Aimpoint PRO vs eotech xps2″ class=”wp-image-5397″/>Whenever you start talking about the top tier of red dot sights, there are two companies that always get brought into the conversation…
Those two companies are Aimpoint and Eotech, and part of the reason why they’re such popular optics manufacturers is because they make super durable and reliable sights…
Now two of their most talked-about options are definitely…
- The Aimpoint PRO (Check Price On Optics Planet – Over 515 Reviews)
- The Eotech XPS2 (Check Price On Optics Planet – Over 170 Reviews)
So in this Aimpoint PRO Vs Eotech XPS2 comparison, we’re going to put these two awesome sights up against each other and see how they stack up in the following categories…
- Durability And Toughness
- Reticle And Lens Clarity
- Size Comparison
- Battery Life And Brightness Settings
- Extra Goodies Included With The Optic
- Price Comparison
In the end, I’ll tell you if I personally prefer the Aimpoint PRO or the Eotech XPS2, and you should have all the information you need to determine which sight will work best for you…
Let’s start the comparison by taking a closer look at the durability and toughness of these two optics…
Durability And Toughness…
Aimpoint PRO
Aimpoint is known for making some of the most rugged and reliable sights on the market, and the Aimpoint PRO is no exception…
To start off with, it has a sight housing that’s constructed from a high strength aluminum, which is a very rugged material, and it’s also hard anodized which will help protect the optic’s body from the elements…
In addition to that, the windage and elevation adjustments sit fairly low. So even though they are raised, I think it’s highly unlikely that they’ll get bumped or snapped off accidentally…
The Aimpoint PRO is also a waterproof optic. It’s rated to be waterproof in up to 45 meters (150 feet) of water, and it can easily handle duty in rainy, snowy, or wet conditions without having any issues at all…
And it’s also a shockproof optic, so it can handle being mounted on high-powered rifles, shotguns, and pistol caliber carbines or submachine guns…
All in all, the durability and toughness that you get with the Aimpoint PRO is extremely impressive.
Eotech XPS2
The Eotech XPS2 is also a pretty durable sight. First of all, years ago there were some Eotechs that had a few problems in extremely cold weather conditions…
Those issues are completely resolved now, so the current Eotechs that are being sold are very reliable even in cold weather…
That being said, the sight housing on the XPS2 is made from a high strength aluminum, and it also has a hard anodized finish which will protect the body of the sight from the elements…
In addition to that, the XPS2 has an aluminum protective hood that goes over the lens and protects it from bumps and impacts…
On top of that, the windage and elevation adjustments are recessed into the sight housing. The can still be adjusted with the use of a small screwdriver, but it’s impossible for them to get accidentally bumped or snapped off…
The XPS2 is also a waterproof optic. It’s rated to be waterproof in up to 3 meters (10 feet) of water, and it can also handle rainy or snowy conditions without having any issues…
Last, the XPS2 is also shockproof, so it too can handle being mounted on shotguns, high-powered rifles, and PCCs.
Durability And Toughness Conclusions…
So both of these sights are very durable and reliable optics. They’re both made from a high quality aluminum, and they’re both waterproof and shockproof…
That being said, I think the Aimpoint PRO is going to squeak out the win here just because it has a much higher waterproof rating than the XPS2 (even though the XPS2’s waterproof rating is also pretty good)…
So the winner in this category is the Aimpoint PRO, but just by a hair.
Winner: Aimpoint PRO
Reticle And Lens Clarity…
Aimpoint PRO
The lens on the Aimpoint PRO is very clear. You don’t get any of that annoying blue tint that you’ll find on some other red dot sights…
And overall, you can see very clearly when looking through the optic and get a very clean sight picture…
In addition to that, since the PRO is a full size red dot sight with a 30mm tube, you get a larger field of view than you would on a micro red dot sight (such as the Aimpoint T2)…
The larger field of view allows you to see more when looking through the sight and seeing more when you’re shooting is always going to be a benefit to you…
Now the reticle on the Aimpoint PRO is a simple 2 MOA dot, and I think it’s a very good reticle. I like a 2 MOA dot on red dot sights for two specific reasons…
First of all, the 2 MOA dot is large enough that it’s fairly easy for your eye to pick it up quickly, but at the same time…
…it’s a small enough reticle that it allows you to aim very precisely at small targets or targets at further distances.
So it’s a reticle that allows you to shoot fairly fast, but at the same time, you still have a very fine aiming point for shots that require a high degree of accuracy.
Eotech XPS2
The lens on the Eotech XPS2 is also very clear. Part of the reason it’s so clear is because the XPS2 is a holographic sight rather than a reflex sight like the Aimpoint, so it uses different technology…
You see a holographic sight produces a laser driven hologram to produce the reticle image, and because of that, there is no need for a blue tint which as I mentioned earlier is prominent on some other red dot sights (such as the Trijicon MRO)…
So the image that you get when looking through the XPS2 is extremely clear, and you’re able to establish a very clean sight picture…
On top of that, the Eotech’s boxy design allows the sight to have a HUGE sight window. That huge sight window gives you a very large field of view. So you’re able to see a lot of what’s going on down range when looking through the sight…
Now the reticle that you get with the Eotech XPS2 will depend on which particular model you decide to go with…
For example, the XPS2-0 has a 1 MOA (minute of angle) dot surrounded by a 68 MOA ring reticle. This is also called the Circle Dot Reticle, and it’s actually my favorite style of reticle on a red dot sight…
I like it because the 68 MOA ring is extremely fast and easy for your eye to pick up. So you can shoot very, very quickly at large targets up close…
But at the same time, the 1 MOA dot is very precise and allows you to aim at small targets and targets that are at extended ranges…
So it’s a reticle that helps you shoot very fast without sacrificing any precision, and that’s the reason I’m such a big fan of it…
Now the XPS2-1 has a simple 1 MOA dot reticle. This is also a good reticle but because you don’t have the large 68 MOA ring catching your eye, it’s typically not as fast of a reticle as the Circle Dot Reticle…
Next, the XPS2-2 has a 68 MOA ring that surrounds two 1 MOA dots. The two dots are aligned vertically, and the top dot is right in the center of the reticle while the other dot is placed a little below it…
This basically creates a bullet drop compensator (BDC) in which you can zero the sight (the top dot) at 50 yards and then the lower dot will allow you to shoot out to 500 yards…
I think this is a great reticle if you plan on pairing your sight with a magnifier, because then you’ll be able to use the BDC to its full potential, but without a magnifier, I think the Circle Dot Reticle with 1 center dot is the way to go…
Last, the XPS2-0GRN has the exact same Circle Dot Reticle as the XPS2-0, but instead of being red the reticle is green…
Personally, I prefer red on all my sights and optics because for me it’s just a little bit faster, but there are a ton of shooters out there who really like green…
So in the end, whether you go with red or green will just have to come down to personal preference.
Reticle And Lens Clarity Conclusions…
Ok, so in this category, these two sights have some major differences. First of all, they both have extremely clear glass which allows you to get a very clean sight picture…
In addition to that, they both feature a large field of view, but because of the Eotech’s boxy design, its field of view is just a little bit larger than that found on the Aimpoint PRO…
On top of that, I prefer the reticle options that you can get with the XPS2. My favorite is definitely the Circle Dot Reticle found on the XPS2-0…
And I think it’s superior to the 2 MOA dot reticle found on the Aimpoint PRO because the 68 MOA ring is very fast and easy for your eye to pick up…
And the 1 MOA dot in the center of the reticle is a more precise aiming point than the 2 MOA dot found on the Aimpoint as well…
This is not to say that the 2 MOA dot on the PRO is a bad reticle, but if I have the choice between the two, I much prefer the Circle Dot Reticle on the XPS2…
So because I prefer the reticle on the Eotech XPS2 and because the field of view is a little bit larger, I’m going to give the win in this category to the XPS2.
Winner: Eotech XPS2
Size Comparison…
Aimpoint PRO
The Aimpoint PRO is a traditional tube style red dot sight. Again, with the 30mm tube it’s going to be a lot larger than a micro red dot sight, but it’s still a very reasonable size…
Now the height on the PRO measures in at 2.2 inches. The width also measures in at 2.2 inches, and the length measures in at 4.5 inches…
In addition to that, the Aimpoint PRO has a weight that comes in at 7.8 ounces.
Eotech XPS2
Even though the Eotech XPS2 is a holographic sight rather than a traditional red dot sight like the Aimpoint PRO, it is a similar size…
Now the height on the XPS2 measures in 2.5 inches. The width measures at 2.1 inches, and the length measures in at 3.8 inches…
In addition to that, the XPS2 has a weight that measures in at 9.0 ounces.
Size Comparison Conclusions…
So as I said earlier, these two sights are very similar in terms of their overall size. They’re both going to be much larger than a micro red dot sight, and that’s OK because larger sights have advantages in other areas…
That being said, there is a difference that separates these two sights in this category in my mind, and that is their respective weights…
The Aimpoint PRO is over an ounce lighter than the Eotech XPS2 and even though that doesn’t seem like much…
The ounces can really start to add up quickly when you’re adding accessories to your rifle. So since I’m always looking to cut ounces wherever I can when outfitting my rifles…
I’m going to give the slight win in this section to the Aimpoint PRO…
Winner: Aimpoint PRO
Battery Life And Brightness Settings…
Aimpoint PRO
The Aimpoint PRO is powered by a 2L76 or DL1/3N type battery which is able to power the sight for around 30,000 hours on settings 7…
I love when red dot sights have super long battery life like this and the reason why is because you don’t want your optic dying on you at the wrong time…
I’ve had red dot sight’s batteries die on me at the range before, and even though it’s really annoying when that happens, at the end of the day it’s not really a big deal because you can just swap out the battery when you go home…
But what you really want to avoid is your optic’s battery dying on you in an emergency self defense situation…
On top of that, if you ever do need to use your optic is a life or death situation, you probably don’t want to be fumbling around with the buttons just to turn your sight on…
So I’ve always felt that it’s a good idea to keep your sight turned on all the time, so that it’s always ready to go…
And since you have over 3 years worth of battery life with the AImpoint PRO, you can keep the sight turned on at all times and not have to worry about your battery dying on you at the wrong time…
Especially if you follow the common advice of changing out your optic’s battery at least once a year (a lot of people say to do it on your birthday)…
Now with the Aimpoint PRO you get a total of 6 daylight brightness settings, 4 night vision settings, and 1 extra bright setting…
The daylight brightness settings get very bright on the high end, and you shouldn’t have any problems with your reticle washing out even on a sunny day…
And if the conditions get really extreme, you have that extra bright setting that you can bump the sight up to as well…
I also really like that you get 4 night vision settings included with the PRO. You will have to have NV equipment to be able to use these settings…
But you can easily ignore them if you’d like to, and if you have NV equipment or plan on getting some, you’ll be able to run the Aimpoint PRO at night very easily.
Eotech XPS2
The Eotech XPS2 uses one CR123 battery which is able to power the sight for 1,000 hours…
Now 1,000 hours of battery life is OK, but I would prefer a lot longer battery life personally for the reasons I described when talking about the Aimpoint PRO’s battery life…
Eotech does include an auto shut off feature in which the sight will automatically turn off after a period of nonuse, and I do like that because it will help save your battery life…
But it would be nice if they included an auto-on feature in which the sight would automatically turn back on when it senses motion (such as when you pick up your gun)…
Unfortunately the current XPS2 doesn’t have an auto-on feature, but perhaps that’s something that Eotech will add in the future…
Now with the XPS2 you get a total of 20 daylight brightness settings. The daylight brightness settings are very powerful on the high end, and because you have so many of them, you can really fine tune your brightness to the perfect level…
There are no NV settings included with the XPS2, and I actually don’t think that’s a big problem because most people will never use them anyway…
But if you’re interested in the Eotech and want NV settings, you’re going to want to take a look at the Eotech XPS3 which does include night vision settings.
Battery Life And Brightness Settings Conclusions…
Once again, we have a category in which these two sights have a lot of differences. First of all, they both have brightness settings that get very bright and won’t wash out on you even on a sunny day…
But that being said, the Aimpoint PRO also has night vision settings, whereas the XPS2 does not. In addition to that, the Aimpoint PRO has around 30,000 hours of battery life, whereas the XPS2 only has 1,000 hours…
Obviously 30,000 hours is far superior to 1,000 hours, and that’s actually an important feature on a red dot sight because it allows you to keep your sight always ready to go without having to worry about the battery dying on you…
So because of that super long battery life, I think the Aimpoint PRO is the clear winner in this section.
Winner: Aimpoint PRO
Extra Accessories Included With The Optic…
Aimpoint PRO
The Aimpoint PRO comes with some pretty cool accessories. First of all, you get a front and rear flip up lens cover…
The front lens cover is blacked out just like you normally find, but the rear lens cover is actually clear. This may seem like a strange thing to do, but there actually is a purpose behind it…
You see, even with both lens covers closed, you can still see the reticle when looking through the sight, and if you keep both eyes open, the reticle will actually superimpose over the target you’re aiming at…
It’s just a matter of how your brain works, and I like this feature because it allows you to keep both lenses fully protected, but at the same time, you can still make a quick shot if you need to…
On top of that, the Aimpoint PRO comes with an included mount. The mount is called the QRP2 mount which stands for ‘Quick Release Picatinny’ mount, and it’s actually very high quality…
It sets you up for a co witness with BUIS (back up irons sights) on an AR-15 or an AR-10, but it also has a removable spacer which will allow you to mount the sight lower for something like a shotgun or an AK…
So overall, I think it’s a great mount, and it adds a lot of value to the Aimpoint PRO package because you won’t have to go searching around for a mount after getting your sight…
And you won’t have to spend any extra money on an aftermarket mount either.
Eotech XPS2
One of the cool things about the Eotech XPS2 is that it also comes with an included mount. In the case of the XPS2, the mount is built directly into the sight housing, so it’s always connected to sight itself…
It sets you up for a co witness for an AR-15 or an AR-10 as well. However it’s not adjustable if you have a firearm that favors having an optic mounted lower (like an AK or a shotgun)…
That being said, if you’re looking to outfit an AR, the mount works perfectly, and just like with the Aimpoint PRO, it adds a lot of value to the XPS2 because you won’t have to spend time and money hunting down an aftermarket mount.
Extra Accessories Conclusions…
Both sights actually come with some pretty cool accessories. I really like the flip up lens covers that come with the Aimpoint PRO because they give extra protection to the optic while still allowing you to use your sight in an emergency…
And I like that both sights come with an included mount. The biggest difference for me is that the QRP2 mount that comes with the PRO is adjustable as a high or low mount…
But the Eotech only allows for a high mount. That’s not a problem is you’re putting the optic on an AR-15, which is what most people will do…
But it could cause an issue if you’re putting the optic on a shotgun, an AK, or any other firearm that favors a low mounted optic…
So because of the adjustability of the included mount and the included lens covers, the Aimpoint PRO is going to come away as the winner in this section.
Winner: Aimpoint PRO
Price Comparison…
Unfortunately I won’t be able to give you exact numbers in this category because the prices of these sights are changing all the time…
But that being said, in general, you’ll usually find that the Aimpoint PRO is around 100 to 110 bucks less expensive than the XPS2…
A hundred bucks is a lot of money for many people (including myself), and it can be a big factor if you’re in the buying process and trying to keep the price of your sight down…
So if you are on a budget, the Aimpoint PRO is going to be the less expensive option for you by a significant amount of money.
Winner: Aimpoint PRO
Aimpoint PRO Vs Eotech XPS2 – Final Thoughts…
So to sum it all up, in the Durability And Toughness category, both sights are made from high quality aluminum, and they’re both waterproof and shockproof…
But because the PRO has a higher waterproof rating than the XPS2, I gave it the slight win in this section…
In the Lens Clarity And Reticle category, both sights have a very clear lens that allows you to get a very clean sight picture…
However, because the XPS2 has a little bit larger field of view than the Aimpoint PRO and because I prefer the Circle Dot Reticle on the XPS2-0, it came away as the winner here…
In the Size Comparison, both sights are similar in terms of their overall size and dimensions. However the Aimpoint PRO is over an ounce lighter than the Eotech XPS2. So I gave the win to the PRO in this section…
In the Battery Life And Brightness Settings category, both sights have brightness settings that get very bright on the high end…
However, the Aimpoint PRO includes NV settings and more importantly, its battery life is much longer than the battery life found on the XPS2. So in this section, I gave the win to the Aimpoint PRO…
In the Extra Accessories category, the Aimpoint PRO comes with lens covers and an adjustable mount, whereas the XPS2 only comes with a high mounting system…
So because of that I gave the win to the PRO in this section…
And last in the Price Comparison, the Aimpoint PRO is probably going to be around 100 to 110 dollars less expensive than the XPS2…
So which of these sights do I prefer? I prefer the Aimpoint PRO…
I prefer the Aimpoint PRO for several reasons. First of all, it’s an incredibly tough optic. So no matter what type of hard use you put it through, it’s going to continue to work for you and be reliable…
In addition to that, the battery life on the Aimpoint PRO is much superior to the battery life on the XPS2. It gives you over 3 years worth of battery life…
And that means you can keep your sight turned-on at all times so that it’s always ready to go. I also like that the included mount on the Aimpoint PRO is adjustable to be a low or a high mount…
So you can set the sight at the perfect level for your particular gun… And last, the Aimpoint PRO is also less expensive than the XPS2, so it’ll end up saving you some money…
Now if you want the Circle Dot Reticle (which is an awesome reticle!), and you don’t mind some of the Eotech’s quirks, then feel free to go with the XPS2 because it’s still an amazing optic…
Either way, I hope I was able to show you the major similarities and differences between these two fantastic sights!