Meprolights vs Trijicons...

[piece of meat]

noticed something that made me wonder if there is something off with a set of nightsights i got. a few months ago i ordered and got installed a set of Meprolights (Tru glo's) for my CZ; they were the only night sights i had, and i was impressed with the big glowing green dots in the dark.
recently i picked up a XD that came with night sights- they turned out to be Trijicons. upon initial inspection (in bright light) the first thing i noticed was that they were small compared to the meprolights. but then when the lights were turned out and...

the Trijicons absolutely destroyed the Meprolights as far as brightness.

initially when i saw the mepros on my CZ, they were impressive, but now comparatively, they look like unimpressive dim bulbs. the Trijicons on the xd- though smaller in size- are so much brighter its not even funny.
not only that, the white circle surrounding them is far brighter as well. even here with a flourescent light on them, the mepros look like faint blobs, but i can still see the glow of the trijicons as well as the strongly contrasting white circle around them.

i dont know if my Mepros are already dimming (they shouldnt be, considering they supposedly last 10 years), but if they are not then to anyone looking for night sights, i would STRONGLY recommend the Trijicons.

 

[REAPER4206969]

Meprolight lamps use an acrylic, convex window to create large "glowing orbs." Trijicon lamps use a precision cut sapphire crystal to create sharp, bright dots.

 

[MrIzhevsk]

I have a question somewhat related to this. I have a Jericho, and I've looked up different night sights just as a thought, and I've noticed that both Meprolight and Trijicon make night sights. But does it really matter which I go with? The ones I have on there are somewhat "novak" ramped style. If I buy a set of night sights, can I have a gun smith just fit them to the gun?

 

[CPshooter]

I personally like the spacing and alignment of the Meprolights myself and tend to shoot them more accurately and align them more quickly. True, the Trijicons provide a brighter and more precision (but smaller) dot when the lights are off, but during daylight and semi-dark conditions where the sights are still visible, I think the Meprolights still offer a better sight picture. I've owned two sets of Trijicons. One was on a Kahr pm9 and the other was on a Glock 27. I honestly didn't like them. On the other hand, I have a H&K P2000sk that came as a LEO package (Meps came on them) and I absolutely love them.

You can't really go wrong with either if you're looking for a 3-dot night sight, but when you factor in all possible light conditions I think the Meps come out on top.

Just my 2 cents...

 

[gb6491]

the Trijicons absolutely destroyed the Meprolights as far as brightness.

I suspect you have a set of faulty or old Meprolights.
Here is a shot (taken in a dark room) of my CW45 slide with Trijicons (left) and my G27 slide with Meprolights:

As others mentioned, the Trijicons give a slightly brighter and more precise dot, but (IMO) they hardly destroy the Meprolights in regards to brightness.
I find both to be quality sights and totally adequate in the dark, but I tend to agree with CPshooter in that "I think the Meprolights still offer a better sight picture" in all light conditions.
Regards,
Greg

 

[legion3]

I prefer the Meprolights as well, the day white rings are much easier to see, and I disagree with the statement that trjicons are brighter at night.

I have 3 different types on current carry guns (Meps, Glock factory and Trij's) While I won't be taking the trjicons off they are definately not worth the extra money that it costs to have them installed over MEPS.

Glock factory sights seem closer to Mep's.

Both work and work well but around here its like $80 for meps installed and $100 or more for trijicons.

Ameriglo's did not like them at all.

 

[REAPER4206969]

Glock factory sights seem closer to Mep's.

Glock NS's use Meprolight lamps. There are only two producers of tritium lamps for firearm sights. Trijicon in the U.S., and Meprolight in Israel.

 

[MCMXI]

My Kimber Tactical Entry II and SIG P220 Combat came with Meprolight MH3 night sights and I couldn't be happier with them, day or night. SIG calls them SIGLITE® Night Sights but they're stamped MH3. They seem to be plenty bright in the dark. I'll be upgrading four other SIGs to Meprolight sights as well ... time to buy a SIG sight adjustment tool I guess.

 

[usp9]

My vote goes to Mepro. I like the larger sight dot, which is easier to pick up in lighted as well as dim conditions for me. The larger dot is simply kinder to my aging eyes. Brightness seems to be equal between the brands, IMHO.

Left -Mepro, Right - Trijicon

 

[foxmoor]

I've had both and prefer the Trijicons. I find their white ring easier to see in daylight than the Meps and they're about equal in dim/dark situations. Of course, I'm possibly swayed by the fact that Trijicon is just down the road a bit here in Michigan. Just my $0.02............

Kent in MI

 

[P97]

I researched both and looked at guns with both before going with Trijicon on my CCW. I'm very happy with it, and also the fact that they are made in USA. My CCW was also made in USA.

 

[gofastman]

sounds like 6 of one, half a dozen of the other.
I like Meps better, especially in brighter conditions.

 

[Marshall]

My preference is Trijicon. They seem sharper, to me.

 

[MCMXI]

the Trijicons absolutely destroyed the Meprolights as far as brightness.

Meprolight specifically states ...

"Front dots are deliberately brighter than rear dots, encouraging focus on front sight and beyond."

.... just a thought.

 

[gofastman]

Meprolight specifically states ...

"Front dots are deliberately brighter than rear dots, encouraging focus on front sight and beyond."

.... just a thought.

I was thinking the same thing, I like that philosophy too.
the rear sights on the trijicons in gb6491 picture certainly look a tad brighter.

 

[DustyVermonter]

I want to eventually get some Triji's on my G26, other than that I'm pretty much a box stock plain jane kind of guy.

Hoppin over into that other realm of thinking, night-sites could give away one's position couldn't it?

Also, I'm thinking that in a situation as stressful and unsettling as drawing your weapon to take another life, I don't think I'd have the presence of mind to line up my sites, at that point I think I'd be shooting to point of aim.

I would love to have a set of iron triji's on my AR and my Saiga though.

BTW, @ USP9, what kind of guns are those in the pic? They look kind of like Glock but the slide cover plates look different, although the non-stock ones vary in appearance.

 

[REAPER4206969]

Kahr?

 

[usp9]

Kahr?

Yes. A K9 on the left, a P9 on the right. Since the picture was taken the P9's 9 or 10year old Trijicons have been replaced by a new set of Mepros.

As an aside; The Trijicons were still usable after 9 years. They were dimmed, but I could still easily see them, but I prefer the Mepros so I replaced them a bit earlier than necessary.

My understanding concerning tritium is that it is what it is, universally the same, so that brightness is a factor of age, not brand. Vial size, tube size, and color are the qualities that affect perception of visual acuity . At least that's what I thought...

 

[bannockburn]

Count me as another vote in favor of Trijicons. I also like the bright ring for easy sight aquisition in the daylight.

 

[jsbethel]

The cheapass in me likes the fact that at the end of their usable life, Trijicons can be relamped by the factory for $18 a lamp. Most people probably don't think that far ahead but it is a factor to consider since Meprolight does not offer the same service. I sent a set in for this service a few weeks ago and the sights came back looking like new.

 

[skimbell]

I went with Trijicon when I refinished/modified this gun because Trijicon is the only place I could find a sight cut for this weapon.
I have another gun with Meprolights and they're good too, but I prefer the Trij's.

 

[KBintheSLC]

I had the same experience as the OP. I have Mepro's on my G26 and Trij on my G20. The Mepro's are much less bright. They are still nice, just more dim. Actually, they are the least bright of any brand of night sight I have in my safe.

Also, I'm thinking that in a situation as stressful and unsettling as drawing your weapon to take another life, I don't think I'd have the presence of mind to line up my sites, at that point I think I'd be shooting to point of aim.

That is a bit of a contradiction. I mean, how can you shoot to "point of aim" if you don't bother to aim?

 

[orionengnr]

[thread drift]

Also, I'm thinking that in a situation as stressful and unsettling as drawing your weapon to take another life...

As a point of order, I am not drawing my weapon to take another life. I am drawing the weapon to protect my life. One is murder, the other is self defense.

Words mean things...

[/thread drift]

 

[Dot_mdb]

The cheapass in me likes the fact that at the end of their usable life, Trijicons can be relamped by the factory for $18 a lamp. Most people probably don't think that far ahead but it is a factor to consider since Meprolight does not offer the same service. I sent a set in for this service a few weeks ago and the sights came back looking like new.

+1. I have both and the replacement factor tips the balance in favor of the Trijs. Both are useable so why not get the replacement advantage? That is an especially nice feature when you are buying a used gun.

Bill

 

[gatopardo]

None wins

This one wins:

When i see a real photo in dim conditions like this one( not complete darkness, not photoshoped, in good focus ) not illustrations maybe I'll believe, in the meantime a growing demand for Glow-On.com super phosphorescent tells me otherwise.
Gato