First Impressions: Meprolight's New RDS

[Tomac]

First off, I just had hand surgery for a damaged tendon so pics/range report will have to wait (sorry). As it is I'm having to type this one-handed so apologies for any brevity on my part.
Disclaimer: I have no affiliation w/Mako or Meprolight except as a retail customer.
Pics/basic info here: http://www.idfholsters.com/Detail.aspx?PROD=1077210

Appearance: At first glance this looks similar to an Eotech, what with the blockish design & HUD.

Observations:
Optic feels solid in the hand and weighs 11.4oz w/the included alkaline AA battery installed. FOV through the optic has the same wide-open feeling as the Eotech's HUD. If there's any lens tint, I can't see it.
Battery compartment is nicely threaded and has a rubber gasket to keep out moisture. A battery orientation graphic is on the side of the compartment and the cap is tethered to the body of the optic.
Switch has both audible and tactile feedback and I like how few settings there are (off, high, medium, low & NV, do we really need 20 different brightness settings on a combat optic?). Location is easy to access/use w/the support hand. On high in the bright Idaho sun, I could get dot to wash out only when aiming at the white trim of my house 6' away w/direct sunlight coming over my shoulder. I'll post about lowlight use w/a taclight when physically able.
Due to my astigmatism the dot is somewhat distorted but still sharper than other reticles I have used, still very usable for me (YMMV).
The QD mount appears non-obtrusive and easy to adjust, better than the Meprolight M21's QD mount, IMHO. It provides an appx 1/3 cowitness so if you want absolute I'm afraid you're out of luck.
There is a front-side signature, but it's not head-on. It's only visible when looking down at the optic from an angle. ie: If you're aiming at someone, they'll see no front-side signature. However, if someone is standing directly behind and far enough above your target, it's possible they could detect the dot. It's also theoretically possible to get reflection off the angled front of the prism but that takes an ideal lighting situation (in other words, I'm not worried about front-side signature or reflections).
Unlike the Eotech, the HUD of the Meprolight RDS is a solid prism so whether the hood is aluminum (as on the first 400 RDS') or polymer should have little effect on the ruggedness of the optic.
W/E adjustments are .5moa (better then the latest M21's 1moa and much better then the original M21's 1.7moa) w/definite clicks and are easily adjusted w/a small coin like a nickel.
I'm currently testing the motion sensor, more on that later.

Bottom line: Until I can get in some range time (hopefully in several days), I have to say I'm impressed w/the features offered for the price. The only possible downside I can think of at this time is if you just can't live w/o an absolute cowitness.
Tomac

ETA: After several tests it appears the auto-shutoff is set for 30 minutes (accurate enough that I even watched it turn off once). If I'm *very* slow & careful I can tilt the unit back and forth w/o reactivating the dot. However, even the slightest tap on the optic will reactivate the dot.

[Pikey]

I like the battery. But better yet is the dial instead of buttons. I am looking forward to a range report.

[Tomac]

I like the battery. But better yet is the dial instead of buttons. I am looking forward to a range report.

Will do, just as soon as I can get these stiches out.
Tomac

[jpgm]

Waiting for the rest of the review, not so patiently.


jpgm

[Tomac]

Update: Got them mounted & cowitnessed w/my BUIS (which should make sighting-in easier when I can finally hit the range), QD mounts adjusted easily and clamped-down solidly, no worries there. Did a lowlight test in my darkened garage using the 500 lumen Inforce WMLx on my rifles. I was very surprised that the dot was still visible at the low setting even when aiming at a white wall 6' away. The dot was very visible on the medium setting, I believe that will be my default setting in the future. This optic is looking better and better.
Tomac

[ptmccain]

And this is better than an Aimpoint T-1, 2 or H-1 ... how?

[Tomac]

And this is better than an Aimpoint T-1, 2 or H-1 ... how?

Not claiming it's necessarily better, but it does afford another option for someone in the market for an affordable optic.
However, if you insist on making a direct comparison, the Meprolight costs much less ($399), has a wider FOV through the optic, comes w/a decent QD mount, uses the common AA battery and has the motion-sensing auto-off/on feature which leaves the optic ready to go but w/o a constant drain on the batteries or decreasing the LED's service life.
Yes, the Aimpoint Micros are smaller/lighter and are an excellent optic if their particular feature set best suits your needs & pocketbook.
Tomac

[Singlestack Wonder]

Another unproven red dot sight enters the market. With prices on Aimpoint Pro's just a couple dollars more, why take a chance on failure?

[Tomac]

Another unproven red dot sight enters the market. With prices on Aimpoint Pro's just a couple dollars more, why take a chance on failure?

Initially, Aimpoints were "unproven" as well. By that logic, we should have stuck w/iron sights as they were "proven" and the then-new Aimpoints weren't. Only time will tell how well this new Mepro RDS holds up.
Tomac

[markm]

I'm all for more competition that'll hopefully drive down the prices for all RDS systems.