There are so many options when it comes to red dot sights these days, and they come in different styles and forms…
You’ve got micro red dot sights, which are super popular, but some of us are looking for bigger optics that offer better field of view and visibility when shooting…
And right now, two of the most popular larger red dot sights are…
- The Eotech 512 (Check Price On Amazon – Over 1,167 Reviews)
- The Holosun 510c (Check Price On Amazon – Over 3,301 Reviews)
So in this Eotech 512 Vs Holosun 510c comparison, we’re going to put these two sights up against each other in the following 6 categories…
- Durability And Toughness
- Reticle And Lens Clarity
- Size Comparison
- Battery Life And Brightness Settings
- Extra Accessories Included With The Optic
- Price Comparison
In the end, I’ll tell you if I prefer the old school Eotech 512 or the new kid on the block, the Holosun 510c, and you should have all the information you need to determine which optic will work best for you…
Let’s get started!
Durability And Toughness…
Eotech 512
The Eotech 512 is a very tough red dot sight. It has a sight housing that’s constructed from high quality aluminum, which is a very rugged material…
And it’s also anodized which helps protect the body of the sight from the elements…
In addition to that, there is a protective hood that covers the sight window, and that gives you extra protection over the most vulnerable part of the optic…
On top of that, the windage and elevation adjustments on the 512 are recessed into the sight housing, and this is an important design feature because it prevents them from ever getting bumped or snapped off accidentally…
The Eotech 512 is also a waterproof optic. It’s rated to be waterproof in up to 3 meters (10 feet) of water, and it can easily handle rainy, snowy, or wet conditions…
And it’s also shockproof, so it can handle the recoil from high powered rifles, shotguns, and pistol caliber carbines or submachine guns…
All in all, the durability that you get with the Eotech 512 is very impressive.
Holosun 510c
The Holosun 510c is also a very durable red dot sight. It has a sight housing that’s made from high strength aluminum, and it also has an anodized finish which helps protect it from the elements…
On top of that, it also has a protective hood over the lens, but Holosun decided to make their hood out of titanium which is a super tough material that is also very light weight…
Additionally, the windage and elevation adjustments on the 510c are flush with the sight housing, so they can also never be accidentally bumped or snapped off…
And they also keep the sight very slick-sided so it doesn’t catch on to any loose clothing or a sling…
The Holosun 510c is also a waterproof optic, and it’s rated to be waterproof in up to 1 meter of water. It can probably handle more depth than that…
But regardless, it can easily handle duty in snowy or rainy conditions, just like the Eotech 512…
The 510c is also a shockproof optic. So it too can handle being mounted on shotguns, high-powered rifles, and PCCs without having any issues at all…
The one knock I have against the 510c in this category is actually just an issue with the style of sight that it is. It’s an open style reflex sight…
And that means that the emitter, which projects the reticle onto your lens, is exposed. Even though it’s highly unlikely, it is theoretically possible for a piece of dirt or debris to fall into the sight and block the emitter from projecting the reticle…
This is not something I’ve ever seen happen, but it is something that’s possible. So I think it should be mentioned in this section of the comparison…
But that being said, the Holosun 510c is still a very durable and rugged optic, and I especially like the titanium hood that it features.
Durability And Toughness Conclusions…
In this category, both of the sights are very durable. They’re both made from very strong materials, they’re both shockproof, and they’re both waterproof…
That being said, the Eotech 512 has a slightly better waterproof rating than the Holosun 510c. So it gets a few extra points there…
But in addition to that, the Holosun 510c is also an open style reflex sight, and even though it’s unlikely to happen, something can theoretically fall into the sight and block the emitter from projecting the reticle onto the lens…
That can’t happen with the Eotech 512 because it’s a fully enclosed optic. So in this section, I’m going to give the win to the Eotech 512.
Winner: Eotech 512
Reticle And Lens Clarity…
Eotech 512
The Eotech 512 comes with a very clear lens. To start off with, the 512 is actually a holographic sight, not a traditional reflex style red dot sight…
So it uses holographic technology to create the reticle, rather than a traditional emitter which projects the reticle onto the glass…
Sometimes traditional red dot sights have a distinct blue tint because it helps the emitter project the reticle more brightly, but that’s not an issue at all on the Eotech 512 because of the holographic technology…
So the result is that you get a very clear lens with the 512, and that allows you to establish a very clear sight picture.
Now the reticle on the 512 is a 1 MOA dot with a 68 MOA ring surrounding it, and I think it’s an awesome reticle…
It’s called a Circle Dot Reticle, and I like it because the 68 MOA ring is extremely easy and quick for your eye to pick up, which allows you to shoot very fast…
But at the same time, the 1 MOA dot in the center is very precise when you need to make a shot that requires a high degree of accuracy…
So it’s a reticle that helps you shoot very fast without sacrificing any precision, and that’s why I’m such a big fan of it.
Holosun 510c
The lens on the Holosun 510c is also very clear. Even though it is a traditional reflex sight with an emitter that projects the reticle onto the glass…
…you don’t get any of that annoying blue tint, the way you do with some other red dots such as the Trijicon MRO.
So as I said, the lens is very clear, and you’re able to get a clean sight picture when looking through the optic…
Now as for the reticle, the 510c includes a feature called the Multiple Reticle System (MRS). Basically this means that you get 3 reticles included in the sight and the 3 reticles are…
- A 2 MOA dot surrounded by a 65 MOA ring
- A 2 MOA dot
- A 65 MOS ring with no dot in the center
The first reticle option is the 2 MOA (minute of angle) dot surrounded by a 65 MOA ring. It’s basically Holosun’s version of a Circle Dot Reticle, and it’s very similar to the reticle that you get on the Eotech 512…
Again, that 65 MOA ring is very quick and easy for your eye to pick up, which helps you shoot fast, and the 2 MOA dot is still very precise when you need to make an accurate shot or a shot at distance…
So it’s fast and precise just like the Eotech 512’s reticle, and it’s my favorite of the 3 options you get on the Holosun 510c…
Now the second option is a 2 MOA dot. This is also a very good reticle in my opinion because the 2 MOA dot is still fairly easy for your eye to pick up, so you can shoot fast with it…
But at the same time, you still have that fine aiming point for small targets or targets at further distances. If you end up trying out the Circle Dot Reticle and just prefer a more simple sight picture, I think this is a great option…
The last option is the 65 MOA ring with no dot in the center. This is my least favorite of the 3 options, but let me explain to you why some people like to run it…
Because you have the large 65 MOA ring, it is a very fast reticle when you’re shooting at large targets up close, and because you don’t have a dot in the center of the circle, you’re able to see more of your target when shooting…
The obvious downside is that you have no precise aiming point for accurate shots, and that’s why it’s not a reticle that I personally like…
In the end, all 3 reticle options have strengths and weaknesses, but the cool thing about the 510c is that you can try out all of them before settling on which one works best for you.
Reticle And Lens Clarity Conclusions…
Ok, so in this section we have a few similarities and a few important differences between these two sights…
Even though the two sights use completely different technology, they both have a very clear lens which allows you to establish a very clean sight picture…
In addition to that, they both feature a Circle Dot Reticle. Now like I said earlier, the Circle Dot Reticle is my favorite style of reticle on a red dot sight…
…because it helps you shoot faster without sacrificing precision, and both Circle Dot Reticles work very well even though there are some slight differences between them.
That being said, not everyone likes to run a Circle Dot Reticle, and the Holosun 510c gives you 2 other options with its Multiple Reticle System…
So because of that, I’m going to give the win to the Holosun 510c in this category.
Winner: Holosun 510c
Size Comparison…
Eotech 512
The Eotech 512 is a full size sight which uses fairly large batteries, so it’s going to be a little bit larger than something like the Eotech XPS2, and a lot larger than a micro red dot sight like the Aimpoint T2…
It has a height that measures in at 2.5 inches, and a width that measures in at 2.0 inches…
In addition to that, the overall length on the 512 is 5.6 inches, and the weight comes in at 11.5 ounces, which I think is fairly heavy.
Holosun 510c
The Holosun 510c is also a full size red dot sight, so it’s also going to be a bit larger than a micro red dot sight, but it’s not quite as large as the Eotech 512…
It has a height that measures in at 2.31 inches, and a width that measures in at 1.80 inches…
On top of that, the overall length on the 510c comes in at only 3.30 inches, and the weight comes in at only 4.94 ounces.
Size Comparison Conclusions…
So this category definitely favors the Holosun 510c because the 510c is smaller than the Eotech 512 in every dimension, which includes height, width, and length…
On top of that, the Holosun 510c is around six and a half ounces lighter than the Eotech 512…
This is actually a pretty important feature for me because I’m always trying to keep the weight down on my rifles to keep them fast into action…
And even though a few ounces doesn’t seem like much, the ounces can quickly turn into pounds if you’re not careful with the accessories you add onto your gun…
So I really like that the Holosun 510c is the more lightweight option, and that (along with its smaller size) makes it the clear winner in this category.
Winner: Holosun 510c
Battery Life And Brightness Settings…
Eotech 512
The Eotech 512 uses 2 1.5V AA batteries which can be lithium, alkaline, or rechargeable, and they’re able to power the sight for around 2,500 hours on setting 12…
2,500 hours of battery life might seem like a lot to some, but it’s actually pretty low in comparison to many other red dot sights available today…
This is an important feature for me because I believe you should leave your optic turned on at all times and the reason why is simple…
If you are ever forced to use your gun in self defense, you probably won’t have time to start fiddling around with the buttons just to get your optic turned on…
And if you keep the 512 turned on all the time, you’re going to have to keep a close eye on your batteries, and change them out pretty regularly…
Now the 512 comes with a total of 20 daylight brightness settings. The settings are very powerful on the high end, so you won’t have any problems with your dot washing out on you, even on a very bright day…
And because there are so many of them, you can really fine tune the brightness level exactly to the level that you want it…
There are no night vision brightness settings on the Eotech 512, which isn’t that big of an issue in my opinion because most people will never use them…
But if you are looking for an Eotech that does include NV settings, I recommend you check out the Eotech XPS3.
Holosun 510c
The Holosun 510c uses 1 CR2032 battery which is able to power the sight for a whopping 50,000 hours on setting 6…
That’s the type of ultra long battery life that I like to see on red dot sights because, again, you can keep the sight turned on all the time, and it’ll be ready to go if you need to use it in an emergency…
And as long as you follow the standard advice of swapping out your battery at least once a year (like on your birthday), you’ll never have to worry about your optic’s battery dying on you…
On top of that, 510c also includes Holosun’s Shake Awake technology. This basically means that your sight will automatically turn off after a period of non use, and it will automatically turn on once the sight senses motion…
This is a great feature because it will help you save battery life (which is already super long), but at the same time, your optic is always so ready to go because it will turn on as soon as you touch your gun…
In addition to that, Holosun includes a solar panel on the 510c, and this is a useful feature for 2 reasons…
First of all, you can use the solar panel as a backup power source (as long as you have sunlight) if your battery does end up dying on you…
Secondly, you can use the solar panel to save your battery life even more if you just switch the sight to the solar setting when you take your gun out to the range…
Now with the 510c you get a total of 10 daylight brightness settings and 2 night vision settings…
Just as with the Eotech 512, the brightness settings on the 510c get very bright on the high end, so you won’t have any problems seeing the reticle even on a sunny day…
And as I mentioned before, most people probably won’t use the 2 NV settings, but some people who use NV equipment will, and they’re included at no additional cost to you…
So all in all, the Holosun 510c is packed with features that are really useful to you as a shooter.
Battery Life And Brightness Settings Conclusions…
Alright, in this section we have some very important differences between these two sights…
First of all, they both have daylight brightness settings that get very bright. So you’ll easily be able to see your reticle, even on a bright sunny day…
But that being said, the Holosun 510c includes night vision settings whereas the Eotech 512 does not. So you get a little extra value there…
In addition to that, the Holosun 510c gives you years worth of battery life, whereas the battery life on the Eotech 512 is actually pretty low in comparison to most other quality red dots these days…
On top of that, the Holosun 510c includes the Shake Awake feature which will save your battery life and keep your sight ready to go at the same time…
And it has the solar panel which will save your battery life even more and back up your sight’s power if the battery does end up dying on you…
So for all of these reasons, I think that the Holosun 510c is the clear winner in this category.
Winner: Holosun 510c
Extra Accessories Included With The Optic…
Eotech 512
The Eotech 512 comes with some pretty cool accessories. First of all, it comes with batteries, which I actually appreciate because it means you won’t have to run off to the store just to be able to turn your sight on…
But more importantly, the 512 comes with an integrated mount. Now the 512’s mounting system sets you up for a co witness with back up iron sights (BUIS) on an AR style rifle (such as an AR-15 or an AR-10)…
And I really like that it’s included as a feature on the 512 because it means you won’t have to spend time and more money hunting down an aftermarket mount that will fit your optic…
High quality mounts aren’t always included when it comes to premium optics. So I think that the included mount is great and adds a lot of extra value to the 512.
Holosun 510c
The Holosun 510c also comes with a battery. So again, you won’t have to run off to the store just to be able to turn your sight on…
And just like with the Eotech 512, the Holosun 510c comes with a mount. The mount that comes with the 510c also sets you up for a co witness with back up iron sights on an AR-15 or an AR-10…
And overall, I think it’s pretty high quality. So again, you won’t have to spend time and extra money searching for a mount because the sight comes ready to go right out of the box.
Extra Accessories Conclusions…
Ok, so in this category these two sights are very similar. First of all, they both come with a battery, which I think is a nice touch because you won’t have to run to the store to pick one up when you receive your optic…
But more importantly, they both come with an included high mount, which is ideal for an AR-15 or an AR-10…
An included mount is a pretty important accessory in my opinion because it saves you time and money by not having to search one out on the aftermarket…
So I’m very happy that they both come with mounts, and I don’t think there’s really anything that separates the two in this section. So I’m going to have to call it a draw here.
Winner: Draw
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…
That being said, in general, you’ll usually find that the Holosun 510c is around 165 to 175 bucks less expensive than the Eotech 512…
For most of us, that’s a pretty significant amount of money, and it could be a major factor in your decision process when deciding between these two sights…
So if you are on a budget and trying to keep the price of your sight low, then the Holosun 510c is definitely going to be the less expensive option.
Winner: Holosun 510c
Eotech 512 Vs Holosun 510c – Final Thoughts…
So to sum it all up, in the Durability And Toughness category, both sights are made from strong materials, and they’re both shockproof and waterproof…
But because the Holosun 510c is an open style sight in which it’s possible for debris to fall into the sight and block the emitter and the Eotech 512 is an enclosed sight in which that cannot happen, I gave the win to the 512 in this section…
In the Lens Clarity And Reticle category, both sights have a very clear lens which allows you to get a very clean sight picture…
And they both have a Circle Dot Reticle, which as I mentioned is my favorite style of reticle on a red dot sight…
That being said, the Holosun 510c gives you 2 other reticles that you can choose between if you want to. So it came away as the winner in this section…
In the Size Comparison, the Holosun 510c is smaller in every dimension than the Eotech 512, and it’s also more lightweight. So it came away as the clear winner in this category…
In the Battery Life And Brightness Settings category, both sights have powerful daylight brightness settings which is good…
But the Holosun 510c includes NV settings, has much longer battery life than the Eotech 512, and includes the Shake Awake feature and solar panel. So it came away as the clear winner in this section…
In the Extra Accessories category, both sights come with a battery, and they both come with a high mount, which is nice because it makes both optics ready to go right out of the box. So I called it a draw in this section…
And last in the Price Comparison, the Holosun 510c is usually around 165 to 175 dollars less expensive than the Eotech 512…
So which of these sights do I prefer? I prefer the Holosun 510c…
I prefer the Holosun 510c for a few reasons. First of all, even though I gave the win to the Eotech 512 in the durability category, the 510c is still a very durable sight…
It’s built to be very rugged, and even though it’s an open style reflex sight, it’s very unlikely that something will fall into the sight and block the emitter from projecting your reticle…
And if that does happen, just switch to your back up iron sights, and continue to shoot. In addition to that, I like that you get 3 reticle options with the 510c (including a Circle Dot Reticle!) because you’ll be able to try out all 3 options before settling on which one is right for you…
I also like that the 510c is smaller and more lightweight than the Eotech 512 because that will help keep your rifle lightweight and fast into action…
And the battery life on the 510c blows away the battery life on the Eotech 512, and that’s aside from it having the Shake Awake feature (which saves your battery life) and the solar panel which backs up your battery…
Oh and the Holosun 510c is a lot less expensive than the Eotech 512 too. So it’ll end up saving you some money.
Now if you want an enclosed optic with a Circle Dot Reticle, and you don’t mind paying a little bit more money, then feel free to go with the Eotech 512 because it’s still an awesome sight…
Either way, I hope I was able to show you the major similarities and differences between these two great red dot optics.