Just ordered an EoTech XPS 2.0

[tacticalcity]

So I broke down and ordered an EoTech XPS 2.0 yesterday along with a Larue riser for it. I went back and forther for months on what sight I wanted.

I had been running an Aimpoint T-1 Micro w/ a Tall Larue Mount on my M4gery. But I sold it a few months back at a slight loss.

MY TAKE ON THE AIMPOINT T-1
Things I liked about the Aimpoint T-1.

1. Light Weight
2. Battery Life

Things I didn't like.

1. Small usable window means you only know you're on target at the last second which slows you down.
2. A lot of money wrapped up in a sight.
3. I had play with the tiny dial to find the right setting all the time. Rather than just set it an push a button for it to come on.
4. The simple dot only reticle could sometimes be hard to pickup.

GUESSING ABOUT THE EOTECH XPS

Things I think I am going to like about the EoTech XPS.

1. Light Weight.
2. Large usable window so I will get shots off faster in a pinch.
3. About $200 cheaper than the T-1 all said and done.
4. Set the brightness you want and then from then on push a button and it comes on.
5. Dig the circle dot reticle.

Things I think I am NOT going to like about the EoTech XPS.

1. Battery Life.
2. Looks kinda goofy.

UPDATE

Here is what the M4gery looks like with the new sight...not my best pic but it is a pretty busy night. I'll take some better ones later.

[Casual_Shooter]

Something I learned about the XPS 2 ( that you might know already) is that the reticle is fuzzy if you focus on it. If you focus on your target, the reticle is more clear. Made sense after the fact.

We thought it was broken until we RTFM.

[tacticalcity]

Is it more fuzzy than other EoTechs or are you referring to EoTech reticles in general?

I noticed on other EoTech models that if you turn it up too high for the situation it will look fuzzy, but at the same setting when there is more ambient light, it does not look fuzzy any more. Learning what settings work best for your currient lighting helps. I turn them up until they look fuzzy then dial them back down one or two notches.

The dot on the Aimpoints will "star" and get fuzzy as well if you crank it up too high.

[Casual_Shooter]

Unfortunately, I don't have any experience with other EoTech models.

FF this youtube video to about the 2 minute mark and you'll see what I'm referring to. The camera focus on the reticle for a second and then onto the table. You see the reticle go fuzzy and then clear up.

This is more clear than the one a friend has, so I think we probably had the brightness set too high.

[tacticalcity]

Pretty normal thing to do. Took me a while to figure out that it became more clear if I just dialed it down a bit. Since then I've heard a lot of instructors at shooting classes offer people the same advice. Seems to work pretty well, and they did just fine running and gunning with it dialed down.

It is shipping via UPS ground. So I have a long 7 day wait for it to show up.

[Nessal]

I think a lot of people that have fuzziness issues with eotechs is because they turn the brightness up wayyyy too high.

[ChrisTKHarris]

Why didn't you get an EXPS? Budget?

[ChrisTKHarris]

I think a lot of people that have fuzziness issues with eotechs is because they turn the brightness up wayyyy too high.

Sometimes the fuzziness is due to an astigmatism.

[tacticalcity]

Why didn't you get an EXPS? Budget?

All the models my supplier have on hand are NV compatible which would be spending money on something I do not need, and since under certain circumstances it means a bunch of extra button pushes, don't want. Plus I want to cowitness in the lower 1/3 of the window. The larue riser does that, and I am not sure if the built in throw levers on the EXPS models do that or not. Since all the ones I could get at dealer cost were NV versions, it wasn't worth looking into.

My goal is to get a sight I like as well or better than the T-1, but for less money. The EXPS would have done the first, but not the later. Not by enough to make it worth it anyway.

There ya go. That was my reasoning.

[tacticalcity]

Sometimes the fuzziness is due to an astigmatism.

While that is true, it gets used as a cop-out all the time. Even with an astigmatism (which I have to a slight degree even after surgery), dialing it down the proper setting reduces starring significantly. Unless they are damn near legally blind...it probably has more to do with settings than their eye sight. Or at the very least is some combination of the two. So if you just blame it on the astigmatism, and don't inform people they are actually using the wrong settings, you are not really doing them any favors. They might give up on a sight that would work great if only they knew what they were doing. This is something that is true of all red dot sights. They will star if cranked up too high. The reason people notice it more on the EoTech is because of the design of the reticle. They are looking a pattern and not just a simple little dot. It stands out more, even though the actual amount of starring is the same.

I am not trying to be argumentative, just sharing what I learned the hard way. I would hate to see somebody give up on a perfectly good sight thinking there was no solution, when all the had to do was turn it down 2 or 3 notches. And people do it all the time.

[Joe]

I own an eotech.

I also need prescription glasses because I'm farsighted. When I wear my glasses the reticle in my eotech is extremely blurry. When I wear my contacts the reticle is not nearly as bad but is still blurry. When I use my naked eye the reticle is crystal clear and awesome.

[tacticalcity]

So the EoTech XPS 2.0 and the mount showed up today. I don't have any issues with reticle and my eyes. Everything looks great, as expected.

If I get off work at a reasonable hour tonight I will take a picture of it on my M4gery and post a picture.

[ChrisTKHarris]

All the models my supplier have on hand are NV compatible which would be spending money on something I do not need, and since under certain circumstances it means a bunch of extra button pushes, don't want. Plus I want to cowitness in the lower 1/3 of the window. The larue riser does that, and I am not sure if the built in throw levers on the EXPS models do that or not. Since all the ones I could get at dealer cost were NV versions, it wasn't worth looking into.

My goal is to get a sight I like as well or better than the T-1, but for less money. The EXPS would have done the first, but not the later. Not by enough to make it worth it anyway.

There ya go. That was my reasoning.

According to EOTech's website the throw lever on the EXPS is 7mm, which is coincidently the same height as the LaRue mount, so I wonder if it will have the same lower 1/3 cowitness. I iz intrigued.

[tacticalcity]

According to EOTech's website the throw lever on the EXPS is 7mm, which is coincidently the same height as the LaRue mount, so I wonder if it will have the same lower 1/3 cowitness. I iz intrigued.

It would certainly make sense that it does. It is a very popular way of doing things these days. No question the EXPS is a very sexy sight.

I have yet to put my XPS 2.0 through the paces, but I am very pleased with the craftsmanship. So far I dig it.

[esskay]

Couple notes:

* EXPS has the built in riser so you will get the lower 1/3 cowitness (+ quick detach and side buttons so easier to use with a magnifier).

* Eotech does not "remember" your last brightness setting. Whenever you turn it off, then back on again, it returns to its default brightness level. If you turn the unit on with the UP button, it goes into 8 hour battery saver mode, if you use the DOWN button, it goes into 4 hour battery saver mode, but in either case starts up at the same brightness level. IIRC (hope I didn't butcher this)

* The field-expedient way to deal with the Eotech's "forgetfulness" on your brightness setting is to utilize the night vision mode as a toggle. You turn it on, adjust brightness to your desired level, then toggle NV mode whenever you want to save your batteries and toggle it again when you need to go hot. I learned this neat trick from a Jim Smith class (former Delta who is quite fond of Eotechs). Of course this only works if you have an NV capable model, with the lesser models you're basically SOL on this point...

* Another nice feature of the Eotech reticle is the 65 MOA circle makes for incredibly fast close range work. When engaging targets at short range, don't even bother with the center dot, just put the large circle on the target and press the trigger. You can also use the large circle as a reference point in dealing with height over bore if you need to make a more precise shot at close range.

* In addition, the 65 MOA circle provides rough ranging capability. At 100 yards, 65 MOA is 65" so you can compare someone's height to the circle to get a rough estimation of distance.