Bushnell Holosight and EOTech

[benenglish]

What's the difference between the final version of the Bushnell Holosight and the first generation of the EOTech sights?

EOTechs have improved over the years and are now much advanced. However, it's my recollection that when the Holosight was dropped and the last of them remaindered out (I got mine for $49 at a gun show a long, long time ago), the EOTechs that immediately appeared were identical...except that they cost $300 more.

Am I remembering this wrong?

 

[DarkwingDuck]

Copypasta from arfcom:

The Bushnell is an older-generation Eotech with no rollcage, fewer brightness levels, and shorter battery life.

Here's my standard post on the differences between the two:


The Bushnell Holosight and the Eotech use the same holographic technologies, and the Bushnells that look like the Eotech are made in America, in the same plant as the Eotechs. There are 2 styles of Bushnell Holosight now - the Eotech style, and the XLP, which is much more futuristic looking, and is made in Japan. The XLP is physically a completely different design, with a lower centerline of about 1.1", but still uses the same reticle. From a reticle perspective, there's very little difference between any of them except for max brightness.


Essentially, the Eotech style Bushnell is a pre Rev F Eotech without the hood.


Here are the key differences:


- The Eotech uses their Rev F technology (starting in 2005), which greatly extends battery life and gives a much wider range of reticle brightness, including more brightness at the high end, and has improved buttons. The Bushnells use the pre-Rev F technology still, with shorter battery life and less brightness range. The Rev F Eotechs are marked with an F on the hood, but the hood can be replaced or changed easily, so this isn't always a good indication.


- Battery life:
Eotech N battery version - 200 hours at the 12 (of 20) setting
Eotech AA version - 600 hours (alkaline), 1000 hours (lithium) at the 12 (of 20) setting.
Eotech CR123 version - 1100 hours at the 12 (of 20) setting
Bushnell N battery version - 40 hours life at the 12 (of 20) setting
Bushnell N battery new version (on/off switch) - 60 hours
Bushnell AAA battery version (XLP) - 100 hours life at the 10 (of 15) setting


There's no data I've found on battery life for the Bushnell AA version.


- The Eotech has a protective hood. The Eotech style Bushnell doesn't, and can't be retrofitted, though the hood is available as a replacement part through Eotech. The hood fits on a set of rails with tapped holes on the Eotech base that aren't there on the Bushnell. Both have encapsulated electronics for recoil and impact resistance. The Bushnell XLP has a hood built in to the design, but is not directly comparable to the Eotech design.


- The 55X models of the Eotech have night vision compatible settings in addition to the regular settings. The 51X Eotechs and the Bushnells don't have this.


- The 55X versions of the Eotech are waterproof to 33 feet, while the 51X versions and the Bushnell are waterproof to 10 feet.


- The Eotechs are available using N or AA batteries, and the new 553 uses CR123 version. The Eotech style Bushnells are available using N batteries, and had an AA version that's not available in their current catalog (though there are indications they'll release one as part of their new line). The Bushnell XLP models use AAA batteries.


For all of them, if you use lithium batteries, you dramatically increase battery life, especially at low temperatures, but the low battery indication doesn't work with lithium batteries. Note that N batteries aren't generally available in lithium. Also, there have been a number of problems reported with N battery Eotechs draining the battery rapidly, even while off. The conventional wisdom is to use name brand batteries to help avoid this, but there's little hard data on this problem.


Both brands have a 2 year warranty.

DWD

 

[gdouthit]

Can you still find the bushnell version?? i thought they were discontinued

 

[benenglish]

Copypasta from arfcom:

Thanks so much.

 

[benenglish]

Can you still find the bushnell version?? i thought they were discontinued

I thought they were discontinued many years ago, actually. Note that I said I picked mine up "for $49 at a gun show a long, long time ago ". I assumed at the time the reason was that they were no longer being made.

It's been a fine sight for me over the years. It's a bit bulky but it has done good work on many different firearms. I have no problems with it. I was just wondering about the difference between it and EOTechs. DWD addressed those questions in wonderful detail.

 

[gdouthit]

Ya I re-read your post after I posted that.