Rifle Scopes Eotech XPS ?

H

hitman

Sergeant
Full Member
Minuteman
Apr 23, 2004
717
263
Tampa, FL
#1
I am interested in if anyone has seen the new XPS model brake, go down. I am well aware of the Eotech compared to an Aimpoint pros and cons. I currently have 3 Aimpoints but am considering something different. I know the XPS model fixed the main Eotech issues with the battery. Having said that, has anyone personally have had an XPS go down on them or have first hand knowledge of one going down? Not because of a dead battery either, I mean something stopped working. I am trying to determine their ruggedness before I swap optics.
Thanks
 
#4
Re: Eotech XPS ?

Pat Rogers of EAG Tactical got one second hand but that shouldn't really matter...anyway his broke within seven days. At first the reticle would turn off and then it wouldn't come back on using the up arrow but it would with the down arrow. Eventually it wouldn't come back on at all. Also battery life is less than 200 hours.
 
#5
Re: Eotech XPS ?

Thanks for the info. That really sucks! I have 3- M4's because they are supposed to be so damn sturdy but I had one brake on me Fri. I didn't want to mention until I spoke with Aimpoint to address the issue and see what it is. Anyway, I am second guessing them now and thought I would consider the Eotech instead. I decided to sell one off one of my new Aimpoints I had sitting it in the safe and get and Eotech but maybe I should re-consider.
 
#6
Re: Eotech XPS ?

I have an XPS and it's been on my carbine for a short time for suppressor testing and torture testing and it's functioned perfectly. My brother liked it and picked up one of his own. Before it I had a 554 that worked great, and a 553 that was a battery connector recall sight and it worked fine too, although I did want the recall correction parts and couldn't get EO tech to ship them. My brother had a non-recall 553 on his last deployment and fired ~35,000 rounds through his M4 carbine without any issues, the sight still looked relatively good and he sold it for a decent percentage of the original cost when he returned prior to buying the XPS.

My XPS is typical EO-Tech to me. It works all the time. 12 rounds? Ouch.

On my first deployment in 2004-2005 our unit had about 20 of 60 Aimpoints basically deteriorate to worthlessness from scratched soft lenses and corroded battery contacts mostly- battery life on those was around 100 hours. By then end of the deployment most aimpoint issued guys had gone back to iron sights. We had also issued about 40 EO tech 554's and those guys loved their sights and I heard more than one person talk about buying one for their personal rifle. I personally bought a 554 during the trainup and qualified 40 out of 40 with my M4 carbine which was a lot better than 33's I'd typically shot with Aimpoints. That was probably related to the fact Aimpoints at least at that time were not parralax free at 25 meters (and we zeroed at 25). EO techs are PX free at 25.

<span style="font-weight: bold">
It sounds like there is a bigger issue here. Probably counterfeit sights. </span>

Link to download from EO tech / L3 communications

Buy from a dealer of optics and you should be fine.

It would be pretty sad if Pat Rogers had been "gifted" a clone. That sounds like a great marketing strategy for Aimpoint, or an awful coincidence for L3 communications.

The opinions of gun training celebrities in the community shouldn't be weighted any higher than typical special forces soldiers who in a lot of cases shoot nearly as much. There are plenty of SF soldiers happy and of their own choice using EO tech sights.

Buy an EO tech- don't look back- the technology is far superior. One gives you a heads up display and the other uses the same sighting technology as the $80 Konus atomic Red dot with sights dating back to 1974. When import clones can't effectively replicate the technology that should say something about its state of advancement. 1974 Aimpoint

Aimpoint makes a good sight obviously and I'm not suggesting the micro T1 isn't nice to have, but I feel you get more value for your money spent with L3.
 
#8
Re: Eotech XPS ?

i really like the exps3's. the new quick detach system is nice. i'm planning to get one, but then again i plan to own like every red dot and holographic sight i can get my hands on. it's a good way to know the good bad and ugly about each.

i wish someone would mate eotech and aimpoint
 
#9
Re: Eotech XPS ?

I did a battery test with my XPS3-2 by turning it on every day using the 8 hour on button and it went over the 200 hours. I haven't heard of many issues with the XPS models. It appears that EOTech finally got it right with the XPS series.
 
#10
Re: Eotech XPS ?

I have an XPS3 on a new BCM and I just shot it for the first time earlier this morning; no problems whatsoever and it seems to be tip-top.

I've always been a fan of Aimpoints (I have an ML2, an M4s and a T1 Micro) but I thought I'd try something different. Personally, I think that it is pretty hard to go too wrong with either choice (Aimpoint or Eotech).
 
#11
Re: Eotech XPS ?

I've got an XPS3 on a 9mm carbine with a few thousand rounds through it. No problems whatsoever. Adjustments are a bit softer than I prefer, but nothing technically wrong with it.
 
#12
Re: Eotech XPS ?

I've only owned one Eotech: a 512 that drained batteries even when off and that was really all it took for me to switch to Aimpoint.

Basically it comes down to <span style="font-weight: bold">needs</span>, if you like the better reticle, you don't need a super-durable optic and your usage is on a one-way range (competition) then an Eotech is a better optic for you.

If you want a durable optic with battery life in years that you can leave on all the time and trust your life with then get an Aimpoint. As far as the comments about issued Aimpoint failing: remember those sights were in service for many years before they started to fail. The 552 and the 553s that were in service were pulled from the armories after about one year due to too many durability concerns.

Hitman, I would highly recommend you sign up for an account at lightfighter. There is a wealth of good information on there from qualified people who have lots of experience on this subject.
 
#13
Re: Eotech XPS ?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: sickeness</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I've only owned one Eotech: a 512 that drained batteries even when off and that was really all it took for me to switch to Aimpoint.

Basically it comes down to <span style="font-weight: bold">needs</span>, if you like the better reticle, you don't need a super-durable optic and your usage is on a one-way range (competition) then an Eotech is a better optic for you.

If you want a durable optic with battery life in years that you can leave on all the time and trust your life with then get an Aimpoint. As far as the comments about issued Aimpoint failing: remember those sights were in service for many years before they started to fail. The 552 and the 553s that were in service were pulled from the armories after about one year due to too many durability concerns.

Hitman, I would highly recommend you sign up for an account at lightfighter. There is a wealth of good information on there from qualified people who have lots of experience on this subject. </div></div>

While I agree that EOTechs have had some issues n the past, this thread is about the XPS series. So talking about the 552's and 553's is kind of pointless. People love to bash EOTechs for their recent problems, yet neglect the fact that Aimpoint had the same problems in the past when they first came out. And I've been reading some threads about the new Aimpoint M4's that the Military has and they aren't exactly bullet proof. They have problems also, which goes to show that anything electronic can and will fail. That's what BUIS is for.
 
#14
Re: Eotech XPS ?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: paulosantos</div><div class="ubbcode-body"><div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: sickeness</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I've only owned one Eotech: a 512 that drained batteries even when off and that was really all it took for me to switch to Aimpoint.

Basically it comes down to <span style="font-weight: bold">needs</span>, if you like the better reticle, you don't need a super-durable optic and your usage is on a one-way range (competition) then an Eotech is a better optic for you.

If you want a durable optic with battery life in years that you can leave on all the time and trust your life with then get an Aimpoint. As far as the comments about issued Aimpoint failing: remember those sights were in service for many years before they started to fail. The 552 and the 553s that were in service were pulled from the armories after about one year due to too many durability concerns.

Hitman, I would highly recommend you sign up for an account at lightfighter. There is a wealth of good information on there from qualified people who have lots of experience on this subject. </div></div>

While I agree that EOTechs have had some issues n the past, this thread is about the XPS series. So talking about the 552's and 553's is kind of pointless. People love to bash EOTechs for their recent problems, yet neglect the fact that Aimpoint had the same problems in the past when they first came out. And I've been reading some threads about the new Aimpoint M4's that the Military has and they aren't exactly bullet proof. They have problems also, which goes to show that anything electronic can and will fail. That's what BUIS is for. </div></div>

Fair enough,
However, if you read the thread I linked to, there are 3-4 reports of people who have had XPS failures.
 
#15
Re: Eotech XPS ?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: sickeness</div><div class="ubbcode-body"><div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: paulosantos</div><div class="ubbcode-body"><div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: sickeness</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I've only owned one Eotech: a 512 that drained batteries even when off and that was really all it took for me to switch to Aimpoint.

Basically it comes down to <span style="font-weight: bold">needs</span>, if you like the better reticle, you don't need a super-durable optic and your usage is on a one-way range (competition) then an Eotech is a better optic for you.

If you want a durable optic with battery life in years that you can leave on all the time and trust your life with then get an Aimpoint. As far as the comments about issued Aimpoint failing: remember those sights were in service for many years before they started to fail. The 552 and the 553s that were in service were pulled from the armories after about one year due to too many durability concerns.

Hitman, I would highly recommend you sign up for an account at lightfighter. There is a wealth of good information on there from qualified people who have lots of experience on this subject. </div></div>

While I agree that EOTechs have had some issues n the past, this thread is about the XPS series. So talking about the 552's and 553's is kind of pointless. People love to bash EOTechs for their recent problems, yet neglect the fact that Aimpoint had the same problems in the past when they first came out. And I've been reading some threads about the new Aimpoint M4's that the Military has and they aren't exactly bullet proof. They have problems also, which goes to show that anything electronic can and will fail. That's what BUIS is for. </div></div>

Fair enough,
However, if you read the thread I linked to, there are 3-4 reports of people who have had XPS failures. </div></div>

http://www.ar15.com/forums/topic.html?b=3&f=18&t=502581&page=2

Read the very last post on the page about the dead Aimpoint M4's. I guess we should all just go back to iron sights since all of the optics available aren't reliable.

And for the record, I'm a big Aimpoint, EOTech, and ACOG fan.
 
#16
Re: Eotech XPS ?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: sickeness</div><div class="ubbcode-body">

Fair enough,
However, if you read the thread I linked to, there are 3-4 reports of people who have had XPS failures. </div></div>

And there are really decent cosmetic counterfeits on the market that are terrible functionally and can most likely account for those XPS failures.

When I talked about Aimpoint problems- our units weren't 3 months old when they started showing their ass big time. The climate was Mississippi and it was raining daily and they were not up to the humidity. Later in Iraq the deteriorating sights continued to snowball issues. I don't believe the EO techs did need to be pulled out of service as suggested, but many of our Aimpoints were deadlined for optical flaws or electronic failures within months of issue.

I know the Aimpoint civilian sights seem to be better and they do have long battery life, but they are still tubed sights that give shooters tunnel vision. They still require optical coatings that reduce light transmission in order to allow the dot to be seen.

The EO tech uses a laser for illumination of the reticle and doesn't have those optical coating needs, and isn't aggressively tubed. It is faster on target and gives the shooter better situational awareness. A shooter can change batteries every three to six weeks if his duty hours require, but can't make a lesser sight faster or better than it is.

The only reason I can see for owning an Aimpoint is the T1. It's smaller than an EO tech and thus has that niche of the market. The T1 improves on the aimpoint line by providing less housing length which reduces tunnel vision.
 
#17
Re: Eotech XPS ?

Update- Off topic but I wanted to mention it because I said something about it earlier. One of Aimpoint M4's stopped working and I spoke with Aimpoint yesterday and they are great. I am sending it back in for a repair and the tech. said it he was sure the switch was bad. I am still bothered it stopped in the first place but their customer service is great so far.

I am still interested in which one people feel is the most rugged. Battery life aside. My buddy just got back from a yr in Afgn. and said his M4 was beat to hell and never missed a beat. We also have them on many of our work guns and training guns and the armorer said he has never seen one brake. Figures, my luck I get a bad one!
 
#18
Re: Eotech XPS ?

Everything manufacturer is going to have it's lemons. With that being said, I've owned:

512 (sold)
516 (sold)
556 (sold)
XPS (current)


I haven't had any issues with any of them.
 
#19
Re: Eotech XPS ?

I bought an XPS new. Straight out of the box the click detents on the elevation adjustment did not work (it rotated without ever settling in to a detent). The windage screw worked properly. Looking closely, the centerline distance between the screw and detent seemed to be further apart on the elevation screw than on the windage screw, causing the detent to not engage properly. I sent it back and bought an Aimpoint.
 
#20
Re: Eotech XPS ?

If you really want to get some other manufacturers:

I went to Dicks Sporting goods and bought a cheapo Truglo. After discount and a 5 year warranty I think the total ended up being about 19 bucks.

I took it to the range, sighted it in at 25 yard.
Then I unmounted it, tossed it on the concrete floor and against the concrete walls. I didn't wind up and pitch it. Tossing it and having it smack against the concrete was good enough for me. (10 ft drops on solid concrete)

I also let it sit in a sink full of water for a few hours.

Results:
It held zero perfectly fine. All the plastic lens covers broke but they were flimsy plastic and I expected that. Mounting it was the only issue as the mounting system didn't lend it self to repeatability.

My point: Anything can break regardless of the cost and reputation. Sometimes money doesn't buy you reliability. Sometimes the cheapo's will outlast the expensive ones.
 
#21
Re: Eotech XPS ?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: CNC</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I bought an XPS new. Straight out of the box the click detents on the elevation adjustment did not work (it rotated without ever settling in to a detent). The windage screw worked properly. Looking closely, the centerline distance between the screw and detent seemed to be further apart on the elevation screw than on the windage screw, causing the detent to not engage properly. I sent it back and bought an Aimpoint. </div></div>

Shit happens. Anything man made can and will brake. What are you going to do if your Aimpoint breaks? Are you going to give up on Aimpoints and EOTechs? Kind of silly if you ask me to give up on something especially when it is a new product. You obviously bought the EOTech because you liked.
 
#22
Re: Eotech XPS ?

I'll tell you what though...I have some craftsman tools...and broken a lot of em to boot...but they get replaced no questions asked. I'd like to see someone get warranty replacement on some chinese made tools.
 
#23
Re: Eotech XPS ?

Yeh, I actually think it simply comes down to personal preference. I have read alot over the past few days and both camps have the same good and bad points. I mean you will find that as many people have had bad encounters with Aimpoints as those with Eotechs'. For every person that hates Eotechs or Aimpoints you will find as many that love them. I can attest that things do brake. I have a total POS Tasco scope that I bought at least ten years ago that has been dropped, banged, dented etc and the only reason I still have it is it cost $ 30 and still works. Does that mean the scope is better than a broken $ 1200 Leupold? In my opinion, no.

I was really just curious at first what peoples' opinions are on the durability of each but it seems they are both very close. Probably to much to call. Just my thoughts.
 
#24
Re: Eotech XPS ?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: paulosantos</div><div class="ubbcode-body"><div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: CNC</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I bought an XPS new. Straight out of the box the click detents on the elevation adjustment did not work (it rotated without ever settling in to a detent). The windage screw worked properly. Looking closely, the centerline distance between the screw and detent seemed to be further apart on the elevation screw than on the windage screw, causing the detent to not engage properly. I sent it back and bought an Aimpoint. </div></div>

Shit happens. Anything man made can and will brake. What are you going to do if your Aimpoint breaks? Are you going to give up on Aimpoints and EOTechs? Kind of silly if you ask me to give up on something especially when it is a new product. You obviously bought the EOTech because you liked.</div></div>

It didn't break. It had a manufacturing issue that quality control didn't catch. If they are not turning the dials in inspection then that's not a very thourogh inspection if you ask me. Would I buy another Eotech, most likely. I bought the XPS in its initial release. After having a dud I decided to try another product while Eotech gets that sorted out. That's silly?
 
#25
Re: Eotech XPS ?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: CNC</div><div class="ubbcode-body"><div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: paulosantos</div><div class="ubbcode-body"><div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: CNC</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I bought an XPS new. Straight out of the box the click detents on the elevation adjustment did not work (it rotated without ever settling in to a detent). The windage screw worked properly. Looking closely, the centerline distance between the screw and detent seemed to be further apart on the elevation screw than on the windage screw, causing the detent to not engage properly. I sent it back and bought an Aimpoint. </div></div>

Shit happens. Anything man made can and will brake. What are you going to do if your Aimpoint breaks? Are you going to give up on Aimpoints and EOTechs? Kind of silly if you ask me to give up on something especially when it is a new product. You obviously bought the EOTech because you liked.</div></div>

It didn't break. It had a manufacturing issue that quality control didn't catch. If they are not turning the dials in inspection then that's not a very thourogh inspection if you ask me. Would I buy another Eotech, most likely. I bought the XPS in its initial release. After having a dud I decided to try another product while Eotech gets that sorted out. That's silly? </div></div>

The way you came out and said that you "sent it back and got an Aimpoint" sounded like the typical Aimpoint vs EOTech stuff that you read on every forum. Just like the thread I read in which a guy bought an Aimpoint M4 and the knob was defective and he posted on a thread that he sold his and got an EOTech and he was MotherF%&%&^%*( Aimpoint. Sorry, but the constant fanboy crap from both sides gets old after a while, especially with all of the misinformation that gets posted. They are both great optics. You can't go wrong with either one, especially the newer models (M2, M3, M4, T-1, H-1, XPS, EXPS).

Sorry if I came across as an a$$.
 
#26
Re: Eotech XPS ?


The way you came out and said that you "sent it back and got an Aimpoint" sounded like the typical Aimpoint vs EOTech stuff that you read on every forum. Just like the thread I read in which a guy bought an Aimpoint M4 and the knob was defective and he posted on a thread that he sold his and got an EOTech and he was MotherF%&%&^%*( Aimpoint. Sorry, but the constant fanboy crap from both sides gets old after a while, especially with all of the misinformation that gets posted. They are both great optics. You can't go wrong with either one, especially the newer models (M2, M3, M4, T-1, H-1, XPS, EXPS).

Sorry if I came across as an a$$.[/quote]

No worries; we're good. The following complaint on the XPS is hard to argue with, however. I mounted it on my Steyr AUG, which has an absudly stiff left side charging handle. The FIRST time I cycled the action I tore a big chuck out of my left hand. That aluminum cover is not very hand friendly on an AUG!
 
#27
Re: Eotech XPS ?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: CNC</div><div class="ubbcode-body">
The following complaint on the XPS is hard to argue with, however. I mounted it on my Steyr AUG, which has an absudly stiff left side charging handle. The FIRST time I cycled the action I tore a big chuck out of my left hand. That aluminum cover is not very hand friendly on an AUG! </div></div>

+1

Did the same thing with my MSAR STG. These are not for left side cocking bullpup designs. Course a couple of my shooting buddies thought it was pretty funny.
 
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