Im thinking about upgrading to an Element Nexus, just wondering if they are going to release a new model soon. Anyone know?
Element Optics
- Thread starter beercanshot
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Yes, Nexus is another step up from Titan in every way but not as big of a step as Helix to Titan. It’s much lighter and made in Japan, Titan holds its own at half the price but it also is 39 oz.
IMHO when it comes to scopes I would get VectorOptics for under $300, $400-$900 is Helix and Titan and anything above $1000 I would skip and go straight to Delta Striker(tenmile), Trac Toric and Sightron S8. When you are willing to spend 3k then March highmaster is my new wet dream scope.
I love the S8 at $1900 sale price but it’s 49 oz, besides the weight it trounces anything under $3000 in every possible way…..the glass is OMG good! Yes, it is better than delta Stryker, razor Gen 3, trac toric………I proclaim it the new king of mid tier scopes, Delta Stryker has been dethroned.
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I'd ordered a Arkin SH-4 Gen II 34mm tube 6-24 50. They had a sweet deal on the package so...you can NEVER have too many scopes right? Now for some impressions, I've got 3 Elements, A Nexus and two Titians, I'm use to them and they suit my needs. For me the eye box is fine, the clarity is fine, they seem to repeat and not move around. BUT and there is always a BUT it's getting chilly here in the Santa Clara Valley of the Left Coast and the turrets are getting almost impossible to move without some serious leverage on all 3 of them, guns are kept in an unheated garage. Ok, a pain but not a deal breaker...EXCEPT when it's cold and the fine detents are hard to hit. The zoom is tight as well, they made channel locks for a reason??? KIDDING.
Now the Arkin, received it WELL packaged, very well packaged. First thing I wanted to check out was the clarity of the optics, apparently somewhat brighter/clearer than the Elements, more on this when I get it mounted. The turrets....OMG they move easily, not too easily but not sticking either and the detents are huge and POSITIVE. The numbers on the turrets is good enough that the old guy can read them without his glasses, again HUGE. The parallax is 20 yds to wayyyyy out there, 15 would have been nice but...meh. The red illumination is nice, crisp and well aligned. The accessory kit is SWEET, value, well in the eyes of the beholder. The scope rings are top quality and I to mean TOP. Every extra part fits beautifully Got it all leveled...now some history here, I use to be a precision Tool and Cutter grinder, close tolerance, close tolerance as in .0003" and less. So I start leveling my scopes with a Starrett level, precision. Lots of fun. So, got the scope on nice and level, went out and figured out where the pellets were going and got it zeroed in at 5 yards then 30 yards. Sun was settng so in a shadow, image nice an clear, clicked on the illumination, sweet. Did huge twists of the elevation and windage and reset to 'zero' and they repeated
Impressions, for the low cost scope the clarity/brightness were nice, very nice, eye box good, turrets are awesome, I LOVE the CLICK CLICK instead of the click click. Quality accessories, it came with Bikini lens covers , the accessory kid had slip on flip downs, note THESE WILL NOT FALL OFF, EVER. If they do you have far far far worse things happening. The extra sweet part about them is you get your diopter adjusted and it's not moving EVER. Rings ooze quality and precision. Magnification lever is HUGE and totally adjustable to location, wear glove, not a problem. Oh and it comes with a lens shade. Christmas tree is a touch different but it's all a learning curve, it's actually pretty sweet, single dot
So you are asking would I buy another one....the answer is YES!! Bare minimum it's at least equal to a Element Titan, I want to say it is quite a bit better for a heck of a lot less. I might just go for broke and get a higher end version.
Now the Arkin, received it WELL packaged, very well packaged. First thing I wanted to check out was the clarity of the optics, apparently somewhat brighter/clearer than the Elements, more on this when I get it mounted. The turrets....OMG they move easily, not too easily but not sticking either and the detents are huge and POSITIVE. The numbers on the turrets is good enough that the old guy can read them without his glasses, again HUGE. The parallax is 20 yds to wayyyyy out there, 15 would have been nice but...meh. The red illumination is nice, crisp and well aligned. The accessory kit is SWEET, value, well in the eyes of the beholder. The scope rings are top quality and I to mean TOP. Every extra part fits beautifully Got it all leveled...now some history here, I use to be a precision Tool and Cutter grinder, close tolerance, close tolerance as in .0003" and less. So I start leveling my scopes with a Starrett level, precision. Lots of fun. So, got the scope on nice and level, went out and figured out where the pellets were going and got it zeroed in at 5 yards then 30 yards. Sun was settng so in a shadow, image nice an clear, clicked on the illumination, sweet. Did huge twists of the elevation and windage and reset to 'zero' and they repeated
Impressions, for the low cost scope the clarity/brightness were nice, very nice, eye box good, turrets are awesome, I LOVE the CLICK CLICK instead of the click click. Quality accessories, it came with Bikini lens covers , the accessory kid had slip on flip downs, note THESE WILL NOT FALL OFF, EVER. If they do you have far far far worse things happening. The extra sweet part about them is you get your diopter adjusted and it's not moving EVER. Rings ooze quality and precision. Magnification lever is HUGE and totally adjustable to location, wear glove, not a problem. Oh and it comes with a lens shade. Christmas tree is a touch different but it's all a learning curve, it's actually pretty sweet, single dot
So you are asking would I buy another one....the answer is YES!! Bare minimum it's at least equal to a Element Titan, I want to say it is quite a bit better for a heck of a lot less. I might just go for broke and get a higher end version.
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Thanks for the comments. All other things aside, would you mind rating the glass on three scopes? Thanks. S7
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None are 'horrible' The Nexus and Titian are equal, no distortions that I can see, clear to the edges. Now I use these at 18x+ at 30 yards, one of the Titians to 50 yards on occasion. The Arkin appears brighter, clean image at 24x over all at 30 yards. I'm going to guess Chinese glass though. They have a ELP line that states Japanese glass for just a bit more and I mean just a bit. I'm not going down the optics rabbit hole, if I was in LONG range shooting with a PB, I might but to quote a great man, Harry Callahan, 'A man has to know his limitations'. My Arkin impressions are from late afternoon. At the current pricing it's a darn good scope for the money IMO.
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Thanks, HK. Someone else on this thread or another one mentioned that the Nexus had better glass than the Titan, but it was only a modest improvement, whereas the Titan was much better than the Helix (which I own). I want to understand you precisely. You say the Arken seems “brighter”. . . . Are you saying it is better? I don’t mean to quibble, but if a scope that costs about one-third the Nexus is that close to it in image quality, or better, it would give me pause when considering buying the Nexus (which I would try to buy in like-new use condition anyway).
It’s interesting that you use the Titan and Nexus for close shots. I thought I was the only one who would want glass of that quality for shots at about 30 yard shots, or thereabouts. That makes me feel better. Thanks. S7
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The Nexus scope is Japanese. I'd use a scanning electron microscope if I could, ok a 'touch' over board but, I'm working on my precision skill set and it's going to be a very long process. The Aiken has a 20 yard min on the parallax, my Titian is 15, BUT we're not at 24x at those ranges so....while at 5 yds it's a touch fuzzy, it's close enough to get those pesky critters. Also, remember Element is FX. I now have a spare Titian MIL that could use a home.
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I know the Nexus is Japanese, but what specifically are you saying in relation to my question about it and the Arken? Yes, Japanese is better, so . . .?
I am assuming both of your Titans are the 56 mm objective models (15 yard parallax).
As much as I want to (finally) peer through a Titan, they are too heavy for me, especially the 56 mm objective one. If I ever owned one, I would have to buy it for a great price, to be honest with you, because there is a good chance I might end up selling it, again, due to what I anticipate the weight being like in hand. I passed over a few of them for sale on AGN, even at good prices. Even the Nexus comes in a bit heavy for me, though it is a relatively light scope at 28 ounces. S7
I am assuming both of your Titans are the 56 mm objective models (15 yard parallax).
As much as I want to (finally) peer through a Titan, they are too heavy for me, especially the 56 mm objective one. If I ever owned one, I would have to buy it for a great price, to be honest with you, because there is a good chance I might end up selling it, again, due to what I anticipate the weight being like in hand. I passed over a few of them for sale on AGN, even at good prices. Even the Nexus comes in a bit heavy for me, though it is a relatively light scope at 28 ounces. S7
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S7, if you are concerned about weight, then the Arken may not suit your preferences. I have a couple Arken and really like them but they are not known for being light. Look at the specs when you decide to buy.
Thx
Dan
Thx
Dan
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Hey, XSUltimate,
I appreciate you chiming in. Right. They are on the heavy side, as the Titan is. That’s why I never bite when Douger sells them. The new Arken is about 23 ounces. I wonder if the quality will be there. From what I have been reading and watching, cutting weight often comes at the cost of image quality, even with the Razor LHT line. But that scope would still be super to a guy like me. Take care. S7
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The 30mm's are lighter. Arken is selling tanks that can take a beating, so they say. Now I'm moderately certain none of us here are humping the boonies beating the daylights out of our airguns.
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HK, I am sure some value a scope that can take a beating. I am with you: I don’t need an anvil and the weight that comes along with it. S7
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The Element is marketed by FX but not manufactured by them. Just because FX has their name attached to it, doesn't mean it's superior to everything else.
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