Arken SH4 Gen II 4 16x50mm FFP Scope Review - TTS

[@commonsense5709]

It's a good scope for $289 direct from Arken's website. They recently lowered their prices on all of their SH4 scopes in both MOA and MIL. $299 for the 6-24x which I wouldn't recommend due to limitations of their cheap HD glass but it's fine in their 4-16x50.

[@commonsense5709]

It looks like they are bypassing the commissions they won't need to pay the dealers and youtube reviewers/ affiliate link sellers commissions if you buy direct from Arken instead of using a dealer or youtube affiliate link.

[@commonsense5709]

Don't expect perfect glass even in their EP5 "Japanese ED glass" which probably isn't (based on industry standards) even for $425 their recent sale price 25% off last month August 2022 with promo code might not be worth it for anyone who expects perfect glass at high magnification. It's good when only used up to 20x though.

[@TheThinkingShooter]

Thank you for the comment and the insight. I haven't dealt with any of their 6-24 optics, only the 4-16 ones. I will say that the vast majority of optics on the market (at least from what I have dealt with and from listening to others) start having some less than stellar optical resolution at the upper end of the magnification spectrum let alone max power so that is a pretty common occurrence, but obviously there are exceptions. Their HD glass really isn't any cheaper than a lot of the other names in the industry. From my experience, it's not really any better or worse (or to rephrase, better than some, worse than some), just decent usable glass on an optic that performs really well.

[@Tunnelrat6666]

I have a SH4 6-24 and love it for the money how can you not. But I did not spend $300 on a scope and expected glass as good a $2000 scope.

[@TheDude1764]

@@Tunnelrat6666 This. I wanted the features, the quality build and solid tracking. I’m not ready to invest in high-end glass but don’t want to settle for crap turrets right now.

[@weekendwarrior556]

Was about to buy and now they also have a lightweight version. Going to get one or other from all the reviews I'm seeing they're very high value for price

[@saclett]

I just received mine about 2wks ago. I’m enjoying what I got. I purchased the combo pack with my purchase. My winning point is that my Wife was happy with the price.

[@TheThinkingShooter]

Great to hear!

[@commonsense5709]

Very good through and one of the few honest Arken reviews on KZbin.

[@commonsense5709]

Surprised you didn't opt to set up an affiliate link to earn 18% - 25% commission through Arken for all scopes clicked on your KZbin link like the countless other KZbinrs do. Talk about daily passive residual income just from one KZbin video review. This is no doubt proof of your total honesty right here and not shilling for the brand.

[@TheThinkingShooter]

Thank you, I appreciate the feedback.

[@TheThinkingShooter]

I will be honest, they didn't offer to set me up with an affiliate link. and even if they did, I don't know that I would want to do an affiliate for a review because even as honest as I am in my reviews, it can come across as shilling. Now if they sponsored my channel, I would be more than willing to use affiliate links. Just don't really know if I want to go down that route for a review when my goal is to give honest feedback good or bad, and I don't want to help sell a product that I think is bad even though that's not the case for the Arken optics as I think everything they have put out up to this point has been absolutely awesome.

[@karuuk3536]

Thanks so much for this review. I have been looking at this for a while. I have been using Primary Arms scopes and really like them but this one really looks amazing. Can't wait to get one.

[@TheThinkingShooter]

You're welcome! I'm glad you enjoyed it. Ive heard a lot of really good things about the primary arms optics. Ive only gotten to use one that one of my buddies has, so I dont have a whole lot of experience with them. I would love to get one on the channel.

[@tonto8069]

Just ordered one of these. On sale for $299 and their combo kit for $20. Can’t wait to get it.

[@coleschwab6725]

Did you get it yet?

[@tonto8069]

@@coleschwab6725 yes. Took about a week and a half. Glass looks good. Can’t wait to mount in on my long range gun compared to my Vortex PST. Soon as my cast comes off I’m out.

[@twissted1277]

Ii just sent $503.00 to ebay to buy the Vector Optics 3-18x50 Continental. Its amazing.

[@commonsense5709]

Mid to late September 2022 - The SH4 4-16x50 is now $289 or $315 with combo pack and $299 or $325 with combo pack for the junky 6-24x version. The EP5 was $424 last month August 2022. I think the 4-16x50 SH4 is their best scope in their entire lineup and the EP5 comes in second place.

[@commonsense5709]

The 6-24x SH4 is junk, the glass they use doesn't have the ability or quality to support a 24x but is barely good enough for their 4-16x.

[@TheThinkingShooter]

Thank you for the input

[@powermad321]

Get the combo pack with it and it has everything. The mount is decent but 20 MOA cant isn't really needed. There's enough travel as is for 1200 yds on a 16" .308 Which is beyond what I can do with it. Has a good image at 1200 yards though. For the $400 it was money well spent. I did end up swapping out the mount for a 1.93" MWI

[@TheThinkingShooter]

I generally put a 20 MOA rail on any precision rifle because somewhere around the last 10-15% of the adjustments are generally not reliable enough to use. If its a hunting a rifle that isn't going past 300 yards, then I'll use a flat or 0 MOA base

[@rustynut1967]

My only complaint is the reticle is a little to fine for my old eyes, especially for a FFP scope.

[@josephandersen9516]

Wow that's crazy how they put out quality stuff seemingly without cutting any corners!

[@TheThinkingShooter]

Thank you for the comment. Like a vast majority of other brands, they are made overseas (China to be specific) so they are able to cut down costs that way. The impressive thing is how much lower the cost is than others that also have their optics made overseas (also in China)

[@josephandersen9516]

I have noticed how a lot of companies are made in China nowadays. Even the "assembled in America" brands still source their glass from over there. Dollar for dollar this seems hard to beat!

[@andrewslagle1974]

@@josephandersen9516 there are only a few companies making glass in the usa any more!

[@josephandersen9516]

@@andrewslagle1974 that's what I've noticed as well. Most glass comes off the same assembly line overseas

[@commonsense5709]

Sometimes you need to sift through the bad ones though but their warranty customer with free return shipping label is great. There is a good percentage of bad ones mixed in with the good ones. Just be aware of this fact and they aren't Athlon and Bushnell who sells Chinese scopes with higher quality control standards. This is how Arken can sell their EP5 as cheap as $425 sale last month ended and their SH4s current lowered prices for $289 4-14x50 and $299 6-24x direct from Arken.

[@douglasrjohnson1]

Nice overview!

[@TheThinkingShooter]

Thank you for the kind words!

[@tabathathompson3969]

Great content!

[@jdmbraceyourself695]

Awesome

[@TheThinkingShooter]

Thank you

[@johnlong384]

Glad to see that you like beer, do yourself a favor and switch from the Lite stuff to Yuengling Lager which is in the same price range @ WallyWorld!

[@TheThinkingShooter]

Yeungling is pretty good. The beer in the video is just whatever I had in the fridge lol

[@linkchen8245]

Great review ! subbed. How do you feel its optical quality compare to the pervious ones you have reviewed, the hawke, vector and others? Can you roll in some footage of your distance shooting ?

[@TheThinkingShooter]

Thank you! Unfortunately I dont have any footage of the range from this scope as this was recorded before I got a second camera to setup for shooting footage. I will say the optical quality in this scope is not terrible, but there is nicer glass. I think the Hawke had the best glass out of all of them. The main draw for this scope is the features and price. As others have said before, its the best bang for the buck. It has 100% tracking guarantee as well as a lot of other features you'd see in higher end scopes, the glass is the lacking part, but its still usable and I have definitely seen a lot worse. I know other youtubers like the social regressive commented and said the optical quality was an absolute break for him and thats fine, everyone is different in what they want in something they are spending money on. While yes I wouldn't at all object to glass that is a bit nicer, I didn't find the scope unusable and not worth the price. I still think its a fantastic scope that I have shot out to 800 yards with, but in the end, yes there are much nicer scopes out there, but these guys are still punching way above their weight class and doing things for the money that other companies are not who charge a lot more

[@richardwhite9235]

A birdy told me that one of the upcoming topics might have something to do with weapon lights. I’d like to see how various mounting solutions hold up during a drop test. Like MLok mounted vs Pic Rail mounted, and perhaps even cantilevered lights that are extended past the handguard. Maybe use your drop jig with a dummy rifle or sometime the same approximate weight as the mounting platform.

[@williamclayton1433]

Hey i own both sh4 gen 2 and ep 5 both reticle are fully lighted not just center taken it out in dark or low light dont know why all reviews say that if yours dont must be different from mine

[@TheThinkingShooter]

That is interesting to hear. All of their optics that I have dealt with only have the center part illuminated. I know that the image they use to show their reticle only shows the center part illuminating as well, so I don't believe the entire reticle is supposed to light up. I could be wrong. That would be interesting to hear from them for sure. I will have to ask them.

[@brandonfrostick5430]

Did they say anything in regards to the turrets being too easy to turn? Is there a more "rugged" version that they sell that isn't as easy in the event they get bumped or dropped? Do they offer a mil dot reticle or MRAD style like Vortex instead of MOA? Do you know the origin of the glass for the optic and where the optic is made?

[@TheThinkingShooter]

Thank you for the comment. They did not comment on the turrets being too easy to turn. It is possible their new EP5 line of scopes have turrets that are a bit stiffer, but I do not know for sure as I have not had the chance to play with one of those. All of their optics are available in both MRAD and MOA. As far as I am aware, all of their glass is Japanese.

[@andrewslagle1974]

Arken scopes blow vortex away! There turrets are some of the best we have seen on any scope .Fore sure the best in that price point .Also life time warranty .Go watch cyclops test videos on Arken Go watch some of the big channels reviews on this brand you will be surprised .

[@commonsense5709]

All Arken scope models are made in China so you can't possibly expect good quality control unless it's the Chinese made scopes from Burris or Athlon. He probably had defective turrets if they aren't distinctly clicky. Lots of people had to send their Arken scopes in for warranty exchange since day 1 it's nothing new about Arken but they do have good customer warranty exchange service and they send a prepaid return shipping label since they already expect a lot to be defective right out of their box. Once you get a good one then you should be fine for a while. Just don't have high expectations in the glass quality if you want to use high magnification. None of them including their EP5 are perfectly clear at 25x or 24x. Their 4-16x50 SH4 at their new lower price of $289 direct from Arken right now is barely worth it IMHO but the 6-24x version pretty much sucks at high magnification you need to lower the magnification to 16x to get a decent quality image and not worth the new $299 lowered price IMHO. Their EP5 during last months sale for $425 is barely worth $425 since their image goes bad past 20x. It sure doesn't seem like they use real "Japanese ED glass" that Japanese scopes typically use where it's clear all the way to their highest magnification.

[@tedsell1455]

You Think it would be good for Air Rifle Hunting ,Target out to 100. Yds ?

[@TheThinkingShooter]

I honestly am not sure because of how the recoil forces differ in air rifles. I will admit I do not do much with air rifles. I would look into some other folks that do air rifle stuff for that because like I said, I dont really deal with that stuff. If I get into in the future, I may do some videos on air rifles and scopes.

[@stevenbaker572]

👍

[@mrjeffjob]

This is a great scope that punches way above its weight class. I have a $2100 Nightforce NX8 I regret buying, a Leupold 8.5-25x50 LRP I regret buying. Also a Tract 4-20x50. They’re all fine scopes that probably have much higher quality control than Arken. They’re also lighter weights than Arken. All that being said the Arken is dollar for dollar hands down the best bang for the buck. In fact if they’d make them here instead of enriching our arch enemy China I’d be willing to pay $1000 for it. It really is that good

[@TheThinkingShooter]

I agree, and what you said is pretty much what I was trying to convey in the video. No this scope is not objectively better than a night force, or leupold. But it is on par with numerous scopes in the $1000 range I have used, and from my experience I would take this one over a lot of the $1000 scopes I have used, but not all.

[@Overkill06]

I was a schmuck and bought one when they first came out for $399. It is an okay scope for $289. But now that I have one and have tried to use it I might have a hard time even at that price point. Like anybody else I like to get a good deal and I thought I was but I was too spoiled by higher and optics and was trying to put this one on the same level. That was my fault. I would not use it as a beginner scope as unless they have done something about the ibox then make it a little frustrating for a beginner.

[@TheThinkingShooter]

There's definitely a lot going on in the reticle. I dont think it is bad for a beginner, but it does require some learning. You're not going to take someone who is unfamiliar with reticles and give it to them and expect them to know what they're looking. Maybe you got a bad scope or I just got a good one, but I didn't have any eye box issues. Keep in mind this is just an example of one

[@rolandgeorges960]

Decent for $300. Btw. So many reviews on KZbin about Arken scopes with the most ridiculous comments and comparisons; no, ladies and gentlemen, this is not a Smidt & Bender, Nightforce, Leupold, Zeiss, Swarovski etc. like so many reviewers claim, not even remotely close. This is a $300 scope with mediocre glass, a parallax adjustment far from accurate, leaking in submerging water test, purge valve badly engineered, sticking out on the bottom of the scope, which might give you not enough clearance depending on your setup, what were they thinking. On the other hand, Arken is not claiming that their scopes are on par or just below the scopes I mentioned above, so, no blame to Arken, just reviewers eager to make a buck advertising, unfortunately providing the wrong info on naive buyers.

[@TheThinkingShooter]

I appreciate the comment. I know I didn't make any money by saying the kind things I did. While I wouldn't say its on par with any that you listed, I do think its a great optic for the money and honestly, in a lot of cases better than what you get from some of the other companies that you'd pay two, sometimes three times the cost of the Arken scopes. I personally wouldn't include S&B some of the best scopes out there as having been in a position where I've dealt with a few hundred of them, I was vastly disappointed especially for what they cost. I think the others you listed are great and are way better than S&B.

[@rolandgeorges960]

@@TheThinkingShooter You make good reviews and I appreciate your time for doing so. I have 2 S&B never had any problems, I'm a Leupold guy, never been disappointed. If Arken would attend to the negative comments I made (negative, nevertheless objective) and put better coatings on that Japanese glass (EP5) or put Schott glass & make them in their facility in Texas, I would gladly pay $1000 +.

[@kinjunranger140]

I have seen 10+ Arken reviews and have never seen anybody claim they are as good as those other ones.

[@johnlew5972]

Very hard to hear/understand you. Appreciate the review but ask some trusted friends if they agree with me.

[@TheThinkingShooter]

I'll see what I can find out, this is the first time I'm hearing anything on audio issues, but I will look into it. Thank you for the feedback

[@johnlew5972]

Watched more...your not even talking into the mic

[@TheThinkingShooter]

Lol oh well