A while back, my 9 year old son and I were playing Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 on XBox, and I came to a realization. The EoTech on my M4 on the screen was working “flawlessly”. So, it became the running joke that the only place I’ve ever witnessed an EoTech run 100 percent is on Modern Warfare. I’ve made this comment a couple of times in front of different shooters and it usually erupts into laughter. Some get angry. The “Aimpoint versus EOTech” is the ultimate “Ford versus Chevy” debate, and in the worlds of the interwebs it can get heated.
My own personal experience has been mixed, but mainly negative towards the EOTech brand. I’ve observed so many malfunctions in so many areas with the EOTech. I kept track at one time of the number of classes in a row that I either would go to, or teach where an EOTech would go down, and quit counting somewhere around 40 in a row. I sold my EOTechs, we ditched them at work, and went straight Aimpoint.
About a year ago, I purchased my first FNH SCAR16. This came on the heels of getting to shoot with some .gov types that had a couple of select fire 10.5 inch SCAR-L rifles. Atop of the rifles sat EOTech 553s. These guys were shooters, and they shoot a LOT in a years time. I inquired about the EOTech problem, and one stated “There is no problem with the 553, keep the batteries fresh and you’re good”
So, I came home, ordered up a SCAR16, and started shooting various with the Aimpoint products that I had on hand. On a whim, I purchased a tan EOTech 553 and put it on SCAR #1. A buddy of mine purchased a 552 at the same time. Within about 1000 rounds, his EOTech shut off permanently. The electronics card/reflector had came loose inside of it. In the photo below, you can see the card/reflector sticking up in the window.
I now have two EOTech 553s. I prefer the EOTech 553 on the SCAR over the Aimpoint T1 or Comp M4. The larger field of view seems to couple well with the increased mechanical offset found on the SCAR. I have a little over 5000 rounds through the pair without issue. I am hopeful that the 553 is truly cut above. More to come.
The EOTech has a lot going for it, and I have tried very hard for the better part of the past decade to like it. But, like you, I have seen them fail at the cyclic rate through the numerous carbine classes I have either attended or taught. My experience is that in classes, they have a nearly 50% failure rate. Usually it is the battery contacts, but I have also seen the electronics completely fail, or the optic lose its ability to hold zero. In addition to durability issues, battery life is an issue. In addition to having to keep track of batteries due to a significantly shorter life than that of the Aimpoint, the auto shutoff feature at either 4 or 8 hours. A typical LE patrol shift is either 10 or 12+ hours. I know of at least two situations where officers were in the middle of a callout or other operation where the EOTech suddenly shut itself off to conserve battery. While this can be addressed with training, I feel this makes the EOTech significantly inferior to the Aimpoint, which in my experience, is far more durable and has a significantly longer battery life (typically measured in years rather than hours.)
The larger field of view of the EOTech and whiz-bang reticle is certainly a plus, but these features take a back seat to reliability, durability and significantly increased battery life.
That said, I am interested to see how your EOTech holds up long term.
Hey Jerry, Kevin (KevH) from Sigforum here.
I had run the old EOTech 512 for awhile and had the usual battery box issues with it. I then went to the Aimpoint M2, M3 and then T1.
After taking classes from and talking to Kyle Lamb, Mike Pannone and Kyle Defoor, I decided to give the EOTech another shot. I run an EXPS and absolutely love it. It is robust and has in my opinion a much more useful reticle than the Aimpoints.
Do batteries last as long? No. Who cares. I swap them out more often. And the EXPS/XPS series only takes one CR123.
You may run into some battery box issues with the 552/553. There is a fix with a foam ear plug that Mike Pannone uses….or you could just update and use the newer XPS series where the problem doesn’t exist.
I think we have all seen both optics crap out or have problems over the years. The old mighty Aimpoint is not the only dog that can hunt… You also can’t compare a $350 (512) dollar optic to a $650 (T-1) optic. I bought a Eotech 512 a little over 5 years ago and my partner bought a T-1, 2 years ago. We have both been to the same classes (Paul Howe, TTPOA, Departmental, train regularly…exc.) Both work guns ride in soft cases in the trunk of our patrol car (w/ a moby, pry bar, exc…) My gun has taken hard drops on the cement twice leaving dents and scratches on the Eotech and still runs great. My partners T-1 has fogged up and has water inside of the lense… (Moral of the story…. We all have these stories. To each his own.)
Agreed. Both are mechanical devices and neither are perfect. Though in my experience attending and teaching classes over the past decade or so, the failure rate of the EOTech is significantly higher. And I saw a lot of optics and guns during that time period. That said, I do not have a ton of time on the new XPS so maybe durability is better. But auto shutoff at 4 or 8 hours still makes it a no-go for a general issue patrol optic for me (for reasons I explain in my earlier comment.)
Tim
I would agree with your observations, as our department EOTech’s have had all the noted issues at times. I wish they would offer a solution to the issue. However my personal XPS has been 100% in use/training/teaching, and I’ve never used it in Modern Warfare either! Seems we the end user’s are the Beta Testers sometimes.
Be Safe.
I’ve had both Aimpoints and EOTechs and like them both. The EOTech XPS is working well for me. I happen to live local to EOTech and had them fix the battery contacs on a 512 while I waited. They have definitely worked to upgrade their sights and have provided me with excellent customer service.
Battery life and auto shut off are the biggest drawbacks to the EOTech. Not to bash cops, but I’ve found them to be frugal folks…sometimes to a fault. I think the idea of frequently replacing (and purchasing) batteries makes the EOTech a less viable option for some cops.
I too have dumped the EO Tech due to numerous cases of observed and experienced failure of these sights.
As to price, if one goes by life cycle costs the Aimpoints end up costing less in the long run that the EO Techs, due to battery costs.
Curse you, Jerry Jones! My EOTech worked for years, indeed, from the days of the D.C. sniper case when rifles were first authorized. Of course, what happens the next time I check my rifle’s electronics after reading Jerry’s article?? The EO goes belly up.
Be safe.
Has anyone noticed if the failed EOtech units were earlier models, or is the rate of failure consistent across the board? I’ve noticed much less griping about EOs recently, and wondered if they’ve really improved, or if the heavy users have migrated to other brands.
Personally, I have an EOtech EXP on a 3-Gun rifle that does not get babied, and I have seen no problems yet. But a T-1 sits on my go-to carbine…
Failures have been consistent through all generations of the units with the batteries in line with the bore. The verdict is still out on the XPS with the transverse battery. Some folks seem to be having good luck with them.