Ok, so i finally got both scopes in the mail this week and got some time to sit down with them. I went into this experiment fully convinced that i would choose the Arken, however, i decided to go with the vortex for these reasons:
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The eyebox on the vortex at max zoom was better. The Arken had a suuuuuper small spot for my eye that was usable. I was constantly making tiny little adjustments to keep the picture in the window. This might not be the scope’s fault. I wear glasses and have a slightly non-standard cheek placement on my stock (so im told).
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The Arken is REALLY heavy. I know that everyone SAYS that, but until you hold it in your hand, it’s difficult to comprehend. It made my ruger top heavy and a little bit awkward. The vortex was a much longer scope but it fit the space much better.
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The dials on both scopes were great, but the Arken dials were like paint cans. HUUUUGE!
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The sharpness, chromatic abrasion, and clarity were better on the arken. No question. I have a background as a photographer and have worked with some really high end glass in a former life. If i was taking pics of the moon , i would take the Arken.
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The illumination was great on both.
Thanks everyone for the help on the way. Looking forward to getting this out to the farm for a field test.
