I noticed a battery issue with my eotech also. I had the 512 and it came with Engergizer Industrials...they are lithiums(as you probably know). When I replaced them with Energizer Alkalines, they seemed to take a rather progressive nose dive.
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There is a ton of good info in the stickies under optics. The T1 is nice but if you are like me and don't need night vision compatibility or the extra waterproof depth protection the H1 will save you money. It is not subdued but you could paint it if you wanted too.
What do you mean by old eyes? Do you need magnification?
Had two Es and sold both of them. Battery life was the issue for me. Fiddling with a button at 0300 is not my idea of being ready. The Aimpoint T-1 does not have this issue.
For what it's worth, I've never had any problems with my 512 other than the battery life. Durability or not maintaining zero has been a non-issue for me. I once had some jackass knock over my rifle pretty hard on the concrete. I picked it up and sure enough it still worked and was still zeroed.
All that aside, if I had to do it over again I'd go with the Aimpoint H-1. :)
Our Eotech equipped rifles are "trunk guns". They get moved in and out of vehicles regularly; they get bumped around. I would call this normal use. That said, I would expect more from an optic marketed to that market.
what is your budget?
I'd get Aimpoint T1 or H1. Light weight, compact size, longer battery life.
I just need to find good place to buy.