Aimpoint v Eotech v LPVO for HD

Girth

Newbie
Considering optics for my (currently one and only) AR, a Colt 6920 HBPW 14.5". Primary mission is home defense but will be taking courses this summer.

Leaning towards the Aimpoint PRO but I'm Eotech curious and I can't seem to find good answers about the Eotech hate. Is it solely about the lawsuit and settlement? Supposedly they are fixed? Are people holding grudges or are there real reasons today to stay away?

1-4 LPVO? I have a slight astigmatism so I'm weighing this as well.
 

ggammell

Does not pass up an opportunity to criticize P&S.
Considering optics for my (currently one and only) AR, a Colt 6920 HBPW 14.5". Primary mission is home defense but will be taking courses this summer.

Leaning towards the Aimpoint PRO but I'm Eotech curious and I can't seem to find good answers about the Eotech hate. Is it solely about the lawsuit and settlement? Supposedly they are fixed? Are people holding grudges or are there real reasons today to stay away?

1-4 LPVO? I have a slight astigmatism so I'm weighing this as well.

There’s been Eotech hate since forever. The lawsuit didn’t help. Supposedly they are fixed. People are holding grudges.

If I didn’t just jump in the LPVO train I would still own two Eotechs. I still use one for my work gun and don’t have any qualms about it.

I cannot help you with the astigmatism issue. But several LPVOs are very very usable in an HD role.
 

Mike_IA

Regular Member
There are threads around here on EOTechs with more than anecdotal data I believe.

Home defense as in next to your bed and ready to rock or in a safe waiting on the whatever your view is on civil disturbance?

How much time do you have behind a gun?

An LVPO is a solid general purpose optic, EOtechs are fast and great for holdovers, aimpoints have 1 dot and run for over a year always on. Depending on any number of things any or all can be the “right optic”
 

Cadonny

Newbie
I have a LPVO on my HD rifle for one reason, and one reason alone.

Without corrective lenses in or on, I fall into the legally blind category. Obviously since its correctable I am not leally blind, but without contacts or glasses my vision is so terrible I can't read the phone I'm typing this on unless it's an inch from my face.

The nature of the LPVO allows for me to see clearly if for some reason A) my contacts fall out in my sleep (which has happened) or B) I'm unable to put my glasses on in time.

Obviously I don't want to be using the scope to ID people, because there's a muzzle also pointed in that direction. Hopefully I never have to use just the scope to have clear vision. But if by some crazy chance that happens, I would rather look through a scope and be able to ID someone 100% than look through a red dot and see a blur.

If my vision wasn't so terrible I'd just use a T1.
 

Girth

Newbie
There are threads around here on EOTechs with more than anecdotal data I believe.

Home defense as in next to your bed and ready to rock or in a safe waiting on the whatever your view is on civil disturbance?

How much time do you have behind a gun?

An LVPO is a solid general purpose optic, EOtechs are fast and great for holdovers, aimpoints have 1 dot and run for over a year always on. Depending on any number of things any or all can be the “right optic”

Next to my bed and ready to rock.

Plenty of time behind pistols and shotguns with irons. Not as much with rifles and optics, thus the question.

I like the Aimpoint or Eotech for ease of use but I wonder if a LPVO with practice and training might be better. Automatic is easy but a stick shift is better if you know how to use it...
 

Girth

Newbie
I have a LPVO on my HD rifle for one reason, and one reason alone.

Without corrective lenses in or on, I fall into the legally blind category. Obviously since its correctable I am not leally blind, but without contacts or glasses my vision is so terrible I can't read the phone I'm typing this on unless it's an inch from my face.

The nature of the LPVO allows for me to see clearly if for some reason A) my contacts fall out in my sleep (which has happened) or B) I'm unable to put my glasses on in time.

Obviously I don't want to be using the scope to ID people, because there's a muzzle also pointed in that direction. Hopefully I never have to use just the scope to have clear vision. But if by some crazy chance that happens, I would rather look through a scope and be able to ID someone 100% than look through a red dot and see a blur.

If my vision wasn't so terrible I'd just use a T1.

I appreciate your perspective. My uncorrected vision is not horrible but you do raise the very real possibility that I might investigate a bump in the night without putting on glasses (and I have done so before).

Magnification and positive target ID are definitely things.
 

Girth

Newbie
Always on, Aimpoint. Hands down. Some LPVOs may give you 6-12 months always on before a battery swapnis needed.

Battery life and always on are nice features but the lack thereof can be mitigated by training and regular maintenance IMO. That being said, i do not hate things that are convenient and lower cost while maintaining quality.
 

Mike_IA

Regular Member
So bump in the night, home invasion type stuff you won’t have time to dial magnification on a scope- do some research on times and things. Red dot is aimpoint hands down for your use, turn it on and change batteries once a year. Get the clear lense covers so you just shoulder the rifle and shoot.

Running an LVPO in a house takes work and isn’t as fast as even aimpoints with out a bunch of work in getting behind the optic consistently and quickly.
 

BooneGA

Moderator
Staff member
Moderator
WARLORD
So bump in the night, home invasion type stuff you won’t have time to dial magnification on a scope- do some research on times and things. Red dot is aimpoint hands down for your use, turn it on and change batteries once a year. Get the clear lense covers so you just shoulder the rifle and shoot.

Running an LVPO in a house takes work and isn’t as fast as even aimpoints with out a bunch of work in getting behind the optic consistently and quickly.

I don't think anyone plans on dialing magnification on a LPVO during that sort of scenario. If you only have one gun and want it to do everything I think a LPVO is a fine choice. With an optic such as a Razor you can just keep it on one of the off settings between your desired brightness and move it one click and you are good to go while reducing any battery life concerns. The difference in splits with a quality LPVO and a RDS is minimal at best.

I have an T2 on my HD gun for the battery life. However, when set to a brightness level required to use with the 1500 lumen Scout DF I am only getting 7-8 months of battery life out of it. I had hoped to keep it on the same schedule as my RMRs but it just doesn't last quite as long.

Rick
 

shoobe01

Established
I don't think anyone plans on dialing magnification on a LPVO during that sort of scenario...

Just like if you have a magnifier it better be off/flipped-away, I agree the LPVO better be stowed ready for use at the lowest power, which alleviates most of the speed concerns. If you have a further away threat, you have the time to zoom in to an appropriate level.


First I have heard of the T2 being meh on battery. Noted for future discussions. Do you just change batteries every 6 months then or what?
 

BooneGA

Moderator
Staff member
Moderator
WARLORD
Just like if you have a magnifier it better be off/flipped-away, I agree the LPVO better be stowed ready for use at the lowest power, which alleviates most of the speed concerns. If you have a further away threat, you have the time to zoom in to an appropriate level.


First I have heard of the T2 being meh on battery. Noted for future discussions. Do you just change batteries every 6 months then or what?

I have switched to a 6 month battery replacement cycle. With reminders on your phone is a non-issue. I checked the optic nightly in order to observe the battery life and adapted my replacement cycle off of that. Trust but verify.

Rick
 

Wake27

Regular Member
I don't think anyone plans on dialing magnification on a LPVO during that sort of scenario...

Just like if you have a magnifier it better be off/flipped-away, I agree the LPVO better be stowed ready for use at the lowest power, which alleviates most of the speed concerns. If you have a further away threat, you have the time to zoom in to an appropriate level.


First I have heard of the T2 being meh on battery. Noted for future discussions. Do you just change batteries every 6 months then or what?

Rick’s post is the first time I remember seeing this acknowledged, aside from my own on M4C. My HD gun has a T-2 because it is also my wife’s primary gun and I wanted something simple, durable, and definitely light weight. It was an easy choice with everyone talking about the “five year battery life” of an Aimpoint but I’ve had two or three instances where I’ve checked it and the dot has been dead in less than one year. I actually contacted Aimpoint because I thought mine was dying prematurely and couldn’t find anything on battery life for all of the settings (including in the manual IIRC). The only one that’s often published is their medium setting that allows them to claim 50k hours. Anyways, the Aimpoint rep asked what brightness it was set at and when I told him that it was second highest, he said I had it up to high and gave me numbers for the battery life at other settings. I kept it up that high because I want the dot to be easy to find even when the Scout light is on and her adrenaline is pumping. I believe the setting I keep it at has a 7-8 month battery life. I’m not replacing the T-2 because of all of its other benefits, but was pretty surprised that I’d never really seen that discussion before when so many people run them with WMLs.

All that being said, my AR has a Razor on it and if it were just me, I wouldn’t bother with the Aimpoint. Even if the razor battery dies, the reticle will be there which is far more than the Eotech or Aimpoint will have.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

Arete

Regular Member
I get 24 to 28 months battery life out of my T1 & H1, leaving them on setting 9 all the time, with occasional short periods of turning the brightness up higher. This has been consistent over the life of several batteries. Never turning it off is a big plus, for a gun in this application.

If when I had to use it in a close range application and didn't see a dot, then use the front sight and the tube of the optic. I've trained this enough to know that it works.
 

Pat Tarrant

Custom testicles
Staff member
Moderator
Not everyone's home is the same, so Home Defense takes on different meanings.

Do you live in an apartment where intrusions by people are likely?

Do you live in the woods where predatory animals pose a real threat?

Those two environments favor different optics. You may want a red dot for up close use against people but want some magnification if shooting coyotes out by the barn 50 yards away. But inside a house or apartment, that LPVO has weight and eye relief issues you may not need.

With that out of the way, Aimpoint's and LPVOs shine in one area as Eotechs. They can be or are always on (constant in for Aimpoint's and crosshairs always resent for LPVOs). Eotechs won't get you killed in your sleep, but it's worth understanding that it takes time to turn it on.
 
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