Armed confrontation rapidly changes and you need to adjust to differing situational dynamics. Eotech’s Advanced Holographic Reticle systems allow soldiers to rapidly adapt to their surroundings.
Holographic sights will significantly increase your target acquisition speed allowing you to neutralize threats faster. Unfortunately with their advanced reticles comes a high price tag. You definitely get what you pay for with a real Eotech sight.
For those of us not going off to battle there are cheaper options. Luckily Eotech clones are getting better and offer many of the same advantages. Knock off Eotechs are getting more and more tempting with their compact designs, advanced reticle systems and low price tags.
Difference Between Eotech Clones and a Real Eotech Sight
While the clones and real sights may look similar there’s actually one major difference. Eotech is the only company with a patent to legally make a true holographic sight.
All of the clones on the market are actually building traditional red dots. At first glance there’s not a lot of difference between a red dot and holographic sight.
Holographic sights use a projection system to project an image onto a piece of glass. Where as traditional red dots reflex light back onto glass. A true holographic sight will give you a much crisper image, eliminating glares and ghosting.
The clones are quickly catching up and improving their reticle patterns. Companies like Sightmark offer a great alternative to a true holographic sight.
Who Makes The Best Eotech Clone Knockoff?
1. Sightmark Ultra Shot Plus
Check Price: Amazon
Sightmark’s Ultra Shot Plus is easily one of the best reflex sights on the market. It’s significantly cheaper than a real Eotech and is very durable. With lots of reticle options the Ultra Shot Plus is one of the best knockoff Eotech’s.
Sightmark designed the Ultra Shot Plus to be an affordable alternative to the Eotech XPS2 holographic sight. The Ultra Shot plus has a very durable body for the price. Featuring a shockproof body that can withstand up to .50cal recoil. While the UltraShot Plus isn’t entirely waterproof it is weatherproof. So it can withstand a decent downpour without causing any damage. By far the coolest thing about this sight are the advanced reticles. You can switch between multiple reticle designs with either a red or green illumination. They are surpisingly bright and crisp for this red dots low price tag. Powered by a common camera battery you will get over 2,000 hours of continuous use. That’s close to three times the battery life of most real Eotech sights. Backed by a lifetime warranty you can’t go wrong with Sightmark’s Ultra Shot Plus.
2. Holosun 2 MOA Circle Dot Reflex Sight
Check Price: Amazon
The Holosun 2 is another great alternative, but I don’t know if I would call it a clone. It definitely looks like the XPS2, but performs more like a aimpoint. With its extremely durable design, bright sight picture and long battery life the Holosun is worth taking a look.
The only real problem I can find with the Holosun reflex sight is the price. It looks like an Eotech, but has the battery life of an Aimpoint red dot. With a battery life of over 50,000 hours you won’t have to swap out batteries for years. Another huge advantage is that you aren’t stuck with only one reticle pattern like an Eotech. The Holosun sight makes it easy to acquire your target and get off follow up shots.
Holosun designed their sight to stand up side by side with some of the best optics on the market. Featuring an incredibly robust housing this sight will stand up to some serious abuse. It’s not only shockproof the sight is completely waterproof. With an crystal clear oversized sight picture you’ll be picking off targets in no time.
3. Ade Advanced Optics Crusader
Check Price: Amazon
With the budget clones it’s really hit or miss when it comes to quality. You never know whether or not a cheap chinese knock off is going to work. Ade Advanced Optics really stepped up when they made their reflex sight. With multiple reticle options and a sturdy design this sight is well worth a look.
The reticles are by far the coolest thing about this sight. You can choose between 8 different reticle options and either a red or green illumination. Some of these reticles are useful, while others are pretty horrible. You can further adjust the reticle with 5 different brightness settings. This extremely affordable sight is perfect in low lighting conditions. Ade Advanced Optics chose a robust design that looks like a tank. At a little over 8 oz it’s pretty heavy, so you should probably pair it with a rifle. The oversized frame allows for some serious shock proofing. It’s actually surprisingly durable and water-resistant under most circumstances. It has a built in rechargeable battery, which is something you don’t normally see on red dots. For the money the Ade optic is a nice sight, but I would probably pay a little more and buy the Sightmark.
4. Dagger Defense Red Dot Reflex sight
Check Price: Amazon
Honestly I didn’t think I would like the Dagger Defense red dot when I first saw it. After initial inspection I was actually pretty impressed. It might not have all the bells and whistles found in other clones, but the body is pretty solid.
It might look like an Eotech, but that’s about the only similarity between these two sights. There are a few different reticles to choose from, but I prefer the basic single dot. You can choose between either a red or green illumination mode. It has multiple brightness settings to dial in your preferred brightness. After you get it dialed in you shouldn’t notice any ghosting or motion blur.
By far the nicest thing about this sight is its design. They chose a massive square like sight picture that’s extremely easy to see. With an increased field of view comes a higher weight of 10.72oz. The robust design is constructed out of a aircraft grade aluminum. I probably wouldn’t smack it around to much, but it should withstand moderated abuse. It’s a great option for any AR15 that’s used solely at the range.
What’s The Best Eotech Clone?
Sightmark’s Ultra Shot Plus is easily the best bang for your buck. It features a durable design, long battery life and multiple reticle options. The Holosun Reflex sight is another great option if you can afford the premium price tag. With a battery life of 50,000 hours I would argue that it’s better than a real Eotech. If you’re on a tight budget you should consider the Dagger Defense or Ade Advanced Optics reflex sights.