Ok... I just went and read some of the early Arken threads, because it recommended them at the bottom of the screen... I just want to say, I totally get the hate now. Wow...
Having spent inordinate amounts of time behind high-end optics, and owning several $1,500+ scopes...And shooting through scopes all the way up to $11,000 Hensoldt's (not mine, some rich old guy that used to be a regular customer at the gun store)... Here's my take, versus what I was reading...
While these are phenomenal scopes for the money, and hell, even phenomenal scopes for twice the money... And while they may be as good, and in some cases, feel superior mechanically to some of the alpha-tier scopes (a lot of that, like turret feel, is matter of personal preference). But, folks comparing the glass to Razor G2's, Steiner M7's, ZCO, TT, USO, and Kahles... Come on...
Look, I'm the first person to tell you it's retarded to pay over $2,000 for a rifle scope, BUT... Facts are facts. The top-tier glass IS superior. Period. Is it $2,000, $3,000, or $4,000 superior? Not in my opinion, but NO optic on earth is, or ever will be, unless it's X-Ray vision. But there is a very noticeable difference, even between my $1,500 Zeiss 30mm FFP and my SH4 Gen2 scopes. So, I guarantee you there is a VERY noticeable difference between an SH4 Gen2 and a $4,000 ZCO or TT when comparing glass. Is the cost differentiation justifiable? That's a matter of bank account and personal opinion. I'm not going to tell anyone what to spend their money on, just like I respect folks doing the same for me. I started this thread and bought these scopes because I personally wanted to see what all the hype was about. And so far I'm pretty impressed for the money.
I'm not rich, but if I was, yeah, I'd probably run alpha-tier scopes on everything just because...Especially if I could afford some of these hunts people pay to go on...$4-5K for a scope is a drop in the bucket compared to that. Or, if one of those scopes was less than a month's pay for me. Right now, with the slow season, one of those scopes is over twice that...Tough times. Anyway... I totally understand now why they're so controversial and why all the hate.