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Posted: 10/3/2021 12:33:27 PM EDT
I'm curious now that they've been out for a little a while.
I'm thinking about buying one just for the heck of it. Is it something I'd regret having? How does the parallax compare to the MRO? 
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Posted: 10/3/2021 12:49:23 PM EDT
[#1]
mine's holding up great, but the mount is a little sketchy. i've had to re-zero it twice
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Posted: 10/3/2021 12:50:51 PM EDT
[#2]
I have it on one of my 10.5s and no problems here. But I don’t really like that pixelated reticle though.
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Posted: 10/3/2021 2:53:46 PM EDT
[#3]
Quote HistoryQuoted: mine's holding up great, but the mount is a little sketchy. i've had to re-zero it twice That's somewhat concerning... Anyone experienced the same issues with the mount? |
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Posted: 10/3/2021 2:56:13 PM EDT
[#4]
Quote HistoryQuoted: I have it on one of my 10.5s and no problems here. But I don’t really like that pixelated reticle though. I know that going into a holographic sight, isn't it the same with EOTech? |
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Posted: 10/3/2021 3:50:40 PM EDT
[#5]
Quote HistoryQuoted: I know that going into a holographic sight, isn't it the same with EOTech? Yes, that is the nature of the beast with true holographic sights, which are really just the EOTECH's and AMG. |
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Posted: 10/3/2021 5:46:21 PM EDT
[#6]
They drain batteries just sitting on a shelf, in under a month or so. Supposedly they resolved it with a software update and the ones that have the software update out of the factory were made in July 2021 and beyond with a serial number U217xxxxx. So far I have yet to find one brand new from a reputable vendor that has this newer serial number. But if you do a search outside of AR15.com you'll find multiple reports of battery issues. Vortex will replace your UH-1 Gen II with another that has the same defect but I have yet to find anyone with a sight made after July to see if it was truly fixed.
The elevation/windage is supposed to be part of the mount and not inside the device, kind of like an ELCAN. I'd double check that tension nut/screw. The Vortex Micro 3X has the same type of system and on out of spec rails it was hard to adjust that nut because the screw would prevent a flathead from accessing the slot of the nut because of how tight it had to be. I have these RRA AR15 uppers made around 2004 or so where if I brought an optic over from a SCAR, Tavor, or LaRue upper, the QD mount would be totally loose and require a lot of tightening (LaRue, ADM, etc...) to get it to the right setting. But make sure you push the sight/recoil bar forward (toward the muzzle) as you latch down the lever. There are still people that don't do this or do the exact opposite. |
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Posted: 10/3/2021 7:49:27 PM EDT
[#7]
Quote HistoryQuoted: They drain batteries just sitting on a shelf, in under a month or so. Supposedly they resolved it with a software update and the ones that have the software update out of the factory were made in July 2021 and beyond with a serial number U217xxxxx. So far I have yet to find one brand new from a reputable vendor that has this newer serial number. But if you do a search outside of AR15.com you'll find multiple reports of battery issues. Vortex will replace your UH-1 Gen II with another that has the same defect but I have yet to find anyone with a sight made after July to see if it was truly fixed. The elevation/windage is supposed to be part of the mount and not inside the device, kind of like an ELCAN. I'd double check that tension nut/screw. The Vortex Micro 3X has the same type of system and on out of spec rails it was hard to adjust that nut because the screw would prevent a flathead from accessing the slot of the nut because of how tight it had to be. I have these RRA AR15 uppers made around 2004 or so where if I brought an optic over from a SCAR, Tavor, or LaRue upper, the QD mount would be totally loose and require a lot of tightening (LaRue, ADM, etc...) to get it to the right setting. But make sure you push the sight/recoil bar forward (toward the muzzle) as you latch down the lever. There are still people that don't do this or do the exact opposite. Wow, so these have the issue of draining the battery just sitting turned off too? I thought that was just an EOTech problem... Must be a holographic sight problem in general. Well, I'm leaning Aimpoint again... I knew there were a couple things I'd just have to accept going into a sight like this, but I thought they'd have learned some lessons from EOTech and not make the same mistakes like with the battery drain issue, and there's no real workaround for the mount issues. 
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Posted: 10/3/2021 8:33:44 PM EDT
[#8]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Wow, so these have the issue of draining the battery just sitting turned off too? I thought that was just an EOTech problem... Must be a holographic sight problem in general. Well, I'm leaning Aimpoint again... I knew there were a couple things I'd just have to accept going into a sight like this, but I thought they'd have learned some lessons from EOTech and not make the same mistakes like with the battery drain issue, and there's no real workaround for the mount issues. I recall this being an issue with EOTech over 15+ years ago, hence the Rev F thing that was stressed big time back then for the latest firmware that resolves the battery drain. I wasn't aware EOTechs still had this issue. My EOTEch 512 from 2006 drains Alkaline and NiMH fairly quickly (like say 1 year or under 1 year) but seems to be fine with Lithium AA's. The voltage is still over 1.7 VDC after being left in there for over 6 months. But it is a known issue with the UH-1 Gen II. I had one that was bought May 2021, but could have been made in early 2020 or late 2020. I popped in the CR123, played with it a few times, and left it on a shelf for under 4 weeks. Went to try it and the CR123 was drained dry. I went online and checked around and saw a few people mentioning it. Some don't mind popping in a new CR123 every month. Others sent it back to vortex only to get another defective UH-1. I contacted Vortex and they told me about a software update that would be available after May. I followed up recently and they mentioned the factory cut-in was July of this year and the serial numbers would start with U217xxxxx probably to denote 2021 July (my guess). I called around various stores and some refused to look through their inventory and one large vendor that is fairly high volume looked through their stock and none of them were even remotely close to 217. I've tried asking around to see if anyone got the bona fide software update to see if it really solved the issue, but so far no luck. |
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Posted: 10/3/2021 9:29:56 PM EDT
[#9]
I got a UH1 Gen2 to replace an XPS2-0. I've had it for maybe 6 months.
Vortex is even more pixelated than the Eotech was. However, when you look at it for passive aiming through a PVS14, it is perfectly crisp in NV mode. I haven't had issues with the mount or with passive battery drain. However, if I was doing it all again I would have just bought another Aimpoint T2. I was trying to do something different for this particular SBR, and the weight and reticle quality make it not worth it for me and my preferences. |
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Posted: 10/3/2021 9:30:58 PM EDT
[#10]
Quoted: I recall this being an issue with EOTech over 15+ years ago, hence the Rev F thing that was stressed big time back then for the latest firmware that resolves the battery drain. I wasn't aware EOTechs still had this issue. My EOTEch 512 from 2006 drains Alkaline and NiMH fairly quickly (like say 1 year or under 1 year) but seems to be fine with Lithium AA's. The voltage is still over 1.7 VDC after being left in there for over 6 months. But it is a known issue with the UH-1 Gen II. I had one that was bought May 2021, but could have been made in early 2020 or late 2020. I popped in the CR123, played with it a few times, and left it on a shelf for under 4 weeks. Went to try it and the CR123 was drained dry. I went online and checked around and saw a few people mentioning it. Some don't mind popping in a new CR123 every month. Others sent it back to vortex only to get another defective UH-1. I contacted Vortex and they told me about a software update that would be available after May. I followed up recently and they mentioned the factory cut-in was July of this year and the serial numbers would start with U217xxxxx probably to denote 2021 July (my guess). I called around various stores and some refused to look through their inventory and one large vendor that is fairly high volume looked through their stock and none of them were even remotely close to 217. I've tried asking around to see if anyone got the bona fide software update to see if it really solved the issue, but so far no luck. I was thinking of ordering through EuroOptic or Brownells, I'd think they move through inventory pretty quickly? Maybe it's worth a shot to try, but I'm not really sure at this point. |
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Posted: 10/3/2021 9:41:46 PM EDT
[#11]
Quote HistoryQuoted: I got a UH1 Gen2 to replace an XPS2-0. I've had it for maybe 6 months. Vortex is even more pixelated than the Eotech was. However, when you look at it for passive aiming through a PVS14, it is perfectly crisp in NV mode. I haven't had issues with the mount or with passive battery drain. However, if I was doing it all again I would have just bought another Aimpoint T2. I was trying to do something different for this particular SBR, and the weight and reticle quality make it not worth it for me and my preferences. Before considering the UH-1 Gen II I was going back and forth between the Aimpoint T2 (without mount) and the COMP M5S, the price is always holding me back though... Oddly, I don't have the reservation on price when it comes to ACOGs, but when it comes to red dot sights I find it very hard to justify for some reason. I'm not sure why that is? |
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Posted: 10/3/2021 11:04:55 PM EDT
[#12]
I know you’re asking about the Gen. II, but I got a Gen. I around a year ago for $300 used and it’s been holding up fantastic.
I haven’t had to change the batteries much at all since I’ve been careful to turn the unit off whenever I’m not using it. Very rugged and feels bombproof to me. The biggest con is the pixelated reticle that others speak of but if you lower the brightness you can mitigate that. If you can live without the NV settings that Gen II offers, you can get the Gen I for a screaming deal on the used/refurb market |
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Posted: 10/3/2021 11:13:05 PM EDT
[#13]
Quote HistoryQuoted: I got a UH1 Gen2 to replace an XPS2-0. I've had it for maybe 6 months. Vortex is even more pixelated than the Eotech was. However, when you look at it for passive aiming through a PVS14, it is perfectly crisp in NV mode. I haven't had issues with the mount or with passive battery drain. However, if I was doing it all again I would have just bought another Aimpoint T2. I was trying to do something different for this particular SBR, and the weight and reticle quality make it not worth it for me and my preferences. I never had issues with the Pixelation. Always looked fine to me same as the Eotech. |
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Posted: 10/4/2021 12:08:01 AM EDT
[#14]
Quote HistoryQuoted: I know that going into a holographic sight, isn't it the same with EOTech? Watch supersetca's video on it at about 2:05 as an example.  Vortex AMG UH-1 Gen 2 and 3X Micro Magnifier Review - The Bigger Better EOTech? |
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Posted: 10/4/2021 10:54:20 AM EDT
[#15]
As mentioned before the UH-1 Gen II reticle is a tad thicker than the EOTech standard reticle, so the pixelation is a bit more noticeable. Personally I don't feel it is any worse than the EOTech.
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Posted: 10/4/2021 11:09:21 AM EDT
[#16]
Quote HistoryQuoted: What's the first 4 serial numbers on your Uh1 Gen2? Do you know if it was repaired or replaced by Vortex at some point if it was a secondhand purchase? I never had issues with the Pixelation. Always looked fine to me same as the Eotech. I've got three GEN 1's and a GEN 2 currently. I've had the GEN 2 for around six months. U217xxx SN. It's had the original battery in it since new, just turned it on, and it's working fine. Purchased new, from a reputable dealer. One of my GEN 1's has battery drain issues, one of these days I'll send it in, and see if they can fix it. |
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Posted: 10/4/2021 11:47:11 AM EDT
[#17]
Quote HistoryQuoted: I've got three GEN 1's and a GEN 2 currently. I've had the GEN 2 for around six months. U217xxx SN. It's had the original battery in it since new, just turned it on, and it's working fine. Purchased new, from a reputable dealer. One of my GEN 1's has battery drain issues, one of these days I'll send it in, and see if they can fix it. They did say U217 and above have the software fix. I am surprised you had it for 6 months when they supposedly started cutting the software into production in July (according to Vortex), or maybe they cut the software into production earlier than July and the rep was mistaken. When I contacted Vortex in May/June they said they finally identified the problem as a software issue. But yeah U217 and above are supposed to be fine. The one I had was bought new from a reputable vendor in May (Forgot to take note of the serial number) and ate the battery in under 1 month but recall it was U20x. I contacted that vendor recently and they had an inventory of 55, with the newest S/N being U211 and nothing above that. |
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Posted: 10/4/2021 1:50:11 PM EDT
[#18]
is there a place to get the SN off it without removing it from a gun?
my battery is holding up fine, but i'd like to check the sn |
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Posted: 10/4/2021 2:29:50 PM EDT
[#19]
Just remove it from the gun. It's on the bottom.
I've given up on the UH-1. I'll wait a year or so to hear if the software update for U217xxxxx really fixed the issues longterm and for all the old stock to filter out. When I had the UH-1 I thought it was a decent alternative to the EXPS2/EXPS3 but I wish they had the buttons on the side like the EXPS. I'm not a huge fan of the Vortex mount design - it's serviceable but not ideal just my humble opinion. |
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Posted: 10/4/2021 3:56:57 PM EDT
[#20]
Quote HistoryQuoted: As mentioned before the UH-1 Gen II reticle is a tad thicker than the EOTech standard reticle, so the pixelation is a bit more noticeable. Personally I don't feel it is any worse than the EOTech. Makes sense, thanks for the info. |
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Posted: 10/4/2021 7:48:22 PM EDT
[#21]
Quote HistoryQuoted: What's the first 4 serial numbers on your Uh1 Gen2? Do you know if it was repaired or replaced by Vortex at some point if it was a secondhand purchase? I never had issues with the Pixelation. Always looked fine to me same as the Eotech. I am not able to pull the serial number right now, but I bought it new in April of 2021. It's not unusable, but just a bit worse than the Eotech is all. |
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Posted: 10/5/2021 12:03:37 PM EDT
[#22]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Just remove it from the gun. It's on the bottom. I've given up on the UH-1. I'll wait a year or so to hear if the software update for U217xxxxx really fixed the issues longterm and for all the old stock to filter out. When I had the UH-1 I thought it was a decent alternative to the EXPS2/EXPS3 but I wish they had the buttons on the side like the EXPS. I'm not a huge fan of the Vortex mount design - it's serviceable but not ideal just my humble opinion. I'm thinking you must have obtained your UH-1 Gen 2 through Brownells? There's a review on there that's pretty much exactly what you've said here, was that review yours? Somehow I'm still considering this optic, but I might just order it through EuroOptic even though I could save a few bucks with a discount code if I went through Brownells. I do want to try and get into the good serial number range to hopefully avoid the battery draining issue, so knowing that I still might wait a couple of months before possibly putting one of these on order. Or I might just completely change my mind in that time with as wishy washy as I am about red dots and holographic sights in general. 
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Posted: 10/21/2021 3:21:44 PM EDT
[#23]
Just received my UH-1 gen 2 today from EuroOptic. S/N is U211xxxx which based on this thread, seems to be a bit of a bummer. I have three EOTechs, two are 553.A65s which have had their batteries in them for about a year now with no issue. My other EOtech is a 512 with dual AAs - no problem there either. I've sent an email to Vortex seeking clarification on when updates were implemented. In the meantime, I'll keep an eye on my UH-1 and send it back if it starts to eat batteries.
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Posted: 10/21/2021 3:48:49 PM EDT
[#24]
I recall the EOTech "Rev F" issue addressed their ghost drain or battery life issues and this was circa 2004-2005. https://www.ar15.com/forums/armory/Eotech_Rev_E_vs__Rev_F/18-283504/
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Posted: 10/21/2021 5:24:44 PM EDT
[#25]
Quote HistoryQuoted: I recall the EOTech "Rev F" issue addressed their ghost drain or battery life issues and this was circa 2004-2005. https://www.ar15.com/forums/armory/Eotech_Rev_E_vs__Rev_F/18-283504/ I vaguely recall reading about that but can't remember now. It's been many years since I bought the 553s. All I can tell you is that the batteries last a very long time when the units are off. As for Vortex, they responded. They just told me to keep an eye on it and if it dies prematurely, to send it in for repair or replacement. Unfortunately, they did not give any sort of S/N info with regards to the issue. |
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Posted: 10/21/2021 5:32:20 PM EDT
[#26]
I remember the EOTech Rev F thing because when I bought my 512 in 2006, it was a big deal on the Internet and my 512 had a "F" on the side.
The UH-1 Gen 2 drain requires a few weeks to see if it impacts your UH-1 (sitting on a shelf, turned off, with the battery installed). |
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Posted: 10/21/2021 7:28:05 PM EDT
[#27]
I've got 2 of the Gen 1's and haven't had any battery drain issues. I should mention I change the batteries in all of my optics every 6 months.
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Posted: 10/21/2021 7:35:29 PM EDT
[#28]
I have one and I want to sell it. It works but the short battery life just isn’t worth dealing with. The advantages over a conventional red dot aren’t substantive enough to justify changing a battery every few months.
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Posted: 10/21/2021 7:43:21 PM EDT
[#29]
Quote HistoryQuoted: I have one and I want to sell it. It works but the short battery life just isn't worth dealing with. The advantages over a conventional red dot aren't substantive enough to justify changing a battery every few months. If you send it into Vortex under warranty they should be able to update the firmware. They will even pay for your shipping both ways. But I agree, after trying the UH-1 a few times I went back to Aimpoint. I still have my Comp ML3 but the new T2 with a Scalarworks LEAP01 mount is incredibly light and compact. |
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Posted: 10/21/2021 7:53:36 PM EDT
[#30]
Quote HistoryQuoted: If you send it into Vortex under warranty they should be able to update the firmware. They will even pay for your shipping both ways. But I agree, after trying the UH-1 a few times I went back to Aimpoint. I still have my Comp ML3 but the new T2 with a Scalarworks LEAP01 mount is incredibly light and compact. I like to do a lot of dry firing with my rifles so I legitimately ran through the entire battery life in a few months. My Huey is functioning normally and exhibited the expected battery life but it just doesn’t suit my needs. The T2 is one of the replacements I’m considering, along with the Comp M4, Holosun HE515CT and possibly the ACRO P2 if the parallax is significantly better than the P1. |
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Posted: 10/21/2021 8:05:21 PM EDT
[#31]
Quote HistoryQuoted: I remember the EOTech Rev F thing because when I bought my 512 in 2006, it was a big deal on the Internet and my 512 had a "F" on the side. The UH-1 Gen 2 drain requires a few weeks to see if it impacts your UH-1 (sitting on a shelf, turned off, with the battery installed). You got me wondering so I went and looked at my 553s. These are the ones with ARMS QD levers. They both have manufacturing dates in 2011. No battery drain issues with those. |
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Posted: 10/21/2021 10:39:25 PM EDT
[#32]
I have a thread going about this in the Vortex Industry forum, but they haven't checked in for a while to give any definitive answers.
I'm very much still on the fence between the UH-1 Gen II and the EOTech EXPS, though I'm leaning more towards EOTech... If I went with Aimpoint I'm still not sure which one I'd go with, but the T2 and COMP M5 with their small lenses (which I don't like) are making me consider the COMP M4, which I also don't really like just because of it's size. I really feel like the MRO is the perfect balance between the optics size and it's larger view through the optic, but it's parallax makes it a no-go. I'm almost certain that I'll end up regretting any decision I make for one reason or another no matter what I end up choosing.
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Posted: 10/22/2021 2:49:57 AM EDT
[#33]
Quote HistoryQuoted: I have a thread going about this in the Vortex Industry forum, but they haven't checked in for a while to give any definitive answers. I'm very much still on the fence between the UH-1 Gen II and the EOTech EXPS, though I'm leaning more towards EOTech... If I went with Aimpoint I'm still not sure which one I'd go with, but the T2 and COMP M5 with their small lenses (which I don't like) are making me consider the COMP M4, which I also don't really like just because of it's size. I really feel like the MRO is the perfect balance between the optics size and it's larger view through the optic, but it's parallax makes it a no-go. I'm almost certain that I'll end up regretting any decision I make for one reason or another no matter what I end up choosing. The T2 or Comp M4 are the best choices. I’m sure the M5 is good but I haven’t used it. The Vortex doesn’t present any appreciable optical benefit over those and has significantly worse battery life. I own a UH1 and would trade it for any Aimpoint in a heartbeat. |
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Posted: 10/22/2021 7:58:04 AM EDT
[#34]
Quote HistoryQuoted: I have a thread going about this in the Vortex Industry forum, but they haven't checked in for a while to give any definitive answers. I'm very much still on the fence between the UH-1 Gen II and the EOTech EXPS, though I'm leaning more towards EOTech... If I went with Aimpoint I'm still not sure which one I'd go with, but the T2 and COMP M5 with their small lenses (which I don't like) are making me consider the COMP M4, which I also don't really like just because of it's size. I really feel like the MRO is the perfect balance between the optics size and it's larger view through the optic, but it's parallax makes it a no-go. I'm almost certain that I'll end up regretting any decision I make for one reason or another no matter what I end up choosing. It's all personal preference at this point. I like holographic sights. I used a 553.A65 in the army so when I got out, that's what I bought. I was never a fan of the Aimpoints due to the small optical window/tunnel vision effect, but others I know swear by them. As for HWS, they'll always have shorter battery life than a conventional red dot due to a laser being used rather than an LED. Personally, I try to change my EOTech batteries every 6 to 12 months if I remember so it hasn't been much of an issue for me. As the UH-1 was touted as having better battery life than a comparable EOTech, I decided to try one out. Hopefully, mine does not need to be repaired or replaced, but if it does, I know Vortex will take care of it. One thing I do appreciate about Vortex, in general, is their warranty. I have buddies that needed to send ACOGs and other Trijicons back for one reason or another and had to pay a significant amount to have them repaired. |
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Posted: 10/22/2021 8:26:19 AM EDT
[#35]
I've used the UH-1 Gen 2 and compared with my EOTech 512 - they are about the same. The UH-1 has a thicker reticle so it tends to look more pixelated but otherwise similar in nature to the EOTech reticle. EOTech now has the 2 dot and 3 dot reticles which are neat when used with a magnifier. But seeing some of the complaints about the EOTech internals falling apart or failing made me steer away from them. The Vortex warranty is great but Vortex's electronic stuff hasn't convinced me. They may make great glass in the Viper and Razor line.
I also have the Aimpoint Comp ML3 (which is like their current PRO) and now the T2. I will say that the T2 is better in every way because it is significantly smaller. That said I wouldn't throw out my ML3 as it works fine after all these years. The Gen 2 of the Vortex Crossfires is supposed to have 50k hours life with NV settings, but it's more like the Aimpoint T1 as it does not have the helicoil inserts. |
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Posted: 10/22/2021 9:53:29 AM EDT
[#36]
Quote HistoryQuoted: The Gen 2 of the Vortex Crossfires is supposed to have 50k hours life with NV settings, but it's more like the Aimpoint T1 as it does not have the helicoil inserts. My brother actually has a Vortex Crossfire (I helped him sight it in). It's my only experience with a T2 sized red dot sight and it's why I know I don't like the tiny field of view through those optics. However, my brother found out that Vortex's warranty is important because he had his rifle fall over onto a carpeted surface when he had it leaning against a wall. The on/off brightness knob popped right off of the Crossfire (it looked to basically be held on by the crossed fingers of Vortex's engineers)... I'm sure that probably wouldn't happen so easily with the Aimpoint T2, but it still suffers from those tiny windows. The main deciding factor in these things for most people is battery life and Aimpoint will always win there. I'd never buy a Chinese optic and will always be willing to spend the extra on the more quality option, I just wish that the quality options made it a bit easier for me to decide. If Aimpoint had something similar to the Trijicon MRO without the terrible parallax they'd easily have my money. The Pro is their only competition to the MRO and for me it looses for it's size and non integrated mount. Unfortunately, the EOTech EXPS and the Aimpoint COMP M4/S are looking more and more like the best of the options that I have and I'm not really too thrilled about either of them. |
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Posted: 10/22/2021 10:43:50 AM EDT
[#37]
Quote HistoryQuoted: My brother actually has a Vortex Crossfire (I helped him sight it in). It's my only experience with a T2 sized red dot sight and it's why I know I don't like the tiny field of view through those optics. However, my brother found out that Vortex's warranty is important because he had his rifle fall over onto a carpeted surface when he had it leaning against a wall. The on/off brightness knob popped right off of the Crossfire (it looked to basically be held on by the crossed fingers of Vortex's engineers)... I'm sure that probably wouldn't happen so easily with the Aimpoint T2, but it still suffers from those tiny windows. The main deciding factor in these things for most people is battery life and Aimpoint will always win there. I'd never buy a Chinese optic and will always be willing to spend the extra on the more quality option, I just wish that the quality options made it a bit easier for me to decide. If Aimpoint had something similar to the Trijicon MRO without the terrible parallax they'd easily have my money. The Pro is their only competition to the MRO and for me it looses for it's size and non integrated mount. Unfortunately, the EOTech EXPS and the Aimpoint COMP M4/S are looking more and more like the best of the options that I have and I'm not really too thrilled about either of them. I've had my two Crossfires for over 3 years and never came across a FOV issue. I still use one of them on the front of my VEPR with the ULTIMAK rail (at the front of the rear sight). I am not a fan of the Russian/Bulgarian rails that clip on the side of the receiver. I use the T2 on one of my AR15s and don't have an issue with FOV since I use them with both eyes open, same as the EOTech and UH1. The dot just floats in my vision, no issues. That's also why Aimpoint now includes the clear rear scope cap so you can use both eyes open in case you need to fire and don't have a chance to flip the front cap, or want to keep the front cap closed, or in my case when I keep the magnifier in place and don't want to flip the magnifier down and open the rear solid cap (so the clear rear cap gives you use of the red dot). Vortex's electronic sights are questionable IMHO. Their Razor HD LHT light switch is a really cheesy design where the battery itself presses against a metal tang that goes through 0-11 and 11-0 in sequence as you push it vaguely through a rubber boot. If you close one eye to use the T2 as a scope, the FOV may be a problem. But I don't do that unless I am running the magnifier. For dynamic shooting with both eyes open, the T2 is just really compact and works about as fast for me as the UH1/EOTech. The same applies to the EOTech and UH1. Just my 2 cents!! ETA: I wonder if the height over rail of your mount may have something to do with it. I had used LaRue's LT660 high mount for awhile and later found out it is an oddball 1.7" or so while everyone else uses 1.57" for lower 1/3 co-witness. When I used the Scalarworks LEAP01 at 1.57" it seemed far more natural. I can see how the larger UH1 or EOTech viewport would make it easier to find the reticle but with the proper mount height, cheek weld, stock/LOP, etc.. it should be fast to use any red dot. |
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Posted: 10/22/2021 12:39:52 PM EDT
[#38]
Quote HistoryQuoted: I've had my two Crossfires for over 3 years and never came across a FOV issue. I still use one of them on the front of my VEPR with the ULTIMAK rail (at the front of the rear sight). I am not a fan of the Russian/Bulgarian rails that clip on the side of the receiver. I use the T2 on one of my AR15s and don't have an issue with FOV since I use them with both eyes open, same as the EOTech and UH1. The dot just floats in my vision, no issues. That's also why Aimpoint now includes the clear rear scope cap so you can use both eyes open in case you need to fire and don't have a chance to flip the front cap, or want to keep the front cap closed, or in my case when I keep the magnifier in place and don't want to flip the magnifier down and open the rear solid cap (so the clear rear cap gives you use of the red dot). Vortex's electronic sights are questionable IMHO. Their Razor HD LHT light switch is a really cheesy design where the battery itself presses against a metal tang that goes through 0-11 and 11-0 in sequence as you push it vaguely through a rubber boot. If you close one eye to use the T2 as a scope, the FOV may be a problem. But I don't do that unless I am running the magnifier. For dynamic shooting with both eyes open, the T2 is just really compact and works about as fast for me as the UH1/EOTech. The same applies to the EOTech and UH1. Just my 2 cents!! ETA: I wonder if the height over rail of your mount may have something to do with it. I had used LaRue's LT660 high mount for awhile and later found out it is an oddball 1.7" or so while everyone else uses 1.57" for lower 1/3 co-witness. When I used the Scalarworks LEAP01 at 1.57" it seemed far more natural. I can see how the larger UH1 or EOTech viewport would make it easier to find the reticle but with the proper mount height, cheek weld, stock/LOP, etc.. it should be fast to use any red dot. The bigger windows on the Comp M4, MRO and EOTech certainly make it a bit easier (for me) to spot the reticle and don't require as near as perfect of a head/eye placement behind the optic. To be clear, I have never owned any dot or holographic sight up to this point and all my experience with them has been from using them on other peoples rifles. From what I remember, the mounts used on all of them put the irons at about a lower 1/3rd co-witness. So that should be 1.57" mount height from what you're describing, so I don't really think it's an issue I'm having with the mount height as they seemed comfortable enough to me when I tried them out. I just never have been a fan of the smaller windows ever since they first came out, I've always felt it was a bit odd for Aimpoint to go that route and depart from their old standard larger window size when their main competition was EOTech. Though clearly I'm in the minority of people that feel that way, as most don't seem to have a problem with the smaller T2 sized windows. The first one of my rifles that I'm planning to outfit with a dot or holographic optic is a Beretta ARX-100 which has a rail height over bore similar to that of most Gen 3 rifles like the SCAR, ACR, ect... But to make things worse, the ARX also has a very low cheek rest with no riser, so I was originally planning to mount the optic as low as possible to make up the difference with no plan to co-witness any back up sights. However, because of their height an EXPS or a UH-1 would throw a wrench in the works for getting a consistent cheek weld behind the optic, making their large window size even more necessary than if I went with a low mounted red dot. Battery life, though important to me to a degree is not my biggest concern. I will stock up on lithium ion batteries for whatever I eventually decide on and these rifles are not my main go to rifles where long battery life would be a bigger deal. Heck, if battery life was that important to me then I certainly wouldn't be considering an EOTech EXPS2 with a green reticle.
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Posted: 10/24/2021 9:04:45 AM EDT
[#39]
I always liked the big window on the eotechs and for me they always seemed like one of the fastest for shooting and target acquisition up close and dirty. After the whole parallax shift debacle I dumped all of my eotechs and have been waiting for something to come along that would have a big window and reticle like the eotech.
When the vortex gen 1 came out I was hopeful but wanted to wait for long term reviews. Of course vortex promptly dumped the gen 1 and came out with the gen 2. I was really interested in the gen 2 but wanted to give time for a longer term thoughts on it. The battery life and battery problems were an immediate turn off for me. At this point I had about given up on getting anything like an eotech. Then holosun announced the AEMS. This really got my attention with all the features it has over the eotech or vortex. A great 65moa circle dot like an eotech but with out the crappy pixels. 3 reticle options, 20000 to 50000 hour battery life, shake awake, auto shut off, auto or manual reticle brightness and solar power. Sage dynamics did a very good review along with his normal torture testing and it passed with flying colors. I dont like being an early adopter but after trying some other holosun products and being very impressed I decided to try one out. So far I think it far surpasses any eotech and probably the vortex just on features. I would highly recommend checking out the Holosun AEMS if you are in the market for an eotech or vortex uh1 style red dot. |
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Posted: 10/24/2021 11:14:15 AM EDT
[#40]
Quote HistoryQuoted: The first one of my rifles that I'm planning to outfit with a dot or holographic optic is a Beretta ARX-100 which has a rail height over bore similar to that of most Gen 3 rifles like the SCAR, ACR, ect... But to make things worse, the ARX also has a very low cheek rest with no riser, so I was originally planning to mount the optic as low as possible to make up the difference with no plan to co-witness any back up sights. However, because of their height an EXPS or a UH-1 would throw a wrench in the works for getting a consistent cheek weld behind the optic, making their large window size even more necessary than if I went with a low mounted red dot. I ran into this conundrum with my ARX-100. After much thought (and measurements), I put an Aimpoint PRO on it with an ADM low mount (the lowest they have), coupled with a set of Troy Micro BUIS. No issues with cheekweld and no need for one of those stick-on cheek risers. The irons are kind of "upper 1/3" cowitness with the low Aimpoint mount, but it is a near perfect setup. Anything cowitness height or higher would be inefficient on the ARX for a comfortable cheekweld. |
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Posted: 10/24/2021 8:24:05 PM EDT
[#41]
Quote HistoryQuoted: I ran into this conundrum with my ARX-100. After much thought (and measurements), I put an Aimpoint PRO on it with an ADM low mount (the lowest they have), coupled with a set of Troy Micro BUIS. No issues with cheekweld and no need for one of those stick-on cheek risers. The irons are kind of "upper 1/3" cowitness with the low Aimpoint mount, but it is a near perfect setup. Anything cowitness height or higher would be inefficient on the ARX for a comfortable cheekweld. Quote HistoryQuoted: Quoted: The first one of my rifles that I'm planning to outfit with a dot or holographic optic is a Beretta ARX-100 which has a rail height over bore similar to that of most Gen 3 rifles like the SCAR, ACR, ect... But to make things worse, the ARX also has a very low cheek rest with no riser, so I was originally planning to mount the optic as low as possible to make up the difference with no plan to co-witness any back up sights. However, because of their height an EXPS or a UH-1 would throw a wrench in the works for getting a consistent cheek weld behind the optic, making their large window size even more necessary than if I went with a low mounted red dot. I ran into this conundrum with my ARX-100. After much thought (and measurements), I put an Aimpoint PRO on it with an ADM low mount (the lowest they have), coupled with a set of Troy Micro BUIS. No issues with cheekweld and no need for one of those stick-on cheek risers. The irons are kind of "upper 1/3" cowitness with the low Aimpoint mount, but it is a near perfect setup. Anything cowitness height or higher would be inefficient on the ARX for a comfortable cheekweld. Yeah, I was originally wanting to go with an Aimpoint M5 or M5S mounted as low as possible and just forget about the iron sights altogether. I did consider the Troy Micro sights, but they just don't sell a combination that I like... So, I have the factory BUIS on there for now, I'm not even sure if they're capable of co-witnessing through anything with how high they are when deployed? I should probably just suck it up and buy the COMP M5/S and mount it without any spacers as low as possible... But I'd still have the problem of not liking the tiny 20mm window. I'm still leaning towards the EOTech and I'd be hoping that having to use more of a chin weld because of how high it sits wouldn't be so bad with the larger view. |
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Posted: 10/24/2021 8:31:44 PM EDT
[#42]
Quote HistoryQuoted: I always liked the big window on the eotechs and for me they always seemed like one of the fastest for shooting and target acquisition up close and dirty. After the whole parallax shift debacle I dumped all of my eotechs and have been waiting for something to come along that would have a big window and reticle like the eotech. When the vortex gen 1 came out I was hopeful but wanted to wait for long term reviews. Of course vortex promptly dumped the gen 1 and came out with the gen 2. I was really interested in the gen 2 but wanted to give time for a longer term thoughts on it. The battery life and battery problems were an immediate turn off for me. At this point I had about given up on getting anything like an eotech. Then holosun announced the AEMS. This really got my attention with all the features it has over the eotech or vortex. A great 65moa circle dot like an eotech but with out the crappy pixels. 3 reticle options, 20000 to 50000 hour battery life, shake awake, auto shut off, auto or manual reticle brightness and solar power. Sage dynamics did a very good review along with his normal torture testing and it passed with flying colors. I dont like being an early adopter but after trying some other holosun products and being very impressed I decided to try one out. So far I think it far surpasses any eotech and probably the vortex just on features. I would highly recommend checking out the Holosun AEMS if you are in the market for an eotech or vortex uh1 style red dot. The AEMS does seem pretty good and I did watch the Sage Dynamics review on it. Not thrilled about the mount it comes with. My biggest issue with it is that it's a Chinese made optic. And I'm not sure how it's parallax would compare to even the MRO? |
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Posted: 10/25/2021 6:54:19 AM EDT
[#43]
Quote HistoryQuoted: The AEMS does seem pretty good and I did watch the Sage Dynamics review on it. Not thrilled about the mount it comes with. My biggest issue with it is that it's a Chinese made optic. And I'm not sure how it's parallax would compare to even the MRO? I agree about the mount. For some reason the metal used reminds me of an ARMS mount. Works great until it just decides to break. With that being said it did survive the drop testing. I'm sure someone will come up with a quick release mount for it eventually. I do understand that a lot of people have issues with Chinese anything. I'm not gonna try to convince people that if their Chinese phone is fine then a Chinese optic is fine. Those are personal choices and up to each individual. Being American is about having the right to make those choices. Three or four years ago I wouldn't have even considered a holosun either. I just figured they were hot garbage like all the other Chinese optics. At this point if I need a red dot for something the holosun is in my top 3 brands to use. Good point on the parallax. I dont remember if Sage mentioned anything about it or not. As more of them get into the wild I'm sure someone will test the parallax. |
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Posted: 10/25/2021 12:22:14 PM EDT
[#44]
Quote HistoryQuoted: I agree about the mount. For some reason the metal used reminds me of an ARMS mount. Works great until it just decides to break. With that being said it did survive the drop testing. I'm sure someone will come up with a quick release mount for it eventually. I do understand that a lot of people have issues with Chinese anything. I'm not gonna try to convince people that if their Chinese phone is fine then a Chinese optic is fine. Those are personal choices and up to each individual. Being American is about having the right to make those choices. Three or four years ago I wouldn't have even considered a holosun either. I just figured they were hot garbage like all the other Chinese optics. At this point if I need a red dot for something the holosun is in my top 3 brands to use. Good point on the parallax. I dont remember if Sage mentioned anything about it or not. As more of them get into the wild I'm sure someone will test the parallax. Quote HistoryQuoted: Quoted: The AEMS does seem pretty good and I did watch the Sage Dynamics review on it. Not thrilled about the mount it comes with. My biggest issue with it is that it's a Chinese made optic. And I'm not sure how it's parallax would compare to even the MRO? I agree about the mount. For some reason the metal used reminds me of an ARMS mount. Works great until it just decides to break. With that being said it did survive the drop testing. I'm sure someone will come up with a quick release mount for it eventually. I do understand that a lot of people have issues with Chinese anything. I'm not gonna try to convince people that if their Chinese phone is fine then a Chinese optic is fine. Those are personal choices and up to each individual. Being American is about having the right to make those choices. Three or four years ago I wouldn't have even considered a holosun either. I just figured they were hot garbage like all the other Chinese optics. At this point if I need a red dot for something the holosun is in my top 3 brands to use. Good point on the parallax. I dont remember if Sage mentioned anything about it or not. As more of them get into the wild I'm sure someone will test the parallax. If you scroll down to the optic specifications on the AMES section of the Holosun site it states that it's parallax free, but I'm not sure how much I'd trust that without some independent testing. Looking at it closer I'm not really a fan of the screw fastened battery tray either, though that would be more annoying if it had a really short battery life (which it doesn't). I like that it's solar powered for when the battery dies out. I'm not sure why an American company hasn't figured out how to do that without making the optic as big as a house... Cough, Cough, Trijicon. And how the heck does Holosun figure out how to get the battery life between the red reticle version and the green reticle version to be the same when Aimpoint, Trijicon and EOTech say it's impossible???  I'm really not sure what's fact or fiction here, but if a Chinese company has really managed to best the top American and Swedish optics companies than maybe they deserve my money. 
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Posted: 10/25/2021 2:59:34 PM EDT
[#45]
There is a reptilia mount in the works for the AEMS
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Posted: 10/29/2021 6:55:34 PM EDT
[#46]
@amstel78
Have you had any issues yet? I just took the plunge and ordered the UH-1 Gen 2 through EuroOptic. So I've got my fingers crossed that I won't be effected by the battery issue. Just watch them release the Gen 3 version now!
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Posted: 10/30/2021 2:19:34 AM EDT
[#47]
I have a uh1 gen 2 that turns on by itself And, unfortunately draining battery. Obviously. Need to get with Vortex to get it sent back. Really like the optic, but it's unacceptable that it turns on by itself. I can literally turn it off, and 30 seconds later it turns on by itself lol.
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Posted: 10/30/2021 9:47:23 AM EDT
[#48]
Quote HistoryQuoted: I have a uh1 gen 2 that turns on by itself And, unfortunately draining battery. Obviously. Need to get with Vortex to get it sent back. Really like the optic, but it's unacceptable that it turns on by itself. I can literally turn it off, and 30 seconds later it turns on by itself lol. Was it purchased recently or have you had it a while? The only reason I'm taking the gamble on the UH-1 is because of Vortex's CS and return policy... Might be the only holographic sight I ever own depending on my experience with it. It's not going on any of my serious use rifles, so I'm not afraid to give it a shot. |
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Posted: 10/30/2021 12:46:00 PM EDT
[#49]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Was it purchased recently or have you had it a while? The only reason I'm taking the gamble on the UH-1 is because of Vortex's CS and return policy... Might be the only holographic sight I ever own depending on my experience with it. It's not going on any of my serious use rifles, so I'm not afraid to give it a shot. I bought it in March, and the serial number starts with #U203. I had it put up, and took it out because I was going to put it up for sale. Glad I found the issue. |
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Posted: 10/30/2021 1:18:19 PM EDT
[#50]
Quote HistoryQuoted: I have one and I want to sell it. It works but the short battery life just isn’t worth dealing with. The advantages over a conventional red dot aren’t substantive enough to justify changing a battery every few months. I think this is true with holos in general. Holographic sights shine with accessories. Magnifiers, NVG, etc. If it’s just being used as a sight, a RDS is almost always the way to go over a holo. |
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