Aimpoint T2 vs Holosun HS515GM

[RHINOWSO]

My "budget" RDS is an MRO.

[RHINOWSO]

OT, I have three T-2s and a Pro; I also have two of Holosun HS515 since they were on sale awhile back for $215. I've a bunch of Nightforce optics as well. My rifles aren't cheap either.

But I don't need T-2s on everything. Life will go on with Chinese RDS on a couple rifles, especially typing on a Chinese made computer, posting from a Chinese made phone, and carrying a Glock with a Chinese made RDS.

Blah blah MERICA Blah. Aimpoint isn't American made either. Trijicon makes good stuff but the MRO quantitatively sucks donkey ballz. The RMR is great but a bottom load battery sucks donkey ballz too. I hate that Holosun is kicking Aimpoint and Trijicon products in the ballz, but they are and they keep doing it again and again.

I'd pay more for a non-Chinese product if it came remotely close in capabilities / features. But right now Holosun is doing a lot right and I used to be a hater.

[coolcraigster]

Is there a quality difference between the Holosun models? Like a basic HS403R vs HS515GM or is it just features? Do these use the same glass and emitter?


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[georgeib]

Is there a quality difference between the Holosun models? Like a basic HS403R vs HS515GM or is it just features? Do these use the same glass and emitter?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Not sure on that. I have a couple buddies with HS503R Holosuns, and I really like the rotary brightness control, and frankly the glass clarity is probably just as good as the top of the line HE515GT and HE530G, though I haven't taken the time to carefully compare. The HS403R is just the single 2 MOA dot version of the HS503R, which is itself probably the direct analog of the T1/T2. Again, I do personally prefer the HS403R to the T1 and T2. Over the T1 because the glass clarity is better in the Holosun, and over the T2 because the dot can be made brighter than the T2, thought the glass is a bit greener. FWIW.

[georgeib]

We are spoiled to have so many good RDS options these days. It wasn't that long ago when it was pretty much either a few high quality expensive red dot sights, or junk red dot sights, with not much in-between. Now we have a lot of good reliable options that don't require people to drop $500-$800, but that you can trust to work in harsh conditions. And I, for one, love the increased innovation and new features coming out on rifle and pistol red dots, and Holosun has probably done more innovation in this regard than most lately.

As for buying Chinese, it's hard to completely avoid these days, but there are plenty of options, so run what makes you feel best. I run run everything from Aimpoints to Eotechs to Holosun, Trijicon, Vortex, Sig, and Primary Arms, and the lower end sights have performed just as well as the high end ones, even through a lot of abuse. I just hope the innovation from companies like Holosun pushes higher end manufacturers to continue innovating as well, especially in the pistol dot market.

Same.

OT, I have three T-2s and a Pro; I also have two of Holosun HS515 since they were on sale awhile back for $215. I've a bunch of Nightforce optics as well. My rifles aren't cheap either.

But I don't need T-2s on everything. Life will go on with Chinese RDS on a couple rifles, especially typing on a Chinese made computer, posting from a Chinese made phone, and carrying a Glock with a Chinese made RDS.

Blah blah MERICA Blah. Aimpoint isn't American made either. Trijicon makes good stuff but the MRO quantitatively sucks donkey ballz. The RMR is great but a bottom load battery sucks donkey ballz too. I hate that Holosun is kicking Aimpoint and Trijicon products in the ballz, but they are and they keep doing it again and again.

I'd pay more for a non-Chinese product if it came remotely close in capabilities / features. But right now Holosun is doing a lot right and I used to be a hater.

Right on.

[odugrad]

What is wrong with the MRO? Aside from the parallax issue that people talk about ad nauseum.

[georgeib]

What is wrong with the MRO? Aside from the parallax issue that people talk about ad nauseum.

I don't think Rhino was casting dispersions on the MRO, more that he was giving Tits a hard time for flexing.

[B Cart]

Fully agree. There really was not much innovation from most of the major players for several years and then Holosun came out with a whole bunch of stuff in fairly reliable optics. I’d love to see Trijicon, EOT, and Aimpoint incorporate some of the stuff that the “budget” brands do now.

Exactly! Holosun is gaining huge market share lately, for good reason, so hoping to see some better stuff from the big names in 2023/2024.

I'd pay more for a non-Chinese product if it came remotely close in capabilities / features. But right now Holosun is doing a lot right and I used to be a hater.

This^^ 100%

[1168]

This is the email I got from Aimpoint in 2018 after I told them that my T2 is dying quickly.

"Your leaving your sight on too high. The 50,000 hour battery life is judged at position 8 on the switch. As we increase brightness we increase drain on the battery exponentially. Position 9 = 25,000. 10 = 12,500. 11 = 6,250. 12 = 3,125. Factor in environmental and psychical influence on the battery as well. I always recommend to professionals and end users using our sights on their go to guns to keep their sights a little lower, and do an annual battery swap as general maintenance."

I had a T1 before it that would never last as long as I expected either. The Sparc Solar (and I assume others) is similar in that with every increase of brightness setting, the battery life is cut in half. I actually started a battery log because my Aimpoints would never last as long as I expected. Below is what I have.

24 FEB 18: dot was noticeably dim, replaced battery and full brightness restored
21 AUG 18: dot was noticeably dim, replaced battery and full brightness restored
Summer 19: dot was dead
11 OCT 20: dot was dead
5 SEP 21: dot was dead

Aimpoint dots dim as the battery gets weaker so if someone doesn't understand that, they may just turn up the brightness one level, thinking that it was just at a dim setting last time it was checked. That kills it even faster. Without a low battery warning, or some type of auto-off, even the advanced models eat batteries way faster than 50k hours at anything above level 8. That's fine if everyone knows that but in the same way that everyone can shoot 1/2" groups at 100m with M193, everyone has Aimpoints that have had the same battery for 7 years. Its not published in a manual so it took years of me wondering what was going on with two different optics before I finally reached out and got a real answer that should've been in the manual all along, or at least common gun forum knowledge. I don't doubt that people have been on the same battery for years. But they must've had it at what I'd consider to be a low setting for most of that time.

I want Aimpoint to make a T2 with shake awake. I don't want to pay for it but I'd have several even if all it did was give me comfort in knowing that it should work well. I have to send in at least one of my Sparc Solars right now for battery drain which is a huge bummer. Being made in China is a huge bummer as well. But for the price you can get them for, and the apparent "equal to" or "better than" performance for what I need, I'll take 3-4 of these over one T2.



Ok sure I guess, as long as you never want to leave it on a higher setting.

I can certainly see how that would be lame as shit. I wonder if I’ve been going up in “average” setting over time. I crank them down or up as needed without much thought.

Just checked… My “goto” T2 has Sharpie marks on the dial. Its still on 10, which I marked as a generic daytime setting. And its still the correct brightness for my conditions. I understand that the settings on a T2 changed at some point.

[Straight Shooter]

OT, I have three T-2s and a Pro; I also have two of Holosun HS515 since they were on sale awhile back for $215. I've a bunch of Nightforce optics as well. My rifles aren't cheap either.

But I don't need T-2s on everything. Life will go on with Chinese RDS on a couple rifles, especially typing on a Chinese made computer, posting from a Chinese made phone, and carrying a Glock with a Chinese made RDS.

Blah blah MERICA Blah. Aimpoint isn't American made either. Trijicon makes good stuff but the MRO quantitatively sucks donkey ballz. The RMR is great but a bottom load battery sucks donkey ballz too. I hate that Holosun is kicking Aimpoint and Trijicon products in the ballz, but they are and they keep doing it again and again.

I'd pay more for a non-Chinese product if it came remotely close in capabilities / features. But right now Holosun is doing a lot right and I used to be a hater.

Ive had to slowly get over this not buying NOTHING made in China. ALL your points are spot on, and contribute to this. Its is still heartbreaking, but it is still a fact that not everything Made in USA is good..and not everything Made in China is junk. IT ISNT. As for Holosun..I hearken back to what Mr.G&G said awhile back that Mr. Holosun..who has dual Chinese/American citizenship..was going to open a factory here in America. Ive heard NADA on that since.
One MUST look realistically at ones own personal situation as far as what MY needs are for gear. Were I a Patrol cop or using a weapon in ANY professional manner I couldnt live with myself unless I used the highest quality stuff..like Aimpoints and/or Trijicon. But, I aint..and the stuff I do use has been vetted and is great. My Steiner 1X4 is awesome. My Holosuns are more than adequate for me, and Im using and testing an Arken 6-24X 50 FFP riflescope on a 20" SPR that seems to built like a tank is very high quality, and for what I gave for it NIB...almost unheard of. So..unless/until we get another Trump like POTUS who does whatever he can to keep and create jobs & industry HERE..we gots to do what we gots to do.