint battery dot life is amazing. I've always been extremely impressed by how long they last...Aimpoints have a well deserved reputation. The T-1 style is still one of the most impressive packages I've used...4 ounces and a multi-year battery life...hard to beat IMO. Z |
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I know the VS and AA are advertised at 400 hours minimum. Curious to see if they perform as advertised.
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PK-AS dot is effectively non illuminated between yesterday 3pm and this morning. You can see the red just barely against black backgrounds but otherwise it's not really bright enough to really be 'on'
Life span was 126-144 hours, or 125 to be safe |
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7PM CST
PK01-VS, PK01-V and PK-A Venezuelan are still as bright as day 1, almost 180 hours now Z |
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I think your Kobra is broken. I've had the same batteries in mine for 6 plus years and it still works fine.
Not left on full time but it has seen plenty of long range days. |
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8 days for PK01-VS, PK01-V and PK-A Venezuela, still going strong
I'll be out of town for a few days and won't be able to check til Wednesday evening Z |
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FYI I left my PK-01V on for 2 months one time a few years ago... it still has the same batteries in it and it still works.
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10.5 days
PK01-VS is still nuclear bright, PK01-V and PK-A Venezuelan are very bright Z |
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You and I have sure scrapped a bunch on this site but putting that behind, kudos where kudos are due.
This is a really interesting test and by the way, your website is one of the best, most user-friendly sites of any topic I've ever read. Informative and very simple to migrate thru. Very well done. You mentioned freezer testing them and unless I missed it, how about submerging them in water as is commonly done by American scope manufacturers? Are these optics waterproof or even designed to be so? I know nothing about them so I'm curious and maybe others are also. Thanks. |
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Quoted:
You and I have sure scrapped a bunch on this site but putting that behind, kudos where kudos are due. This is a really interesting test and by the way, your website is one of the best, most user-friendly sites of any topic I've ever read. Informative and very simple to migrate thru. Very well done. You mentioned freezer testing them and unless I missed it, how about submerging them in water as is commonly done by American scope manufacturers? Are these optics waterproof or even designed to be so? I know nothing about them so I'm curious and maybe others are also. Thanks. I'm sure you'll understand when I say that I'd prefer to not have any dialogue with you. Life is short and you've made your attitude about me pretty clear. Take care. Z |
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Tonight's check:
PK01-V seems like it might be dimming a little, PK01-VS and PK-A Venezuela are both strong at nearly 11.5 days now |
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I'm sure you'll understand when I say that I'd prefer to not have any dialogue with you.
Life is short and you've made your attitude about me pretty clear. Take care. Understood. Well, consider it an extended hand. Shake it any time if you like, it's there. Thanks for the update on the optics. |
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Tonight PK01-V is still slightly dimmer but continues to be bright enough for direct sunlight, PK01-VS is still insanely bright and PK-A Venezuela is right behind it.
If I'm on the right day it's 12.5 days continuous max brightness for these remaining three. Z |
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Not yet, been travelling alot for business and haven't had much time. There is a certain amount of corrosion on the contacts I noticed but I'm not sure when or where it came from. Hopefully I'll be able to clean it up and get it working again.
Z |
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Coming up on 14.5 days for the last 3
I fiddled with the Kobra this morning and was able to get the reticule back on, so the Kobra is back in the test as of 09:00am CST. Z |
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17.5 days PK01-V, PK01-VS and PK-A Venezuela
That's 420 hours, all 3 optics have exceeded their published specs Z |
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Sounding like a broken record, but PK01-V, PK01-VS and PK-A Venezuela still going strong.
18.5 days, 445 hours as of 10pm CST tonight Z |
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21 days / 504 hours
*Edit I think PK01-V is too faint to acquire the dot against light backgrounds in full sunlight as of 4/22/12. I'd call it 500 hours under any conditions. The dot is still usable against most contrasting backgrounds but not very light ones. I'll keep the test running to see when the dot fades out. PK01-VS is super bright and PK-A Venezuela starting to fade against light backgrounds in full sunlight Z |
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22 days / 536 hours as of 17:00 CST
Testing PK01-V again in bright sunlight again today and I can still acquire the dot against most backgrounds even if they are very light. Today might not be quite as bright outside as yesterday was but I can definitely still use the dot out to about 200m before it gets lost against white backgrounds. Very clear against anything dark like trees Z |
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23 days / 562 hours as of 19:00 CST
I think it's safe to say that PK01-V is unusable in direct sunlight after 500 hours, today was really bright and I was unable to acquire it against any background. The dot is still on but you really can't see it in the daylight. PK01-VS continues to be mega bright with PK-A Venezuela right behind it. Z |
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I've been watching this thread with great interest because I'm trying to decide on a red dot for my AK. Do you know of anybody that sells the PK-A Venezuela? I can't find that variant anywhere. Honestly I'd probably be nearly as happy with a PK01-V but I really like the looks of the Venezuela.
Also could you offer any thoughts on the differences between the PK style red dots and the Kobra? Specifically I'm thinking of the differences in actually shooting with each as opposed to issues like battery life. |
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ok131583 from gunbroker is the only one I know who can get the PK-A venezuela. Two small batches have already been sold but he's not sure he can get more of them. You could contact him on GB and see what he can do though, won't hurt to try.
The PK series are great red dots but honestly I'm not a big fan of them overall. I'd be confident in using any of them if I had to but I prefer Rakurs, Obzor and PK-AS because they are always-on collimators type optics. One of the biggest things that I like about Rakurs and Obzor is the reticule pattern...German Post for Rakurs and a nifty triangle for Obzor. To me these types are easier to acquire than a small dot and help you with quick shooting at close ranges but also allow for more precise aiming at longer ranges because of the fine point of the reticule. This is also why I like the Kobra as much as I do, I'm a fan of the dot and chevron pattern and the 3 bar reticule that it has. The Kobra was the first red dot type optic that made me start thinking about how useful a reticule can be... at that time it began to tie in with my growing appreciation of the PSO-1 reticule because I was shooting my NDM86 like crazy back then. I was already hooked on PK-AS but Kobra made a good impression, between the two of them and because of the PSO-1 reticule I lost interest in more classic red dot's. I still have a soft spot for PK-A original but it's not doing anything that PK01-V and others can't do as well or better to be honest. Down the road I picked up a few Aimpoints and decided that as nice as they were I liked the larger 4 MOA dot even less than the 2 MOA of the Russian red dots. I've used them in rifle classes and they did what they were supposed to do but I find them much more difficult at 300m+. I prefer to have the ability to use the rifle under most conditions from 0-500m rather than optimize it for one role only like CQB and that's a big reason I don't care for the dots. As a side note I used Rakurs on my S12 for a year and half and was able to effectively hit clays and had it zeroed for slugs. 1500 rounds and it held up great, it has really impressed me with how tough it is - another reason why I'm such a fan of it. Of the red dots that you can realistically get I vote for PK01-V. It's probably the most familiar in terms of red dots, it's centered, it's very low and it has a useful battery life. If I had to buy something off the shelf and it wasn't a collimator PK01-V is probably what I'd get, that or the latest version of Kobra. If price is no object RS Regulate has his T-1 mount and I think that will be a good combination...his mounts are very light and the T-1 is light also, the total package will probably be about 10 ounces which is about 5-8 less then a typical Russian design. Z |
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25 days / 609 hours as of 18:00 CST
PK01-VS and PK-A Venezuela Z |
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20:00 CST
PK01-VS and PK-A Venezuela are both at 26.5 days / 635 hours |
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