Today's topic is neither. Although it is not either of the brands listed above, it is a close competitor in terms of accuracy, reliability, size, price and many other factors.
Enter the C-More systems red dot sight! To post up a fair comparison, the C-More will be compared to the Aimpoint PRO and the EOtech 552. Please note that the C-More sight reviewed is the all aluminum (not polymer) with the click wheel adjustment (not the standard diode adjuster).
Here is the C-More;
The Aimpoint PRO;
and the EOtech 552;
As far as price is concerned, the C-More can be the cheapest out of the bunch. I say can because the sight by itself (dubbed the Slideride model) starts off at $339 but that number jumps to $359 for the Railway model (mounts to a picatinny rail), $399 for the Scout model (mounts to an A2 carry handle above the hand guard for co-witnessing), and $489 for the Tactical model (mounts to flat top with an integrated A2 rear sight). With the exception of the $489 Tactical model, they are all less expensive than the $440 Aimpoint PRO and the $549 EOtech 552.
Lets move on to features. They all have night vision capabilities (2 settings for C-More, 4 for Aimpoint, and 10 for EOtech) and multiple daylight settings (10 for C-More, 6 for Aimpoint, and 20 for EOtech) but the way that those settings are reached is what sets the sights apart in this regard. Both the C-More and the Aimpoint use a manual rotary switch that twists and clicks into place for whichever setting is preferred by the operator whereas the EOtech uses essentially an up and down arrow with a separate button for the NV settings. this in turn makes the C-More and Aimpoint faster in getting to the desired setting but using the C-More's smaller sized click wheel is a tad challenging with gloves on.
Another feature is the dot size which plays a vital role in long range accuracy. The Aimpoint comes with a 2 MOA (the dot takes up 2 inches of space at 100 yards), the EOtech comes with a 65 MOA reticule with a 1 MOA dot in the middle (I love the 65 MOA reticule for CQB shooting, it makes for lightning fast target acquisition) and the C-More comes with an 8 MOA dot. Although the C-More's 8 MOA dot is at least 4 times the size of the competition there are options for 2 MOA, 4 MOA, 6 MOA, 12 MOA and 16 MOA replacement diodes for $49 each.
For many operators, overall size and weight are crucial in the selection of an optic. To have a very lightweight rifle and throw on a 16 oz or heavier optic just diminished the usefulness of the lower weight of the firearm and increased the endurance needed to use the weapon for sustained periods of time. It should come as no surprise that the larger 5.4" x 2" x 2.25" EOtech comes in at the heaviest with a weight of 10.9 oz with the integrated mount. Following that is the medium sized 5.1" x 2.2" x 2.2" weighs in at 7.8 oz without the mount and a portly 11.6 oz with the included mount. The C-More with a size of 4.8" x 1.25" x 1.95" comes in at just 4.5 oz! Having a mount increases that weight depending on which model is chosen; overall weights of 6.5 oz for the Railway, 8.5 oz for the Scout, and a hefty 13.5 oz for the Tactical model.
When it comes down to power the EOtech has the smallest life of 1,000 hours of continuous use but it uses much more readily available LR4 (commonly referred to as AA) batteries than the Aimpoint or C-More which both use 3V 2L76 or DL1/3N batteries. Having covered that the C-More has a continuous life of 1,500 hours but the winner in this category is clearly the Aimpoint with an astounding 30,000 continuous hours of use (at daytime setting 3 out of 6)!
In case Aquaman in in my audience the EOtech is submersible up to 33ft in depth, the Aimpoint up to 150 ft and the C-More all the way up to (but down really) 650 ft!
Adjusting the windage and elevation unsurprisingly is different across the three models chosen as well, the EOtech uses a screw-type adjustment with +/- 40 MOA of adjustment range. The Aimpoint uses a more traditional scope type method with an unknown amount of adjustment. Finally the C-More uses the worst (in my opinion) method for adjustment but the best for adjustment retention. the user must loosen a set screw for whichever adjustment needs to be made and then use an Allen key to get the optic zeroed in. after that the set screw must be re tightened to hold the adjustment in place. this causes the dot to move a few MOA after tightening the set screw against the adjustment screw so plan accordingly. This method of adjustment provides for a continuous range of adjustment for up to +/- 800 MOA (yes 800, as in about 67 feet of adjustment at 100 yards) but it also makes it impossible to adjust for angle, wind and bullet drop on the fly (but given the typical medium to short range nature of red dot sights, such on the fly adjustments will most likely never need to be made).
Although the C-More is lighter and smaller than the rest one thing that I do not love about it is the lack of protection around the glass. The Aimpoint has the flip up covers and the EOtech has a metal shell around the screen (but then again both of those optics are issued to our troops so they need the protection).
In the end I feel like the C-More has its advantages as well as disadvantages over its competition but is an overall fantastic choice for either the weekend plinker or the LE operator. For those of you curious about some nomenclature and how the thing is put together, here are a few pictures that might assist you with any concerns you might have;
If you are interested check out C-More here
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