Has anyone got their arken that was ordered in December yet? Just like stated before lead time was 8 weeks back then only to get a email around the shipment time saying 16 weeks!! Probably like a fool I opted to keep waiting but right now I’m starting to get panicked! If this is any indication of the company they are doomed to fail and cyclops YouTube channel should just admit defeat and quite defending them if their not gonna stick with their word just my thoughts!
- Thread starter frankmorrow
- Start date
I got one of two today
I ordered Thanksgiving week and it arrived 12 weeks later, just prior to to them announcing the increased lead time. If you feel that strongly you should just cancel your order the Arken guys will be very accommodating in giving you an expedient refund. Your not going to feel good later down the line and you see someone else with one. Its just way to hard to best it for the price.
I ordered on black friday and it came in 2 weeks ago
I have ~1200rds on my SH4 Gen2 6-24x50: glass is good enough for .5moa at 1000yrds.
Compared to a Razor Gen2 4.5-27x56, I'd say the Arken's reticle and turrets are better, glass is slightly better on the Vortex (not by much either, not any clearer really, just less chromatic aberration). Looking at the the Razor next to the Arken makes the Razor look like it costs ~$1000-1500 more than it should. I haven't had a chance to compare it to a Kahles yet, but you get the idea...
I had bought the Arken as a "placeholder" until I decided whether to just buy a Razor or something pricier like a Kahles, Minox, ZCO, NF, etc... I've changed my mind, and have decided to use the funds to buy barrels and components to burn them out instead.
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Nope, I've never seen an EP4, but I agree, the SH4's VPR reticle is rad, and I'd pay more for an EP4 version with even better glass. Honestly though, the SH4's glass is fine (for me), so maybe I wouldn't bother?
I borrowed this still-frame from an X-Ring youtube review, not exact by any means (I might have got a better one than Mr. X), but kind of shows what I was talking about, magnification cranked, Razor on left, SH4 on right, the difference isn't huge:
The Arken, like most scopes, has a "sweet spot" in the middle: I tend to run mine mostly in the 12-18x range, almost no chromatic aberration there, then the glass is great and probably about as good as anything else.
I kind of think of Arken as doing to the scope game what Holosun has done in the red dot game... and that's cool with me.
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The one I ordered in December came in Friday. It looks really good for the price. I have not had a chance to mount it yet so I can not speak to how it tracks. It is a very robust scope with positive clicks.
Pragmatically, I think the main drawback with Arken will be that for what they cost, there's no way every example that gets out into the world is going to be perfect. But I don't think as consumers we can really expect them to have the same quality control that a company that's charging $2-3k for their scopes can (though plenty of those scopes still have to go back). As long as Arken keeps their promises in the warranty department, that is just a minor wrinkle that might have to be dealt with here and there as tradeoff for getting the performance they're offering for the price.
That said, as more scopes get out there, I predict the long range snobs of the world are going to be trying to shit all over them. There's no way a guy who paid $3000 for a piece of glass is going to give them a totally fair shake, those folks are always going to find a rationalization of why more expensive equates to being superior (especially after their money has already been spent).
That said, as more scopes get out there, I predict the long range snobs of the world are going to be trying to shit all over them. There's no way a guy who paid $3000 for a piece of glass is going to give them a totally fair shake, those folks are always going to find a rationalization of why more expensive equates to being superior (especially after their money has already been spent).
Well said. I agree with you.
One of the complaints I heard about the Arken was the 8 clicks for revolution making it harder to do math on large adjustments. To those that actually have time shooting at range with one, how big of a deal is this?
Whoops... yes. Totally right. Thanks for the correction. When trying to make speedy adjustments on the fly it doesn't slow you down at all from your experience? To me it seems like a very minor gripe, but I haven't had experience behind either setup.
I love that it's "only" 8mils per rotation... that's probably part of the reason why the clicks are so nice and positive (nice thud-thud-thud instead of a tick-tick-tick). Plus, it's bold, and very simple on the eyes and easy to read.
Besides, on a centerfire 8mils is plenty for 99% of the time for most people, I shoot 6creed and 8mils will get me out past 1000 yards. On a rimfire, it's got reference lines that appear as you dial up, so shouldn't be a huge deal.
Thank you guys. Agreed. They didn't Have time behind the optic and were just looking at features. In their defense they did say it was a minor gripe. Their bigger concern was glass quality at the price these are sold for, but without looking down one it's hard to make assessments. Looks like most of yall who have one seem to say glass is good save for chromatic aberration. What's the closest scope it compares to in terms of glass quality? Athlon BTR? Sightron STAC? Very curious. Seems like a great option overall though!
IDK what scope most closely compares as far as glass quality, but I'd recommend being careful putting too much weight on considering that one thing: it's kind of the whole package that makes it so good. If I were pressed to name one: I'd say it's real close to a Vortex PST Gen2's glass. And I guess this depends on the specific example... like I mentioned above when I posted the pic I borrowed from X-Ring, I don't know if it's that his capture is through a TactaCam or what: but mine looks a lot better than his, and by buddy who owns the Razor I compared mine to is pretty bummed considering how much more his cost, so take that how you want.
IMO the glass quality is not going to blow anyone away who's been looking through Kahles'/NF's/ZCO's/etc, but you won't be able to blame its glass for your misses either, and all-around it's impressively close enough to the established players that cost a lot more.
Thanks. That is good enough for me. As long as its comparable enough and I can't blame the glass for my misses, makes it a great option in my book
I got one I ordered around black Friday a few weeks ago. Have yet to shoot it, but for the price, I think it's great. Glass seemed fine. I did find the turrets to be a bit mushier than my khales, but that's barely worth noting. Definitely not a deal breaker. I think that there really isn't anything to complain about for the price. Would definitely recommend waiting it out.
Wanted to try the EP4 4x16 but it seems you cant even order it on the website.
Sent Arken an email here is the response.
Right now we are not taking backorders for the EP4 line. We are currently expecting EP4s in summer of 2021. Additionally, you can sign up for product in stock notifications directly on our website on the EP4 product page. Thank you for your interest and business with Arken Optics USA.
Is the only expected advantage to the EP4 slightly better glass?
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