EOTECH VS AIMPOINT: COMPARISON
By One thing I know for sure is I am a fan of red dot sights. It’s probably my most favorite thing in the world of guns. I’ve gone through a lot of sights since day one. I like watching torture tests on Youtube and getting shocked by the results. I only watch them because I don’t have enough courage and funds to wreck my sights. Lately, I’ve been looking for new companies to purchase from.
That is how I came to know of Eotech and Aimpoint. I haven’t heard about them, but reading their websites got me intrigued. Having a long history and still thriving in the competitive, modern age sights game is no easy feat. I then browsed through a lot of pages and came up with two sights that I can compare and contrast.
Eotech vs Aimpoint Overview
Eotech was established in 1972 in Ann Arbor, Michigan as the Environmental Research Institute of Michigan. In 1995, they applied holographic technology to sights.
HWS 512 at a Glance
The Eotech Holographic WS or HWS 512 is 5.6 inches long, 2 inches wide, and 2.5 inches high. It weighs 11.5 pounds. It is water-resistant up to 10 feet. The HWS 512 may be mounted on a 1-inch Weaver or Picatinny rail.
The sight runs on 2 AA batteries and has 20 daylight settings. When on setting 12 at room temperature, the sight can run up to 2,500 continuous hours on a lithium battery or 2,200 continuous hours on alkaline.
The hood of the side is separated from the sight itself, and that makes sure that the sight can still work despite the recoil or any damage to the hood.
The elevation and windage adjustments are found on the right-hand side of the sight. The battery compartment is a little awkwardly placed, but that’s just my preference. The controls for the brightness are found at the rear of the sight.
Eotech’s Prestige Warranty is available for ten years from the manufacturing date. However, as with most sight warranties, it only covers material and workmanship defects under regular use. The warranty does not cover situations if your sight was lost, stolen, or deliberately destroyed.
One review pointed out that there are no night vision settings in its wide range of daylight settings. This is something easily overlooked and could spell a huge disadvantage on Eotech’s part.
Pros and Cons
The pros are:
- The battery is not confusing;
- 20 daylight settings; and
- May be mounted on either a Picatinny or Weaver mount.
The one con is:
- Not aesthetically pleasing
Aimpoint
The company was founded in 1975 and specialized in electronic red dot sights right off the bat. The US Army commissioned them for 100,000 units of their CompM. Nowadays, Aimpoint services NATO countries, police agencies, and special teams all over the globe.
Aimpoint Acro C-1 Overview
The Aimpoint Advanced Compact Reflex Optics or ACRO C-1 is 1.9 inches long, 1.2 inches wide, and 1.2 inches in height. It weighs 2.1 ounces, including the battery. It is submersible up to 5 meters. It may be mounted on any platform using the ACRO adapter plate.
Acro C-1 uses a CR-1225 3-volt lithium battery with ten settings. It can run up to 15,000 hours of continuous use at position 6. That adds up to 1.5 years. Even better is that in the NVD setting, it can run continuously up to 8 years.
The battery can be replaced while the sight is still mounted. The compartment is found beside the windage adjustment on the right-hand side of the optic. It is important to remember that when storing your sight, you should remove the battery.
The windage and elevation adjustments are found at the right-hand side and top, respectively. The brightness adjustments are found on the left-hand side. There are ten levels of brightness. The lowest two settings are for NVD, while the rest are for varying degrees of brightness.
When using the sight near sea spray, water, mud, and snow, the battery cap should be tightened to ensure that the sight is still operational. After exposure to such, the lenses should be cleaned using a soft cloth or lens paper.
The warranty lasts for 2 years when used in a professional setting and 10 years for personal use. The warranty is non-transferable and must be presented with the original receipt when being claimed.
Pros and Cons
The pros for the Aimpoint ACRO C-1 are:
- The user manual is complete and available for free on their website;
- Has night vision settings; and
- Hood is separate from the sight itself.
The one con I can find with this red dot sight is:
- Round battery, which is kind of my foe because of how confusing it can be
Conclusion
Based on those stated above, I am inclined to choose the Eotech HWS 512. With 20 daylight settings, a more accessible and less confusing battery, and longer battery life at ideal conditions, it is my preferred red dot sight. Even if I don’t like how it looks, It doesn’t matter when overshadowed with better features.
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