We’re kind of spoiled… There are so many awesome red dot sights on the market right now…
And they come in different shapes, sizes, and styles…
One of the styles that has recently caught my attention is the open window reflex-style sight, and right now, two of the best optics that kind of fit into this category are:
- The Holosun HS510C (Check Price On Amazon – Over 385 Reviews)
- The Eotech XPS2 (Check Price On Amazon – Over 235 Reviews)
Now honestly, the Eotech is a whole different type of red dot sight then what you usually find, and we’ll get into that in the comparison…
But here are the areas we’re going to be covering when we compare these two sights:
- Durability And Toughness
- Lens Clarity And Reticle
- Size Comparison
- Battery Life Comparison
- Extra Items Included With The Sight
- Price
In the end, I’ll give my final conclusions about these two awesome optics, and I’ll reveal which one I prefer out of the two…
Let’s get into the Holosun 510c Vs Eotech XPS2 comparison!
Durability And Toughness…
Holosun 510c
The Holosun 510c is extremely durable. To start off with, the sight housing is made of high-strength aluminum, and the lens is protected by a titanium hood.
The addition of the titanium hood is really cool because it keeps the weight down but also makes the sight very rugged.
Next, the windage and elevation knobs are flush with the sight housing. I like that because it means they can never be bumped or accidentally knocked…
… which could lead to them snapping off as is the case with some other red dot sights.
They can easily be adjusted with a screwdriver or the rim of a cartridge, and they move the reticle 0.5 MOA with every click.
Last, the 510c is fully waterproof in up to 1 meter of water, which means it can handle rainy, snowy, and wet conditions without any issues.
Eotech XPS2
The Eotech XPS2 is also an extremely durable sight. To begin, the sight housing is aluminum and the lens is protected by 2 aluminum hoods.
Additionally, the windage and elevation knobs are recessed into the sight housing, and just like with the Holosun 510c, they can be adjusted with a screwdriver or the rim of a cartridge.
Next, the XPS2 is waterproof up to 10 feet… So once again rainy, snowy, and wet conditions will not cause any problems for this sight.
Last, the XPS2 has undergone drop tests by the US Military, and it was able to pass those tests which means it met the military specifications for toughness.
Durability And Toughness Conclusions…
Both the 510c and XPS2 are pretty durable red dot sights…
- Both sight housings are high-strength aluminum
- Both have protective hoods over their lenses
- And both have very durable adjustment knobs
One of the major differences between the two is that the XPS2 is waterproof up to 10 feet whereas the 510c is only waterproof up to 1 foot.
This probably won’t be a problem for a civilian because both can handle the rain without any problems, but it is something to take note of.
In addition to that, the Eotech is a completely closed system whereas the Holosun is an open style reflex sight.
It is possible for an open style reflex sight to get mud or debris caked into it, which would make the reticle disappear.
This probably wouldn’t happen unless you accidentally dropped your rifle and optic in the mud, but again, it’s something to consider.
Last, the Eotech was able to pass military specification drop tests, which the Holosun has never undergone.
So to me, all this adds up to the Eotech XPS2 taking the lead in the durability and toughness category.
Winner: Eotech XPS2
Lens Clarity And Reticle…
Holosun 510c
The lens clarity and reticle on the Holosun 510c are very good. To start off with, the lens is extremely clear.
You don’t get the blue or green tint that you sometimes find on other red dot sights, and it allows you to get a very clean sight picture.
In addition to that, the reticle is extremely crisp and very well defined, which will come into play when we discuss the XPS2.
Now one of the features included in the 510c is something called the Multiple Reticle System or M.R.S., and it basically means that you can switch between 3 different reticle options.
- A 2 MOA dot
- A 65 MOA ring
- A 2 MOA dot with a 65 MOA ring around it (the Holosun Circle Dot Reticle)
Personally, I love the Holosun Circle Dot Reticle. It’s actually my favorite style of reticle on any red dot sight because it allows you to acquire large targets up close very quickly…
…but at the same time, it still gives you the precision of the 2 MOA dot for small targets off in the distance.
That said, I know some people just want a simple 2 MOA dot, which is also a great option for a red dot sight…
And then there is the 65 MOA ring, which personally I don’t have a use for, but it’s there if you would like to use it.
You can easily switch between these reticles by holding down the minus button for your brightness settings.
In addition to the multiple reticles, the 510c gives you a huge viewing area. That’s one of the benefits of having the open style reflex sight design…
…and it’s really easy to see your target and what’s surrounding it when you look through this optic.
Last, there is a version of the 510c which comes with a green dot reticle if you prefer that color, and it’s called the Holosun HE510c elite.
Personally, I prefer red, but like I said, the option is there if green works better for your eyes.
Eotech XPS2
The clarity on the XPS2 is also very good. You get an extremely clear lens and because it’s a holographic sight…
…the front lens doesn’t have that red reflection that traditional reflex sights always have.
That holographic technology within the Eotech is really cool, and it causes the reticle to appear grainy when you take aim through the optic.
The grainy appearance of the reticle is how it is supposed to look when you’re using a holographic sight, and there are some people who prefer this style of sight picture.
Personally, I prefer a more clean and clear reticle, but I still think the holographic reticle is very usable.
In addition to that, the XPS2 also uses a circle dot reticle which again is my favorite style.
It’s slightly different from the Holosun Circle Dot because it uses a 68 MOA ring surrounding a 1 MOA dot, but it works the same way.
Again, it’s a great reticle because it can be used for very fast shooting at targets up close and still be very precise for use on targets in the distance.
Lens Clarity And Reticle Conclusions
Both the 510c and the XPS2 have very clear lenses. They also both have a circle dot reticle, which to me is awesome.
That said, the 510c allows you to switch between the circle dot reticle, the 2 MOA dot, and the 65 MOA ring, which means you can tailor the sight’s reticle to your preference.
The reticle is also more clear on the 510c because it’s a reflex sight rather than a holographic sight…
And even though some people prefer the grainy reticle on a holographic sight, I personally prefer the crisp and clean reticle from a reflex sight.
So for me, the winner in the lens clarity and reticle category is the Holosun 510c.
Winner: Holosun 510c
Size Comparison…
The 510c is 8.3 ounces in weight. It’s also 3.3 inches long and 1.41 inches tall.
On the other hand, the XPS2 weighs 9 ounces, and it’s 3.8 inches long and 2.1 inches high. So clearly the Holosun 510c is more compact in terms of size and weight.
Winner: Holosun 510c
Battery Life Comparison…
Holosun 510c
The Holosun 510c has fantastic battery life. It uses one CR2032 battery which can last for 50,000 hours of constant use.
It also includes 10 daylight brightness settings that you can choose from and 2 night vision settings.
I’ve found that the daylight brightness settings can get extremely bright if the lighting conditions require it (much brighter than some other red dot sights).
In addition to that, Holosun includes something called the “Shake Awake” feature. Basically, this means that you don’t have to worry about turning your sight on or off.
It will automatically go into sleep mode when it’s not being used, and when it senses motion, it will automatically turn on.
This means that your sight is always ready to go if you need to use it in an emergency, and it saves your battery life (even though you already have 50,000 hours worth of it).
Last, the 510c includes a solar panel which means the optic doesn’t even need to have a battery in it for it to work.
I’ve found that the solar feature works great, and again, it saves the battery life on this optic even more.
Eotech XPS2
The XPS2 uses a 123 lithium battery which gives you 600 hours of battery life. You can choose between 20 daylight brightness settings and there are no night vision settings on the XPS2 (check out the XPS3 if you need the night vision settings).
Eotech does include an auto-shutdown feature which means if you forget to turn your sight off, it will automatically turn off after 4 or 8 hours of non-use.
It will not automatically turn on when it senses motion like the 510c which means you’ll have to press one of the brightness buttons to get the sight ready to go.
Last, the Eotech lets you know that its battery is running low because the reticle will flash for a few moments when you first turn the optic on.
Battery Life Comparison Conclusions
The Holosun 510c gives you 50,000 hours of battery life. It also has the solar panel which means you can run the sight without a battery…
…and it has the shake awake feature which means it will turn on when it senses motion.
I really like that feature because if you ever have to use your rifle to defend your home, you won’t have to be fiddling around with the buttons on your optic.
Contrast all that with the Eotech which only has 600 hours of battery life and doesn’t have a shake weight feature.
To me, it’s pretty clear that the Holosun 510c wins this category.
Winner: Holosun 510c
Extra Accessories Included With The Optic…
Holosun 510c
The HS510c comes with a few extra accessories. First of all, it comes with an extra battery tray and a small tool that can be used to remove the battery tray.
Removal of the battery tray will be necessary when it comes time to finally replace the battery on this optic.
In addition to that, the 510c comes with a quick detach mount…
The included mount is high-quality and sets the sight up for an absolute co-witness with back up iron sights if you’re running it on an AR-15.
Eotech XPS2
The Eotech XPS2 doesn’t really come with any extra accessories… However, built into the sight housing is a mount that allows you to attach it to any picatinny rail.
The attachment is very solid, and like I mentioned before, the Eotech was able to hold zero even after undergoing mil-spec drop tests.
The built-in Eotech mount also sets the sight up for an absolute co-witness with back up iron sights on an AR 15.
Extra Accessories Conclusions…
Both sights come with a high-quality mount that will allow you to have an absolute co-witness with back up iron sights (which is what I have always preferred over a lower ⅓ co-witness).
Even though the 510c comes with an extra battery tray, I think this category is pretty much a draw.
Winner: Draw
Price Comparison…
I can’t get into exact prices because the prices on sights like these change almost everyday…
That said, the Holosun 510c is typically about $150 to $200 dollars less expensive than the Eotech. So the clear winner in terms of price is the Holosun 510c.
Winner: Holosun 510c
Holosun 510c Vs Eotech XPS2 – Conclusions…
In the end, I’m a big fan of both of these sights… and as usual, the one you should go with depends on the features you value most.
Both of them have a huge field of view, and both offer you high performance…
So which optic do I prefer? I prefer the Holosun 510c…
I prefer the Holosun 510c for a few reasons… First of all, I like that the reticle is a lot more crisp on the 510c because it really helps you get a clean sight picture…
I also really love the super long battery life on the 510c, and that it has the “Shake Awake” feature and solar panel to help bump up your battery life even more…
And we can’t forget that it’s around 150 to 200 bucks less expensive than the XPS2, so it will also save you some money.
Now if you like the holographic technology, and want a tough-as-nails optic, then feel free to go with the Eotech XPS2 because it’s still an awesome sight…
All that being said, I don’t think you’ll go wrong no matter which sight you choose to go with because either way, you’re going to get a high performing, reliable, and tough optic…
So whichever you choose, I hope I was able to show you the major differences between these two incredible red dot sights!