Arken Optics Problems Discussed
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- čas přidán 29. 07. 2024
- In this video I have a casual talk of some common issues consumers experience with Arken Optics
I direct Arken Optics customers to the Arken Facebook page. I mention the primary issue related to the Arken Optic Lead Times and delays.
Arken EP5
Arken EPL4
Arken SH4 Gen2
Arken LH4
Arken Optics www.arkenopticsusa.com/
groups/Arken...
I like my 4 Arken scopes but I’m not on facebook and will never be on facebook. Any company that requires facebook for customer service and support needs to rethink that strategy.
I will also never be on Facebook. I hate that damned screw on the bottom of my EPL4 6-24 because - YES - it butts up against the side of my pic rail. Fortunately, and I can't speak for others, but somehow I get the scope level with the screw up tight against the side of my rail. Will not buy another Arken scope due to the issues discussed in this video. Really poor customer service IMHO.
I emailed Arken and got a response from them a day later. Had a follow-up question and again got a response the next day.
Arken doesn't require this...it's just a convenience of a group that has some staffers in it. The CS guys at other end of emails are good guys and indeed at the grind
Can you share your ring choices? I run .92" and .89" rings on a few dozen rigs and I'm able to have that nipple fit nicely between notched of the pic rail
Boom.....awesome to hear
I have 3 Arken scopes. 1 EP5 and 2 SH4's. All work flawlessly. Highly recommend Arken products!
Mine too!
Looks like Arken solved their production and ordering issues. I ordered direct from Arken on Monday and UPS delivered on Saturday. No complaints, but I'll update once I've gone to the range!!
Sure have got better I agree!!!
That's good I was a bit worried due to just ordering my first one last week haha. Thanks
Awesomeness
All of the problems mentioned here are pure straight education based.
Often...yes totally
I have the 5-25 genII with the Japanese glass and the new 1-8. Haven't had a problem with neither and they have been great optics. The 1-8 is on my AR-10 308 and the 5-25 is on my Uintah Precision 308. Great optics and the customer service has been spot on with every question I've had. They are quick to reply to emails and that goes along way with me. Other companies have lost my business to include my buddies business due to poor customer service.
That is awesome to hear. Yeap, all the same positive experiences with me too.
Great video.
Purchased an Arken EPL-4 for my Browning .280 Rem and have had none of the problems mentioned in the video. I ordered direct from Arken also. I like my Arken EPL-4 very much and my brother is looking to buy one for the New Bergara Crest/Carbon 6.5 PRC he wants, when they are available. So far, I am good with Arken.
That is great news. Indeed the problem are generally isolated.
Agreed on the turrets, just a little blue thread locker applied once zeroed will fix this problem.
Sure does
Lead time was 2-3 weeks when I ordered 2 weeks ago. Received scope today after they shipped it 2 days ago.
Great...mount er up!
I love my Arken. And Thank You RGD. You’ve explained the features of these scopes better than anyone or anything else including the manual. Probably cuz I’m not that bright lol
...well...im not production professional I just try to keep it average guy quality. Though I did add a backlight hahahahah....took up a notch 😆
I bought an epl 4-16 and the reticle casts out illuminating whatever edges of the numbers or sub tensions closest to the reticle itself. So when illuminated you see random specs of illumination all through the reticle from edge to edge
May want to warranty that.
i own many Arken scopes and I have never had any issues with ordering them.
Like what I'm hearing.
I own three Arken scopes. One sh4 Gen 2 - 6-24x50, and two SH4J Gen 2 - 6-24x50. Just received my third one yesterday. Ordered them all thru Amazon, and had each of them within a week. Also they were about $100 less from Amazon than on Arken's website. That, of course, is just my experience.
That's a great find on those kind of prices!!!
I ordered one off Amazon last night and it was delivered this morning and I live in the country 😂
Some woman in a nice af Cadillac delivered it so I'm still trying to figure the logistics of that one out 😂
I ordered an SH4 6-24x50 and it arrived in 2 days, much faster than my CVI 34 mm scope rings!
I love my Arken Optics. Unlike other people i can wait for the product to be delivered. Im in no hurry. If im in a hurry i can always revert back to my Vortex Optics or other brands in a pinch
I feel the same.
I have the arken epl-4 6-24x50mm ffp and the only problem I have is the parallax adjustment knob has a dead spot where the knob moves freely with no adjustment.
Send it in!
I have several Arken optics. Ever since the SH4 G2 came out. Only had to wait for the very first one due to back order. Had only 1 with an issue. One of the turrets would get too tight to turn. Had a replacement in less than 2 weeks. No issues since. Never had any issue that this video talks about. Customer service has always been good when i had questions. I will continue to buy Arken optics. Need 2 more for new rifle builds this year. As for being made in china. Most scope brands are made in china, so get over it. Im buying bang for buck.
That is awesome news. In fact most have no issues. Was your binding turret elevation?
@Rugergundog mine was the parallax. Would get about 3/4 of the way, then tighten up.
Just bought my 6th ep5 from a dealer that had it in stock and got it to me in 3 days if thevfreight company had not carried it around for 3 days saying they tried to deliver but couldn't because I wasn't ther and I was. So long story shot look up Darn fine shot in Indiana great people and no cuss words.
Great find
Only issue I've had is the epl4 i put on my anschutz using talley mounts, when I torque the rings to spec, the side focus binds up. It wont turn, loosen the mount a little it will kinda turn but with an obvious sound and feel of something in a bind, even after lappingtherings. None of my other arkens have had this problem. And when i tried a different ring it didn't do it.
How much torque you applying? 18 ?
@@RugerGundog yes 18 in-lbs. But then back them off to 12
@Rugergundog what i think is happening is the front ring is to close to the turret housing. That's the only thing that makes sense. None of my other arkens have the front ring as close as that one is. Need to try rotating that ring
SOL, yup.👍 thank you!
You bet!
Just have to ask out of curiosity. What's the purpose of the cigar cutter on your work bench? Everything else looks ballistic focused, but that behind you. Pretty sure that dollar bill is to confirm free floated barrel.
Yep on dollar. Cutter for cigars. Small humidor up high above pegboard. I will puff one at range occasionally
Thanks for sating my curiosity. Cigars International is my go to if you want to consider another option when shopping next time.
@@allenbmooresharinginformation cigarbid is owned by cigar international and if you take your time and watch what things are going for and when you can get almost anything you want much cheaper than CI 👍
the first time I bought the ep5, it will not focus below 28 meters. returned it and i hope they fix it
I will be interested to learn the outcome. That's pretty close range for the magnification specifications. Keep us posted.
My scope (EP5) has a decent (alot) amount of blooming when illuminated at higher magnification. Is that normal?
Yes. Generally use lowest setting possible
@@RugerGundog Thank you for the response. Noted, I'll be sure to utilize lower illumination settings, if at all 👍🏾
Man that happen to me today .the scope tower cap flight out
It happens
YES! They said 2 weeks, it took 5 for them to ship it and it’s been almost a week since they claimed they shipped it priority and I still dont have it. It’s double what they say it is.
I think most of us have patience on the backorder. But once a shipping email is sent I agree we expect it in a week. I know some of this falls on usps....but....I do feel there is a chink in Arkens process of getting them out to usps.
Sticky fingers BBQ sauce works great to hold on the turrets!
Crazy shit is....prob does :)
I put three dots of paint on the side focus on my 1 year old ep5 for my yardages. Red for 100, white for 300 and blue for 500. Beyond 500 not too picky. I just got a new epl4 and the yardages seem very close on this new one.
I do the same
I got my EP5 about a week before published lead time.
That is awesome.
Great public service announcement!
Lol.
@@RugerGundog Especially on the lead time thing. Most folk don't understand what that means. Just order that thing and forget about it...then one day it's like Christmas morning when it shows up.
Sometimes I think some people are haters and just come on there to spread false narratives they have heard but have zero real experience with Arken. I do think they are having growing pains and may need to increase some support staff.
I would agree 145% to everything you posted. I ponder if EP5 had been released at $2900 how the world would view it.
Anyone complaining about the "side focus" aka paralax, needs to back up and learn how to use a scope. 99% of markings on paralax knobs are not "accurate". This includes optics that are 5X the cost of Arken. They are simply reference marks. That way you know that at 250yrds, my paralax is in the ballpark of the "400" setting or whatever. They could just as easily mark it with numbers 1 to 10 or whatever. The root of this problem is education.
100% agree
The owners of Arken will, one day, be hailed as Patriots of the highest order for economically equipping Americans to defend the Constitution, "against all enemies, foreign AND DOMESTIC, ...."
Palmeto State basically has said this is their mission.
@@RugerGundog LOL I was about to say, in conjunction with PSA. Magpul for mags, holosun dots, and a few others. Vista Outdoors brands are pretty well actively working against the civilian population at this point.
i'm gonna try the bbq sauce :)
Lol
Never had an issue, with scope or ordering one.
That is great news
YES they need to take the numbers off the side focus. And people need to learn how to set up parallax I.E. side focus.
Amen to that!!
I used my Arken EP-5 mil/mil scope for the last year. It served me well but the reticle only lit up at the center and it wasn't divided into .2 mils. Also, the elevation and windage turret numbers would get out of alignment with the arrow indicator as you turned the turrets. I just purchased a Bushnell Match ED 5-30 and I LOVE it. The reticle is divided into .2 mils (vertical and horizontal), the entire Christmas tree illuminates, the turret numbers always align perfectly with the indicator arrow, and the illumination shuts off after 6 hours of inactivity. The turrets lock, too, which I don't need but the option is there. Finally, the turrets are MUCH easier to set as is the zero stop.
The clicks on your EP5 are one tenth .1 of a mil per click with an array of sub tensions on reticle. If your arrow is not lined up with the arrow this is error on part of your set up. When you zero the rifle and free up the 3 set screws you must on your own alight the markers. As you turn in solutions this alignment should remain true. If it did not your Optic is defective.
As for the center lighting up, that is how it's designed to function. There are pros and cons to this...just a diff approach.
Thanks for checking in I appreciate the feedback
@@RugerGundogI know the Arken's turret adjustments are .1 mil - that's very typical of mil scopes. It's the reticle to which I'm referring: .2 subtensions are much more precise for NRL and PRS shooting (instead of guessing where you are between the 1.0 and 1.5 mark as you have to do with the Arken and other .5-based reticles). If you haven't yet, you'll soon notice a trend in manufacturers offering this kind of reticle. Also, the problem the Arken has with the turret notches coming out of alignment with the indicator has nothing to do with how the user sets up the scope - it's a problem with the turret being manufactured imprecisely. My girlfriend and I both had Arkens. I would align the zero hashmark on the turret perfectly with the indicator on the scope body. I'd dial on, say, 1.7 mils and the indicator would point between 1.7 and 1.8. I'm not trying to be a jerk to you (honestly), but I'm surprised you're not aware of this very, very common issue with low-end scopes (and even some more expensive ones, unfortunately). I've checked my buddies' Arkens at NRL .22 matches and they all have this issue. Actually, I'm also surprised you're not aware of the growing popularity of the .2 mil-divided reticles. I do a lot of PRS and NRL shooting though, so maybe I'm just around this stuff more (I first heard about the trend at the GAP Grind in Tennessee last year as most of the very good shooters were using reticles divided by .2 mils).
@@sonnyburnett2417 Yeah the misalignment of the turret markings is common, even with stuff like night force and leupold. I don't have experience with anything over $2500, but I'd expect it there too. Most scopes, you should be able to learn where they land when you dial(a little left or right of the intended mark). If precision truly matters(1st round hit or you fail) then you should know how to read your scope(see above), count clicks, and take out the backlash. The 0.2 sub-tensions is 100% on you. If you don't like the reticle, don't buy the scope. If you didn't know before you got it, then you should have properly researched it before you clicked add to cart. If it's just the evolution of the game your playing, maybe they will have a 0.2 sub-tension offering one day, but you can't fault a company for not being ahead of a trend before it happens. The good news is they have great resale value and they're not expensive to begin with. Toss it on EB or GB.
Actually now since there are some really upstanding retailers selling Arken optics why would anyone deal directly with Arken and a company that is known online for being difficult to get hold of and not giving you the answers you want concerning delivery times after purchase?
True in some regard. You can earn points worth value and in many cases ordering direct you get first shot at new products. But totally...if someone else has it in stock in most cases yea another source is best bet.
On a side note Arken is not as hard to get ahold of as some make it appear. Many email the wrong address. But most of all quick answers can be found in Facebook group.
Thanks for chiming in .
I have 2 Arken scopes. Had a small problem with the 2nd one. Turret screw was stripped. E-mail and within 12 hours had another turret shipped to me. I think their service is great!
First Arken scope, epl-4, had beautiful glass but when you turned on the illumination, the entire glass glowed red. Returned it the day after it showed up. Got sent a second one and it had black flakes and a spot on the glass. Sent it back in and then got an actual call from Arken. They verified that the first scope had been over polished and the second scope had flakes and he told me that it was a glue spot on the inside obj lenses. Apologized and told me both scopes should have been caught in qc and told me they would send a 3rd out when they came in. I called CameraLand and Jeff told me that they would exchange it for something different. I wasn’t willing to take a chance on a 3rd scope from Arken. I purchased my first one 3-9-23 and literally just got my scope on 1-10-24, 10 months and 1 day after I purchased it. NO THANKS TO ARKEN! Do not buy their products. It’s not even Japanese glass. They purchased Chinese glass, send it to Japan to be polished then sent back to China for final assembly. That came directly from the gentleman I spoke with at Arken!
Sounds like a horrible experience and misfortune you had.
What is name person who told you the "polishing" and origin situation.
My understanding is polishing I not really a measurable difference between glass types, it's coatings. It would be a bolt industry situation for Arken to claim inauthentic origin, in fact that I believe is a legal issue.
Did Arken offer you any compensation for the double hassle?
@@RugerGundog No, they didn’t offer anything for the hassle. It’s fine though. The man I spoke with was named James. Didn’t get his last name. We spoke on 12-8-23, at 2:55pm for 19 minutes 32 seconds. Can provide you with his cell if you like. He told me LOTS of very shocking things about the optic industry, not just Arken
@@RugerGundogthat would be information all your subscribers would appreciate watching a video of, " the patriotic veterans at Arken claiming Chinese glass on their scopes is made in "Japan ".
Just take out the battery you dopehead
My loss I do not do social media. And never will
I bring many topics to light here. If you pop in periodically you be up to date.
Oddly enough I just purchased my second Arken EP-8 scope yesterday. Today I got notified that UPS picked it up and it’s on its way.
My EP-5 scope that I bought about three months ago took the better part of five weeks to get here. Also an FYI anybody who is buying an EP5 scope with halo rings needs to get the (tall)if they are installing on a flat top rail such as a Tikka TAC A1 rifle or an A.R. 15 platform. If you use the Rigid Precision 1 piece mount you’ll be ok
Yea most platforms with a covered barrel use high rings.
@@RugerGundog
I originally ordered medium height rings ….. man it was close.
I put the scope in the saddles, put the caps on finger tight and could barely get a sheer of paper between the pic-rail and scope.
I decided to send them back and get the tall rings that 2 mm higher.
The pisser is Arken does not mention this on their website. Also they don’t mention that you should order the rigid precision 1 piece mount with any flat top / EP-5 combination. I know their busy but this would save them and the customer time by noting these facts. Frankly I would’ve bought the 20 MOA rigid precision mount had I known .
Still love the setup👍🏼
😂😂😂 i have 3 arken and 2 vortex scope..i'll update in your nextvids.. 🎉🎉
At this juncture i would say the Arken optics have fewer product returns and warranty claims....but more customer services issues as they are a bit under staffed. Vortex makes some great stuff, has the staff ...but the trends im seeing is more and more backlash related to product failure.
Not on Facebook
Well.....keep checking in here. I do my best to keep topics current and answer questions.
That's not his problem, it's yours. Like he said, if you're not on it you're SOL. Pretty simple to create an account
Current update: I ordered an EPL-4 from Arken on July 4th, I got an email from Arken saying it shipped on the 5th. I hadn’t received it by the 11th and UPS tracking still said they had a label but had not received the item.
I reached out to Arken and on the 11th they replied and said it was shipped. Fast forward to today (the 17th), UPS still says they don’t have it and Arken is blaming it on UPS. Can’t file a claim with UPS because they say they never received the item. The ball is in Arken’s court, they said they will check with their shipping dept and get back to me.
I’m a patient man but damn! Bear season is right around the corner! Hopefully this is an isolated instance. I’ll update this comment with results.
Keep me posted.....damn
@@RugerGundog Something must’ve gotten mixed up in Arken’s shipping department because they finally apologized, gave me a new tracking number and shipped it out. UPS showed a valid tracking update the next day and I received the scope on the 24th.
Throughout the process Arken’s customer service was responsive and polite, they resolved the issue and even threw in a free hat. Even with all the hassle I’ll likely be buying Arken products in the future.
My problem with them is...... I bought a sh4 first. Talk about terrible glass. Completely usable. But its a very soft almost washed out image. It leaves a lot to be desired. I recommend everyone not even bother with it (especially if you are looking at high magnification models)... just go strait to the EP line. The glass is so much better and the imagine far more bright and crisp.
I myself... have never waited more than a week for an order. Gotta get it from the right people i guess.
That's odd. Perhaps you have a bad sh4 or not dialed in best it could be. Myself and others use ours to shoot at eld distances. We tend to find coatings on ep5 glass assist with less than ideal conditions to improve clarity a tad over sh glass.
I order mine 12/31/23 is been almost 2 weeks 😢 I am still hope next week.😅
I hope so too!
I ordered mine 11/27/23 and still don't have it.
@@skilagig4527 I am still waiting 🙄🤯
Maybe the scope should come with a block of cheese to go with that WINE!!
Already comes with a tissue for tears.
I got a Arken Lpvo In the beginning of November off there site it said 6 weeks lead time it was in my hands in 7-8 days. In my case every looks great in the tube my only gripes are the Arken logo on the objective end is at a 45 degree not a big deal to me but seems like poor QC. However the biggest problem I have is I emailed Arken to ask before I painted my rifle and Arken told me they will void the warranty if you paint the damn thing. Thats really lame
Yea the logo orientation is different model to model and even some production runs I notice
I have 2 Arken's and don't have issues but they are older. I feel like Arken has headed the way Vortex did (imo). They came out with a quality product at a much lower price than competitors, then were overwhelmed by demand. Instead of losing impatient customers they rushed out products while bypassing the QC department. Then they end up with a high % of warranty issues and disgruntled buyers who sour on them. What was once a great value becomes a risky purchase with low expectations and a "buyer beware" warning from many. They will survive because they are cheap but the reputation is suffering already. I can't recommend them anymore....same as any Vortex in that price range.
Well said!!!
Umm I don't believe these are "match" quality unless it's strictly bench rest. I've had all of these issues (if you want to call them issues). It's a cheap optic. You are getting a lot of bang for the money but is you are doing 3 gun or some crazy prs run and gun i would recommend NF or Leupold etc. I love my arkens but they are what they are. You are not gonna get atacr quality out of a 400 dollar scope.
I own a ATACR and use it for blind polling purposes at gun range on 100, 200, 300, 600 yard ranges. You may be quite amazed by the results of well over 100 interviewed. F class competition guys, deer hunters, recreational shooters.
Does NF have a few bells whistles...sure. Am I more accurate at 1000 with it over ep5...nope. I like the NF but the ep5 does the job fine.
All of the issues mentioned in the video are user education based problems... If you're shooting bench rest competitions, you're probably going to be using something much higher end than Arken... Bench rest shooting is the pinnacle of pure precision competitions
The bottom line is if you cannot use the correct mount or zero any scope maybe you should find another hobby. Maybe just stick to air-soft!!
You ain't wrong !!
Any one interest to buy the arken ep5. I ordered it about month ago and just received it less than a week now. It’s quiet heavy for me so I want to sale it to anyone who are interested. For $600 and I also include the flip caps too.
The EP5 cost $350 from certain dealers.
Really? That seems unusually low. Not.a dealer or aware of margins but that seems would be undercutting some.
@@RugerGundog I had some lengthy conversations with several Arken dealers and managed to get one of their price list. The price structure is like multi level marketing. You should set up an affiliate link to earn at least $100 each sale your viewers click to buy through your affiliate discount code link. Which is what everyone else on CZcams does. Earn money while you sleep by doing nothing.
Dealers break even selling the EP5 for $250.
sounds like a scammer company. beware
Logistics between plant and port of exit, port of entry and customs, it all adds up in delays, system is smewhat broken these days. It's a cheap scope with a lot of bling to attract buyers, it's basically functional, you get what you pay for.
I feel the product itself is in a class of its own. My gut tells me some of the situations are possibly related to Arken working with a skeleton crew. I don't know the numbers but know more employees costs money and well....as we know that is generally passed on to consumer via product cost. Rumor of the small staff size of.Arken it's amazing they do as well as they do
Sounds like you sell scopes and you are mad that you aren't getting the high profit margins from what you sell because everyone is buying an arken.
Nope. I'm a mechanic and buy my scopes. I'm making content and sharing common situations from multiple platforms of media that I interact with other Arken owners.
I would be entertained to hear how you would come to this conclusion based on this, lol. Thanks for chiming in though.
if you have a contact number or email that I could talk to you about bore sighting my rifle with my new Arken scope I would love to talk to you. Arken does not have a customer support number and it makes it pretty difficult to find anything out
Rdmiller74@gmail.com