Arken EP-8 1x to 8x 28mm Low Power Variable Optic

Bartok5

Bartok5

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I just received the new Arken EP-8 1-8x 28mm Optic and just wanted to say how impressed I am with this new compact Low Power Variable Optic (LPVO). I was sufficiently impressed with the SH-4 that I tried an EP-5 and became a "believer" in the brand's incredible value. The EP-8 maintains (if not exceeds) the high quality for low price ratio established by the EP-5 and the Sh-4 before it. Just about everything about this optic impresses me, from the quality of the fit and finish to the image quality, smooth controls, the tactile and audible clicks of the turrets, the reasonable weight, and so forth. Everything is just about ideal and the EP-8 screams quality in just about every regard. I have owned LPVOs ranging from inexpensive (Vortex SFP Strike Eagle 1-8x) to moderately priced (Vortex Viper PST II), to "higher end" (Trijicon AccuPower 1-8x) and even the best of those had nothing on the EP-8 that my eyes can determine. For the current asking price of $469 from several site sponsors including Rangeview Sports, Go Big Tactical, Prophet River and Soley Outdoors you really cannot go wrong. I thought that Arken had knocked it out of the park with the EP-5, but the EP-8 is low-cost excellence taken to a whole new level!

Any other new owners of the EP-8 care to chime in?


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Whats the eye relief like on these?
I'm looking for a LPVO scope for a lightweight Remington 700 in 375 H&H so I need something with good eye relief and something that can take heavier recoil
34 mil tube is nice too
 
Deathrawt said:
Whats the eye relief like on these?
I'm looking for a LPVO scope for a lightweight Remington 700 in 375 H&H so I need something with good eye relief and something that can take heavier recoil
34 mil tube is nice too
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The eyebox on the EP8 is VERY forgiving. - about as good as I have ever seen or used. The box claims that the scope will handle.50 BMG recoil, so your .375 H&H ought to be fine....
 
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WILD. I was just introduced to these yesterday. To hear your review sound this positive has me intrigued.

Not sure if it will work for Canadians but Pewview has a code out for 25% off. PEWVIEW25.

NOW I GOTTA LOOK. THANKS!
 
What do you think of the reticle?

How does it look at the differnt zoom levels, I assume the ranging and hold over dots are only really visible at around 6 and up, but I'm mostly curious about the 1X and the large circle with the scrunched up kill box in the center.... is the center point on 1x easy to distinguish or is it more of a center the target in the circle with the hash marks?

They do look like good value and the weight is reasonable and it sure is nice that the prices in Canada have become more inline with US prices!

Hopefully they make a hunting version down the road with a deer kill box or even a SFP and a German #4 style reticle with a few basic hold over marks.

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fritzhanzel said:
This guy explains it

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Thanks, I did see that and I do realize that it's designed around a different task.

FFP's reticles and individual eye sight and preferences are hard to sort out with out actually checking one out in my experience.... even Bartok's opinion is just that, but I am still curious... :)


Buddy in the video mentions rumours of a SFP version which I would prefer, and it might be even more affordable.
 
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I really cannot overstate what I consider to be the best value in an LVPO that I have ever seen and handled. At $469, this scope costs $200 LESS than an SFP Strike Eagle! And yet it outperforms the Strike Eagle in every conceivable regard, from optical clarity, brightness and colour, to FFP operation, to the typical Arken Turrets (awesome!), to the unique and "task-specific" KB reticle - this optic screams quality but costs less than $500!! As Can-Down says, you truly have to see and handle the EP-8 for yourselves. Words can only go so far in describing the cost-effective excellence that is the Arken EP-8 LPVO!
 
The Arken EP-8 is NOT Daylight Bright. That said, the 2 Night Vision and 9 Eye-Visible illumination settings offer plenty of reticle brightness in varying degrees of low light conditions and indoors environs. From 1x to 6x, the large, outer, Segmented-Circle and the inner Horseshoe-Dot are both easy to pick up as they increase in size. From 6x to 8x the Inner Horseshoe-Dot is illuminated at full intensity, while the "Killbox" reticle below the Horseshoe glows at a
reduced level of brightness.

EDITED: Several video reviews that I watched mention that the EP-8 IS Daylight Bright, so this is evidently a matter of opinion.
 
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Sounds great. Did you get a chance to use it or mount it and take it out in the field and view contrast and resolution of different objects at different ranges and different zoom ranges? It’s cool to do the subjective rave but did ya do anything tangible//compare it to optics people are familiar with (besides the strike hawk/attack chicken)
How’s an ipsc steel target look at 600 yards? Chromatic aberration? Distortion in the optical zoom range? Resolution quality?
1x performance? Fish eye etc? Turrets? Tracking?
Let’s have a proper C_DOES assessment with comparisons to similar tier/lower tier/higher tier optics and then people can determine if it’s worth the price?
 
HvacFridge Apprentice said:
Sounds great. Did you get a chance to use it or mount it and take it out in the field and view contrast and resolution of different objects at different ranges and different zoom ranges? It’s cool to do the subjective rave but did ya do anything tangible//compare it to optics people are familiar with (besides the strike hawk/attack chicken)
How’s an ipsc steel target look at 600 yards? Chromatic aberration? Distortion in the optical zoom range? Resolution quality?
1x performance? Fish eye etc? Turrets? Tracking?
Let’s have a proper C_DOES assessment with comparisons to similar tier/lower tier/higher tier optics and then people can determine if it’s worth the price?
Click to expand...

It’s $400, not $1400. Slightly more than a Crossfire.
 
HvacFridge Apprentice said:
Sounds great. Did you get a chance to use it or mount it and take it out in the field and view contrast and resolution of different objects at different ranges and different zoom ranges? It’s cool to do the subjective rave but did ya do anything tangible//compare it to optics people are familiar with (besides the strike hawk/attack chicken)
How’s an ipsc steel target look at 600 yards? Chromatic aberration? Distortion in the optical zoom range? Resolution quality?
1x performance? Fish eye etc? Turrets? Tracking?
Let’s have a proper C_DOES assessment with comparisons to similar tier/lower tier/higher tier optics and then people can determine if it’s worth the price?
Click to expand...

Sorry, but you will have to contract a lab for that degree of fidelity. I am not an "optics guy" to the extent that I can provide anything but my subjective opinion. You will either have to spend $469 to find out those things for yourself, or type "Arken EP-8" into the Youtube search-bar and parse what you need from the boat-load of detailed videos discussing this exact optic in a highly favourable manner. As Emerson has pointed out however, given the EP-8's sub-$500 price-point. your expectations may be somewhat high. You see, the "strike hawk/attack chicken" IS the first optic worth fairly comparing in that price-range.

Let's get real here. Does the Arken EP-8 punch far above it's price-point? Without question, yes. Is it going to give the S&B Short-Dot a run for it's money? Probably not....
 
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Exactly. And agreed it’s no 1500 optic without a doubt.
* But as fun as subjective rave’s go and all, did you honestly take it outside and use it? Despite what ya’s think, my questions are still valid when weighing other options and spending money on something.
So snarky comments aside fellas haha
I’m sure some people would find value in your elaborated opinion other than it’s great
 
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Given Bartok's collection of gear is above average, and his personal history and life expereinces I'm happy to hear his opinon on these budget optics.

FFP, Japanese Glass, light weight, lifetime warranty for less then $600 taxed and shipped is hard to find fault with.
 
HvacFridge Apprentice said:
Exactly. And agreed it’s no 1500 optic without a doubt.
* But as fun as subjective rave’s go and all, did you honestly take it outside and use it? Despite what ya’s think, my questions are still valid when weighing other options and spending money on something.
So snarky comments aside fellas haha
I’m sure some people would find value in your elaborated opinion other than it’s great
Click to expand...

Yes, I took them outside (I bought 2 for that price). I mounted them on actual rifles, and took them to the genuine shooting range and zeroed them at 50m before proceeding to engage steel with a .223 rifle to 400m and with a .308 to 500m. As I stated in my first post, the fit and finish, image quality, controls, tactile and audible Turret clicks, and the scope's reasonable weight all continue to impress me. Every feature of the EP-8 is just about ideal and the movement of the controls both smooth and precise. To elaborate on the image quality, the colours appear vibrant, warm and true without (to me), any discernable abberation. The 1x is excellent with a true 1x image and no apparent "fish-eye" distortion around the edges of the view. The Eye-Relief is generous and the Eye-Box is easy to fall into. The Eye-Box does get tighter the higher the magnification goes, but that is to be expected.

All things considered, as Can-down noted the EP-8 comes with an impressive list of features for the current low price of $459. You might expect one or two of the high-end features to be found on a sub-$500 optic, but not all of them. FFP, Japanese Glass, Light Weight, Practical Reticle, Excellent Turret function with precise and accurate Tracking, Lifetime Warranty, etc, etc. The EP-8 is a truly impressive package at an exceptional price-point!

Does that additional input satisfy your curiosity HvacFridgeApprentice? If not, hopefully somebody else with an EP-8 will add their $.02 to the mix. Otherwise, you might just have to shell out the $460 to find out for yourself what all of the internet hype is about!
 
Here's a new review with some good footage looking through the optic and showing the reticle at different zoom levels and distances.
He also shows the ranging reticle against a plastic army dude at the end which I found helpful to better understand the KL-box.

I had ever seen this guy's channel before but this is the best video review so far in my opinion.


 
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Bartok5 said:
Yes, I took them outside (I bought 2 for that price). I mounted them on actual rifles, and took them to the genuine shooting range and zeroed them at 50m before proceeding to engage steel with a .223 rifle to 400m and with a .308 to 500m. As I stated in my first post, the fit and finish, image quality, controls, tactile and audible Turret clicks, and the scope's reasonable weight all continue to impress me. Every feature of the EP-8 is just about ideal and the movement of the controls both smooth and precise. To elaborate on the image quality, the colours appear vibrant, warm and true without (to me), any discernable abberation. The 1x is excellent with a true 1x image and no apparent "fish-eye" distortion around the edges of the view. The Eye-Relief is generous and the Eye-Box is easy to fall into. The Eye-Box does get tighter the higher the magnification goes, but that is to be expected.

All things considered, as Can-down noted the EP-8 comes with an impressive list of features for the current low price of $459. You might expect one or two of the high-end features to be found on a sub-$500 optic, but not all of them. FFP, Japanese Glass, Light Weight, Practical Reticle, Excellent Turret function with precise and accurate Tracking, Lifetime Warranty, etc, etc. The EP-8 is a truly impressive package at an exceptional price-point!

Does that additional input satisfy your curiosity HvacFridgeApprentice? If not, hopefully somebody else with an EP-8 will add their $.02 to the mix. Otherwise, you might just have to shell out the $460 to find out for yourself what all of the internet hype is about!
Click to expand...

Yah Mark, that sounds a lot better man, thanks for giving some details and context to your testing. Much appreciated man
Also, 500 m, or any distance is what I was wondering about. How the image looked at that distance to someone experienced with various optics and shooting. Thanks man
 
HvacFridge Apprentice said:
Yah Mark, that sounds a lot better man, thanks for giving some details and context to your testing. Much appreciated man
Also, 500 m, or any distance is what I was wondering about. How the image looked at that distance to someone experienced with various optics and shooting. Thanks man
Click to expand...

You are very welcome. I am glad that I could be of assistance. I have no personal stake in Arken, and no vested interest aside from sharing what I believe is a solid bargain with my fellow CGNers. Lord knows I've spent enough on optics over the years to know that you generally get what you pay for, until you reach the point of diminishing returns in the high end of the market. There are occasional exceptions to the rule of optics pricing however, and Arken Optics are one of those rare exceptions where the value received far exceeds the actual price paid. Enjoy, and please share if you find the same results that I have!
 
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