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Any Optics Black Friday Deals?

A 5-20x night vision based on sony starvis oled.
$500 with a save25%

ZULUS HD 5-20 Day/Night Digital

The ARKEN ZULUS ZHD520 is a game-changing digital night vision scope, offering 5-20x magnification with a cutting-edge Sony STARVIS 2 chipset.
www.arkenopticsusa.com www.arkenopticsusa.com
 
lukewarm_fuzz said:
I know it’s not a Black Friday deal but I see these go for cheap on Reddit Gun Accessories For Sale. I got one for like 1800 in a Reptilia mount a while back. Great place for optics
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Looked harder at my savings account, went to Palmetto State Armory and picked up 300 rounds of 62 grn Fiocchi and a Sig Tango-MSR 1-10. Took it to the range yesterday and it's sufficient unto my needs.

After minimal zeroing, I put 5 fairly rapid shots in just over 2" at 100 yards. Which is the kind of shooting I need to do for 2Gun, and was having trouble doing with my 1-6.
 
Not sure about their reputation here, but Swampfox Optics always has big BF sales:

BFCM 2023

Specializing in affordable, high performance tactical optics for home defense, close quarter battle (CQB), and precision tactical shooting.
www.swampfoxoptics.com www.swampfoxoptics.com
 
Uncle Buck said:
Cyber Monday 25% off Eotech
www.eotechinc.com

EOTECH | Battle-Proven Optics for Military, Police, and Consumers

Shop the EOTech Factory Gear Store for Holographic Weapon Sights, Premium Apparel, Logo Gear and Accessories.
www.eotechinc.com www.eotechinc.com
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cetme24 said:
I hate you. I resisted all weekend.😁
Click to expand...

MassPete said:
Me too... They seem to be out of stock on a few items I want. Wonder if they'll be back in stock tomorrow morning.

edit.... Got a G43 Magnifier in Tan for $487.00
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I did much better on Bereli.
 
lukewarm_fuzz said:
Their build quality is… uncertain? But their optical performance is way better than it should be, IMO
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I forget the model and the specifics but I recall one of their offerings being combat tested/used by a SF unit of some sort 🤷🏻‍♂️

Edit:
looks like it’s 7th/Airborne
warisboring.com

SCAR Fox: A look into the battle-tested SwampFox Arrowhead LPVO

In a market with established players and a “you get what you pay for” mindset, breaking into the weapons optics industry can be a hard thing to do. Be it the venerable and recognizable name brands that have secured military contracts to imported budget brands barely fit for airsoft, a...
warisboring.com warisboring.com
 
seawolf06 said:
Not sure about their reputation here, but Swampfox Optics always has big BF sales:

BFCM 2023

Specializing in affordable, high performance tactical optics for home defense, close quarter battle (CQB), and precision tactical shooting.
www.swampfoxoptics.com www.swampfoxoptics.com
Click to expand...
So I have several of the 1-8/1-10 LPVOs. The Athlon Optics Helos BTR GEN2 Rifle Scope 34mm Tube 1-10x28mm with Illuminated ATMR4 MOA Reticle. The Swampfox Arrowhead LPVO 1-10x24 with the Guerrilla Dot MIL Long red illuminated reticle. The Vortex Strike Eagle 1-8x24 with the AR-BDC2. The Trijicon 1-8x28 AccuPower (replaced by the Credo). And Finally the Arken EP-8 1-8x28 LPVO with the illuminated KL Box reticle. IMHO the Swampfox comes in a close second to the Trijicon (which cost twice what the Arrowhead did). I did like the Arrowhead better than the similarly priced Vortex Strike Eagle. Of course YMMV and my evaluation is based on a sample size of one.
 
cathouse01 said:
So I have several of the 1-8/1-10 LPVOs. The Athlon Optics Helos BTR GEN2 Rifle Scope 34mm Tube 1-10x28mm with Illuminated ATMR4 MOA Reticle. The Swampfox Arrowhead LPVO 1-10x24 with the Guerrilla Dot MIL Long red illuminated reticle. The Vortex Strike Eagle 1-8x24 with the AR-BDC2. The Trijicon 1-8x28 AccuPower (replaced by the Credo). And Finally the Arken EP-8 1-8x28 LPVO with the illuminated KL Box reticle. IMHO the Swampfox comes in a close second to the Trijicon (which cost twice what the Arrowhead did). I did like the Arrowhead better than the similarly priced Vortex Strike Eagle. Of course YMMV and my evaluation is based on a sample size of one.
Click to expand...
how was the arken compared to swampfox? nothing special?
 
cathouse01 said:
So I have several of the 1-8/1-10 LPVOs. The Athlon Optics Helos BTR GEN2 Rifle Scope 34mm Tube 1-10x28mm with Illuminated ATMR4 MOA Reticle. The Swampfox Arrowhead LPVO 1-10x24 with the Guerrilla Dot MIL Long red illuminated reticle. The Vortex Strike Eagle 1-8x24 with the AR-BDC2. The Trijicon 1-8x28 AccuPower (replaced by the Credo). And Finally the Arken EP-8 1-8x28 LPVO with the illuminated KL Box reticle. IMHO the Swampfox comes in a close second to the Trijicon (which cost twice what the Arrowhead did). I did like the Arrowhead better than the similarly priced Vortex Strike Eagle. Of course YMMV and my evaluation is based on a sample size of one.
Click to expand...
How do you define better?
How is the glass?
 
paul73 said:
how was the arken compared to swampfox? nothing special?
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Comparing a Warhawk against an EP5 I think the Warhawk wins at distance. EP5 can’t resolve parallax as well and has more distortion. Plus, I haven’t seen any tracking or turret issues that I know are common with Arken.

That said, I haven’t abused any of them enough to know if they’re any good in that respect.
 
lukewarm_fuzz said:
any tracking or turret issues that I know are common with Arken
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it is actually the opposite of what arken is known for - what is the reference to the source on info about turret/tracking issues? i have none on any of my long arkens.
if it`s luck - dunno, but, ok - 2 ep5s, 1 sh4 and 2 epl4 - on all of them turrets are quite great, it is one of their best features. and i do not recall any reviews that would complain about turrets neither, quite the opposite.
parallax - yes, they do not have true parallax at all, i think. but i am ok with that, for the price.

i was specifically curious about 1-8x lpvo quality, as i do not have one.
 
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paul73 said:
it is actually the opposite of what arken is known for - what is the reference to the source on info about turret/tracking issues? i have none on any of my long arkens.
if it`s luck - dunno, but, ok - 2 ep5s, 1 sh4 and 2 epl4 - on all of them turrets are quite great, it is one of their best features. and i do not recall any reviews that would complain about turrets neither, quite the opposite.
parallax - yes, they do not have true parallax at all, i think. but i am ok with that, for the price.

i was specifically curious about 1-8x lpvo quality, as i do not have one.
Click to expand...
That may be influenced by how many reviews are paid reviews…. Arken is the king of shills
 
lukewarm_fuzz said:
That may be influenced by how many reviews are paid reviews…. Arken is the king of shills
Click to expand...
may be, my experience so far was fine with turrets, it is all i can say. will keep an eye on them.

tried to google for it but found nothing at all. if issue with turrets exists, it does not seem to produce a lot of hits.
 
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lukewarm_fuzz said:
That may be influenced by how many reviews are paid reviews…. Arken is the king of shills
Click to expand...
What keeps me away from Arken is all the reviews saying "this $400 scope is better than the $1,700 XYZ scope".

Then I dig around forums and of course it isn't.

I can never find a side by side review with a good scope camera, because we all know what that review will show.

I am not saying Arken is sh*t, I don't own one. I am sure compared to other scopes in the same price range they are great. But the amount of paid reviews saying they are the most amazing thing ever totally turned me off.
 
Broc said:
I am not saying Arken is sh*t, I don't own one.
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it is not shit, but it is silly to hear comparisons with razors and nightforces. it is an amateur class decent cheap glass, with turrets that work and a decent simple zero stop.
the good thing is - it works, as a lot of products in that price category simply don't. but it is not a razor, c'mon.

i shot it at 1000yds there at granby, had no issues to see the target fine, and ep5 shows bullet holes at 300 on white paper, it is all i care about.
better scopes do exist, but they cost more. if you catch me at harvard you can look yourself at it, and bring your better glass to compare, but it better be on a cloudy bleak day at 300, as otherwise it is all mute.

so i actually have 6 arkens now, and bless those who can have 6 razors - i can`t justify that. to have all rifles on same scopes with same turrets that feel the same - to me it has its benefits.

ps. they raised price to $600 on ep5 from $564, so with 25% off it is now $460 instead of $423, which keeps moving it closer and closer to a viper pst2 on sale, which is, i think, a dumb move for arkens. but, whatever.
the last epl4 i got just now before price hike for $340, and in that price range there is nothing at all that compares to it and features it has.
 
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paul73 said:
may be, my experience so far was fine with turrets, it is all i can say. will keep an eye on them.

tried to google for it but found nothing at all. if issue with turrets exists, it does not seem to produce a lot of hits.
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that’s weird, when I google “Arken turret issue” I get plenty of results. Maybe we’re using different googles 😂

I love my EP5, really enjoy using it and just recommended one to a friend, cant beat it for $395 or whatever they are with the code. Just gotta watch out for problems. Couple PRS guys locally have returned theirs after catastrophic erector issues.
 
lukewarm_fuzz said:
cant beat it for $395
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$460 now, they keep moving it to a different segment, where it does not really belong, imho.
an interesting thing about erector tube, good to know. all mine are still fine, but i do not beat them up too much. and all of mine sit mostly on 20moa rigid mounts from arken on gas guns, which, i think, is also a bit more stable and reliable.

epl4 is my favorite now, as it is just plain great at 100 and works ok at 300, where i shoot gas guns the most. and there is nothing else in under $350 that compares to it. and if i crack one - i will not cry about it much.
 
Broc said:
How do you define better?
How is the glass?
Click to expand...
Mostly edge clarity and a true distortion free 1x, so that it is easy to use as a red dot. The Trijicon is absolutely distortion free edge to edge at 1x and makes a very good (if not cumbersome) red dot. The others have some distortion. Also the crispness of the illuminated reticle at magnification. The Arken has significant reticle bloom at 8x, even at medium brightness. To my eyes (now that I've my cataracts fixed) the Swampfox glass is almost as good as the Trijicon. The Vortex, Athlon and Arken have similar glass - some edge distortion and focus shift as you zoom up. The Arken has significant problems with its "KL Box" reticle. It's a FFP and at 1x is almost invisible and at 8x you get significant bloom even at low intensities.
 
paul73 said:
how was the arken compared to swampfox? nothing special?
Click to expand...
I've been disappointed in the Arken 1-8 LPVO. I've had good experiences with my other Arkens but the LPVO just has too many issues with its "KL Box" reticle. I just don't like it. The glass and build of the LPVO were up to snuff, but that reticle just sucks. Plus they still haven't shipped the Flip-Its that it comes with.
 
Went back and looked at what I paid for the various LPVOs (including the mount costs in all since some were purchased with an included mount):

Trijicon $1,233
Swampfox $457
Vortex $449
Athlon $400
Arken $350

I didn't realize it until I looked up what I paid for them, but I ended up ranking them exactly the same as their costs. If it wasn't for the damn reticle in the Arken (I'm really hung up on it), I probably would rank it second to the Trijicon based on price/performance.
 
cathouse01 said:
Went back and looked at what I paid for the various LPVOs (including the mount costs in all since some were purchased with an included mount):

Trijicon $1,233
Swampfox $457
Vortex $449
Athlon $400
Arken $350

I didn't realize it until I looked up what I paid for them, but I ended up ranking them exactly the same as their costs. If it wasn't for the damn reticle in the Arken (I'm really hung up on it), I probably would rank it second to the Trijicon based on price/performance.
Click to expand...
So, more or less, you get what you pay for??

Can’t really complain about that…..
 

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