The EOTech Holographic Sight: A Brief Look

If you are looking for a red dot type optic for your rifle then one brand that is very much worthy of consideration is EOTech.  There are a lot of less well made contenders in this market but EOTech, along with Aimpoint, are pretty much the only two that have the degree of quality that those serious about the use of their rifle would be concerned with.  In this writing, I'll be mainly talking about EOTech's line of optics, although aimpoint makes a fine product as well.

Likely the  most evident quality of an EOTech that sits it apart from most similar sights is it's ability for quick aiming.  There are a number of situations in which being able to rapidly get on the target is not only beneficial but absolutely essential.  Hunters, police officers, and those in the military have all seen the benefits of the EOTech in this domain.  

The EOTech's capability for extremely fast aiming is possible primarily due to two main qualities.
- The layout of the reticle:  A tiny but bright 1 MOA (minute of angle) middle point surrounded by a far bigger 65 minute of angle circle is the standard reticle design, although many models offer other alternatives.   While the small dot enables the ability for precise aiming at targets at a greater distance the compartively large, highly visible circle allows the shooter to get on close up targets with simply a  glance.
- The scale of the sight window:  Unlike traditional scope designs, and  numerous different holographic type sights, the EOTech employs a very accessible sight picture only minimally obstructed by the protective housing.

Few will have a trying time finding an acceptable product from EOTech since their product line is comprised of of more than a dozen models of holosights, usually with several versions of each.  The battery employed by the sights most often decides the large visible variations in design.  Some of the sights are notably larger than others -  for example the 510 types, not excluding the 516.  The reason for this is the utilization of AA batteries.  By contrast 550 series models including the 556 make use of a significantly smaller CR123 lithium battery providing for the sight to be notably smaller.  By a good margin the smallest optics in EOTech's product line are in the newer XPS series.  Designs such as the XPS2 take advantage of the smaller lithium batteries.

There are a few potential downsides to EOTech that some users often mention.  While the battery life is estimated at 1000 hours for most models, this is still less by a noticable margin than that of most Aimpoint brand red dot sights.  And while 1000 hours sounds like a long time, it can go by faster than you would imagine for those whose weapon is in use every single day.  Another thing that is often mentioned in comparison with the Aimpoint is EOTech's propencity to more often malfunction in certain extreme situations or environments.  Again this is extremely rare and is only brought up when comparing it to it's only other real competitor in quality but it is worth noting, particularly if you depend on your weapon on a daily basis.  Asking a hundred people, knowledgable of this type of optic, which of these brands they preffer would likely yield fifty responses for each.  This polorization of opinions is why I have chosen to stick mainly with highlighting the benefits of one brand while steering away from the common arguments and while fully aknowledging the equal worth of the competitor.

Admittedly neither of these sights are ideal for ever purpose but between EOTech and Aimpoint and their various diffent models the consumer has quite a few options to choose from as well as the knowledge that the market is competitive enough to keep pushing the quality and features to higher standards.

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