danmayland
WKR
- Joined
- Dec 28, 2015
- Messages
- 489
Like a lot of folks I pride myself on being reasonably frugal when it comes to just about everything in life. Being a father, husband and blue-collar hunter and shooter puts me on the constant quest to stretch my money as far as it will go and still provide me with quality, affordable and functional gear. That being said I recently sold some of my top name brand rifles scopes and went on a limb to try a "newish" company called Athlon Optics.
Now to start it's worth mentioning that I am in no way affiliated with Athlon and I purchased all my scopes from hard earned cash.
Let's get to the meat and potatoes. Athlon is a budding US company that has a great, simple business plan. Sell affordable, functional optics with an unbeatable warranty. That's a pretty though feat in today's optics world. As most people know, good optics are just down right ridiculously expensive and for the blue collar shooter just not practical.
Enter Athlon.
In my opinion Athlon is piggy-backing the success of Vortex and for good reason. There isn't a person in the shooting or hunting Industry that hasn't heard of vortex optics. They offer good products at affordable prices with arguably the best warranty and customer service in the business. So why Athlon?
Well, for me personally I had a couple bad experiences with vortex products and I've had friends with bad experiences and I've watched complete strangers have failures with their products. Vortex customer service was and is top-notch; I just didn't have confidence in their products. I really believe the vortex razor GEN 2 is by far and above one of the best top, precision long-range rifle scopes made. The biggest issues however are the price and the weight. It retails for around $2500 and weighs 3 pounds! The next model like down the Viper series is plagued with known issues (I've personally seen almost a dozen fail). Now hold on all you screaming Vortex fans! Yes I know you have one and you've never had problems. I'm happy for you I really am. I sincerely hope that you never have a problem with yours. Sit tight because I'm going to compare the new Vortex Viper PST Gen 2 5-25x50mm side-by-side and your going to like what I have to say.
Athlon has two dozen different models of rifle scopes and I'm only going to cover the ffp Ares BTR and Cronus.
I'm not going to get into ffp vs sfp but I will tell you this. If you plan on hunting or shooting beyond 500 yards you really should consider ffp. You are really handicapping yourself with sfp.
So let's take a look at each scope!
Athlon Ares BTR
Vortex Viper PST GEN 2
What do I look for in a scope?
-price
-Scope Tracks true and returns to zero
-FFP
-Quality glass
-light weight
-appropriate reticle
-magnification (IMO 4-24x is perfect power range)
-aesthetically pleasing
For all these reasons I chose the Athlon Ares BTR FFP 4.5-27x50mm for my long range hunting gun.
Cost is right around $850 and you get a solid ffp scope that weighs 27 oz. it tracks true, has illuminated reticle and good glass.
The good, the bad and the ugly.
The Ares is made in China and that just sends chills down my spine!!
I will say that I'm shocked at the quality of the glass from China. It's not a Swarovski and it's not any where near the scopes in the $2-$3k scopes. So how does it hold up to scopes in the $800-$1000 range?
Well I've owned a Burris XTR II 5-25x30, Leupold VX-6 4-24x52 and Sig Tango 4 6-24x50 all within the last 3 months. I've shot and hunted with Nightforce NXS and SVH, Sig Tango 6, Steiner Tx5i, Bushnell ERT and DMR II, Vortex Viper pst gen 1 & 2, Razor Gen 1 & 2, Leupold VX3, Mark 4, and a few others not worth mentioning.
I firmly believe everyone's eyes are different but I also believe quality glass speaks for its self. I run Swarovski binos and a Kowa spotter.
In all honesty the Area falls somewhere in the middle. It's heads above the Burris XTR II, Sig Tango 4, Steiner Tx5i and both Bushnells. Although very close to the ERT. The Tango 4 is very close but the eye relief on the Tango is debilitating. Steiner and Burris use the same glass BTW.
I had a chance today to compare the Ares BTR side-by-side to the new Vortex Viper PST Gen 2 5-25x50mm. Here's my thoughts.
The glass on the Viper is slightly better. I'd give it a 7.9. The glass on the Ares would earn a 7.6. The untrained or inexperienced eye won't notice a difference. The Sig Tango 4 would be a 7.5 and Burris a 7.
The turrets controls on the Viper also get the nod. They are hands down 10x better than the Ares all the way around. The only exception is the direction of the parallax adjustment. I prefer the Ares. Overall the Viper would get a score of 9 (locking turrets would be a 10) The Ares is at a 6.5. I prefer a very tactile, loud and positive turret. The Sig Tango 4 would be an 8 and the Burris would be around an 8.5. The Sig Tango 6 and Vortex Razor Gen 2 are 10's. The turrets are by far the biggest down fall of The Ares although they edge out most of the Leupolds I've owned or shot. Pretty much all of the nightforces are 9-10's
Viper turret controls
Notice turret markings
Ares turret controls
Also worth mentioning is the actual turret markings. I much prefer the Vortex as they continue the markings on the second revolution of the turret. The Ares stops at 24 and upon the second revolution you have to start counting up 24+1, 24+2...etcetera.
The focus diopter adjustment goes to the Ares. It's smoother and easier to grab imo.
The reticle goes to the Viper. They are very similar but I prefer the center cross-hair style of the Viper vs the Ares.
Viper Reticle MIL
Ares reticle MOA
Aesthetically the turret box of the Ares is just downright ugly. I much prefer the turret box on the Viper however, overall I like the look of the Ares better. Just my opinion.
Cost goes to the Ares. $850 vs $1,100. Thats a nice set of rings, a good bubble level and some ammo!!
Warranty? Well I haven't had the opportunity to try out Athlons policy although I would bet given my research that it's right on par with Vortex. I can say the guy I purchased my scopes from was unbelievable!!! I received a free sun shade, scope caps and a throw lever!
Weight goes to the Athlon at 27.5 oz vs 32 oz for the Viper. I will say the Ares feels beefier but lighter.
Which scope should you buy? Well that completely depends on your budget and the options your looking for. I'm very happy with my Ares and would buy a second in a heart beat....oh wait I already did and it's on my long range 6.5 Grendel. I wouldn't however hesitate to buy the new Viper PST gen 2.
What was wrong with the old Viper PST Gen 1? Tracking, tracking, tracking. Few fail right out of the gate but many have failed after months or years of use. It's not really Vortexs fault. Things break over time and I wouldn't be surprised if Athlon sees the same pains. There will always be lemons and Vortex and Athlon have proven their customer service will take care of you promptly.
Overall the nod goes to the Viper. Is it almost $300 better? Well that's a $300 question. If turrets, name and a slight glass advantage are worth $300 then yes it is. If you want to add weight to your wallet, make your money go a little further and make your rifle a little lighter then the Ares is the scope for you!
So what about the Cronus? The Cronus line is made in Japan and it has exceptional glass for the cost of the scope. Mine is the gen 1 model. One thing I really like about Athlon is their willingness to listen to the people buying the scopes. They have made some huge improvements on the gen 2 model and I can't wait to get my hands on one. Specifically they redesigned the turrets for a more tactile feel. I would still rate the gen 1 Turrets at a 7-7.5. They are better than the Ares but still not as nice as ones mentioned above.
The glass is superb and would rate it around 8.5. The biggest advantage of the Cronus is a 34mm tube and 56mm obj. It's a light gathering beast but it also weighs 35 oz....significantly lighter than the Vortex Razor Gen 2. Glass is very close to the Gen 2 Razor with the Razor being a little more colorful (HD). The biggest difference is the price. Shopping around you can get a gen 1 Cronus for $1300. A gen 2 Razor will set you back at least $2,300. It's defiantly not worth a $1,000 more for the Razor imo.
I hope this review has helped just one person make an informed decision on their next scope purchase. If anyone is considering a Athlon scope pm me and I'll send you contact info for the dealer I used. He's a stand-up guy that got me two Ares scopes when one of them was completely sold out.
Also. As of August 18, 2017, Vortex was backordered 8 months on the Viper PST Gen 2. Otherwise I would own one of each!!!
Time will tell on the durability of the Ares. Although I've only owned it for three weeks, I've sent around 200 rounds through my 7LRM and captured a second place finish in a recent Precision Long Range Practical match using the Ares. It definitely got a workout ranging targets from 100 to 1100 yards. It tracked true, returned to zero and had a lot of folks impressed with the glass quality and features.
Cheers!!
Dan
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Now to start it's worth mentioning that I am in no way affiliated with Athlon and I purchased all my scopes from hard earned cash.
Let's get to the meat and potatoes. Athlon is a budding US company that has a great, simple business plan. Sell affordable, functional optics with an unbeatable warranty. That's a pretty though feat in today's optics world. As most people know, good optics are just down right ridiculously expensive and for the blue collar shooter just not practical.
Enter Athlon.
In my opinion Athlon is piggy-backing the success of Vortex and for good reason. There isn't a person in the shooting or hunting Industry that hasn't heard of vortex optics. They offer good products at affordable prices with arguably the best warranty and customer service in the business. So why Athlon?
Well, for me personally I had a couple bad experiences with vortex products and I've had friends with bad experiences and I've watched complete strangers have failures with their products. Vortex customer service was and is top-notch; I just didn't have confidence in their products. I really believe the vortex razor GEN 2 is by far and above one of the best top, precision long-range rifle scopes made. The biggest issues however are the price and the weight. It retails for around $2500 and weighs 3 pounds! The next model like down the Viper series is plagued with known issues (I've personally seen almost a dozen fail). Now hold on all you screaming Vortex fans! Yes I know you have one and you've never had problems. I'm happy for you I really am. I sincerely hope that you never have a problem with yours. Sit tight because I'm going to compare the new Vortex Viper PST Gen 2 5-25x50mm side-by-side and your going to like what I have to say.
Athlon has two dozen different models of rifle scopes and I'm only going to cover the ffp Ares BTR and Cronus.
I'm not going to get into ffp vs sfp but I will tell you this. If you plan on hunting or shooting beyond 500 yards you really should consider ffp. You are really handicapping yourself with sfp.
So let's take a look at each scope!
Athlon Ares BTR
Vortex Viper PST GEN 2
What do I look for in a scope?
-price
-Scope Tracks true and returns to zero
-FFP
-Quality glass
-light weight
-appropriate reticle
-magnification (IMO 4-24x is perfect power range)
-aesthetically pleasing
For all these reasons I chose the Athlon Ares BTR FFP 4.5-27x50mm for my long range hunting gun.
Cost is right around $850 and you get a solid ffp scope that weighs 27 oz. it tracks true, has illuminated reticle and good glass.
The good, the bad and the ugly.
The Ares is made in China and that just sends chills down my spine!!
I will say that I'm shocked at the quality of the glass from China. It's not a Swarovski and it's not any where near the scopes in the $2-$3k scopes. So how does it hold up to scopes in the $800-$1000 range?
Well I've owned a Burris XTR II 5-25x30, Leupold VX-6 4-24x52 and Sig Tango 4 6-24x50 all within the last 3 months. I've shot and hunted with Nightforce NXS and SVH, Sig Tango 6, Steiner Tx5i, Bushnell ERT and DMR II, Vortex Viper pst gen 1 & 2, Razor Gen 1 & 2, Leupold VX3, Mark 4, and a few others not worth mentioning.
I firmly believe everyone's eyes are different but I also believe quality glass speaks for its self. I run Swarovski binos and a Kowa spotter.
In all honesty the Area falls somewhere in the middle. It's heads above the Burris XTR II, Sig Tango 4, Steiner Tx5i and both Bushnells. Although very close to the ERT. The Tango 4 is very close but the eye relief on the Tango is debilitating. Steiner and Burris use the same glass BTW.
I had a chance today to compare the Ares BTR side-by-side to the new Vortex Viper PST Gen 2 5-25x50mm. Here's my thoughts.
The glass on the Viper is slightly better. I'd give it a 7.9. The glass on the Ares would earn a 7.6. The untrained or inexperienced eye won't notice a difference. The Sig Tango 4 would be a 7.5 and Burris a 7.
The turrets controls on the Viper also get the nod. They are hands down 10x better than the Ares all the way around. The only exception is the direction of the parallax adjustment. I prefer the Ares. Overall the Viper would get a score of 9 (locking turrets would be a 10) The Ares is at a 6.5. I prefer a very tactile, loud and positive turret. The Sig Tango 4 would be an 8 and the Burris would be around an 8.5. The Sig Tango 6 and Vortex Razor Gen 2 are 10's. The turrets are by far the biggest down fall of The Ares although they edge out most of the Leupolds I've owned or shot. Pretty much all of the nightforces are 9-10's
Viper turret controls
Notice turret markings
Ares turret controls
Also worth mentioning is the actual turret markings. I much prefer the Vortex as they continue the markings on the second revolution of the turret. The Ares stops at 24 and upon the second revolution you have to start counting up 24+1, 24+2...etcetera.
The focus diopter adjustment goes to the Ares. It's smoother and easier to grab imo.
The reticle goes to the Viper. They are very similar but I prefer the center cross-hair style of the Viper vs the Ares.
Viper Reticle MIL
Ares reticle MOA
Aesthetically the turret box of the Ares is just downright ugly. I much prefer the turret box on the Viper however, overall I like the look of the Ares better. Just my opinion.
Cost goes to the Ares. $850 vs $1,100. Thats a nice set of rings, a good bubble level and some ammo!!
Warranty? Well I haven't had the opportunity to try out Athlons policy although I would bet given my research that it's right on par with Vortex. I can say the guy I purchased my scopes from was unbelievable!!! I received a free sun shade, scope caps and a throw lever!
Weight goes to the Athlon at 27.5 oz vs 32 oz for the Viper. I will say the Ares feels beefier but lighter.
Which scope should you buy? Well that completely depends on your budget and the options your looking for. I'm very happy with my Ares and would buy a second in a heart beat....oh wait I already did and it's on my long range 6.5 Grendel. I wouldn't however hesitate to buy the new Viper PST gen 2.
What was wrong with the old Viper PST Gen 1? Tracking, tracking, tracking. Few fail right out of the gate but many have failed after months or years of use. It's not really Vortexs fault. Things break over time and I wouldn't be surprised if Athlon sees the same pains. There will always be lemons and Vortex and Athlon have proven their customer service will take care of you promptly.
Overall the nod goes to the Viper. Is it almost $300 better? Well that's a $300 question. If turrets, name and a slight glass advantage are worth $300 then yes it is. If you want to add weight to your wallet, make your money go a little further and make your rifle a little lighter then the Ares is the scope for you!
So what about the Cronus? The Cronus line is made in Japan and it has exceptional glass for the cost of the scope. Mine is the gen 1 model. One thing I really like about Athlon is their willingness to listen to the people buying the scopes. They have made some huge improvements on the gen 2 model and I can't wait to get my hands on one. Specifically they redesigned the turrets for a more tactile feel. I would still rate the gen 1 Turrets at a 7-7.5. They are better than the Ares but still not as nice as ones mentioned above.
The glass is superb and would rate it around 8.5. The biggest advantage of the Cronus is a 34mm tube and 56mm obj. It's a light gathering beast but it also weighs 35 oz....significantly lighter than the Vortex Razor Gen 2. Glass is very close to the Gen 2 Razor with the Razor being a little more colorful (HD). The biggest difference is the price. Shopping around you can get a gen 1 Cronus for $1300. A gen 2 Razor will set you back at least $2,300. It's defiantly not worth a $1,000 more for the Razor imo.
I hope this review has helped just one person make an informed decision on their next scope purchase. If anyone is considering a Athlon scope pm me and I'll send you contact info for the dealer I used. He's a stand-up guy that got me two Ares scopes when one of them was completely sold out.
Also. As of August 18, 2017, Vortex was backordered 8 months on the Viper PST Gen 2. Otherwise I would own one of each!!!
Time will tell on the durability of the Ares. Although I've only owned it for three weeks, I've sent around 200 rounds through my 7LRM and captured a second place finish in a recent Precision Long Range Practical match using the Ares. It definitely got a workout ranging targets from 100 to 1100 yards. It tracked true, returned to zero and had a lot of folks impressed with the glass quality and features.
Cheers!!
Dan
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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