Arken EP5 7- 35 .. Standing in for some Alpha Glass

Luckily i shoot in a club environment and not on a two way range.

As most all here are but think they aren't. LOL

Actually got a 50% off Arken cert from a prize table this past weekend and ordered a 7-35 through Arken yesterday. We will see who wins the delivery race, Cameraland or Arken. LOL
 
So as a poors I am very interested in this scope. I watched mullets video and the only thing I was not sure of is his triggercam view on long range shots was lets say not sharp. And by that I mean they look nothing like @wooferocau phone pics. So there has to be a difference in Aussie glass vs. U.S. glass which got me interested in the DNT so I went to their website and under shipping it says only certain brands. So I emailed them if they would ship the DNT to the U.S. , they just replied with a big no.
 
Anyone who has is awaiting delivery from us on an Arken 7-35 and wants to swap out to the DNT only needs to call us and ask for the switch.
Doug, curious to know your thoughts on the new Arken EP5 Gen2 7-35x versus the older EP5 5-25x glass? Also, your thoughts on the DNT vs. the EP5 Gen2 7-35x glass? Does your experiences track with this thread?

Both of my original EP5's were very lackluster in glass, and honestly, I wasn't impressed, even for the money. That's why I got rid of mine.
 
Done! Very easy to do also. Thanks to Doug and his crew for making it that way.

Now I can put them side by side when both come in and see for myself if there is any difference.
I'm interested in the DNT for a budget option, if it's really as good as these pictures show... So I'm curious to hear your thoughts.
 
Doug, curious to know your thoughts on the new Arken EP5 Gen2 7-35x versus the older EP5 5-25x glass? Also, your thoughts on the DNT vs. the EP5 Gen2 7-35x glass? Does your experiences track with this thread?

Both of my original EP5's were very lackluster in glass, and honestly, I wasn't impressed, even for the money. That's why I got rid of mine.
Yes, the Gen 2 is optically superior to the Gen 1 and yes the new DNT 7-35x56 FFP is a step up optically as well. For the money this new DNT is surprisingly excellent.
 
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Yes, the Gen 2 is optically superior to the Gen 1 and yes the new DNT 7-35x56 FFP is a step up optically as well. For the money this new DNT is surprisingly excellent.
Shoot me a DM with a price on a DNT 7-35x with that new MPR (or whatever this new MIL-XT knockoff) reticle. And if Rob says it’s worth it, I’ll get one to try out. He has similar scopes to me, and our eyes seem to be similar based on our opinions of the same optics.

Also, do your personal experiences with the image/glass quality of them mirror this thread?
 

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From the DNT site:

DNT Optics Warranty


Two Years for Digital and Thermal


Lifetime Warranty for Traditional daytime optics.


If your product has any failure during normal and intended use, DNT Optics will repair or replace it for you based on the evaluations conducted by our service team. Cosmetic damage (scratch and dents) is not considered to be defects. Intentional abuse is not covered—leave the torture tests to the guys on YouTube.
 
From the DNT site:

DNT Optics Warranty


Two Years for Digital and Thermal


Lifetime Warranty for Traditional daytime optics.


If your product has any failure during normal and intended use, DNT Optics will repair or replace it for you based on the evaluations conducted by our service team. Cosmetic damage (scratch and dents) is not considered to be defects. Intentional abuse is not covered—leave the torture tests to the guys on YouTube.
Thanks Rob! It must be DNT optics in TX then, I found the website but wasn’t sure since there are only night vision items on there.
 
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Doug is awesome. Ordered the DNT lmao. Arken waiting 6 weeks is bananas. It’s been a couple of weeks and it hasn’t even processed yet.

we’ll see how the DNT stacks up for the money when it arrives. Have a new Vudoo build that’s needs a scope and the 7-35 NF can go back to a big boy rifle.
 
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Doug is awesome. Ordered the DNT lmao. Arken waiting 6 weeks is bananas. It’s been a couple of weeks and it hasn’t even processed yet.

we’ll see how the DNT stacks up for the money when it arrives. Have a new Vudoo build that’s needs a scope and the 7-35 NF can go back to a big boy rifle.
I think you will be pleasantly surprised..
 
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So you own both the 3-27 and the ultrashort despite their shortcomings?
Yes
2 x 3-27,s and the 5-20 Ultrashort.

The 5-20 Ultra Short ( MSr2 Green) and one of the 3-27,s ( Gri2d Pantone) were special order from S&B . The other 3--27 is Std Black with P4Fl
 

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How is this still going? Because there are people who still believe that the EP5s this guy owns are completely different from all the EP5 that everyone on SH owns? Arken is somehow secretly selling Aussies special models with massively better optics in hopes that they will attack the West with them?

Your pictures don't do justice to how shitty the EP5 is on anything but low power. They're grainy, often out of focus, and tell us exactly nothing.

I OWN THIS SCOPE!!! I have many many others ranging from 1960s Tascos to TTs and ZCOs. Nobody ever said that for >$500 it wasn't high value, but this has just become retarded.

giphy.gif
 
How is this still going? Because there are people who still believe that the EP5s this guy owns are completely different from all the EP5 that everyone on SH owns? Arken is somehow secretly selling Aussies special models with massively better optics in hopes that they will attack the West with them?

Your pictures don't do justice to how shitty the EP5 is on anything but low power. They're grainy, often out of focus, and tell us exactly nothing.

I OWN THIS SCOPE!!! I have many many others ranging from 1960s Tascos to TTs and ZCOs. Nobody ever said that for >$500 it wasn't high value, but this has just become retarded.

giphy.gif
Well, the Aussies DO get different scopes than we do, what exactly is different is one of the things that is being discussed here. For most of the people on here the performance under common conditions (like those being photographed) is what matters, not how they perform from an urban hide site at dusk on human sized targets at 2,473 yards and if that's your use case then you aren't even looking at Arken to begin with. Under good conditions the gap in observable performance gets smaller and smaller. If you take everything on the internet as gospel then you're in for a whole lot of irritation in life.
 
For the hundredth time, I own and EP5. I've shot through it quite a bit. I'm not basing my observations on the internet, but on my personal experience with it. It isn't even close to being tier 1 glass, period. I did not send it back or ask for a refund. It lives on a .22, which it is absolutely fine for. I have even competed in a couple of matches with it. The turrets are not crisp, but it tracks fine (pass/fail) and I could see all the tiny NRL 22 targets with it. At higher power it falls apart and looks like shit. A Razor HD completely blows it away. At the end of the day on a 900 yard target with no paint on it I will pass. There are a ton of scopes you can say the same for, most of which cost a few hundred dollars more.

In perfect conditions at short distances you don't need really good glass. If you start pushing your throw lever and shooting long it makes a huge difference to me. That said, I totally don't feel ripped off at <$500. It's all the ridiculous, fabulist claims about how it preforms and how it looks at range that I object to.

I can't believe I'm letting you idiots bait me into this again. He's full of shit and doesn't know what he's talking about. So are you if you are buying this crap. If you just go the the square range on a nice day and plink you don't need a tier 1 scope. If you hunt at range or shoot comps it's a definite advantage. This is not new or esoteric information.
 
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Well, the Aussies DO get different scopes than we do, what exactly is different is one of the things that is being discussed here. For most of the people on here the performance under common conditions (like those being photographed) is what matters, not how they perform from an urban hide site at dusk on human sized targets at 2,473 yards and if that's your use case then you aren't even looking at Arken to begin with. Under good conditions the gap in observable performance gets smaller and smaller. If you take everything on the internet as gospel then you're in for a whole lot of irritation in life.
They probably get XXX-ED glass. Infused w/ Viagra and shit
 
Is this more to your liking ....Arken ..ZCO

ZCO wins...

But both embarrass the Ultrshort!
Man, it’s hard to compare your pics…even though such an exercise is futile anyway.

Onwards towards futility!
B75BF064-8B53-412F-810E-D427849E7852.jpeg
544A2A43-8AC8-4130-BBDD-D49CEDB451BA.jpeg


I had to crop significantly because your ZCO shot is massively out of center.

Now, this exercise tells you absolutely nothing, but whatever. I had to do it.
 
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For the hundredth time, I own and EP5. I've shot through it quite a bit. I'm not basing my observations on the internet, but on my personal experience with it. It isn't even close to being tier 1 glass, period. I did not send it back or ask for a refund. It lives on a .22, which it is absolutely fine for. I have even competed in a couple of matches with it. The turrets are not crisp, but it tracks fine (pass/fail) and I could see all the tiny NRL 22 targets with it. At higher power it falls apart and looks like shit. A Razor HD completely blows it away. At the end of the day on a 900 yard target with no paint on it I will pass. There are a ton of scopes you can say the same for, most of which cost a few hundred dollars more.

In perfect conditions at short distances you don't need really good glass. If you start pushing your throw lever and shooting long it makes a huge difference to me. That said, I totally don't feel ripped off at <$500. It's all the ridiculous, fabulist claims about how it preforms and how it looks at range that I object to.

I can't believe I'm letting you idiots bait me into this again. He's full of shit and doesn't know what he's talking about. So are you if you are buying this crap. If you just go the the square range on a nice day and plink you don't need a tier 1 scope. If you hunt at range or shoot comps it's a definite advantage. This is not new or esoteric information.

When it comes to these scopes, it seems its all about the glass. You're a glass half empty kinda guy. Got it. OP is a glass half full kinda guy. Got it. Excuse me for not considering you an expert on the OP's individual example of this optic, or his opinion. It seems you're awfully sensitive to people not sharing your viewpoint. You don't work for the DNC do you? ;)
 
DNT:
TheOne is a 7-35x56 first focal plane scope with all the features you would find in a premium scope. It uses X-ED glass for better image clarity.

X-ED Glass!!!
Holy shit!
This is extra as fuck!!!

Also, I ordered one 🤣🤣
I asked what "X-ED" means on their Instagram post and they never responded. I really want to like what they're doing but something just seems shady about it all. I messaged DNT directly in the middle of August about whether or not the scope would be available in the US at any point and their response was "we don't have a timeline for that at the moment and are focusing on other products" then it's available a month later? Are they just not communicating internally to know what products are doing what? Neither Arken or DNT seem to have figured out customer interaction yet.
 
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I asked what "X-ED" means on their Instagram post and they never responded. I really want to like what they're doing but something just seems shady about it all. I messaged DNT directly in the middle of August about whether or not the scope would be available in the US at any point and their response was "we don't have a timeline for that at the moment and are focusing on other products" then it's available a month later? Are they just not communicating internally to know what products are doing what? Neither Arken or DBT seem to have figured out customer interaction yet.
So from what was explained to me was that DNT bought and took over all of Arkens night vision optics. Then they made a deal with the manufacture of the 7-35 and it comes from the same factory as the Arken 7-35 but they made some design tweaks. The reticle for one and illumination. These tweaks result in “slightly” better optics and the construction is a little better. Someone else words in the industry and it was stated that Arken has terrible customer service.

So that’s why I canceled the Arken and bought the DNT not to mention the DNT was in stock.
 
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So from what was explained to me was that DNT bought and took over all of Arkens night vision optics. Then they made a deal with the manufacture of the 7-35 and it comes from the same factory as the Arken 7-35 but they made some design tweaks. The reticle for one and illumination. These tweaks result in “slightly” better optics and the construction is a little better. Someone else words in the industry and it was stated that Arken has terrible customer service.

So that’s why I canceled the Arken and bought the DNT not to mention the DNT was in stock.
Also the turret covers and mag ring surface are different for sure.
 
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I'll never buy another Arken after getting all the shit lemons I did, but I will say this... Their CS never once let me down, even if communication was spotty. They always took care of me. Hell, one of them got lost in the mail from me to them by UPS, and because I had sent them the tracking number they could prove I sent it, and went ahead and sent me out the replacement before receiving the lemon back. Then the lemon showed up to them like 2 weeks later, after the retards at UPS sent the goddamn thing back to the local hub I mailed it from... So it went like all the way from here, to within 25 miles of the Arken location, then the idiots got confused and sent it back to here, and then they had to send it ALL the way back AGAIN... UPS is a bunch of fucking retards.

That said, I hope this DNT is a much better optic than any of my Arkens were. I'm not expecting a lot, honestly, so I hope I'm surprised (in a good way). I have alpha tier glass to compare it side-by-side with. So I can give an honest comparison. Just like all the other stuff I reviewed, I paid for it out of pocket, so absolutely no shilling. So, if this thing is good, I'll say it's good. If it's shit, I'll do just like the Arkens and call them out on the flaws, and get a refund.

I felt like based on tracking, reticle, and features alone (not glass quality) the original EP5 was a good scope for the $350-400 sales price, but not anymore than that, and certainly NOT the $600 MSRP. I haven't looked through an EP5 Gen2, so no clue if they actually improved their shitty glass at max magnification, or not? So if this DNT is noticeably better than my Gen1 EP5's, then it might be worth the $600 price tag. I'm hoping it's a good one. If so, at the very least, it will be good to keep around for load development and plinking at 100-300 yards...Maybe more. Having 35x to really zoom in on the bulls for really tight groups is nice to have.
 
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For the hundredth time, I own and EP5. I've shot through it quite a bit. I'm not basing my observations on the internet, but on my personal experience with it. It isn't even close to being tier 1 glass, period. I did not send it back or ask for a refund. It lives on a .22, which it is absolutely fine for. I have even competed in a couple of matches with it. The turrets are not crisp, but it tracks fine (pass/fail) and I could see all the tiny NRL 22 targets with it. At higher power it falls apart and looks like shit. A Razor HD completely blows it away. At the end of the day on a 900 yard target with no paint on it I will pass. There are a ton of scopes you can say the same for, most of which cost a few hundred dollars more.

In perfect conditions at short distances you don't need really good glass. If you start pushing your throw lever and shooting long it makes a huge difference to me. That said, I totally don't feel ripped off at <$500. It's all the ridiculous, fabulist claims about how it preforms and how it looks at range that I object to.

I can't believe I'm letting you idiots bait me into this again. He's full of shit and doesn't know what he's talking about. So are you if you are buying this crap. If you just go the the square range on a nice day and plink you don't need a tier 1 scope. If you hunt at range or shoot comps it's a definite advantage. This is not new or esoteric information.
You own an Arken 7-35? Mine is nothing like yours if you do. It’s not a RazorGen 3 but the image is good even on max power. The turrets on the Arkens are really crisp. Far better than the Steiner M5x, T6, Bushnell xrs3, DMR3, SWFA 5-25,BurrisXTR3, Athlon cronus, etc.
 
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