Just back from the range, first shooting impressions are:

I love how this corrects for my vision defects. Both target & reticle are very sharp, allowing for more precision by me than anything short of a LPVO. Glass is surprisingly clear.

I understand why people complain about the size of the chevron, but I prefer it to something larger (unless it was the only reticle element) as the small size is what allows for very precise shots while the horseshoe makes for fast up-close shots.

I'm not sure if I'll ever need the reticle ranging capabilities as the 5.56's trajectory is so flat that even using the chevron as a BDC may be overkill (past 200yds, just hold over a bit for COM, don't need a BDC or ranging for that). However, who knows what the future holds, I may find I do like/need the ranging capabilities (but I do like the moving target lead built into the horseshoe).

My diopter adjustment is +2.50, and adjusting that far does introduce a slight amount of magnification (but not enough to hinder my shooting, YMMV). This, IMHO, is far outweighed by having a sharper reticle/target.

Sighting in was easy. However, the clicks are both fine & small, fortunately the clicks were very tactile through the penny I made the adjustments with.

I'm glad I went with an appx 1/3 cowitness (used an ADM QD absolute cowitness mount), this height is both comfortable to shoot from and the ranging hashes clear my FSB.

Eye relief and eyebox are both generous. However, eye position wasn't optimal from my preferred stock length (4 position stock, 1 position in from fully extended) unless I remove my rear BUIS and mount the Cyclops as far back as it will go.
However, shooting 2 positions in instead of 1 allows me to keep my BUIS (however, in light of the Cyclops no need for batteries for daylight use, I wonder if I still even need my BUIS/FSB, hmmm...).

My only minor complaint is the brightness control knob is very stiff (not that I expect to use it much, but still...). I find setting 3/11 adequate for lowlight/WML use (should improve battery life to, what, 5-6K hrs?) which is the only time I *expect* to use the battery.

Overall I'm *very* pleased w/the Cyclops, enough that I've ordered a 2nd for my other 'go-to' AR and put my previous RDS' on the EE.
While it's a matter of personal preference if either an RDS or 1x Prism work for you, I highly recommend checking out the Cyclops if you have vision problems that fall within its ability to correct.

Tomac

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Good write up, good review.

Good writeup.
I got a PA 3x prism a few months ago, and had similar good impressions of it.
I have mine on a Palmetto AR in 7.62 x 39, and because of the rainbow trajectory of the x39, I find the BDC very useful.
300 yards is about the limit I had before with my FastFires and scout scopes on my other x39 carbines, but with the PA, I find I can connect at 400 and 500 yards.
And yes, the diopter adjustment is nice, as my close in vision needs some help these days.

Good info!  I've been intently waiting for first-hand reviews of this optic.  My astigmatism makes red-dots a little less than ideal, so I'm glad to hear it works well.

Just out of curiosity, is the illumination daylight bright like a red-dot?

I'd considered a number of other prism optics (Burris: Heavier, proprietary mount, don't care for the reticle, liked the AA battery, though) (New Bushnell "Little P": Almost Micro size and lighter, but don't care for push button adjustments, the reticle or uncapped W/E adjustments) (Vortex: Comes closer, almost bought it but don't care for the reticle) but only the Cyclops came closest to what I want in a 1x prism optic (YMMV). I really liked my older Leupold Prismatics, would probably still have them if not for the DCD reticle I simply couldn't get used to.

To answer your question, illumination is daylight bright, but not as bright as an RDS so not bright enough to 'pop' and grab your attention. However, with an etched reticle, to me this is inconsequential as I don't plan on using the battery illumination at all except in lowlight/WML situations.

Btw, one interesting feature about good 1x prism optics I forgot to mention is light-gathering. In dusk/dawn conditions, you'll see a lot more through a good prism optic than you will through any std RDS.

Tomac

ETA: IMHO it's the simplified ACSS reticle that really separates the Cyclops from other 1x prism optics. Very clean and uncluttered, all you need are the small chevron and large horseshoe for both precision and speed, the ranging hashmarks can be entirely ignored if desired.

It’s plenty bright though,  Technically, he’s right, but in no way weak...mines just not quite as bright as an Aimpoint.  BUT, the reticle is so bold, I doubt I’d use it during the daytime.  Did I tell you that you could put it in a sock and beat someone to death with it?  Solid feeling.  One more thing, I think the glass is noticeably better than my three x.

I have Aimpoint, Elcans, Acogs ( I have some other scopes to compare ) and for purpose, this is a great little scope.  YMMV

Is it possible to pop a 3x magnifier behind it?
I don't know if it would work because it's a prismatic scope.

PA says yes.

Tomac

Your riser seems really tall.  Why so high?

If you have a standard front sight assembly, the lower parts of the reticle will be within the front sight post area/unusable.

Optical illusion, compare its size to the Magpul BUIS behind it. It's an Aimpoint Micro absolute cowitness mount that provides a 1/3 cowitness height w/the Cyclops.

Tomac

Not if you're using a 1/3 cowitness height. An absolute cowitness height will cause the FSB to block the ranging hashes but not the reticle itself.

Tomac

My findings are exactly same as yours - Chevron is a bit thick but I understand the reason behind its thickness (for BDC use), Ranging capability is not warranted for 1x optic, Illumination is quite stiff in mine but that's somewhat irrelevant since I hardly ever use illumination.  Oh, glass is damn good for the price point! and this thing is built like a tank.

The micro-dot standard mounting is a very nice feature that eliminates the model-specific mount, like my old Vortex Spitfire.

Overall, the Cyclops hits its intended mark IMO.

Tag.
thanks for the write up, Tomac

Welcome!

Good writeup as usual.

Any chance you could weigh it? Always curious to the actual weight of optics vs published weights, especially as this competes directly with my Vortex Spitfire 1x's for more money spent and you also already have it in an ADM QD mount.

My Vortex Spifire 1x's in ADM QD mounts with riser and factory flip caps weigh 12.5 ounces.

W/ADM mount & battery but w/o flip covers weight is right at 10.55 oz.

Tomac

ETA: As an experiment, I'm seriously considering trying the factory absolute cowitness mount. It would mean removing my MBUS & FSB (MBUS prevents optimal Cyclops location for me and I don't like how the FSB blocks so much of the reticle at absolute cowitness height), but w/the Cyclops' etched reticle and my aging eyes, I'm starting to think that BUIS are of limited use to me. Hmmm.... (Insert "That's a bold move, Cotton!" meme here )

Well, if you insist... Attached File

First range trip, so far so good (fingers crossed!)

Tomac

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I've always looked at pa products but never followed through with a purchase. I'm keeping a close eye on this one.

Thanks for the review

That is a bold move, Have you thought about moving to a rail and having buis just in case. While electrical failure is a non issue with prisms something could always fail inside causing wandering zero or the such. But on the other hand alot of high speed guys in the know have stopped using buis as well.

Looks good, Tomac

Thank you for the info!

I completely understand wanting the FSB gone as I too cannot stand crap in my optic's sight picture. Just don't think ai could bring myself to shave it off and not go with a FF tube with flip up BUIS though.

Already considered that future possibility. Should I someday decide I simply cannot live w/o BUIS, I'll replace my Magpul handguards w/a drop-in railed handguard (of course, that would mean moving the Cyclops forward past my preferred position to make room for the rear BUIS, perhaps along w/a 1/3 cowitness mount, collapsing the stock more than I'd like and I find myself right back at square one! ).

As it is, for now the front of my rifle is several ounces lighter, the Cyclops is perfectly positioned for me and I don't think going to absolute cowitness from my usual 1/3 is going to cause any problems (btw, FOV through the Cyclops is so wide I can see the top of my handguards at the bottom of my sight picture).

Tomac

If you do put a rail and buis on it i would just put the buis infront of the optic, they are back ups after all and the inch of site radius is secondary to the usability of your optic

Good idea!

Tomac

Thanks for the write up. I also bought a Cyclops but have not installed it yet. Most likely with put it on one of my SBR's when I get done building it :)

Rudy

We expect a range report soonest!

Tomac

You're welcome, Mike! As those who have noticed over the years here, I've posted reviews of at least a dozen different optics and I've paid retail for each of them, posting both the good and the bad as I see it (no optics pun intended...).

While IMHO the Cyclops isn't a 'red dot killer' (heck, I'd still be using an RDS if it wasn't for my eye problems), it's a quality & well-thought-out/practical alternative where an RDS is no longer an optimal choice.
Keep up the good work!

Tomac

The CASV Height mount and Primary Arms factory mount are dead on as far as height goes. I figure they are close enough. I don't have calipers, just a tape measure.

Both mounts measured close to 0.5625" Tall from where the rail touches the mount, to the top of the mounting surface for the optic.

Only have the mount that far back for Comparison.




The scope isn't touching the BUIS, it just looks that way.
Also the color isn't a match, but that doesn't even bother me at all. I kind of like it. Reminds me of a SCAR.

Sorry for posting this in a few threads. I just figure it is relevant. I want to say it's as close to absolute cowitness as you can get with a QD Mount.

Awaiting arrival of my tax stamp then, will do :)

Rudy

@PA-Mike No pics showing! (And btw, any idea when the optional riser for the factory mount will be available? Thx!)

Tomac

Any chance of selling these mounts and riser separate for Primary Arms micro buyers? They seem really solid, as far as the Holosun style mounts I don't trust the mounting screw. A well built/non qd budget riser that won't break the bank would be wonderful.

i know i love mine!!!

Tomac, thanks for the review.  This was one of the factors that pushed me to go ahead and get a Cyclops to try out.  I have the Vortex 1x prism that I've been playing with and now I have the Cyclops which I haven't had a chance to shoot with yet.  But the clarity and precision these 1x prisms offer over a red dot has me already thinking about swapping out most of my red dots.  I did an informal test where I shot some groups with one of my trusty Aimpoints and the Vortex and there was an obvious difference in group size.  Granted, the point isn't to shoot tiny groups but at distance the prism really helps with my vision issues.   Having an etched reticle is a huge plus, and kind of negates the loss of battery life to some extent.

My take FWIW

Mounted mine on an RDB today.
My glasses are kinda old, and I forgot about the chevron—I looked through it and assumed it was a horseshoe with a 1-1.5MOA dot in the center. I finally got around to looking straight at a white light inside the house while messing with the diopter per the instructions, and low and behold I could see a small triangle. A little more turning showed the smallest of chevrons.

I may try to adjust it some more, but the chevron is so small that—until I get new glasses—I may just put the bullseye at the top of the “dot”.

It’s MUCH brighter than I expected. At 11, it’s basically nuclear. I don’t foresee any issues, but again, even looking into dark foliage, I’d probably just keep it on 4-5. I have tested it with my 400 lumens light and my 800 lumens light, and the reticle brightness holds its own even against a white wall....though, again, the black reticle is good for 80-90% of shooting I do.

A horseshoe or circle always helps with speed since you can frame targets.
My shooting report will be done tomorrow, but so far I’m very happy.

(I still say, for Cyclops 2.0, move the brightness knob to the top and maybe use two CR2032s for 6K hours, which would likely be a year at any reasonable setting.  I also think instead of 11” at 100Y, maybe go with a torso width horseshoe of 18” at 100Y, and a 4.5” face/center-mass width at 25Y...you could put two dots in for the running shots, and use a slightly bigger chevron—though that would effect BDC...just not sure BDC matters for a non-magnified optic).

I don't think the 6k hours would be possible. It's possible with a red dot, but this is a prism sight with a totally different illumination system.
I also think that the brightness setting being at the top would be a preferable location. I would also like to see an offsetting in between the brightness settings.

Well, my FDE Cyclops will be here Saturday. I plan on shooting it Sunday after Church or Monday. Hopefully my AR500 target will get here soon so I can start dinging with it. I goofed up and did not take the 1/3 cowitness deal with the sight thinking absolute would be ok. The Pistol (Sig M400P) I plan on putting it on has a fixed front sight. So....I had to order the PA 1/3 riser tonight, after reading through this thread. Oh well. I have a PA 4-14 ACSS mounted on my POF 308 that I absolutely LOVE! If the Cyclops is as good as the 4-14, I'm going to get the 3x Cyclops with the 300 BO reticle for a pistol build in progress now.

I thought that the Cyclops sits high, and to gain a lower 1/3rd you need an absolute riser.

Either way, the 1/3rd riser you got will work but may sit a little higher than needed.

CASV= Absolute
Absolute= 1/3
1/3= Too High

OK, just color me confused now. (Which isn't unusual according to Mrs TB) The riser that comes with the Cyclops will allow me to see the lower hash marks on the reticle without occlusion from the fixed front sight? The riser that I ordered is taller. According to PA, it is 1/3. Educate me, use small words please.  BTW, the sight got here early and is out for delivery today.

I've watched all the youtube videos on this. I really want it now. I don't even need an optic now but I think I will take the 2.5-10x Vortex off and replace it with this.

I don't think I need that much magnification for what I use my ARs for, and i like the size, weight and ruggedness of the cyclops.

It would go on the bottom rifle.

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The factory Cyclops mount is absolute cowitness height, the lower hash marks will occlude the FSB. The PA Cyclops .23" riser will give you a 1/3 cowitness and the lower hash marks will just clear the FSB.
When using Aimpoint Micro mounts, an absolute cowitness micro mount will give you an appx 1/3 cowitness w/the Cyclops.
HTH...

Tomac