There are some good reasons that most LPVO options on the market are second focal plane optics. First, they're simpler and less expensive to make. They also tend to be lighter. And then there's the fact that most people use their LPVO at either 1X or maximum magnification...whether that's 6X, 8X or even 10X.
If you're one of those people, then the variability of the reticle markings at different magnifications in an SFP scope doesn't really come into play.
However, lots of folks like the comfort in knowing that the reticle in their scope will be accurate at any zoom magnification. That means they need a first focal plane optic. The biggest hurdle there is that first focal plane LPVOs tend to be expensive. Arken Optic changed that a few years ago with their EP-8 1-8x28 FFP LPVO.
Look around the interwebs and you'll see that a first focal plane LPVO will start at about a grand and go up to the very tony $2500 neighborhood. And then there's the Arken.
The Chinese-made EP-8 has an MSRP of $479. If you look at their sight, it's priced right now at $374.98. And Amazon lists it for $299. So yes, this is a budget-priced, first focal plane LPVO that sells at a fraction of the price of most FFP LPVOs.
That ultra-low price is nice, of course, but only if the optic itself isn't a steaming pile of junk that hard to use and doesn't let you hit what you're aiming at.
Refreshingly, the Arken EP-8 is not that at all. It's a surprisingly well-made, very functional LPVO that gives first focal plane-lovers what they want in a package that won't drain their savings.
Arken also packs the EP-8 with extras. The only version listed on their site is a bundle that includes the scope pre-mounted in their Rigid Precision zero MOA LPVO mount and ships with a pair of Arken's Flip-Its flip-up caps.
Being the hopeless cynic I am, I got out the levels and tested the scope once it arrived. All was as it should be. The EP-8 pre-mounted by Arken sat dead-level in its mount.
The image above shows the cleanly-machined aluminum throw lever that's included in the box which you can choose to use or not. The zoom ring has a 180 degree throw between 1X to 8X and adjusts very smoothly...more so than some other LPVOs I've used that cost more.
The EP-8 has capped, low-profile windage and elevation turrets that adjust in quarter MOA increments. This is one of the places you expect to notice corners had been cut in the production of a budget optic. Nope. On the contrary, the EP-8's turrets are as clean, crisp and tactile as any I've tried on any rifle scope. They are surprisingly good.
The scope's etched reticle is illuminated and runs on a standard 2032 battery that's screwed into the brightness adjustment dial on the left side. And this is where we come to one of my (minor) gripes with the EP-8.
There are 11 brightness settings; nine standard and two night vision compatible. Some scope designs have off positions between each brightness setting. That keeps you from having to spin the dial like a game show host each time you want to adjust or turn the illumination off. The EP-8 doesn't have those off positions in between, so you you'll be dialing.
It’s not a big thing, but it's something that, once you become used to it on other scopes, you miss it when it's not there.
Once you're mounted and zero'd -- I put the EP-8 on my go-to Stag SPCTRM AR and dialed it in at 50 yards -- you start to get a feel for the scope's unique reticle.
Arken suggests zeroing at 50 yards, which is a good idea for most .223/5.56 AR-15 Rifles. That puts you dead-on target at 50 and 200 yards and two inches high at 100.
At 1X, the reticle looks like a standard "donut of death" with a small central dot. Zoom in to 8X and you see Arken's KL Box BDC reticle. It looks like there's a lot going on there, but it's easy enough to use once you understand it. Aside from the central horseshoe and aim point, there's a kind of a Christmas tree below it with a bunch of 90 degree angles.
Those angles are ranging tools approximating torso width and height at ranges from 400 to 800 yards. Arken's instruction manual -- which, may I say, is one of the best I've ever seen...it's written in standard, conversational English by someone who's actually familiar with the language -- doesn't really specify which bullet weight the reticle is calibrated for, though it seems to emphasize 62 grain pills.
That said, I tested the scope using standard bulk American Eagle 55 grain ammo at my range that has steel out to 500 yards. I found the BDC markings useful for getting you on target or very close quickly. And using those torso ranging marks on steel silhouettes at known distances proved accurate as well.
Zoomed out, the EP-8 gives you a true 1X view. There's some slight distortion at the edges at 1X, but you only really notice it when you're panning from side to side, and then only if you're looking for it.
Some may find that small center aiming point difficult to see at 1X when illumination is off. That generally wasn't a problem for me, but using illumination in daylight made it easier.
Another item to note is the EP-8's eye box. Arken lists the eye relieve at 3.74 inches. That's fairly typical for an LPVO of this magnification range. From using the scope, I can say that the scope's eye box is...okay. It's not bad, but it's not as large or forgiving as others I've used. I'm no optics expert, but I assume that designing a rifle scope with the biggest, most forgiving eye box means a design that costs more than you'll pay for a budget-priced LPVO like the EP-8.
Again, I had no problem lining up and using the scopew, but there's less margin for error in the eye box than I've found in similar, more expensive optics.
Arken says the EP-8 uses Japanese ED glass and I'll take their word for that. They also say it's fog proof. I carried my rifle from my non-European, incredibly comfortable 71-degree air conditioned American house directly outside into the 92-degree high humidity soup of an Austin, Texas afternoon. It didn't fog up, so I'm buying the fog-proof claim, too.
As for its waterproofedness, I popped the scope off of the rifle and dunked it into a full kitchen sink and left it there for five minutes (turret caps on). After dabbing it dry, I found no evidence of dihydrogen monoxide inside any of the important parts.
Arken also says the EP-8 is .50 BMG rated. Sadly, I don't own or have access to a .50 cal rifle, so didn't test this scope with one. While that sounds like all kinds of fun (assuming someone else is picking up the ammo cost) I'm not sure it's really necessary. LPVOs are overwhelmingly used on AR platform rifles, lever guns and some hunting rifles depending on what and where you're hunting. I've never seen an LPVO mounted on a .50 cal, but whatever. You do you.
In the end, the Arken EP-8 is an optic that's worthy of note. If you're someone who's dead-set on having a first focal plane LPVO on your AR (or lever gun or what have you) but don't have the stack of samolians to drop on a Nightforce, a Trijicon or similar, the EP-8 is a very attractive choice. And that KL Box reticle is excellent. I was able to easily, consistently ring steel at ranges from 100 to 500 yards using it.
No, the EP-8 isn't perfect. No scope is. But the fact that there's a FFP LPVO option available at this kind of very affordable price point is a huge plus.
Specifications: Arken EP-8 1-8X FFP LPVO Rifle Scope
Magnification: 1 to 8X
Objective Lens: 28mm
Focal Plane: First
Glass: Multicoated Japanese
Reticle: KL Box BDC
Click Value: .25 MOA
Adjustment Range: 110 MOA elevation and windage
Tube Diameter: 34mm
Eye Relief: 3.74 inches
Length: 10.5 inches
Weight: 21 ounces
Made In: China
MSRP: $479 (about $299 retail)
– Dan Zimmerman