First Impressions: Meprolight's New RDS

[Tomac]

First off, I just had hand surgery for a damaged tendon so pics/range report will have to wait (sorry). As it is I'm having to type this one-handed so apologies for any brevity on my part.
Disclaimer: I have no affiliation w/Mako or Meprolight except as a retail customer.
Pics/basic info here: http://www.idfholsters.com/Detail.aspx?PROD=1077210

Appearance: At first glance this looks similar to an Eotech, what with the blockish design & HUD.

Observations:
Optic feels solid in the hand and weighs 11.4oz w/the included alkaline AA battery installed. FOV through the optic has the same wide-open feeling as the Eotech's HUD. If there's any lens tint, I can't see it.
Battery compartment is nicely threaded and has a rubber gasket to keep out moisture. A battery orientation graphic is on the side of the compartment and the cap is tethered to the body of the optic.
Switch has both audible and tactile feedback and I like how few settings there are (off, high, medium, low & NV, do we really need 20 different brightness settings on a combat optic?). Location is easy to access/use w/the support hand. On high in the bright Idaho sun, I could get dot to wash out only when aiming at the white trim of my house 6' away w/direct sunlight coming over my shoulder. I'll post about lowlight use w/a taclight when physically able.
Due to my astigmatism the dot is somewhat distorted but still sharper than other reticles I have used, still very usable for me (YMMV).
The QD mount appears non-obtrusive and easy to adjust, better than the Meprolight M21's QD mount, IMHO. It provides an appx 1/3 cowitness so if you want absolute I'm afraid you're out of luck.
There is a front-side signature, but it's not head-on. It's only visible when looking down at the optic from an angle. ie: If you're aiming at someone, they'll see no front-side signature. However, if someone is standing directly behind and far enough above your target, it's possible they could detect the dot. It's also theoretically possible to get reflection off the angled front of the prism but that takes an ideal lighting situation (in other words, I'm not worried about front-side signature or reflections).
Unlike the Eotech, the HUD of the Meprolight RDS is a solid prism so whether the hood is aluminum (as on the first 400 RDS') or polymer should have little effect on the ruggedness of the optic.
W/E adjustments are .5moa (better then the latest M21's 1moa and much better then the original M21's 1.7moa) w/definite clicks and are easily adjusted w/a small coin like a nickel.
I'm currently testing the motion sensor, more on that later.

Bottom line: Until I can get in some range time (hopefully in several days), I have to say I'm impressed w/the features offered for the price. The only possible downside I can think of at this time is if you just can't live w/o an absolute cowitness.
Tomac

ETA: After several tests it appears the auto-shutoff is set for 30 minutes (accurate enough that I even watched it turn off once). If I'm *very* slow & careful I can tilt the unit back and forth w/o reactivating the dot. However, even the slightest tap on the optic will reactivate the dot.

 

[Tomac]

Update: Got them mounted & cowitnessed w/my BUIS (which should make sighting-in easier when I can finally hit the range), QD mounts adjusted easily and clamped-down solidly, no worries there. Did a lowlight test in my darkened garage using the 500 lumen Inforce WMLx on my rifles. I was very surprised that the dot was still visible at the low setting even when aiming at a white wall 6' away. The dot was very visible on the medium setting, I believe that will be my default setting in the future. This optic is looking better and better.
Tomac

 

[B!ngoFuelUSN]

Thanks for working on the review. By comparison (if you have used one), does your astigmatism have similar effects on the Eotech dot? I have a mild astigmatism and some red dots are affected more than others.
B

 

[Tomac]

Good question. Actually, I originally switched to the Meprolight M21 (tritium/fiber optics, similar to the Trijicon Reflex) due to my astigmatism. Eotech/Aimpoint reticles were becoming increasingly distorted but the M21's reticle was sharp/crisp to me.
The dot on the RDS is a little distorted but not so bad that I don't feel comfortable using it (YMMV).
I recently did a nightshoot w/the RDS and I was surprised that I only needed the low brightness setting on the RDS when using my 500 lumen WMLx weapons light from 10-100yds.
Tomac

 

[AlphaVictorTango]

Thank you for the great post. What are you using for your front sling quick release mount?

 

[Tomac]

This:http://www.bravocompanyusa.com/QD-Rotation-Limited-Sling-MOUNT-N-SLOT-p/iwc-sqdrlf0.htm
Originally had it at 9 o'clock but it cramped my hand w/it sharing the same side as my WMLx weapons light. Moving it to the top has worked very well w/no problems and it's not visible through the RDS.
Tomac

 

[kravman4]

Hey all, new to THR. Been lurking for awhile and finally decided to register.

Glad to see someone is doing a review on a Meprolight product. I don't have much experience with Meprolight (Aimpoint for me) but I am considering moving up to a Trijicon sgiht and was curious how Meprolight compared to Trijicon. Will be waiting for updates!

 

[Tomac]

I've owned/used several of the Meprolight tritium/fiber optic M21's and IMHO they're superior to the similar Trijicon offerings. My Trijicon reticles would bloom/distort in bright sunlight, the M21 reticles don't and the M21 is more resistant (but not immune) to reticle washout under certain lighting conditions (like aiming out a window from a dark room into bright sunlight).
I wouldn't have replaced my M21's w/the new RDS if the new RDS didn't have so many of the features I want in an optic (.5moa adjustments, 2moa dot, long battery life, AA battery, wide-open Eotech-style HUD, easy to access/use control knob, QD mount and the motion-sensing auto-on/off feature). At the new RDS's price ($399), I consider it a steal.
Tomac