The new Primary Arms Advanced Micro Red Dot w/ Dial illumination control...

My initial thoughts.

The new PA red dot sight is roughly the same size as the older push button design. It is a little heavier though.

First thing I noticed other than the larger battery area from adding the illumination control, is the beefier turrets and caps. They are much larger, and removing the caps reveals steel turrets and new dial design. The setup feels robust and that it  can take the bumbs and drops of a hard use rifle. The turret clicks are positive, they are audible and tactile.

Next I noticed the new method of assembly. The front and rear glass is held in with retaining plates that thread into the main body.

Turning on the optic, the dial settings click into place solidly. You will not bump this accidentally. It definitely takes a deliberate effort to move.

The emmiter, you can definitely see is fully potted.there is a greyish looking coating on the emmiter. Whether it is a hard or rubberized coating I can not tell visually... obviously.

The next thing I noticed, that pertains to the actual use of the optic, is the errector tube... Is that the proper term for that in a red dot? Either way, it is the central tube that holds the emmiter and moves when you turn the turrets.

This tube is thicker than the older red dot sight, not by a large amount, maybe 50%... It is noticable when comparing them.

This does constrict the field of view slightly.

It may also be the reason, or a contributing factor, for the new optic only having 30moa of adjustment in any direction, as opposed to 40moa of the older design.

I have astigmatism, so dots are not perfect for me, but my new contacts help a lot. The dot in this sight is no worse than other red dots I own like my MRO or PRO. Looking through a small peep sight, the dot looks crisp, so people with good vision will have no problems.

Overall, the sight feels subjectively more robust than the older design... And we all know how the older design was credited for being very robust, especially for a budget option.

It's no Aimpoint T1 or T2, but it's a quarter of the cost with a good mount.

The water resistance is much lower than an Aimpoint... Only being rated for a few feet for half an hour. The older design was rated for a bit deeper for longer...

But it is good enough for hunting use and home defense use, where very deep pools of water are not really a concern.

Some negatives are in play on this optic...

It is a little heavier than the older model.

It has less overall adjustment for zeroing... But this is likely to never be an issue with a well made rifle.

The turret adjustment is 1moa per click rather than 1/2moa... So the zeroing will be less precise. Not a major issue on a red dot, but that is likely to not be an issue at typical red dot distances, out to a couple hundred yards.

Overall this sight creeps into the lower end of duty capable. If it is as tough as it seems to be.

I would recommend it for HD use on a budget with no qualms.

I would think twice about it for a duty role, but it seems like it could be capable of such use, if having several meters of water resistance is not a concern.

I like the sight, and it sits on a secondary rifle. On a side rail on an AK... This isn't a primary rifle, and I use it at the range only. It should hold up well for what I need.

A very well written review.

Ah, that's the rub, isn't it?

Looks tough* but may not be (as yet unproven).

Reliability unknown.

Time will tell.
.
.
.

*  Sometimes making something heavier makes it less reliable.  More mass mean heavier mechanical loads when bumped or vibrated (accelerated).  The adjustment mechanism has to carry that extra mass.

This is true... More mass can increase problems.

I think it's a bit over an ounce heavier, I would have to look and to the math.

Given all I've read on it I'd recommend it as one of the best budget RDS available

I've had a primary arms advanced micro on my Saiga 762 conversion for a couple of years and really beat that thing up with bump firing and mag dumping and rattling around in the truck. I haven't touched an adjustment knob since I zeroed. I have multiple aimpoint red dots and I don't foresee a situation that would kill my micro advanced but not kill my aimpoint micros. Tough little suckers, I wouldn't feel bad about depending on one if I didn't need night vision capability from it.