First, I have to apologize for not having pictures. I left my cable for my camera 10,000 miles away on the other side of the world.  With the ice-glazed roads in North Texas, everything is shut down, and I can't grab a card-reader to transfer my photos to my PC, so no pics until I get the right hardware.

Appearance: The first thing I noticed was that the Tripower is not any bigger in most dimensions than my Aimpoint M2.  From pictures, it looked a bit bigger/bulkier than it is in person.  The mounting point is further forward on the body than it is on the Aimpoint, which means you have more of the sight hanging aft of the mount, so you get a little less room behind the mount for a BUIS or 3X, MUM, PVS14, or whatever else you might want to put behind it.  With a LaRue LT150 mount in the foremost position, you can easily get a 3X and an ARMS 40, or other similar flip-up sight behind the Tripower.   You will have to remove the 3X to deploy the BUIS, just as you would with the Aimpoint.  

Construction:  It's all aluminum, which I think is better than the plastic on the 2nd-gen Tripower I've got.  No Cyalume stick port means you have a cleaner view ahead past the sight with your left eye.  The fiber-optic is really good at catching any ambient light.  You have to totally cover it with the supplied cover in order to keep it from picking up even faint light around you.  The eyepiece will accept an Aimpoint flip-cover which is nice, and I found a Butler-Creek objective cover that fits the front just right, despite the shape of the objective.  My Aimpoint killflash did not fit, as it is about 2mm too small in diameter.  I have heard a Killflash is on the way for it, but not yet released.

Reticle:  The chevron is very, very nice.  I definitely like it more than the Aimpoint dot.  I don't get any "blume" off the chevron like I do with my Aimpoint on its brighter settings.  Through the 3X, it is awesome.  The fiber-optic grabs light well, and the battery power helps if you are looking at a particularly bright background.  I haven't been able to totally lose it against a brighter back drop.  It's brightest setting is not as bright as the Aimpoint's which is seriously bright to the point of being painful to my eyes.  I really like how well-defined the chevron is.  In darkness, I can see the chevron just fine.  I even covered the fiber-optic to make sure it wasn't contributing, and the tritium does a good job of lighting the reticle in darkness.

What I don't know yet:
1) Battery life- it won't be Aimpoint-like, but I don't know how long it will last.  
2) How I shoot with it.  It's the weather hasn't let me get out and shoot yet, but I will within a week.
3) Is it better than my Aimpoint?  Comparing the two, I like the Tripower's reticle and the fact that it's "always on."  Somehow, I still look at my Aimpoint as "dependent on batteries," despite the fact that I may not ever accrue enough shooting time in the rest of my life to exhaust the battery- it's all psychological.  I will reserve judgment until after I've shot with both of them side by side.  I am not disappointed in any way with it so far.

Why does the battery need to be on?

Just for white light stuff at night?



GOT A Leitner Wise GAS PISTON UPPER?? let me know what you think at the link below
ar15.com/forums/topic.html?b=3&f=12&t=259993

I've got the new tripower and am VERY interested in seeing pics of the 3x view through our new one.....

grant, you still got that demo 3x?

I'm also considering the Tripower . I like the chevron over the aimpoint dot, as well. But I do not know if I might be crazy swappijng out my Aimpoint for the Tripower. Perhaps I should wait for more reviews and feedback from users.  

OK- I have some basic shots of the new Tripower, an older Tripower and the Aimpoint M2 to give folks an idea of the size.  I still haven't taken a good shot to show the reticle.  I'll be shooting in a couple of days, so I will post some shots aimed at a target through all 3 sights. For now, here's what I got:












I'll be shooting them on an M4 (Colt can't sue me for saying that now) and on my 6.8 which is in the picture.

On the Trijicon Reflex IIs, I know that the viewing window had a heavy greenish-blue tint when looking through.  Not a problem if you had both eyes open, though I was concerned with low-light.  How is it like looking through the Tri-Power's lenses?  Like the Aimpoint (light bluish) or like the Reflex II?  Thanks.

That set-up not only looks fragile, but undependable.  Perhaps I am wrong, but is the purpose of a tactical rifle not for immediate deployment?  Not to hijack the thread with another topic, but it seems that one of the major advantages of the Glock handgun is that it is readily usable once it is drawn.  

When the shit gets thick enough that I would go to a rifle (rather than a sidearm), I would like to think that after switching to a ready-fire mode, I could accurately pull the trigger.  Under fire, I can't imagine having to worry about whether I had turned on all the switches for the optics to obtain a sight picture.

Please understand, I am not downgrading your rifle, or chosen optics.  I am merely having trouble understanding the thought process of choosing this optical set-up over simplicity.

Quoted: That set-up not only looks fragile, but undependable.  Perhaps I am wrong, but is the purpose of a tactical rifle not for immediate deployment?  Not to hijack the thread with another topic, but it seems that one of the major advantages of the Glock handgun is that it is readily usable once it is drawn.   When the shit gets thick enough that I would go to a rifle (rather than a sidearm), I would like to think that after switching to a ready-fire mode, I could accurately pull the trigger.  Under fire, I can't imagine having to worry about whether I had turned on all the switches for the optics to obtain a sight picture. Please understand, I am not downgrading your rifle, or chosen optics.  I am merely having trouble understanding the thought process of choosing this optical set-up over simplicity.

I'm not sure if I read you right. What looks fragile or undependable? What would I have to deploy other than the gun itself? It's just like any other AR with either iron sights or optics. You simply pick it up and go.

Boom: Maybe something like a flip-cap (like the flip-covers for scopes) would have been a good setup for the fiber optic.  I will be out in the middle of the day, when it's brightest, so I hope I can find out what brightness issues it might have. I will also compare it to the earlier model, in order to see if they have indeed improved it.

ETA: More pics

flip cap sounds like a good idea, but then where does it flip, into line of sight with a 'ready' gun....  I was thinking of keeping present cap but having teh optic circle more recessed so that the cap sits on a raised fence around and above the cricle and not on the circle itself.  a quick solution I'm working on involves a butler creek flip up cap ....  that way it's recessed, but we still ahve the flip problem in yout 'ready' like of sight.  so maybe I cut off the butler creek cap and just use the tube of the cap and the existing elastic-cao to cover teh tube...

anyhow, there are lots of solutions to this, and they can probably be added on later and didn't have to be incorporated into the deisgn, but it would've been nice!

Quoted: Sounds like they still have a brightness issue. Really interested to hear how bright it really gets in the day time with full sun. I'm not sure why they have not designed a better way to mount/carry the fiber optic shade. Using the elastic string is not a good idea, it's prone to rip off/fall off. Thx for the review, I liked the pics.

Why do you need a shade for the fiber optic?  I'm a little slow sometimes.  

Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Sounds like they still have a brightness issue. Really interested to hear how bright it really gets in the day time with full sun. I'm not sure why they have not designed a better way to mount/carry the fiber optic shade. Using the elastic string is not a good idea, it's prone to rip off/fall off. Thx for the review, I liked the pics. Why do you need a shade for the fiber optic?  I'm a little slow sometimes.   At night when you turn the power on, the fiber circle on top lights up like an electric stove burner and can be seen for a very long distance. Bolster, I really look forward to the brightness issue. Please update us when you get the chance. It was one of my big turn offs. Mine would not get bright enough when placed over an orange or red target. The reticle would simply washout. I really like the idea of the Tripower. I think they could have come up with a much better optic if they had simply talked to some real shooters, and I mean real shooters who place 1000 or more rds down range per week/month at a minium.

That reminds me of that country song something about something women like about a pick up man.  He says in the song, " the dashboard light puts off a romantic glow"  ha ha ha ha ha !!!!  I have a weird sense of humor sometime.

OK, let me get this straight, during the day you don't have to turn it on because of the tritium, correct?  But at night you gotta burn batterys because of no ambient light.  What about if there are like street lights, does the tritium pick that up and make it work or is it that you need a little bit more light than that?

Quoted: Quoted: OK, let me get this straight, during the day you don't have to turn it on because of the tritium, correct?  But at night you gotta burn batterys because of no ambient light.  What about if there are like street lights, does the tritium pick that up and make it work or is it that you need a little bit more light than that? No, during the day the fiber transmits light to the reticle. Only problem is when shooting against bright targets. Red/orange car, targets, bad guy with red/orange shirt, etc, The reticle washes out. At night the reticle will not get enough light from the fiber pick up, unless your standing directly under a street light. Hence the huge size of the fiber pad. They want as much light hitting the fiber as possible. The tritium may or may not be bright enough to place over a target. Now if your target is in a bright area just forget using the tritium and switch over to the battery back up. In other words the reticle washes out to easy and its to hard to try and control it, without having a good  power source to back up the reticle. There are just to many sits where you need the power. The idea of the Tripower is a good one. Overall its a great idea, people just don't know how to use it. What needs to happen is Trijicon needs to start a school to train people to use their new optic and other products. If they had a workable training program they could really sell this product to the masses.

the washout isssue is not present on teh new one.  there is still the reflex issue of shooting from a dark spot to a bright one, but in terms of full sunlight shooting, or bright target shooting, washout has been solved if not mostly eliminated.  That was one of the early points of a csgunworks post and I've tested it outside and can confirm.  

Boom, thank you for the information.  Now, you make the point that a red / orange shirt or car will wash out the reticle.  Wouldn't this also happen with an aimpoint or an eothingy?

Now with the tripower, you have to turn it on at night or absolute darkness and put the cover over the "romantic glow".  But in the day you're good to go.  But you have to turn on an aimpoint or an eothingy?  I'm not arguing for the tripower, I'm just trying to understand.  It does seem that not having to turn it on during the day would be an advantage though, don't you agree?

Quoted:I'm not sure if I read you right. What looks fragile or undependable?

While my logic is possibly flawed, it seems there are 2 items mounted on the rail.  Neither of which appear to be low profile.  For use as a tactical rifle, it will see some hard knocks.  As such, you have a two piece system, where one is lost without the other.  Am I correct?   Like buying a truck with power windows, it is just something else to go wrong.

Quoted: The first item on his weapon is the Trijicon TRI Power and the Aimpoint. Both will function 100% without the 3X Magnifier behind them. If either of these two optics were ripped off the weapon, then he can quickly remove the 3X and deploy his BUIS's (if he has any) and drive on.

Noted.

Feel free to indicate a BUIS in the provided photo.  I suppose I am just too simplistic for gadgets.

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a270/bolster/Aimpoint3x_1.jpg

popo
The advantages of using  optical sites and scopes like these are well documented throughout this board and others. These are not Simple "Opinions" they are "FACTS" brought back from some of the worst, most brutal places in the world, by People, "in the Know". These optics have Earned their reputation by NOT failing in Combat situation after situation and in some case allowing soldiers to engage the enemy at ranges and in lighting conditions, that in the past ,would have been  impossible to take a shot.  If I were you I would read these forums for awhile, absorb some info and buy yourself the optic that suits you, you will see how valuable an asset they are and that your arguments about having to "worry about more things to go wrong or break down" are a thing of the past. Even if something does break down, thats why you employ a BUIS, Just in case. I can Guarentee you there Is NOTHING faster than a Red dot, Eotech or Aimpoint and now Tripower, on a rifle, NOTHING.

Now bolster

Am I seeing things, The 3rd and 4th pic down, looks like an ARMS Cantilever spacer and ring on a Larue base/ Throw lever ??????????
chuck

Quoted: Quoted: Boom, thank you for the information.  Now, you make the point that a red / orange shirt or car will wash out the reticle.  Wouldn't this also happen with an aimpoint or an eothingy? No, you can turn the EO or Aimpoint up and they will be brighter then any target. Including staring at a 100 watt light bulb. Quoted: Now with the tripower, you have to turn it on at night or absolute darkness and put the cover over the "romantic glow".  But in the day you're good to go.  But you have to turn on an aimpoint or an eothingy?  I'm not arguing for the tripower, I'm just trying to understand.  It does seem that not having to turn it on during the day would be an advantage though, don't you agree? Yes I do agree. My only complaint is the brightness issue. For me, I have found that on a bright day it does help to have the option of turning it up. Hence why I perfer Aimpoints and EOtechs. Now don't get me wrong, the Tripower will work well. You just have to train with it to know its down falls. All optics have short comings. You just need to work with what you have.

Thank you.  I'm debating on getting either an aimpoint or a tripower and this has been very helpful.  I like the idea of having the chevron.  But the aimpoint obviously has a great reputation for reliability too.

tag

Is the Tripower paralax free like the aimpoint and eotech?

Quoted: If I were you I would read these forums for awhile, absorb some info and buy yourself the optic that suits you, you will see how valuable an asset they are and that your arguments about having to "worry about more things to go wrong or break down" are a thing of the past.

Exactly what do you think I have been doing since November of 2002?

I am about to buy a Tripower and never had the oppurtunity to handle one.  Anyone who has the Tripower: Does the red coil area "glow" in the dark?


If anyone is able to submit pics of the Tripower  in a dark area would be helpful.

Quoted: Quoted: If I were you I would read these forums for awhile, absorb some info and buy yourself the optic that suits you, you will see how valuable an asset they are and that your arguments about having to "worry about more things to go wrong or break down" are a thing of the past. Exactly what do you think I have been doing since November of 2002?

Dude, knock it off with the troll stuff.  

If you haven't used an Aimpoint, Eotech, or similiar optic, you obviously have ZERO idea how much easier and faster they can make your shooting.  

These sights are NOT "gadgets" of dubious value or longevity.  They are tough, reliable, and extremely capable of going the distance, hard use included.  

Iron sights, while necessary, are PASSE'.  

Test these sights for about a year, under hard use conditions, with lots of range time, then come back and tell us how they suck.  

Exactly what do you think I have been doing since November of 2002?

Apparently not reading or comprehending any of the Hundreds of threads about Red dot sights, their durability, their speed and their Utility. I've been shooting AR's for over 20 years and up untill about  4  years ago All iron Sights. after getting a Aimpoint Issued on my M4 and then buying one for my own AR and having smoking fast engagement times with excellent acuracy with a sight that is Tougher then woodpecker lips and is still on the same battery as when I bought it two years ago......

ya ever wonder why Uncle Sam ordered ten's of thousands of these little delicate flowers to put on his M-series weapons......

You guys are really making me want to get an optic.  I like irons but this optic stuff is sucking me in.  I should try someones I know.  Photoman?

Quoted: Dude, knock it off with the troll stuff.

Dude?  Just so we are on the same page, please check my registration and posting.  I created a thread on the eotech recently, and asked questions about this set-up.  If I were trolling here, my registration would have indicated November of 05.  My interest is genuinely in the purchase of optics for a newly acquired rifle.

I have no idea what you or any of the other members on this thread actually do with your rifle, but I will be staking my life on mine.  Knocking an optic out of zero (or off) means nothing during a day at the range, but means everything in an actual firefight.  So far, there have been some informative posts, and for those, thank you.

Anything further you have to say to me, please bring it to im so as to not disrupt the flow of this thread.  Anything beyond that, kiss my ass!

A few notes about the following pictures: I did a lot of shooting yesterday.  About half of it was with my ARs, and the other half was various other stuff.  I used both Tripowers a lot, and was not able to find a situation where I could get the reticle to wash out.  It was bright and clear outside, and you'll see in the pictures what kind of terrain I was in.  I shot into the sun, away from the sun, and with it directly overhead.  I really could not tell a difference between the old and the new models.  I think I need to shoot more with them, and in different surroundings in order to find out if and when the reticle will wash out. I never used the battery backup.


Note: I took these pictures with my camera trying to get a shot of the reticles as best as I could.  That required using the camera's zoom, which means these shots are from 2x to 5x with the camera's zoom.  It might appear that shots with the Aimpoint 3x and without are similar, and that I would attribute to the camera's zoom.  In person, the difference is very clear.  

For reference, the range I was at was only 25 yards long.

Aimpoint

Aimpoint with 3x

New Tripower

New Tripower with 3x

Old Tripower

Old Tripower with 3x


I prefer the chevron over the dot any day. YMMV.

Bolster, thank you for posting those awesome pics. I too would prefer a chevron over a dot since I would use a Tripower with my Aimpoint 3X. It appears that it would make a great combo with excellent flexibility.

BTW, I checked the info on the Tripower on Trijicon's website and could not find what kind of battery is uses? Would you be so kind as to tell me?

Also, if you want to try other lighting conditions, try looking through the Tripower from a dark area into a lit area. I know the reticle on my TA-31 will not illuminate under those conditions but, because the reticle is etched it will still be there even if the reticle is black.

Quoted: Bolster, thank you for posting those awesome pics. I too would prefer a chevron over a dot since I would use a Tripower with my Aimpoint 3X. It appears that it would make a great combo with excellent flexibility. BTW, I checked the info on the Tripower on Trijicon's website and could not find what kind of battery is uses? Would you be so kind as to tell me? Also, if you want to try other lighting conditions, try looking through the Tripower from a dark area into a lit area. I know the reticle on my TA-31 will not illuminate under those conditions but, because the reticle is etched it will still be there even if the reticle is black.

Can someone clarify this for me? Is the tripower's reticle not etched, therefore it is projected, like an aimpoint and eotech? I assume this means it is paralax free, like the aimpoint and eotech as well?

Thanks bolster for the pictures. I also think that I would like the chevron much better than a dot.

Quoted: Bolster, thank you for posting those awesome pics. I too would prefer a chevron over a dot since I would use a Tripower with my Aimpoint 3X. It appears that it would make a great combo with excellent flexibility. BTW, I checked the info on the Tripower on Trijicon's website and could not find what kind of battery is uses? Would you be so kind as to tell me? Also, if you want to try other lighting conditions, try looking through the Tripower from a dark area into a lit area. I know the reticle on my TA-31 will not illuminate under those conditions but, because the reticle is etched it will still be there even if the reticle is black.

Matt -The battery is a CR1/3N according to the package they come in.  I'm going to try and get some shots in a setting like you just described.  

I should clarify that I have been able to get the reticle to disappear against a background, but not where I was yesterday, so I don't have pics.  When it does wash out, the battery has been enough to bring it back.  I haven't been out in a desert-ish area like what Boom described (found his posts in the archives) to see if I can overwhelm the battery-power too.  It would be nice if the reticle at least appeared black like on the ACOG under the same conditions.  I am hoping that the whole washout thing is trully resolved.

Quoted: Can someone clarify this for me? Is the tripower's reticle not etched, therefore it is projected, like an aimpoint and eotech? I assume this means it is paralax free, like the aimpoint and eotech as well? Thanks bolster for the pictures. I also think that I would like the chevron much better than a dot.

Yes- the reticle is projected like on an aimpoint or eotech.  Trijicon says it is essentially paralax free.

Quoted: Quoted: Can someone clarify this for me? Is the tripower's reticle not etched, therefore it is projected, like an aimpoint and eotech? I assume this means it is paralax free, like the aimpoint and eotech as well? Thanks bolster for the pictures. I also think that I would like the chevron much better than a dot. Yes- the reticle is projected like on an aimpoint or eotech.  Trijicon says it is essentially paralax free.

Thank you. That is what I thought. I agree, that it would be very nice if the reticle would turn black against bright background, but I imagine that is not possible if it is a projected reticle and not an etched reticle.

Of course a projected reticle gives you the parlax free feature, which AFAIK is not available on an etched reticle, so it comes down to trade offs really.

Grea Pics.

Like the old adage: A picture is worth a thousand words.

Thansks for the post. Im looking at these and that really gives a clear comparison.

Quoted: Matt -The battery is a CR1/3N according to the package they come in.

Ah, Aimpoint batteries. Very cool. I've already got a lifetime supply of those. They were pretty smart to choose that one for military logistical reasons.  Thanks for the info.

Quoted: Quoted: I am about to buy a Tripower and never had the oppurtunity to handle one.  Anyone who has the Tripower: Does the red coil area "glow" in the dark? If anyone is able to submit pics of the Tripower  in a dark area would be helpful. hr Yes and that is why you would use the cover for it at night. C4

bolster,
Thanks for posting those Very Helpful pictures!
I will be getting an ACOG...just don't know which one yet... I have A Lot of reading to do .. :)
The variable power seems like one of the most important features..

Sorry, but referencing the above post, Will the tritium make the fiber optic glow at night, OR does it ONLY occur when battery power is switched On??
Thanks..

Also, the links are not working in the "Optics FAQ Threads". Is there any way I can access them?

Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: I am about to buy a Tripower and never had the oppurtunity to handle one.  Anyone who has the Tripower: Does the red coil area "glow" in the dark? If anyone is able to submit pics of the Tripower  in a dark area would be helpful. Yes and that is why you would use the cover for it at night. C4 bolster, Thanks for posting those Very Helpful pictures! I will be getting an ACOG...just don't know which one yet... I have A Lot of reading to do .. :) The variable power seems like one of the most important features.. Sorry, but referencing the above post, Will the tritium make the fiber optic glow at night, OR does it ONLY occur when battery power is switched On?? Thanks.. Also, the links are not working in the "Optics FAQ Threads". Is there any way I can access them?

I don't think the fiber-optic glows with the tritium only.  I think it will only glow with the battery power on, but I need to look at it in the dark and let my eyes adjust to see if it does indeed glow.  

I don't know about the links in the "Optics FAQ Threads."  It looks like a lot of them are now dead, and I don't know how to fix that.

ETA: It's within the realm of possibility that the fiber optic might light-up enough to be seen by NVG's at night, but I am just speculating here.

Quoted: I don't think the fiber-optic glows with the tritium only.  I think it will only glow with the battery power on, but I need to look at it in the dark and let my eyes adjust to see if it does indeed glow. ETA: It's within the realm of possibility that the fiber optic might light-up enough to be seen by NVG's at night, but I am just speculating here.

I'll be interested to see what you're testing reveals on the tritium lit reticle. If it's like all the tritium powered reticules (and Trijicon night sights), it should be visible in darkness without an NVD.

bolster
Very Nice Pics!! Excellant review!
I posted a little way back on page 1 asking about the Mount on the first few pics you posted, I think it was the 3rd and 4th, The cantilaver and Ring looks like ARMS but the throw lever looks like a LaRue. Can you elaborate on it.
chuck

Quoted: bolster Very Nice Pics!! Excellant review! I posted a little way back on page 1 asking about the Mount on the first few pics you posted, I think it was the 3rd and 4th, The cantilaver and Ring looks like ARMS but the throw lever looks like a LaRue. Can you elaborate on it. chuck

Sorry I missed your question.  The cantilever and ring areARMS, and the throw lever base is a LaRue #17 upgrade.  The older Tripower came with the ARMS ring and carry-handle mount, so I bought a cantilever spacer and the LaRue throw lever and built myself a mount.  I figured it would do while LaRue has all of their cantilever mounts on back-order.  So far, so good.