I own both scopes and took them both to the range last weekend. From memory, I slightly preferred the Ep5s reticle it seemed slightly easier to see with my old eyes. I was shooting a pop can sized target at 300 yards painted yellow, to be honest I was wishing for a little better glass on both, but the backdrop wasn't a crisp white, so the target tended to blend in with the hillside. Both are good value, I agree the parallax snapped a liltle quicker on the midas tac, I really liked the Arkens glass, I did notice the edges looked a slight bit darker at max 25x zoom. Neither scope stood out, I like them both, if I could own only one, I'd buy the Arken.
Very well done review. You're spot on with POU because each person is going to weigh things a bit different and with different levels of importance on how its being used. With EP5 being fairly new on market since re-release we won't see how the public takes to it and how it holds up in use for about 4-6 months after first few bulk batches are out. By late fall 2022 we'll likely have a favorite of the two and the sales will show it.
I own both.I also own the Arken EP4 6-24×50. You can't count $170.00 worth of trinkets in ARKEN price package I'd have to give 1st place to ARKEN for the Tactical turrets.I can't stand capped turrets except on a hunting rifle.Good video
I finally got to use my ep5 last weekend. It is a surprisingly good scope for the money. The turrets are the best out of all the scopes I own including the $1200 ones. Glass is not as good but better than I thought it would be. It also tracks very well which made sighting it in a very quick process. I don’t regret the buy at all.
I've owned both still own the Midas Tac HD and the only thing I liked on the ep5 was the reticle. I will say for long range use on the Midas " I wish it wasn't capped turret bit annoying but not a deal breaker". It was noticeably better in my opinion. it also should be costing more... the HD does stack up against some of my higher end scopes like the razor but my razor wins because it has way more going for it battle proven around the world. Has fast warranty, comes with throw lever and more options for it, comes in more then just black! That said HD is half the price and can't wait to get my hands on next one they come out with. hopefully they step away from budget optics and push the envelope for top shelf give the $3000+ market something to talk about.
There is no customer service with Arken,nobody will answer the phone,nobody will return a email they suck,Athlon has the best customer service of any company I've ever dealt with,I own 4 Athlon scopes and 2 Arken scopes,will only buy Athlon from now on because of the customer service...
Please please do a side by side EP5 vs SH4 gen 2. That’s the one which will show what differences may exist between the glasses. Golf ball and printed sticker tests are both helpful. Your new scope camera is vastly better than trying to hold a camera behind the eyepiece so now we can really see the differences if the exist.
I have the Midas tac 6-24 and the only complaint I have with it is the eye box is a little tight. Do you know if the Midas tac 5-25 is any better in that regard? I would assume it is because of the bigger main tube. Nice video Mike. Looks a little cold up there
How would the EP5 compare to the Helos 6-24x56 with the 34mil tube? I have the midas tac and helos and love them both, but new options like the Arken are always great to have! Absolutely love your reviews, thank you sir!
@@pantherhollow5290 Thanks for another great Video, Does this comment on mr Russell's question only apply to the MOA version? Because if that the only factor the Helos would be the choice since the MRAD version has a much finer reticle and is completely different from the MOA version. Is this true?
I'd personally buy the Midas TAC 6-24x50 (currently $500-$600) and run a 20moa rail. I was going to buy an Arken EP5 until this review stated it's good up to around 20x. At least the Midas TAC 6-24x50 is good throughout it's entire magnification range and wouldn't worry about Athlon staying in business or not having an instant replacement for a warrantied scope.
Arken wins with cosmetics and athlon midas tac win ls functionality. I can't see shit through my EP 5 PAST 18 power. And at 100yrds I can't even make out writing like I can with the midas tac. The ep 5 is an ok scope for the money. Spend a little more and get a way better scope in my opinion. Right now the midas tac is pretty close to the same price as the EP 5.
Athlon is great. Love my ETR. I’m going to sell my EP5 it’s just not what I thought it would be. Do you have any experience with delta ? Been dying the 5-50 for bench rest.
I'd research the Warranty and if they actually have a USA warranty center to repair scopes. I don't think they swap out warranty issues for brand new scopes. You don't want to have to mail your scope internationally for any warranty issues. The Trijicon Tenmile appears to be a very similar scope with a Lifetime Warranty and it's a USA company. Nevermind scratch those suggestions, the Trijicon Tenmile only has a 5 year warranty on their electronics not lifetime while the Delta Stryker has a 10 year warranty for the original owner.
Man the audio was annoying on the outside :D All info was solid and I really liked the video. Have you thought of getting a lavalier mic for getting second/backup audio? I have noticed that sometimes when you have bad audio or the audio recording gets corrupted it is really nice to have backup audio available
@@pantherhollow5290 I know then struggle. What I have done is that I just record with my phone with the lavalier microphone and match with waveform post production to things all nice. The nice thing about is that you can have your phone in your jacket pocket recording and the lav mic is just on your jacket.
Currently use an SH4 gen 2 4-16 on my remington 700 in 308. It's a good scope but I'm limited on what I can compare it to. I want to lighten up my rifle a bit, and have been considering the new EPL-4 from Arken, comparing it against comparable 4-16 options like the helix from element, and the midas tac from athlon. I like the idea of a capped windage turret and the element wins with tool less turrets. The reticles on all of them are good with me, and size and weight are all close. And a zero stop is mandatory which all 3 have. My main concern is which one gives you the best optical quality. Anyone have all 3 or opinions one way or the other? Do I have to give up clarity for tracking reliability? Buying a mk5 from leupold or a kahles just isn't an option
When all 4-16x of these scopes are compared side by side, the Midas Tac is hands down, the clearest and probably the most reliable followed by the Arken EPL4 then SH4 then Element Optics Helix last. The Midas Tac is also clearer with better turrets than the Element Titan. It's also very close in optical clarity compared to the Nexus believe it or not. Many would even say they like the Midas Tac better than the Nexus. I prefer the Ares BTR Gen 2 over the Nexus.
Another good comparison would be the Element Nexus 5-20x50 vs the Arken EP5 specifically at 5-20x. We were really surprised to see how incredibly close they were in glass and the EP5 smoked the Nexus in turrets and tracking. This will be a really eye opening test if you publish one on RU-vid. It's probably what Rex Reviews really meant about the Arken EP5 beating $1500 Japanese scopes.
The image quality is noticeably better on my Ares BTR Gen 2 4.5-27x50 than my Midas Tac 6-24x50. They both use Athlon's HD glass but to my own eyes, I prefer the Ares BTR Gen 2 glass much better and it should be superior since there's a $200 price difference. I haven't bought the 5-25x56 34mm Midas Tac since I don't think they are worth the price they charge even on sale since the Ares BTR Gen 2 has nicer glass compared to the 6-24x50 Midas Tac. I can tell you that the Ares BTR Gen 2 is better than a lot of scopes price much higher and when you buy them on sale for under $600 it's guaranteed you will feel really good about your purchase with no regrets.
How is Arken compared to Vortex Strike Eagle? their price are pretty close and they are both made in China (Vortex SE is about A$100 cheaper than EP5 here in Australia)
If you can get the Athlon Midas TAC 6-24x50 at a reasonable price ($500-$600) I'd get that instead. Use a 20moa rail if needed. It's hands down the best Chinese made scope in it's price range especially if glass quality and price reliable tracking are important to you.
@@Neverknight2 yes. That is the main thing you are paying for with the increase in price. The glass on the tac is not bad but especially if you are going to shoot at distances over 400 yards the difference is much more noticeable at longer ranges. The tac is still a good scope though.
Mike at Panther Hollow sells both Arken and Athlon as well as Element Optics brands of scopes so I really don't think there's any bias regarding his recommendations. In fact, he doesn't even sell Tract Optics or Maven and he did favorable reviews on the ones he got and spoke highly of March which he doesn't even sell. Mike is one of the few people I personally trust on RU-vid for unbiased reviews and trustworthy opinions. X-RING is the other honest RU-vid reviewer I personally trust who will tell it exactly like it is without sugarcoating anything and even does some drop tests and see if the scopes or equipment fails after actual testing.
Arken $550 delivered with EVERYTHING you need! Athlon $850 plus tax, and then the addons, $30 for the sunshade, $125+ for good scope rings, $30 for bubble level, $40 for flip-up caps. That puts the Athlon at about $1,125 total delivered price with everything you need. I'll take the Arken over the Athlon all day long.
So, let's get some number right. Sunshade is $25 Rings $60 Level $20 Scope covers $35 Arken EP5 $550 Athol Midas Tac $750 out of my shop. Both scopes are good, and they out preform each other in different categories. Arken EP5 Scopes are going up in price. I am not sure of the new price yet and the goodies will not be free for long!
@@FC2ESWS If you look at reviews outside of YT, the reviews for Arken QC and CS seem all over the place. I'm thinking you can get lucky and end up with a really really nice scope that compares with higher end scopes, or you just end up with a "$500 scope".
@@comeonsense2022 I like to use Burris Signature XTR rings instead of a 20 MOA base. They are the best rings money can buy and never leave a single mark or blemish on your scopes and adds up to 30-40 MOA if and when needed and never require any lapping. Your scope will still look brand new as though it's never been mounted before.
On one video you say you like the athlon better and on the other you say you like the Arken better. In one video you say you can't read Missouri in the scopes on the other you claim you can. Just found your channel but just in 2 videos I see quite a few inconsistencies.
Depending on when the video was shot and what the conditions were, my opinion may have changed!! the scopes themselves may have gotten better or worse. Scope upgrades happen ALL the time. even if the label does not change the scope may have been upgraded. Let's take the Element Titian for example. The first scopes I received to test were REALLY good and then they made some changes to the glass to save money and they REALLY sucked. The upgrades in the (Glass) were not upgrades at ALL. The 3rd gen of that scope came out 9 months after the first Gen.. and the branding never changed.. so sorry for changing my mind, this is how the scope companies play the game, so I have to adapt along with them to give my viewers a truthful and honest video..
@@pantherhollow5290 Such terrible news regarding Element Optics if their practices is in fact downgrading their glass quality (probably for much higher profits is totally believable) instead of making improvements while their prices remain ridiculously high. No wonder people who bought them when they first came out several years ago had a much better satisfaction ratios compared to right now. For the price Element Optics charge, you can actually buy TWO much better EP5 scopes or the far superior Athlon Ares BTR Gen 2 currently on sale for much cheaper. I've heard recent comments that any other cheaper brand of scope is better than the Element Titan including the Discovery PRS for half the price of the Titan. Coming from people who got burnt buying their overpriced Element Optics scopes based on all of the previous hype. As I said many times before, regarding Element Optics scopes, their glass aren't their strong point and you're paying way too much money when buying anything from that brand when there's superior alternatives sold by other brands such as Athlon for example for around the same prices or even cheaper. There's also been reports of their Titans turrets seizing up and just poor quality control. There have been reports of even some of their super expensive Nexus scopes that slipped through quality control even though they're supposed to be made in Japan. Their Helix has very terrible glass for the prices they charge. They really are in dire need of better quality glass that's for sure!!! I've spoken to a couple of Element Optics dealers and asked what they though about the actual longevity of the brand to actually honor their lifetime warranty and was told that's a good question. They're also really hyped up by a lot of air gun shooters so no wonder they don't need good glass if they aren't shooting long distance anyway and reading all the customer reviews sure enough it's air gun shooters who recommend buying Element Optics scopes.
you who are the most famous RU-vidrs and maybe the arken company will listen to it, tell them to make that same grid, but not like a pine tree 🌲, it's better to be a cross -:- that's cleaner and better image you will give us
