Athlon ares etr vs Vortex strike eagle

[Jojo417]

Hello all. I know this has been discussed several times, but all threads seem to be older.

I’m in the market for an optic in the 5-25ish range for my bergara b14 hmr in 6.5cm. I’m wanting to keep this more of a budget setup to dip my feet into the prs stuff.

I like the looks of the strike eagle and the style of the turrets better. I haven’t looked through a 25x se. I have looked through the venom and I have looked through the ares etr. IMO the ares had the better glass.

I currently own a 2.5-20nx8 on my gas rig. So this is what I’m comparing my choice too.

I can get both optics for fairly good deals and they’ll be within about $200 of each other. Is the ares $200 better than the se? Or should I get the se and spend the $200 on ammo?

Help me decide, please!

 

[morning would]

I like the ETR for better glass and higher magnification reasons. I have an ETR and paid like $700 for it here on the hide. It’s a great deal on the used market and some have sold for as little as $650 pretty recently.

 

[Rob01]

The SE glass is better than the Venom. Definitely get the SE over the Venom. Never been a fan of Athlons but have owned a SE and it's a very good scope in that price range.

Another to look at in that price range is the Bushnell Match Pro ED

5-30x56 Long-Range Scope - Match Pro | Bushnell

zero stop optics, locking turret scopes, longest range scope, 5-25 scope

www.bushnell.com

 

[FuhQ]

Where’s Browneye? I heard the magic word… Isn’t he like Candyman? You say “Athlon” 3 times into the mirror and he appears?

 

[Jojo417]

I like the ETR for better glass and higher magnification reasons. I have an ETR and paid like $700 for it here on the hide. It’s a great deal on the used market and some have sold for as little as $650 pretty recently.

I can get an etr for $700 brand new. That’s why it’s so high on my list. Seems like a lot for the money.

 

[Jojo417]

The SE glass is better than the Venom. Definitely get the SE over the Venom. Never been a fan of Athlons but have owned a SE and it's a very good scope in that price range.

Another to look at in that price range is the Bushnell Match Pro ED

5-30x56 Long-Range Scope - Match Pro | Bushnell

zero stop optics, locking turret scopes, longest range scope, 5-25 scope

www.bushnell.com

Seems like that bushnell is a super nice piece. I just have a hard time spending that much money on something that says bushnell on the side.

 

[st1650]

Ares ETR hands down. I have a 3-18 that was comparable to the LOW in low light. Very impressed. It might even replace my LRTSi 3-12 on my hunting rifle.

 

[Taylorbok]

the ETR is a great scope for the price. I've never used a strike eagle

 

[Superjet]

I'd save a bit more (cheaper in the long run) and pick up either a Bushnell DMR III or XRSIII both of which are made in Japan. If you have ONX Elite you get a heck of a discount. Neither scope will hold you back in PRS, and they'll track. People are letting go of XRSIII's in the classifieds for bargains as well.

 

[Jojo417]

I'd save a bit more (cheaper in the long run) and pick up either a Bushnell DMR III or XRSIII both of which are made in Japan. If you have ONX Elite you get a heck of a discount. Neither scope will hold you back in PRS, and they'll track. People are letting go of XRSIII's in the classifieds for bargains as well.

I’m not looking to spend more than the optics I have listed at this time. I won’t shoot this setup near as much as my gas gun stuff. So I feel these options will give me the best results for the money and won’t hold me back.

If I change my mind and decide to spend more I’ll just jump straight to NF, mark5, razor or a Steiner.

 

[Rob01]

Seems like that bushnell is a super nice piece. I just have a hard time spending that much money on something that says bushnell on the side.

Your money. I have one of the Match Pro ED and it's a pretty nice optic for that price range. It's Chinese like all mentioned but one of the better ones like the SE.

 

[Jojo417]

Your money. I have one of the Match Pro ED and it's a pretty nice optic for that price range. It's Chinese like all mentioned but one of the better ones like the SE.

How disappointed will I be with glass comparing it to the NF I already own?

 

[Rob01]

How disappointed will I be with glass comparing it to the NF I already own?

No more disappointed then the other two you are contemplating.

 

[steve123]

I haven't owned a SE but a friend has one. I wasn't disappointed with the IQ in it, maybe he got a good one, I don't know. Though the turrets weren't that good, not bad but not notable in any way shape or form. I do like the lower profile appearance more than on the ETR.

The turrets is where the ETR comes out ahead because the ones I've had/have the lines on the turrets lining up well, are very distinct, and nicely audible.
I also greatly prefer the APRS6 reticle.
While also appreciating the almost daylight bright illume. It's gotta be on the highest intensity to see in bright light but the rest of the time it suffices okay.

A few months ago the Ares ETR 15-60x56 target scope arrived. It's basically a G3 Athlon scope. It's crazy how well that scope came out but more than anything else is how on earth they pulled off the stunt of making the IQ so nice! It's literally as nice as in my S&B 5-25 and no I'm not exaggerating.

I had the original ETR 4.5-30 and it reminded me of a chinese Cronus in most ways. I didn't like the reticle, hating .5 hashes mixed with .2's, so I sold it.

Another friend bought the ETR 3-18x50 earlier this year. He loves it and he owns a Swaro X5i which has the best IQ of any rifle scope I've looked through so far! That includes my March Genesis.

No the other ETR's aren't in this IQ level but certainly decent and pair well with the price these go for.

 

[Jojo417]

I haven't owned a SE but a friend has one. I wasn't disappointed with the IQ in it, maybe he got a good one, I don't know. Though the turrets weren't that good, not bad but not notable in any way shape or form. I do like the lower profile appearance more than on the ETR.

The turrets is where the ETR comes out ahead because the ones I've had/have the lines on the turrets lining up well, are very distinct, and nicely audible.
I also greatly prefer the APRS6 reticle.
While also appreciating the almost daylight bright illume. It's gotta be on the highest intensity to see in bright light but the rest of the time it suffices okay.

A few months ago the Ares ETR 15-60x56 target scope arrived. It's basically a G3 Athlon scope. It's crazy how well that scope came out but more than anything else is how on earth they pulled off the stunt of making the IQ so nice! It's literally as nice as in my S&B 5-25 and no I'm not exaggerating.

I had the original ETR 4.5-30 and it reminded me of a chinese Cronus in most ways. I didn't like the reticle, hating .5 hashes mixed with .2's, so I sold it.

Another friend bought the ETR 3-18x50 earlier this year. He loves it and he owns a Swaro X5i which has the best IQ of any rifle scope I've looked through so far! That includes my March Genesis.

No the other ETR's aren't in this IQ level but certainly decent and pair well with the price these go for.

This is what I’m torn on. I do feel like the glass is better on the ares etr. But overall I think the se looks better and I really like that both turrets lock on it.

 

[Jojo417]

Update! Ended up getting the ares etr 4.5-30. So far I’m super impressed. The turrets are great, and very positive. The glass is equal to my NF nx8 up to about 25x. I had my dad look through both(he doesn’t shoot) and he said he thought the glass on the etr was slightly better at lower mag and just as good up top. I’m gonna get it sighted in and run it through its paces. I picked it up brand new for $700 and I don’t think there’s a better optic for that kind of money.