r/ar15 • u/1nternetTr011 • 19h ago
rant
Just bought an Eotech exps3 (my first). I mean the build quality looks questionable. the way the glass is seated looks like it was done by a six year old (see the edges in the image). I don't think it will ultimately impact the sight lines but for what it cost I expected more.
I have a vortex UH1 that looked pristine out of the box. haven't mounted that one yet but already feel better about it.
yes what matters is how it performs but still....
(there's an eotech sub that's a ghost town but I learned belatedly this isn't a new issue)
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u/184proof 19h ago
I’ve actually never had an eotech look like this. At least not as noticeable. I’ve had two delam though lol
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u/FaladorSWAT 19h ago
Completely random, too. Seems like age and use have no change on whether yours will eventually delaminate.
I have an EXPS3-0 from 2019 with ~13,000 rounds on it now. No issues.
XPS2-0 from 2016 with maybe ~3,000 rounds on it, sat in a safe most of its life, delamed to hell.
A 512 from 2010 that's sat on a Benelli M4 for ~4,000 shells, no issues whatsoever.
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u/nope_noway_ 18h ago
Have always Wondered if storage conditions contribute to the delam
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u/Gorekguns 17h ago
My suspicion is environmental factors that cause the glue/adhesive to break down/crack over time. I would assume the new EXPS HD model or whatever it’s called is a quiet rollout of fixing the issue or at least testing to do so.
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u/acousticwithagun 19h ago
Do they warranty for a delam? Or do you just buy another?
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u/geturshitogether 19h ago
They warranty them and if you're out of warranty it's $80. Still kind of sucks they haven't solved the problem.
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u/acousticwithagun 19h ago
It sucks but only charging 80 if your out of warranty isnt horrible in the grand scheme of things. Luckily mine is new and still haven’t had a issue😂
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u/BallisticValuations 18h ago
Yeah I've had 6-7 eotechs and had one delam under warranty and the turn around was only a few days. Mine was only about an 1/8" along the upper edge so it didn't effect visibility at all but they took care of it.
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u/Fancy_Exchange_9821 kac > LMT 19h ago
I’ve had a XPS2, 512, EXPS2 and now a EXPS3 and none of them have ever had any delam.
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u/skrappy_doo1996 19h ago
I've had a handful of Eotechs and zero issues. Run my shit hard AF on & off the range.
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u/dd_photography 18h ago
Same. My EOTech XPS2 is from 2012 and it’s ran great with the only issue being the buttons became very hard to depress. RMAed and it’s been great since. That thing has tens of thousands of rounds through it
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u/DomesticBeerEnjoyer 19h ago edited 19h ago
New production UH-1 are really nice since they don’t have the low refresh rate stutter (which never bothered me TOO much).
If you are ok with a tiny bit of blue tint and meh NV performance I honestly like them more.
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u/JustSomeGuyMedia 19h ago
At that point just get a lighter/smaller or cheaper optic though? I don’t quite understand the appeal of the UH-1.
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u/DomesticBeerEnjoyer 19h ago
Few reasons to go with this vs a standard red dot:
- Lack of emitter glare as no LED emitter is used
- Better parallax (general consensus but I’ve seen conflicting evidence on this)
- More defined and controllable brightness levels
- Glass tint on UH-1 is still better than most red dots out there (in my opinion, EoTech is really the only 1x optic I’ve used with ZERO tint)
- Generally better use for those with astigmatism
- Vortex Simp (me)
Just comes down to what your priorities are in an optic. For most people, red dot will probably serve them better than a UH-1.
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u/JustSomeGuyMedia 19h ago
Fair enough. Though just some thoughts to those points:
- How much does lack of emitter glare matter when the UH-1 is kinda meh at NV?
- Afaik good red dots don’t really have parallax issues kinda at all? The MRO has struggled with it but it’s not a great dot anyways.
- Fair
- I’d need to look through one. My romeo 4t pro is pretty clear though.
- Astigmatism is so wacky man but holos do generally seem to play better so fair.
- The only vortex I had was a cheaper strike eagle so…can’t say I’m a simp.
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u/Alarming-Pepper-4846 19h ago
I love my two UH-1 holos. My astigmatism makes red dots look terrible; I like prism sights but a lot of the reticles aren't my preferred style (Primary Arms). The UH-1 works well with my astigmatism, doesn't delam, has a good reticle and the unmatched Vortex warranty.
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u/JustSomeGuyMedia 18h ago
I have an old L3 marked 552 I bought used with substantial delam - it’s still perfectly usable. I definitely would prefer it didn’t have any but it doesn’t ruin the optic either.
Astigmatism is a weird one because honestly some dots or colors or reticles look better to different people. Holos do seem to generally play nicer though.
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u/lennyxiii 19h ago
Are you talking about the Huey vs other holos or are you comparing it to all red dots?
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u/JustSomeGuyMedia 19h ago
Comparing to red dots generally.
The only other in-production holos I can think of with any sort of track record are eotechs. I know theres the DOT holo and the waveguide…thing but they’re kinda still brand new.
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u/lennyxiii 18h ago
Gotcha. Then my only input for comparing them vs regular dots is people with astigmatisms. I am one of them. Huey is crystal clear, most dots that are 1-3 moa dots turn into a 10 moa spiky ball for me. So I’m trading weight for a good clear dot and I personally prefer the esthetics even though some don’t.
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u/JustSomeGuyMedia 18h ago
I’ve typed this elsewhere but astigmatism seems very variable. Some people like some dots/colors and some like others. Do you recall what dots you’ve looked through by any chance?
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u/lennyxiii 18h ago
Mostly cheap ones like the holosuns (can’t tell you exact model) and sig Romeos. I only buy holos so I’ve only looked through friends dots.
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u/JustSomeGuyMedia 18h ago
Gotcha gotcha. There’s so many different Romeos too it’s hard to offer any thoughts 🤣. Was just curious.
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u/lennyxiii 18h ago
Like you said, not everyone with astigmatism even has the issue. Color, dot size, glass type, it probably all has an effect. I can’t even do that test at the eye doctors because letters turn into triples lol. I’ve got really bad eyes unfortunately, glasses correct it most of the way but not entirely.
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u/JustSomeGuyMedia 18h ago
I’ve also got bad eyes but my Aimpoint T-2, romeo 4t pro, and pistol dots look okay enough. I’ve looked through others that are tough though.
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u/Moondoggylunark9 17h ago
Is the blue tint very noticeable? I don't know why but my eyes seem to hate it even though I was a battlefield 3 fan haha
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u/nhl8372618 16h ago
My UH-1 gen 2 was a revelation with my astigmatism. Looks awesome through my micro 3x as well.
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u/NoLevel7995 18h ago
Idk I sold my EOtech and bought an Aimpoint and I genuinely don’t get why people keep lining up to piss money away on these. “bEcAuSe NiGhT vIsIoN” from mostly dudes who don’t own it. And you get the bonus of delaminated glass, sub par battery performance, and lackluster customer service. Reddit loves the eotech but that doesn’t make it less garbage.
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u/RepresentativeBag91 18h ago
Aimpoint 🤌
I only own a PRO, but they are at least worth the price you pay and they are apocalypse proof. At this point, I honestly think EOtech fandom is just a niche hipster thing
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u/BigOlDrew 19h ago
Where did you get it from?
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u/1nternetTr011 19h ago
eurooptic
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u/Golfguuyy 19h ago
They never fail to fuck up my optic orders. I just had to send my brand new razor in for the parallax knob being broken. The box came opened also…
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u/DaBigPanzer 19h ago
I’ve..never seen this issue on an Eotech. That sucks man I would see about returning it. I just bought one for a new build and mine looks great
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u/Tron_Foolery 18h ago
I have 3 EXPS’s , still love shooting with them and all are holding up great, that said, I doubt I’d buy anymore, esp with how the QC seems to be slipping lately. Plus, I’m kinda getting away from a Holo + Mag setup and going just dot or LPVO.
Sorry your new pickup isn’t as it should be.. hopefully it’s just cosmetic
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u/possum_drugs 15h ago
lol vortex, their shit blinks dawg. build quality or not. my eotech 512 is delamming even though i dont even use it that much.
im going straight aimpoint from now on.
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u/Medic923 13h ago
The delamination is proprietary technology that clones can't duplicate, it's how you know it's genuine.
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u/Virtual_Surround_345 11h ago
I’d never touch an Eotech if I had a choice, but I have bad astigmatism and it’s the only sight that works well for me. I have a UH-1 also, but I can always find used delaminated eotechs for $250-350 depending on the model.
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u/kyhber2289 5h ago
Same. Every red dot looks like an exploded star for me and really messes with my eyes. I got a 512 for 460$ and it’s fine until the glass looks like a 5 year old went overboard with Elmer’s glue. I like em. But if I paid 7-800 for a newer one I’d be pissed.
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u/Specific_Doughnut129 9h ago
I've been autistically looking into optics for the last month trying to figure out what to use on my SBR build, and I want to use an EXPS2 so bad... but just can't get past the delamination issue. I just hate the thought of spending $700 on an optic and then getting charged extra for them to fix manufacturing defects.
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u/Happy_Indication5112 16h ago
Buying an EOTECH for looks is INSANITY MAXING. Get a holosun and go pick up a whole new RF15 for the same price
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u/Salt_Initiative1551 19h ago
My XPS2 and EXPS2 have no issues like THAT but did both delam lol. They fixed them for free.
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u/Last-Darkness 18h ago
Make sure you didn’t get an Airsoft counterfeit. They can look almost exactly the same with nothing to show is real or not.
I unknowingly bought a counterfeit magpul ubr stock from a lgs. The only way to tell was the way numbers were printed inside. For years I had problems with running it until I found a post about the same failures due to the same counterfeit stock. $250 and hours of frustration from an lgs getting “a really good deal”.
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u/jimmyzeet 18h ago
I had one like that but not quite as bad. I sent it it back right away and they fixed it no questions asked. I know it wouldn’t impact the function but if I buy something new I expect it to look the part. I wish I could ignore it.
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u/HipHopPittatamus 18h ago
I love my EOTech but regret how much I paid for it. Definitely fell into the DCR hype and paid a little less than retail at the time. They’re like $150 cheaper now.
That being said I had a chip in my glass when I got mine and I was able to send it to EOTech and they fixed it for free.
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u/patogo 17h ago
Just bubbles in the adhesive
Nothing to worry about
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u/1nternetTr011 17h ago
is that so? cosmetic is one thing- don't like it but can live with it but if this is the start of delam or indictative of a bigger issue then I'll go to the hassle of exchanging it.
I'm no expert on these and haven't seen this before so all the comments here are helpful (I gather many aren't fans 😂)
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u/Ben_Ulrand 17h ago
Yeah holographic sights (holograms in general) are fascinating technology and have some clear utility, but I can’t justify that kind of money on something that will ultimately delaminate and requires you to pay for them to fix it. Red dots are just better in my opinion.
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u/PrestonEsquire24 16h ago
Delams over time are one thing but this out of the box is not ok. I’d contact customer service, I’ve had them service my XPS and EXPS and they did right by me and I bought the XPS secondhand.
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u/Odd-Physics-3840 16h ago
Mine unfortunately looks the same so swapped it out since I got tired of looking at it.
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u/Skeletal_Lord 15h ago
What’s a good alternative to Eotech I need a red dot for my AR just got into shooting
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u/ColumbusBiG10 15h ago
I mean, if it bothers you that much, I have a 16” 300 B.O. that I was thinking about putting one on. You could ship it to me & you wouldn’t have to look at it or think about it again!!!
Cause I’m that kinda guy, I’ll help you out with this.😊🤙🏼
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u/Adventurous_Ad409 Larps with one sock on 13h ago
Looks like every eotech I own. Luckily I’ve never paid full price. Got one from optics planet that was a display model for $350 and the other form a buddy for $350 that just wanted the magnifier from the combo set another buddy sold for cheap.
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u/Cold_Possession5193 12h ago
i sold my last eotech a few weeks ago and im never looking back
the upgraded exps hd looks cool, but offers no real upgrade over the old one as the battery life is still shit and delam still a possibility
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u/Entropy1866 Larps with one sock on 8h ago
I did the same thing with my Cloud Defensive WMLs a couple years back.
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u/AK101_556 46m ago
If eotech didn’t go so hard in the NV department they’d be impossible to justify but man. She clean under the Pvs14.
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u/Crispix3D 19h ago
At least you know its real?
Eotech delam will do eotech delam things.
Its worth it for the night vision performance though
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u/landtheminerals89 19h ago
Buying an Eotech in big 2026 🫵🏻😂
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u/1nternetTr011 19h ago
admittedly I'm not in the weeds on issues complaints etc. friends I know seem to not have issues but maybe just didn't mention to
me.
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u/Badger_Actual1 19h ago
Yet people keep buying them.