Trijicon Tripower review

[nickdrak]

Hello to all! I thought I would ad a quick review of the Trijicon Tripower sight for those considering a new optic.

I have the latest generation Tripower, and I really like it alot. THE CHEVRON RULES!!! I had the first generation Tripower as well, and the latest is a nice improvement over it. The new aluminum body is very solid. They removed the cylume stick back-up source, which I think was a good idea. The only issue I have with it is the low brightness of the tritium. It is almost invisible in complete darkness without NV, so in low light/complete darkness, you must use the battery to power the chevron. It was dimmed down a bit to be more compatible with NV, as the earlier generation Tripowers had a slightly brighter tritium. I feel the new Tripower is as good or better then the Aimpoint IF you have access to NVG. Without NV it is still excellent, but it would be nice if Trijicon made a version of the Tripower with an ultra bright tritium for use in low light/complete darkness without the use of NV. The extra cost of the Tripower will turn many shooters looking for a new optic toward the Aimpoint/Eotech option, but I feel the new design along with the chevron make the latest Tripower a great choice. It also works perfectly with all of the LaRue Aimpoint mount currently available which is also one less thing to worry about.
http://i5.tinypic.com/166ew6a.jpg

[PE556]

I’ve never looked through a Tripower, but the thing the I like about Trijicon is the crispness of their illuminated reticles compared to Aimpoints and EOTechs.

[jmart]

Thanks for the review. A couple of follow-up quetsions if you don't mind:

How do you compare the Tripower to an EoTech or Aimpoint during daylight hours?

What about low light (dawn/dusk)?

Considering I don't have NV gear, when you mention the shortcomings in complete darkness, is this a case where can you ID your target but you can't see the chevron or are both invisible? Would you be ina situation where you need a white light anyway in which case the tritium intensity is a non-issue?

[nickdrak]

Thanks for the review. A couple of follow-up quetsions if you don't mind:

How do you compare the Tripower to an EoTech or Aimpoint during daylight hours?

What about low light (dawn/dusk)?

Considering I don't have NV gear, when you mention the shortcomings in complete darkness, is this a case where can you ID your target but you can't see the chevron or are both invisible? Would you be in a situation where you need a white light anyway in which case the tritium intensity is a non-issue?

I have used both the Eotech & Aimpoint, and the Tripower is as good or better during bright sunlight without the use of batteries. The fiber optic donut works perfectly in every condition I have tried so far. Some situations, where you are in a shaded area, aiming toward a light background in bright sunlight, you will need to use the battery power to brighten the chevron.

In very low light situations you will be able to see your target the same as with the Eotech or Aimpoint, but the chevron will be barely visible due to the low tritium brightness, requiring you to use the battery.

[Kisara]

Its nice to see that Trijicon (like LaRue, Magpul, and TangoDown) listened to end-user feedback when making the new revision changes. I would however, still contact them about the dim tritium. Most importantly, to see if yours is defective. Remind them that you owned the original version. How do you know that they really changed to a dimmer H3 element on purpose? Maybe all the new ones are as bright as the old ones, and you just got a bad apple. They'll offer to check it out for free, but who knows- Maybe the tech will read your problem and swap in a bright element for you at no charge! I've had all sorts of nice surprises happen when my units where shipped there for CS work.

If they did say there was a change, or they inspect it and you end up with the same, at least then give them your feedback and simply let them know you liked the brighter H3 better.


Thanks for the nice review Nick!

[nickdrak]

I spoke to a rep at Trijicon prior to the new sights release, and was told that the dimmer tritium was one of the new features on the Tripower to make it more NV friendly. I will contact them and give them my feed-back, and see if they can install a brighter tritium in my unit. Thanks for the suggestion Kisara.

[Chris]

Good review, Nick. Can we get a shot through the scope for perspective?

[nickdrak]

Sorry for the delay! Here is a pic that I found a while ago. Not sure of who the original poster is:confused: It is much better of a pic than I could manage.
http://i3.tinypic.com/245zmn8.jpg

Here is another pic with a view through an Aimpoint 3X magnifier: (I definately need to get one)
http://i1.tinypic.com/245zo10.jpg

[Neeglik]

First off, great review. I wish there were more feedback on the net about this optic.

Did you ever find out if you can get your tritium brightened?

I guess I don't see the point in having the tritium there if it is not visible (except via NVG's).

Let us know, as I really want to like this optic, but it seems to keep falling just short of greatness.

One other question... I've always liked the chevrons and triangles. They are nice and large (easy to pick up quickly), but you can use the tip for more precise shots. Do you find this any more/less accurate at distances than the Aimpoint or EOTech?

Thanks for the info...

[nickdrak]

First off, great review. I wish there were more feedback on the net about this optic.

Did you ever find out if you can get your tritium brightened?

I guess I don't see the point in having the tritium there if it is not visible (except via NVG's).

Let us know, as I really want to like this optic, but it seems to keep falling just short of greatness.

One other question... I've always liked the chevrons and triangles. They are nice and large (easy to pick up quickly), but you can use the tip for more precise shots. Do you find this any more/less accurate at distances than the Aimpoint or EOTech?

Thanks for the info...

I am going to call Trijicon about the tritium when I get back in town from vacation here in beutiful Colorado. My Father lives near Buena Vista, CO. and has a awesome public shooting range located in the middle of the Rockies with a 500+yd. rifle range about a mile and a half down the road from his place. I Brought my MRP/Tripower and My 6.8 SPR build for fun. I have owned and used both the Aimpoint & the Eotech, and find the Tri's Chevron (using the tip as you described) to be far better with distance shots than either of them. I will update when I get back in town.

[Neeglik]

Thanks for the info. I'm going to give one a shot. I like the idea of having a similar reticle to my TA31F, for consistency and all that crap. :p

[Neeglik]

Got my Tripower today! I immediately opened it up and mounted it on the LT cantilever mount that came also (Thanks Grant!!). If Nick doesn't mind me hijacking his thread, here are my first impressions...

It came with it's own mount! I did not expect that at all. I didn't use the included mount, but it appears to be a low mount. Not quick detach.

The tritium (Power 1) is weak to the point of being non-existent. It should be called a Doublepower, cuz that's all it is. In reference to our discussion above on a possible tritium defect, the manual claims "Check the tritium lamp for failure...in a darkened room... It is important to let your eyes adjust to the darkness before trying to see the tritium." Ok, so I went in my bathroom and tried this and low and behold I could make out the reticle. However, as soon as I lit up the room with a flashlight, I lost the reticle.

The fiber optics (Power 2) are ok. I can pick up the reticle while moving thru a dimly lit house, but it doesn't stand out real well. Outside, it is again, ok. Maybe comparable to my Aimpoint ML2 on a medium setting.

The battery backup (Power 3) is just fine. With this power source, this is as good or better than the Aimpoint. I'd even go so far as "better" since the reticle is larger and therefore faster to focus on (for me anyways).

The buttons for the battery power suffer from the same problems as the older Eotechs. Not very user friendly. Hard to "feel out" when not looking at them. Might be better if they went to the more tactile rubber buttons like the newer Eotechs or just go to a switch like an Aimpoint.

The manual says the battery power is good for 10 hours constant use. It has a 2 hour auto-shut off feature. I'm not real thrilled with this. It's obviously way worse than the Aimpoint and Eotech. It wouldn't be near as bad if the tritium worked better, but unfortunately I foresee having to use the battery power in all low-light/night situations (and I work midnights, so...).

Batteries are 1/3N, and it came with two sets.

It has a cover for the fiber optic donut on top and a neoprene sock a la Acogs.

I really like the chevron reticle and find it much more superior to the Aimpoint and Eotech reticles.

Pros:
-Excellent reticle.
-Battery-saving options (Fibre optic illumination).
-Compatible with Aimpoint mounts.
-Rugged build.
-Comes with a mount.
-Comes with two sets of batteries.

Cons:
-Tritium is useless. I almost have to question if it's even there.
-Low battery life.
-Auto shutoff is a little too quick, but considering the low battery life, this may be a good thing.
-Cost is ~$100 more than a new Aimpoint. It does come with a mount though.

I feel it is a toss up between this and the Aimpoint. I think if I had to choose right now, I'd be a bit torn. Some sustained use, especially in low light is going to be the deciding factor.

So, from an early perspective, and not having shot with it, I must say I'm a little disappointed. I'm still planning to keep it and I think I'll shoot better with it (which is the main goal), but I had hoped for a more efficient lighting system. I am taking it to work tonight so me and the guys can play with it on the job and compare it a bit more to the Aimpoint.

[nickdrak]

Once I re-installed my newly chopped (to 14.5") MRP barrel back into the MRP, I only had to make a couple of VERY minor adjustments to the Tripower to get it re-zeroed.
http://i8.tinypic.com/27x426s.jpg

I was able to shoot this group off of a sandbag at 25yds. (20rds. "rapid fire") shooting 75gr. TAP. The Chevron helps me take much quicker follow-up shots than either the Aimpoint or Eotech. At least it sure seems like it does.
http://i8.tinypic.com/27x3x5g.jpg

Heres a pic of the Chaffee County public shooting range. What a back-stop!:D
http://i8.tinypic.com/27x3zgl.jpg

[Neeglik]

I shot mine finally, using my 16" midlength homebrew. It was really more of a function test (first build and I just wanted to make sure I put it together correctly) while using some wolf ammo, but I'm rather pleased. I'll be back out to fine tune a zero and see what kind of groupings I can get with better ammo this next week.

So far I'm pretty happy. Preliminary tests at night have been rather positive. The sight is very doable in the dark w/o battery backup.

[QuietShootr]

I'm not a fan. Here are a few pics I did a while back after I noticed that the fiber collector glows like a stove element at night if you lose the cover.

http://sniper.rsvs.net/TacNV3.jpg
Close up to it

http://sniper.rsvs.net/TacNV2.jpg
About 10 feet away

http://sniper.rsvs.net/TacNV1.jpg
Through PVS-7Ds from about 15 feet away.

[Neeglik]

Yup, it glows to be sure, but for civies and basic patrol cops, stealth isn't as much a concern.

[nickdrak]

I spoke to Trijicon CS today, and I explained that I am just a lowly Detective from a half-assed PD, who will never have access to NVG, and would like a brighter
tritium element for use in darkness/low light. I was told to send mine in and they would see what they can do for me. He said they should have it for about
10 days. I will let you guys know how it turns out.

[Neeglik]

Please do Nick!!

[dubb-1]

Well???

[matt7184]

Any updates from Trijicon?

[nickdrak]

Sorry guys! I missed your posts here. I still havent sent mine out to Trijicon yet. Didnt want to be without my optic as there has been alot of sh** going on here lately. I am going to try to send it out before next Friday as I will be out of town for a week. I will update here when I get it back. Sorry for the delay!

I found this ad for the Tripowers for dirt cheap: http://www.budsgunshop.com/catalog/product_info.php/cPath/99_604/products_id/32364 Not sure what kind of rep this place has, but that price is cheap as hell!

[C4IGrant]

Sorry guys! I missed your posts here. I still havent sent mine out to Trijicon yet. Didnt want to be without my optic as there has been alot of sh** going on here lately. I am going to try to send it out before next Friday as I will be out of town for a week. I will update here when I get it back. Sorry for the delay!

I found this ad for the Tripowers for dirt cheap: http://www.budsgunshop.com/catalog/product_info.php/cPath/99_604/products_id/32364 Not sure what kind of rep this place has, but that price is cheap as hell!


I will gladly match that price for M4C members!


C4

[M4arc]

Great thread, very informative!

[nickdrak]

Just to update here....

Still waiting for my Tripower to come back from Trijicon. Hopefully soon! I may give them a call next Monday if I dont hear anything. I will keep y'all posted!

Stay safe,
Nick

ETA: Cool! It arrived this morning via UPS. I will check it out tonight and let you guys know how it looks....

[nickdrak]

Well, Im a little dissapointed....

The brightness of the chevron appears to be unchanged. I enclosed a detailed work request asking if they could install a brighter tritium in my unit, but the invoice slip shows that they replaced the objective lens in my Tripower. Nothing about addressing the tritium brightness. I cannot detect any difference from when I sent it to them.

Oh well, it is still currently my favorite 1x optic. Now if they would make a killflash for it....

[Kisara]

I explained that I am just a lowly Detective from a half-assed PD
LOL! :D 26th St will never be the same...

A coworker took an Acog and put a baby Cyalume up top the fiber optic and covered it with black gaffer's tape to increase brightness to the ret. Temporary, but it worked. Maybe that will work for your TriPower.

[LSP972]

Any updates from you guys using this optic?

I retired, and have to buy an optic to go on my personal rifle. I have been intrigued with the Tri-Power, but not ready to spring for one until I see some more "reports".

There isn't much info regarding this one anywhere, which makes me wonder...

.

[postban]

Any updates from you guys using this optic?

I retired, and have to buy an optic to go on my personal rifle. I have been intrigued with the Tri-Power, but not ready to spring for one until I see some more "reports".

There isn't much info regarding this one anywhere, which makes me wonder...

.

I searched for "more info" before buying this one too. All concerns were put away once I got it. Overall I Love the chevron, the whole thing is built Trijicon Tough, very clear and bright optic. Chevron is crisp and sharp edged when used with fiber optic. With battery you can make it blurry if you have it too bright but can always adjust for your environment. The Tritium only is very faint but can be seen at night. I got mine used for $400 (latest gen) but would pay full price for another should I have the need. Only negative is the super low mount it comes with standard. Get the Larue Cantilever, nice product.

good luck with your choice

http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f49/postban/AR15%20M4%20RRA/100_3121.jpg
http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f49/postban/AR15%20M4%20RRA/100_3126.jpg

[LSP972]

Thanks, postban.

This "project" has been side-lined for a while, but now I'm looking into it again.

It would appear that a flat-top would be pretty much the thng to have for this optic. One of the decisions I'm wrestling with is, get a new upper or a complete rifle?

My desire for a super-light iteration is holding things up; putting a white light and optic on an A1 upper w/ pencil barrel, when I have a perfectly good Bushie A2 carbine w/light would be rather... well, "redundant" is as good a word as any.

I need to get off the pot and decide...:rolleyes:

.

[chapperjoe]

Disclaimer: I am a pastor in the Church fo the Tripower. :D

here are a few points that stnad out in any tripower thread:

a)Astigmatism: it's really THE only serious use optic for guys with bad astigmatism. I ahve a very hard time using any reticle that covers the target, and chevrons (or the russian hollow 'T') are the way to go. Thsi applies to duplex and mildot too, no matter how fine the scope. So for me - and lots of others with bad eyes - my only options are tripowers, acogs, accupoints - you see a pattern here? (even iron sights are superior to e.g. an aimpoint for me. eotechs will work for short quick work, like drills with a pistol caliber carbine, but even that 1moa dot fuzzes out on me if I concentrate on it.)

b) One of two serious flaws: I also noticed the weak tritium but I thought it was in response to guys who said the original was too visible from the muzzle end, e.g. to a potential enemy. So when they tell you they made it 'weaker for NV use', I think they meant when all sides are using NV. (in regards to it being weak to the eye, I don't have that problem at night, it seems ok to me, but I think that the tritium is meant to be used with NV.) The old one lit up like a christmas tree, and heck the new one probably does too, but that leads us to point "c"

c) they advertise this scope ALL wrong. This scope should be advertised as an aimpoint killer. A battery powered 1x refelx sight with a superior reticle (albeit inferior battery life) that HAPPENS to have fiber and tritium BACKUPS. I think that if I were to take this into harms way I'd tape over the fiber for reason "b" and use the sight as an Aimpoint style sight. I'd use the tritium and fiber as much as I use buis - rarely.

d) I do recognize that an aimpoint with a chevron would be the ultimate optic, but that's really only due to simplicity and battery life. My tripwoers are and have been just as 'tough' as my aimpoints, and I have had one of my tripwoers go to war (not on my fat ass!) and came back after two years fine and dandy with many folks taking their last look through the muzzle end mainly at night. Report back from my buddy who took it was very positive (he permanently taped over the fiber btw).

thats' all for now. sorry to whine on. I jsut love the scope and with a 3x behind it, it's really the one for me.

[Low Drag]

Disclaimer: I am a pastor in the Church fo the Tripower. :D

here are a few points that stnad out in any tripower thread:

a)Astigmatism: it's really THE only serious use optic for guys with bad astigmatism. I ahve a very hard time using any reticle that covers the target, and chevrons (or the russian hollow 'T') are the way to go. Thsi applies to duplex and mildot too, no matter how fine the scope. So for me - and lots of others with bad eyes - my only options are tripowers, acogs, accupoints - you see a pattern here? (even iron sights are superior to e.g. an aimpoint for me. eotechs will work for short quick work, like drills with a pistol caliber carbine, but even that 1moa dot fuzzes out on me if I concentrate on it.)

b) One of two serious flaws: I also noticed the weak tritium but I thought it was in response to guys who said the original was too visible from the muzzle end, e.g. to a potential enemy. So when they tell you they made it 'weaker for NV use', I think they meant when all sides are using NV. (in regards to it being weak to the eye, I don't have that problem at night, it seems ok to me, but I think that the tritium is meant to be used with NV.) The old one lit up like a christmas tree, and heck the new one probably does too, but that leads us to point "c"

c) they advertise this scope ALL wrong. This scope should be advertised as an aimpoint killer. A battery powered 1x refelx sight with a superior reticle (albeit inferior battery life) that HAPPENS to have fiber and tritium BACKUPS. I think that if I were to take this into harms way I'd tape over the fiber for reason "b" and use the sight as an Aimpoint style sight. I'd use the tritium and fiber as much as I use buis - rarely.

d) I do recognize that an aimpoint with a chevron would be the ultimate optic, but that's really only due to simplicity and battery life. My tripwoers are and have been just as 'tough' as my aimpoints, and I have had one of my tripwoers go to war (not on my fat ass!) and came back after two years fine and dandy with many folks taking their last look through the muzzle end mainly at night. Report back from my buddy who took it was very positive (he permanently taped over the fiber btw).

thats' all for now. sorry to whine on. I jsut love the scope and with a 3x behind it, it's really the one for me.

I have a Tripower and like it but want some magnification. I was leaning towards adding a 3 or 4X magnifier to it. I'm currently looking at replacing it with a 1-4X unit from IOR. I love the chevron reticle in the Tripower and impressed with how quickly I can pick it up for close in shooting. I'm really on the fence with replacing it. And if I do replace it I'm not sure if I'll keep it. I've only had it about a month and maybe run 300 rds under it. The IOR unit looks pretty good because I'll have one unit to "do it all" and that's attractive.

So please do tell. What magnifier do you use with it? What type of mount for the Tripower and magnifier? What FOV do you get at 100 yards with it? I "thought" adding a magnifier to any existing 1X optic would create a very small FOV, but could live with it since I'd only use it for extended ranges.

Thanks.

[chapperjoe]

In regards to IOR I'm also a huge fan (I can get the drag reticle with chevrons, and chevrons are my favorite), have had many, and really like their std 4x optics.

While heavy, the 1.1-4 is probably lighter than a tripower, 3x and two mounts, but mebbe not by much. Both give up lightweight for versatility.

All the gear involved (larue mounts, 3x, tripower, IOR scope) are tough as hell too, so it all comes down to if you want true 1x capability.

Even the most die hard IOR fan has to recognize that their 1.1 is not 1x nor is their 1.5 1x. not even close. I can't BAC with anything but trijicon (maybe due to the eyes again) so I can't use them at low power.

The tripwoer/3x combo gives you true 1x.

In regards to my setup, currently gracing an upper I got from JTAC is the tripower in a larue cantilever and the aimpoint magnifier in an aimpoint twist mount.

But that's changing.

there are two problems with the twist mount so far:
1 -the twist mount isn't high enough without the built in ring riser (which I don't have) so instead I have it on a yhm riser, and I don't like mounting optics on a mount on a mount.
2 - the twist mount is not at all solid. I've had a few of them, but this is the first that is shaky.

I will be upgrading to a larue 3x mount soon for two reasons.
1 - I was initially worried about going with a larue 3x mount cause I have little real estate on my upper. the larue cantilever mount takes up a a few spots, and I'm running a long buis from wilson combat. But the larue 3x mounts take up VERY little real estate (great thinking as always) so I can fit everything on the upper.
2 - I want to share the 3x between my all my AR's and with the twist mount I'd have to buy multiple bases and MSRP is crazy on them. With the larue mount I can buy just one and switch between firearms at will.

If the actual price on eotech's 4x isn't bad, I may try theirs out too, but I have ZERO complaints with the 3x.

One great advantage is that if your eyes are like mine and you really want to get some precision shots, I turn off the battery power and open up the reflex cover and cover it to the point where I can't see it at 1x. then you pop the 3x behind it (it picks up the reflex or tritium powered chevron perfectly if it's there at all, even if you can't see it at 1x) and you have a very faint, but sharp as hell aiming point that doesn't distract my f'ed up eyes.

When I shoot for groups, that's what I do.

Another thing I was able to do at the NRA range in VA (and will set up my current tripowers to do) is to use the bottom part of the chevron as a second aiming point e.g. normally, at 100 yards, you pop the outside of the bottom legs of the chevron on the 'shoulders' of your target and shoot for the 'head' at 100 yards, but you can also fit 15-18" inside the chevron's legs and then shoot at the 'head' right inside the top of the chevron. I forget the distance this worked at, but I will find out!

I do not know about FOV, but it's not crazy big or small. Unless I'm going for groups, I still use it as a heads up optic with two eyes open... so for me, smaller is actually better in that BAC/OEG kinda way.

Again, sorry about all the wind coming from my keyboard, just want to chime in here on my favorite scope.