New Arken Offering

[FuhQ]

My EP5 showed up today! Got one just to try it out. I have only mounted it up on the rifle and played around with it a little bit. The turrets are sharp and distinct, more so than the SH4 Gen II I have sitting on my 22 Lr. Looks good on the rifle so it has that going for it too. I have a bolt gun match tomorrow so hopefully will have a chance to zero and test it out more on Sunday.

Maybe this is what I'm noticing on my EP5... I noticed mine are nowhere near as smooth feeling as my SH4 Gen2 scopes. I'm guessing it's just a different cut on the turret indentions to fit 10 MILs per rev vs. the longer spaced 8 MIL turrets on the SH4?

When I said gritty and rough, I think this might be what he's referring to, as well. They're not really gritty or rough, just poor terminology on my part. I think his description of "sharp and very distinct" is more accurate, and the much louder spring-back sound might be making me subconsciously feel different about it, since I'm so used to the SH4 turrets...

 

[hdbull]

Got my EP5 out on the range today with my 6.5 CM. Only had a 100 yds. on this range and did a tall target test and it was right on the money.
Didn't get around to do a box test but I think it will also test out good. Had my PST II and the glass was equal even looking out
at tree limbs 700 yds out. The parallax was not as clear as the PST II but was close on yardage. I like the turrets as I found no spring back
and they felt good and the zero stop is easy to set and comes right back to zero. I worked the turrets several times on both elevation and windage and they came right back to zero. I did not see the distortion around the edges that some have reported. So far I'm overly impressed with it. I don't have 2-3K scopes to compare, but for a $500 scope this so far is every bit as good as my PST II. I have owned some Leopolds and have time behind some Nightforce so I have some experience with higher dollar scopes and I'm not saying it is better but if it holds up at distance, 1300-1500 yds. I'll really be happy.

 

[Silversaver]

So far I’m liking mine. Really nice turrets as was already mentioned.
Was looking at some crows in trees that I clocked at 551yrds and 412yrds.
The EP5 wouldn’t focus on them even though the diopter is set and the parallax is set at 400-500. Would not focus clearly until I turned the parallax down to 200.
550 is as far as I can scope anything at my home, so I don’t know if the parallax will read 200 but go even further than 550. It’s definitely off by quite a bit, but honestly, if it works at set 200 all the way out to 600 or beyond, I’m having difficulty viewing that as a bad thing.
I know it’s not supposed to be like that, but I wouldn’t mind only needing to move from its lowest setting to 200 or so for long range.
Still contemplating on how I feel about it.
Won’t really have a definitive opinion about it until I take it long range shooting. Other than the parallax being off by quite a lot, for $500 scope I really like it. The lowest quality scope I have to compare it to is a Gen 1 Cronus, so no apples to apples yet.

I’m glad you really play with the scope. You set between 200-300 top for parallax for 800+ yards. I ask Arken and response is no issue report. I see tons of people talking about how good the scope is… if you shoot close distance you don’t need a 5-25x. I hope you can get a sharp image at longer range…..

 

[Twistid]

Had some more time to play with mine, seems almost unusable past 20x. Eyebox is so small and terrible it makes trying to see anything nearly impossible. Was getting ghosting and severe distortion. At 5-10x it looks good enough but past that it's pretty rough.

 

[FuhQ]

Had some more time to play with mine, seems almost unusable past 20x. Eyebox is so small and terrible it makes trying to see anything nearly impossible. Was getting ghosting and severe distortion. At 5-10x it looks good enough but past that it's pretty rough.

Sounds like we got them from the same batch... Mine is already on its way back to Arken for replacement. 5-10x looked amazing. From 10-16x the CA was so terrible it was like looking through a storm cloud. And from 16-25x it was completely unusable, and created a double-vision effect where I saw 2 bullseyes (spanning left & right) but still conjoined in the middle... No amount of parallax or diopter would fix it. So I sent it back. I suggest you do the same.

 

[Twistid]

I emailed them this morning so I'll see what they say. So far it's been a Chinese turd. My PST2 5-25 had no where near the the tight eyebox at 20+ and obviously would not turn to a yellowish hue.

Anyone who thinks this scope is comparable to a DMR or PST is smoking some strong drugs.

 

[srt-4_uk]

Why not wait until you get one that isn't broken to make judgements?

 

[LAW-DOG]

My EP5 is definitely better than my pst2, except the eyebox. I get very little ca even from 16-25x. Easily the best cheap scope I have seen. Parallax is a rough estimate not a precise rangefinder. People with glasses or bad vision will have to adjust parallax different from people with good vision so it can’t be perfect for everyone. Even my high end scopes don’t parallax perfect yardage. PM2, xtr3, mk5hd, DMR pro, pst2 are all nowhere near the real yardage. Arkens are made in China so there will definitely be variations in quality. I sent back my bushnell ffp spotter 2x & got a good one that’s way better than my friends who will be exchanging his soon. That’s the risk you take buying cheap China scopes. If you get a bad one, send it back for another one. My EP5 is awesome, tracks perfectly, & has very good optics for the $$$

 

[Paul73]

My EP5 is definitely better than my pst2, except the eyebox. I get very little ca even from 16-25x. Easily the best cheap scope I have seen. Parallax is a rough estimate not a precise rangefinder. People with glasses or bad vision will have to adjust parallax different from people with good vision so it can’t be perfect for everyone. Even my high end scopes don’t parallax perfect yardage. PM2, xtr3, mk5hd, DMR pro, pst2 are all nowhere near the real yardage. Arkens are made in China so there will definitely be variations in quality. I sent back my bushnell ffp spotter 2x & got a good one that’s way better than my friends who will be exchanging his soon. That’s the risk you take buying cheap China scopes. If you get a bad one, send it back for another one. My EP5 is awesome, tracks perfectly, & has very good optics for the $$$

i have an EP5 that i got when they were just announced, and got second one when they were on their first $450 level sale, and lucked out to get both samples that do not have neither bad eyeboxes, or excessive chroma or severe degradation above 20x.
but indeed a lot of people do complain about issues, so it seems like those EP5s are a lottery to some degree.

both ep5 units i got outdo vortex pst2 5-25 i have, at 25x - are both sharper and better contrast - looking at 300yds targets. and parallax is where it is supposed to be for both 100 and 300. go figure.

they are still at $450 sale and at that price, i would say, there is nothing else on the market comparable to them.

but, getting closer to the topic - is there anybody here who already received EPL4 6-24x?

 

[RUTGERS95]

I want them to come out with a 2-10x

 

[FuhQ]

i have an EP5 that i got when they were just announced, and got second one when they were on their first $450 level sale, and lucked out to get both samples that do not have neither bad eyeboxes, or excessive chroma or severe degradation above 20x.
but indeed a lot of people do complain about issues, so it seems like those EP5s are a lottery to some degree.

both ep5 units i got outdo vortex pst2 5-25 i have, at 25x - are both sharper and better contrast - looking at 300yds targets. and parallax is where it is supposed to be for both 100 and 300. go figure.

they are still at $450 sale and at that price, i would say, there is nothing else on the market comparable to them.

but, getting closer to the topic - is there anybody here who already received EPL4 6-24x?

My EPL4 6-24x50 just shipped yesterday. Should be here in the next couple days. I will post my thoughts once it arrives.

 

[Simonsza1]

My EPL4 6-24x50 just shipped yesterday. Should be here in the next couple days. I will post my thoughts once it arrives.

I feel like I could write your review for you! we already know what you’ll say.
Just busting your balls, merry Christmas.

 

[TrevK]

Also might be a pet peeve or maybe no one has the Arken’s in Mil. But I think the .25 reticle is dumb as hell.

 

[FuhQ]

I feel like I could write your review for you! we already know what you’ll say.
Just busting your balls, merry Christmas.

I was honest about my first EP5 being junk right out of the box. I didn’t hold back or sugarcoat it. But Arken did rectify it without question, and the replacement scope has been excellent. So, I don’t plan on breaking my unbiased honesty streak anytime soon. If it’s unimpressive or lackluster in any area (IMO), it will be noted in my big Arken (SH4) thread, where I will post my thoughts. I don’t shill for any company. If I’m impressed with something, I’m impressed…If it’s junk, I’ll tell you it’s junk.

 

[Fig]

EP5 is a great .22 scope (mostly because it seems to track true) and that’s about it. The rest of this is out of context hyperbole. Don’t be confused. It’s a $500 scope that may be comparable to low end Vortex.

I don’t feel ripped off at all, and I’m happy with mine on my NRL .22 stick, but this is a tier 3 optic, and if you’re expecting more than that for $500 then you probably enjoy being disappointed.

 

[db2000]

I li

EP5 is a great .22 scope (mostly because it seems to track true) and that’s about it. The rest of this is out of context hyperbole. Don’t be confused. It’s a $500 scope that may be comparable to low end Vortex.

I don’t feel ripped off at all, and I’m happy with mine on my NRL .22 stick, but this is a tier 3 optic, and if you’re expecting more than that for $500 then you probably enjoy being disappointed.

I think the EP5 has better glass than my Strike Eagle 5-25. It punches well above its weight and is on par with retail $750-$800 scopes. It’s ridiculous to label it a .22lr scope.

 

[Mike Casselton]

Also might be a pet peeve or maybe no one has the Arken’s in Mil. But I think the .25 reticle is dumb as hell.

I thought so too.

Until I used it.

I like it way better than the .2 mil reticle. It's not as crowded and takes just a few minutes to get used to it.

Burris also went with a 1/4 mil reticle on their Pro model. It's fantastic.

Maybe there's a reason for it.

 

[Fig]

I have plenty of tier 1 scopes (more than I have rifles to put them on). I have one Viper, and it’s a pos. You may be right it’s better than the low end of the Vortex line.
For me it’s a .22 scope. I have about $2k in my .22, so don’t get worried or upset. The EP5 feels highly honored and a great deal of gratitude to sit atop my SS Volquartsen Summit action in an Oryx chassis. It knows it could be on a Charles Daily, or children’s rifle. The bipod costs almost as much as the EP5.

Trust me, I don’t let my ZCOs, NFs, or Kahles bully the EP5 (I make it a point not to leave them alone together).

 

[Rob01]

I was honest about my first EP5 being junk right out of the box. I didn’t hold back or sugarcoat it. But Arken did rectify it without question, and the replacement scope has been excellent. So, I don’t plan on breaking my unbiased honesty streak anytime soon. If it’s unimpressive or lackluster in any area (IMO), it will be noted in my big Arken (SH4) thread, where I will post my thoughts. I don’t shill for any company. If I’m impressed with something, I’m impressed…If it’s junk, I’ll tell you it’s junk.

Can't be any worse than the two guys Arken is pushing their videos on Facebook. Rex and Cyclops?!? Oy! LOL

 

[db2000]

I have plenty of tier 1 scopes (more than I have rifles to put them on). I have one Viper, and it’s a pos. You may be right it’s better than the low end of the Vortex line.
For me it’s a .22 scope. I have about $2k in my .22, so don’t get worried or upset. The EP5 feels highly honored and a great deal of gratitude to sit atop my SS Volquartsen Summit action in an Oryx chassis. It knows it could be on a Charles Daily, or children’s rifle. The bipod costs almost as much as the EP5.

Trust me, I don’t let my ZCOs, NFs, or Kahles bully the EP5 (I make it a point not to leave them alone together).

All my tier one bully when I leave them alone together. I just keep buying more EP5’s to try and give them a fighting chance

 

[drglock]

EP5 is a great .22 scope (mostly because it seems to track true) and that’s about it. The rest of this is out of context hyperbole. Don’t be confused. It’s a $500 scope that may be comparable to low end Vortex.

I don’t feel ripped off at all, and I’m happy with mine on my NRL .22 stick, but this is a tier 3 optic, and if you’re expecting more than that for $500 then you probably enjoy being disappointed.

I agree with this totally, I’ve got a SH4 that I bought for an AR. Two of my buddies use them for 22 matches. As long as you stay under 12x-14x they are ok scopes. Go up in power and the clarity goes out the door fast. At 100yds on 24x you’ll struggle to see your impacts on white paper.

 

[db2000]

I agree with this totally, I’ve got a SH4 that I bought for an AR. Two of my buddies use them for 22 matches. As long as you stay under 12x-14x they are ok scopes. Go up in power and the clarity goes out the door fast. At 100yds on 24x you’ll struggle to see your impacts on white paper.

Well, the SH4 is far from the EP5. Either way, they fit a good role.

 

[TrevK]

I thought so too.

Until I used it.

I like it way better than the .2 mil reticle. It's not as crowded and takes just a few minutes to get used to it.

Burris also went with a 1/4 mil reticle on their Pro model. It's fantastic.

Maybe there's a reason for it.

I’ve used it, still think it’s dumb as hell. The Pro also comes in the SCR 2 which is .2 mil and a tremor 5.. so maybe the reason is because people like options.

 

[Mike Casselton]

I’ve used it, still think it’s dumb as hell. The Pro also comes in the SCR 2 which is .2 mil and a tremor 5.. so maybe the reason is because people like options.

Options.
That's exactly it.
I like the option of not having too much crap in my reticle.
I don't need .2 marked in my reticle to be able to hold .2. It's pretty easy without it.

The good thing is you can do what works best for you and I can do what works for me.

 

[TrevK]

Options.
That's exactly it.
I like the option of not having too much crap in my reticle.
I don't need .2 marked in my reticle to be able to hold .2. It's pretty easy without it.

The good thing is you can do what works best for you and I can do what works for me.

Agreed, but those options don’t exist with the Arken which is why my gripe is still valid.

 

[FuhQ]

Can't be any worse than the two guys Arken is pushing their videos on Facebook. Rex and Cyclops?!? Oy! LOL

Yeah, they’re pretty bad. I can’t watch Joe’s videos period, but I watched Rex’s video today on the new EPL4, only because I was curious to see how the capped turret setup was designed since there’s no pictures on the Arken site.

USPS shows mine should arrive on Thursday. So, we’ll see how it looks this weekend when I take it to the range.

I just bought and mounted 2 new Zeiss V4 6-24x50 ZMOA-1 scopes with ELD glass from LOW, on my 2 main hunting rifles, so we’ll see how the Arken ED glass stacks up against real high-end LOW ELD glass at the same mag ranges. I’ll try to get decent pics, but we all know how shitty iPhone pics are through a scope.

 

[Mike Casselton]

Agreed, but those options don’t exist with the Arken which is why my gripe is still valid.

Most budget scopes don't have options.

Your gripe centers on how stupid you think the 1/4 Mil reticle is, not that they don't have options.

When Vortex, Athlon, Burris, Leupold, etc... came on the scene, there were no reticle options either.

As the companies grew larger and more financially stable, options with reticles began appearing. Look at what Athlon and Vortex offer now.

Leupold, Redfield and Burris began offering different turrets and reticles as they grew.

I'd wager that you'll see the same with Arken in the near future.

It just takes time.

 

[Paul73]

just received the epl4, it is dark outside.
preliminary it feels the eye box is very tight. much more tight than on ep5.
looking at sh4 and ep5 - FOV seems also smaller, but larger than a primary arms 4-16x sfp.
weight 1lb 9oz.

dunno. will look at it in the daylight tomorrow mounted on something.

to people bickering above - the EP5 is more or less equal to vortex pst2 5-25x. slightly better resolution with slightly worse chroma.
razor and comparable true high ends scopes are not the arken competition.

i use EP5 for 300yds and it is great in both sinlight and murky conditions, but it is heavy as hell, so, works for a PRS gun only.
i was hoping for a miracle with those epl4 models, but, something tells me - there is no miracle there at all, so far it looks slightly inferior to SH4 which is way inferior to EP5.

i guess there will be more reviews coming out soon as they stared shipping them out.

 

[Paul73]

At 100yds on 24x you’ll struggle to see your impacts on white paper.

mister, that is not true. for both sh4 and ep5 is it not true, at 100yds they are more than adequate, to shoot at the same 22lr hole.

sh4 has worse contrast with ep5 for sure, and it is evident at 300yds+.
with ep5 you can see 6 dasher holes on a white or solid black self printed paper targets i use at 300yds, with sh4 - with big troubles. like i said above - ep5 has slightly better center resolution and contrast than my vortex pst2 5-25x. 'slightly' is the key.

 

[Paul73]

I li

I think the EP5 has better glass than my Strike Eagle 5-25. It punches well above its weight and is on par with retail $750-$800 scopes. It’s ridiculous to label it a .22lr scope.

if we'd talk about vortex comparisons - it is yet to be seen how arken will honor warranties and services.
i would not think it costs more to produce a pst2 scope or a strike eagle than to produce ep5. but you have to remain profitable and be able to provide services to your customers too, especially if you offer a litetime warranty. as life is a long time.

for now ep5 is great for what it is, specifically - it is great as a working clear enough 25x scope that costs $450 while on sale - it is a king there for sure.
would you take it out in the rain or dropped it into a muddy puddle with confidence? i do not think so.

 

[db2000]

if we'd talk about vortex comparisons - it is yet to be seen how arken will honor warranties and services.
i would not think it costs more to produce a pst2 scope or a strike eagle than to produce ep5. but you have to remain profitable and be able to provide services to your customers too, especially if you offer a litetime warranty. as life is a long time.

for now ep5 is great for what it is, specifically - it is great as a working clear enough 25x scope that costs $450 while on sale - it is a king there for sure.
would you take it out in the rain or dropped it into a muddy puddle with confidence? i do not think so.

Have you seen the torture tests done on them. I Most definitely take mine in the rain and varying temps from inside the car to outside in freezing weather. No internal fogging so far.
Not trying to drop it and beat on it
I do agree, they’re a newer company so time will tell on the life warranty