Okay, my Kobra died sometime in the last few weeks, and I haven't been able to resurrect it (may it rest in piece).  Having used a red dot / holographic sight for a little over a year, with my aging eyes, I really appreciate how much better a shooter I am with one than using the irons.  (And, fwiw, I can reliably hit center-or-mass at 100 yards with irons, but the optics makes my groups smaller and quicker.)

I want to pick up another optic.

Having the Kobra fail in a little more than a year, I'm thinking I don't want another one.  I have no desire to use an Ultimac gas tube mount as personally I just don't like the looks of an optic mounted out front, so I'm going to end up with either another Russion sight like the PK-AS "Pitbull" / PK-02 or buying a BP-02 mount and adding an Eotech or Aimpoint.

I really like the looks of the Aimpoint on the AK in this thread: ak47.net/forums/topic.html?b=4&f=56&t=99362

I guess I'm looking for discussions, pro and con, of the Russian stuff vs. the others.  If anyone has had experience with all of them, that would be great.

I'm probably going to be branded a heretic for saying this, but IME, Commie optics SUCK. And that's not without foundation; I've been through a few (POSP, Kobra EKP-1S and EKP-8, PK-A, PK-AS)! They just don't have the same degree of durability, clarity, dot brightness, battery life, versatility and ease of use that Western optics like the Aimpoint and EOThing do. Hell, even lower-cost red dots like the Burris XTS-135 or SPOT MkIII (the current optic of choice for my "fun guns") are far superior to the Kobra or PK-A.

Of the Commie optics mentioned above, I liked the PK-AS the best. Glass seemed fairly clear and I liked the glass-etched circle-dot reticle with the no-battery black option, but there is no way to mount it low and centered over the bore, which is where optics belong.

I currently run Ultimak scout mounts on my AKs and like them quite a bit. If you don't want to go that route, I'd consider getting a BP-02 and modifying it in the manner described in the link you provided. Or else wait for Mark LaRue to release his AK side mount, but that could be quite a ways off still. Of the Western dot sights, I prefer Aimpoints to EOTechs for serious work, but that's a whole other discussion...

Good luck!