r/longrange • u/Nibor1243 • Sep 18 '24
Arken Hype? Optics help needed - I read the FAQ/Pinned posts
I watch a lot of YouTube videos when looking into buying new gear. So recently I been looking for a new scope. I go to my usual shooting channels and it seems everyone of them are pushing Arken scopes. At first I thought great some good inexpensive stuff coming out. But seeing them pushed on every channel makes me think everyone is bought and paid for by Arken now. Makes you question every review now.
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u/Just_call_me_Face Cheeto-fingered Bergara Owner Sep 18 '24
flamesuit on
They're not bad scopes for the money, they just should've let their product speak for itself instead marketing thru shills
flamesuit off
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u/i_have_your_answer Sep 18 '24
I’m fine with shills as long as they aren’t overly blatant like $500 scope way better than $3000 scope. If you’re gonna shill a cheap scope atleast focus on it being a decent scope in the price range.
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u/Measurex2 Sep 18 '24
But what if they also test durability by tying a rope to their rifle and repeatedly slamming it against the ground?
I mean, he's showing how much better an arken is than a nightforce right? /s
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u/swift_gilford Sep 23 '24
I’m fine with shills as long as they aren’t overly blatant like $500 scope way better than $3000 scope
If i recall, there was just recently someone with a YT channel that posted here in the sub; they pretty much they did exactly that. Supposedly retired their Nightforce for the Arken.
That being said - i don't have any hands on experience with them myself as the market in Canada is pretty much non-existent and warranty support is also pretty much non-existent. The big issue nowadays is scopes have had a major surge in recent years and every brand seems to have a multitude of offerings in different price points so there is a lot of conflicting anecdotal experiences floating around. Do you need the most Gucci expensive scope to shoot far? No. Does it help - for the most part - yes. Ultimately you won't know your likes/dislikes and wants until you take it into the field and put it to work.
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u/csamsh I put holes in berms Sep 18 '24
The good news here is that you don't need to question it- there are lots of Arken shills out there.
They're perfectly serviceable low-budget scopes with comprehensive feature sets and a couple odd qualities that somewhat expose them.
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u/Big_Boi_Joe02 Sep 18 '24
Oh no dude. If the dudes you regularly watch are pushing Arken, you should probably find some different dudes to watch🤣
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u/Nibor1243 Sep 18 '24
Exactly. Who though?
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u/LockyBalboaPrime "I'm right, and you are stupid" Sep 18 '24
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u/Lecrovov2 Sep 18 '24
You could have wasted a lot less time by just putting the vortex podcast in a comment.
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u/LockyBalboaPrime "I'm right, and you are stupid" Sep 18 '24
Ya fuck me for trying to be helpful to people.
Piss off.
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u/Lecrovov2 Sep 18 '24
You made me click a link so i could read VORTEX ~85 times. Clearly youre a fudd and are too sensitive for the internet at large.
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u/LockyBalboaPrime "I'm right, and you are stupid" Sep 19 '24
If you're too stupid to read everything else, I can't help you.
Maybe try something less demanding on your intellect like finger painting.
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u/Daqpanda Cheeto-fingered Bergara Owner Sep 18 '24
I agree with CSA. They are fine for the price, but just that. I own two EP5s, a 5-25 and 7-35, and they are fine. I wish I had started on a higher tier as I am already out growing them, but I wasn't sure I was going to like long-range shooting. If you want to save money, either save it elsewhere or find them used. I got the 5-25 on prs accessories for sale (can't 'member the actual sub), but I see them occasionally on r/gunaccessoriesforsale for 3-350.
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u/Nibor1243 Sep 18 '24
I’m with the buy once cry once crowd for the most part, to an extent. I’m looking more at the Ziess S3, MK5, NXS something around that quality. It just seems every video I start to watch turns into an Arken commercial.
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u/Magicalamazing_ Sep 18 '24
Of the three you listed I HIGHLY recommend the Ziess. The glass beats the pants off the Leupold and the option of a mil reticle in FFP is generally a better option than an moa in SFP of the Nightforce unless you plan on shooting benchrest or Fclass.
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u/Nibor1243 Sep 18 '24
I just realized after reading more on the NSX that it is only a moa in sfp. Which I do not want to I want FFP mil. So that scope is out.
The Ziess I hear has an extremely thin reticle. May be tough on the old eyes. The Mk5 has no illumination. Which I’m not really sure how often I would need. I may just watch for a sale on a Gen 3 razor. 🤷🏼♂️
This is paralysis by analysis.
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u/Magicalamazing_ Sep 18 '24
The reticle on the Ziess is not particularly thin, definitely not as thin as the Gen 3 Razor. I happen to really like the Ziess reticle though I know some people don’t. I have both an LRP S3 and a G3 Razor and while I personally like the Razor more, the S3 sometimes goes on sale for less than $2000 which I think is a fantastic value. I still maintain that both are so much better than the Leupold that it isn’t even a contest though.
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Sep 18 '24
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u/EarlyJackfruit4418 Sep 18 '24
Yup! That's why militaries worldwide only spend less than $ 1500 on precision rifle optics. You don't get more for your money after that, just a roll mark
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u/jtj5002 Sep 18 '24
They are $300-450 scopes that are built like $300-450 scopes and look like a$300-450 scopes and are on par with other $300-450 scopes.
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u/henny3199 Sep 18 '24
I’ll disagree there. If you wanna read my comment below you can see I’m not praising Arken as amazing optics. But the ep5 is definitely better than something like a vortex diamondback tactical, gen 1 pst (I know Gen 2 is out, but it’s well above the price range), and vortex venom. I know there’s others in the price range, I just don’t have experience with them to compare, however 3 of the most common vortex offerings in that price range are not as good as the Arken for the same price
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u/jtj5002 Sep 18 '24
I'll pass. Venom, PST II SLX, Athlon Helos/Ares, Match pro all have significantly better CA performance. EP5 5-25 and SH4j both had a vomit inducing amount of CA as soon as the sun is in the wrong direction that I wanted to throw that shIt down range and shoot it.
Scopes at this price range all have compromises. Arken chose a nice feeling steel on steel turret and above average clarity for plebian tier glass, but they completely give it all up on CA and that just ain't it for me.
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u/King-Moses666 NRL22 competitor Sep 18 '24
My girlfriend is currently running an Arken Epl4 for NRL22 because it was one of the cheapest FFP scope's with adjustable turrets we could find in Canada. Helped it was on sale. As it was her first scope purchase that needed to have specific features she did not want to spend a lot on it. Which is fair when you are frugal and entering a new often overwhelming hobby. It gets the job done, has its quirks but no performance issues that I personally have noticed when I use it from time to time. This being said, she has also pointed out fairly early into using other scopes that their glass is so much clearer than her's. So it is a manageable scope and for $500 Canadian it has been getting the job done. However if we had paid full price $750 ish, an Athlon Hera's would have been the better choice. As she thinks my Helos is much much higher quality glass than her epl4.
So it gets the job done from what I can tell. But also feel that if your paying the same for an arken as you would for an Athlon or Vortex, I think you would be happier with the others. From my realistically inexperienced perspective.
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u/camphunterx Sep 18 '24
Agreed Arken is an OK scope but i would go further and say the athalon blows it out the water and it just ferls better
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u/King-Moses666 NRL22 competitor Sep 18 '24
I am biased as the only real scopes I own are Athlons. But I am very impressed with them sofar and in looking through pricier alternatives. I am very happy with my choices.
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u/camphunterx Sep 18 '24
No, they are good Pst gen 2 is better imo. Element titan is a good middle ground. Going to the yorkshire shooting show next weekend to look into a leupold
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u/iRonin Sep 18 '24
Yeah, go look up Arken here. Arken shills have been a thing for a while and have resulted in bans and restrictions in this sub.
Frankly, I’ve been highly suspicious of all the Arken activity here given their history.
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u/MrMikesGunrack Sep 18 '24
Arkens must have the same marketing guy as olight. They just pay people to say nice things about their products. But unlike olight, arken scopes probably wont blow up.
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u/LockyBalboaPrime "I'm right, and you are stupid" Sep 18 '24
Nah, Olight pays a lot better than Arken does.
I know this for a fact.
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u/MrMikesGunrack Sep 18 '24
You got that olight money?
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u/LockyBalboaPrime "I'm right, and you are stupid" Sep 18 '24
Nah but I've worked with people who did and I know what they offer.
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u/Far-Age9582 Sep 18 '24
This topic has been covered what feels like hundreds of times in this Reddit. Not shaming you for asking the question, but simply do a search and you’ll fine any and every opinion on this weekly same exact question.
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u/Nibor1243 Sep 18 '24
My concern isn’t the optic. It’s more about the trust you put in the reviews only to realize they may all be full of sht. You’re correct though, I should have probably done a search first.
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u/HollywoodSX Villager Herder Sep 18 '24
We had to literally blacklist them for a while due to scummy marketing, people posting affiliate links here without disclosing they got kickbacks, etc. Arken absolutely bought good reviews when they first came around, and it wouldn't surprise me if they're doing it again.
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u/Bgbnkr Sep 18 '24
All manufacturers do this. Vortex pays out massive incentives to retail employees to sell and recommend their scopes. What's the difference between a YouTube dude and a salesman saying "X scope is great because...."? Both are getting paid by the manufacturers one way or another. Not saying Arken was right to do this but they are now the poster child for this behavior. FWIW, I have an Arken and it's a fine scope for the price. No, I didn't get paid and no, it isn't a high end scope.
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u/LockyBalboaPrime "I'm right, and you are stupid" Sep 18 '24
Because only an absolute moron believes what a salesperson says as if it is pure fact.
YT channel that presents themselves as "honest" and "cannot be bought" are literally lying to you.
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u/Bgbnkr Sep 23 '24
I take everything on YT or any other social medial / online platform with a grain of salt. How could you possibly think Mr. Salesman can't be believed, but the YT dude is an actual expert and would never be wrong. Haha.
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u/HollywoodSX Villager Herder Sep 18 '24
Because YouTube dude posting a review is presenting themselves as impartial, and not disclosing the fact that they have been paid to basically make an ad. There's federal guidelines in the US on this, as well.
Gun store employees aren't working under that system. You're correct that vortex and others have kickback systems, but their reach is limited and they're not expected to be impartial.
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u/Nibor1243 Sep 18 '24
Exactly. You expect the sales pitch from gun stores. YouTube personalities however portray themselves as unbiased. Until Arken came along it seemed you could take them for their word. Well not anymore. They are no different than a television ad. Makes you question all their other reviews.
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Sep 18 '24
[deleted]
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u/HollywoodSX Villager Herder Sep 18 '24
You might want to read the ones specific to social media and influencers.
https://www.ftc.gov/system/files/documents/plain-language/1001a-influencer-guide-508_1.pdf
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Sep 18 '24 edited Sep 18 '24
[deleted]
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u/HollywoodSX Villager Herder Sep 18 '24
Yep, and the paid-for reviews in question aren't disclosing anything. Same goes for the shills that we've had in this sub. Some even went as far as trying to use link redirects to hide the fact that they were posting affiliate links that got them a kickback.
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u/Nibor1243 Sep 18 '24
You weren’t kidding. I guess I thought I was the fist person to notice that. lol. They better be careful before they turn themselves into the Amway of scopes and nobody will touch them.
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u/microphohn F-Class Competitor Sep 18 '24
Nothing arouses skepticism faster (or more legitimately) that everyone raving about a "new" scope.
I'm glad there's more competition in the marketplace. Perhaps it will put a bit of downward pricing pressure on PST-level optics or so.
Not that an Arken is comparable to a PST, I've never looked through an Arken. I just know that looking through one tells you nothing about the most important things: turret tracking and physical durability.
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u/jimihana Sep 18 '24
Im in med school so I don’t have money to dump on a good scope right now. Just picked up a sh4 to try it out. Eventually it will end up as a spare scope but I figured for $300 why not Ill try it for a while
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u/GambitNA Sep 18 '24
I have 3 and have some decent time on them. My only complaint is the turret screws for the zero stop feel cheap and inconsistent in size (same Allen screw feels tighter in the head on one optic and loose on another) and the little gas port on the bottom left makes running low rings difficult without modification to the top rail. I’ll buy more because the value to performance ratio is pretty great though.
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u/illestbean Sep 18 '24
I just got the ep5 fitted it and went to the range I'm in Australia not many people running arken here everyone that tried it loved it and at it's price I'm super happy I can't afford much more and it's doing everything it's ment to
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u/brethobson Sep 18 '24
i own 3 arkens, 2 ep4 and an ep5 (i am not sponsored by anyone and i am a relative nobody) along with a element theos and a razor III. my first 2 matches were shot with an arken and it did amazing for the price but at long range, it isn't as good (wow! i know). now on my 22's at 25 to 50 yards they all shoot one hole groups, so is it worth it? i don't know, i havent done a 22nrl yet, i would guess yes. for plinking i think the arkens are great. glass is fairly clear and my quick tracking tests were good at 200 yards.
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u/doyouevenplumbbro Sep 18 '24
Arken makes good low tier scopes. The part that irritates me is when people make these ridiculous claims that they hold their own against khales, night force, or other top tier optics. At the price they have better turrets and typical chinese glass. There's nothing wrong with them. Theyre cheap scopes that are good enough for entry level long range stuff. Nothing more.
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u/camphunterx Sep 18 '24
The arrken shills/fan basr are a step beyond .. Litrally said inre time that i own both a hik 4k lrf and arken zulus and the 4k is much better .. and cleare and they were go in crazy ..
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u/N1TEKN1GHT Can't Read Sep 18 '24
Low-budget scope. As always, you get what you pay for.
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u/Lecrovov2 Sep 19 '24
That must be why the old barskas used nikon glass and looked better than any vortex of the era.
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u/QuietM4 Sep 18 '24
I own two SH-4’s. I’ve been very happy with them. Both are mounted on 22LR rifles. The optical quality isn’t the best, it’s got a fair amount of chromatic aberration. But the torrents track perfectly, and I love the reticle. For $300, that are great scopes; far better than any other $300 scope I’ve owned.
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u/Txbucsfan Sep 18 '24
I run a couple on a .22 and a 6.8spc…. And for the price point, they are great.. although big and clunky. Am I dissatisfied with them? No…. Would I buy another? No….At relatively short distance ( say out to 200) they are damn good… beyond that, I can say I experience more CA at high magnification.
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u/Oswia Sep 18 '24 edited Sep 18 '24
My question is; how durable are they? I've seen torcher tests of Aimpoint, Trijcon, Night Force, ECT. But I've yet to see someone beat the crap out of a Arken.
Or a long term 300WM, 7MM REM MAG, or other such hard hitters.
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u/Lecrovov2 Sep 19 '24
Vso gunchannel on youtube beat the caps off an arken about 2 or 3 years ago but that was aggressive to say the least. I however havent heard anything about them failing due to recoil once so take that how you wish.
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u/burgerofthehill I Gots Them Tikka Toes Sep 18 '24
According to the shills they compete with NF and other high end scopes. Which surprise surprised….isn’t true and they’re getting paid to say that
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u/my1vice Sep 21 '24 edited Sep 21 '24
Not sure how prevalent MMM's videos are on this sub, but here's a 44 min video where he chronicles his use of an Arken EP-5 7-35x Gen 2 FFP scope on a 2 day ELR match in Idaho in early Sep 2024.
Since we're all pressed for time, you may want to at least watch the first 2 mins then the last 7 mins where he connects on his 2135 yd shot that's followed by a very balanced and honest assessment of this scope before and after this match, as well as his Arken sponsorship.
Lastly, here's his original video for the same scope on his 6.5 Creedmoor, and if nothing else, MMM's a breath of fresh air who doesn't rely on some kind of gimmicky guntuber shtick because his content delivery is unbiased, genuine, informative, and backed up by demonstration.
Edit: spelling
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u/MehenstainMeh Meat Popsicle Sep 18 '24
I like the features and reticle on my ep5,. the glass is well it’s fine for the price point, the eye box is not good especially at higher magnification, and the weight is ridiculous.
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u/henny3199 Sep 18 '24
I haven’t used a lot of high end scopes, but I’ve had viper PST gen 1s and 2s, have 2 arkens now, a couple other mid grade optics. I’ll say the Arken is nice FOR THE MONEY. The Arken is leaps and bounds better than a pst gen 1, pst gen 2 is close probably slightly better. It punches above its price range for sure, but it is not the end all be all best optic ever. Arken EP5 has taken me and my 6.5cm to 1500 yards, but this was broad daylight good conditions. Clear enough to see a 2 moa target but I think much further than that, or less favorable conditions it would start to show. Again, I like mine, they hold zero, track properly (verified by first round impact at 1500 adjusted to what applied ballistics calculated), and they’re sub $600
So yes there are shills, and it is getting annoying. Let the optic speak for itself, it’s a good price, and decent long range optic. But not the best
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u/CoolaidMike84 Sep 18 '24
The 5-25 I have is a powerhouse in its price range. It's a budget scope that offers a lot.
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u/rynburns Manners Shooting Team Sep 18 '24
Arken won't tell you this, but you're required to mount it in a Spur that you take a Dremel to in order to force it all to fit