Brightest LPVO 1-8x Under $700

dizzy_xc

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Minuteman
Sep 11, 2022
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Asking for those in the know that have seen the various types of affordable LPVOs and can attest to which ones have the brightest illumination. 'Daylight Bright' is quite subjective, but comparing optics directly to another to see which one is brighter could be something worthy of discussion.

I'm currently in the market for my first LPVO and need 2 or three of them which is why I'm looking for pricing around $700 or less. I'm fairly certain I like the 1-8x range due to more forgiving eyebox area than the 1-10x scopes for my 5.56 needs out to 300-400 yards. Weight is less of an issue, but I've heard that the heavier the optic the more sturdy it is. I don't know if this is true. Also like the SFP as the reticle is usually larger and easier to see at 1x in the daytime than a FFP optic.

I'm considering these scopes: Primary Arms 1-8x24 SLX, Sig Sauer Tango MSR 1-8x24, Swampfox Arrowhead 1-8x24, Vortex Strike Eagle 1-8x24, and Athlon Optics Argos BTR Gen2 1-8x24, Of these or another not on this list under $700, which have you experienced a brighter illuminated daytime reticle than others? If the reticle is not bright, I'd immediately discount it. Thank you!
 
The Tango MSR and 1-8 SFP Strike Eagle are not daylight bright, at least based on my experience. They may be marginally visible in daylight, but not enough for "red dot" usage like a PST or Razor. The FFP Strike Eagle is slightly brighter, based on a sample size of 1. If you can live with 6x, just get a Viper PST 1-6
 
If it were me, I would save a little longer and get an optic with better stats. I wouldn’t touch Vortex Strike Eagle, Athlon, or Swampfox w/ a 10 ft pole. All are JUNK imho. Would look at Trijicon Credo or Primary GLX at only $200-300 more. Go ahead and get some spare mounts when you have cash too. You know more scopes are coming. Cheers
 
I had the chance to view the Sig Sauer MSR Tango 1-8x vs the Vortex Strike Eagle today. The glow from both are as bright as each other, but because the Vortex has a larger illuminated reticle I'll be dropping the Sig Sauer from the running as the Vortex is easier to see in the daytime comparatively.

@Thriller, thanks for posting. Yes, these scopes aren't so great. Compared to scopes a decade ago, they aren't too bad, however. Spending the kind of money you are suggesting for better optics is something I just can't afford to do. Yes, I'd love to get my hands on a better scope, but I have a budget of $1500 for two scopes and will be getting three if I can find the ones I need for less. If you think there's a better scope for a few hundred dollars more than the ones I listed, please name them and tell me why I should spend that much.
 
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i've been satisfied with the trijicon accupoints and daylight brightness with the fiber optics.
i know they are not the best to distances over 200yds but it's not my area of concern so they work.
 
Does it need to be a 1-8? You’re not going to be a red dot bright 1-8 under $1000. Would recommend sticking with a 1-6 like the vortex PST. Even the $300 rt6 1-6 mentioned is nicer than all the scopes you mentioned imo
 
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PA PLx 1-8 is very close to daylight bright. It’s nice and made in Japan with good glass. Used around $900 in the PX or when they have demo sales. It’s heavy but extremely well made. The new version may be brighter and is definitely lighter. Griffin reticle is great to me for a 1-8.
 
Credo. They're like $1200 though
Buddy of mine had a Trijicon Credo 1-8x28. I think he paid like $1,200 for it. I spent a lot of time looking through it, and shooting through it at the range, and honestly, the glass was kind of shit (unimpressive) for the price tag. I expected better from Trijicon, because of how good the ACOGs i've used were. He eventually traded it off because he came to the same conclusion. Just my thoughts...
 
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Asking for those in the know that have seen the various types of affordable LPVOs and can attest to which ones have the brightest illumination. 'Daylight Bright' is quite subjective, but comparing optics directly to another to see which one is brighter could be something worthy of discussion.

I'm currently in the market for my first LPVO and need 2 or three of them which is why I'm looking for pricing around $700 or less. I'm fairly certain I like the 1-8x range due to more forgiving eyebox area than the 1-10x scopes for my 5.56 needs out to 300-400 yards. Weight is less of an issue, but I've heard that the heavier the optic the more sturdy it is. I don't know if this is true. Also like the SFP as the reticle is usually larger and easier to see at 1x in the daytime than a FFP optic.

I'm considering these scopes: Primary Arms 1-8x24 SLX, Sig Sauer Tango MSR 1-8x24, Swampfox Arrowhead 1-8x24, Vortex Strike Eagle 1-8x24, and Athlon Optics Argos BTR Gen2 1-8x24, Of these or another not on this list under $700, which have you experienced a brighter illuminated daytime reticle than others? If the reticle is not bright, I'd immediately discount it. Thank you!
you mentioned the arrowhead and while I will say rt6 all day, I do have the arrowhead 1-8x on a beater aero 308 build that has held up very well and tracks on point.
 
Strike Eagle FFP 1-8x24 gets my vote. I have the SFP version, and hope to get the new FFP version soon.
Never tried this , but I saw a deal for a new one with cantilever mount included for $299. Seemed like a pretty good deal for a cheap 1-8 with a mount.
 
Yeah ... my expectation wouldn't be high, but it it was functional for a beater gun, I may try it
For $300 bones with a CM-202 mount, that's a pretty solid deal. I think for that price, you can't go wrong, and you'll be alright with it. It's not perfect, but for $300, it's worth the money over any other option that I'm currently aware of.
 
For $300 bones with a CM-202 mount, that's a pretty solid deal. I think for that price, you can't go wrong, and you'll be alright with it. It's not perfect, but for $300, it's worth the money over any other option that I'm currently aware of.
normally I'd agree but the glass sucks and for $100 more you can get a rt6 and a similar mount and have a way better package in terms of glass, size, weight, and durability. Not discounting the 299 as that is a deal but the SE really is just stop gap as many who buy, wind up selling for something better.
 
Burris made a 1-8 sfp and a 1-5 sfp with a bright dot and they can be found used in that range here and there if you're patient.

If not that then sacrifice 2x and get a viper pst gen2 1-6
 
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