You won’t find more vociferous groups of fanboys and haters than Vortex and Arken owners. Online, each is convinced their scope is the best. Today we are going to compare their 5-25×56 FFP long-range scope offerings and see who is right: the Strike Eagle (street price $700-$800) and the EP5 GenII 5-25×56 (street price $335-$535).

The Strike Eagle ships with both a throw lever and sun shade. The EP5 ships only ships with a sun shade but in the past, Arken has offered a bundled promotional “Accuracy Pack”: a throw lever, scope rings, and bubble level. The EP5 tested is one such scope.

Physically, the EP5 appears more stoutly constructed. The EP5 has the better-quality turrets. Its clicks are loud, crisp, and precise. The Strike Eagle feels mushy by comparison. The EP5’s turrets are also quite tall and oversized turrets which provides more physical space for larger and easier-to-read numbering.

Optically both scopes are surprisingly similar. The Strike Eagle also offers a more forgiving eye box. The Strike Eagle has a brighter and higher contrast image but with slightly more chromatic aberration at high power. Both scopes performed identically in resolving detail in my US Air Force reference chart.

In the end, both scopes’ optical performances were so similar that it’s pointless to claim one is “better” than the other. The Strike Eagle had a slightly brighter image but with more chromatic aberration. The Arken Long-range shooters will be well served with either scope for their similar optical performance. But for conscious shooters, the Discovery Optics ED-PRS is the clear winner.

BUY

Arken EP5 on Amazon: https://amzn.to/4h7Vnio

Vortex Strike Eagle on Amazon: https://amzn.to/4gA4Ejq

RESOLUTION

ED-PRS: Group -1 / Element 6

Strike Eagle: Group -1 / Element 6

SPECS