I've been asked for my thoughts on these two, which one that I like better, and whether the price points are worth it. I'd rather not write a long novel about either of them, so this will just be a quick no B.S. run through on my thoughts and experiences comparing the two.
Time of ownership:
Build Quality: Tie
Leshiy 2
Pros:
Cons / Concerns:
EVOL
Pros:
Cons / Concerns:
Power: Both are decent
My EVOL's barrel is 157mm longer than the Leshiy and the calibers are not the same.
EVOL
Leshiy 2
Accuracy & Ammo Compatibility: EVOL
The EVOL has a distinct edge over the L2 at 100m and beyond. The L2 is of course a revolver, but it's been very accurate to at least 75m (touching holes). The EVOL is a laser with 44 & 50gr pellets, and 62-66gr slugs. I find that the off the shelf variety of .30cal slugs smaller than 62gr are like kites in the wind and drift way too much at 100m or more. I think a faster twist rate would be ideal though for smaller/lighter slugs.
My L2 does not shoot slugs (yet), and this frankly sucks! It makes up for it shooting 34gr JSB MKIIs and 26.54gr JSB Hades very well.
Weight & Size: Leshiy 2
Scoped, my Leshiy 2 is 7lbs (3.2kg) on the money. This is 0.3lbs less than my EVOL unscoped, and I have to say that as a hunter - the lighter the better. I can fit my 350mm Leshiy in my smallest backpack (28L daypack), and I just can't see it getting any better than this size.
The EVOL on the other hand is a full-size carbine. I have opted to install a high-quality folding stock adapter, and chose the Magpul SL (collapsible and I like its ergonomics). It has some bulk to it, but it's not nearly as large as some other rifles in its class.
Sound Moderation
EVOL: Loud, but fixable
The factory moderator with the EVOL is not quiet. I'm running DonnyFL's threaded adapter on the end of my shroud with just a thread protector. When i need silence, I thread on a 7" moderator that Mr. Neil Clague made for me, specifically for this rifle. It's light, but adds some length.
Leshiy2: Quieter than the original Leshiy
At 150bar, the report is backyard-friendly, but barely. The pellet impact at this power-level is definitely not backyard friendly. I am running the factory long moderator from a .177/.22 cal with my .25, and it does not affect accuracy. I also have the long .25/.30 factory moderator now, but I find it to be louder and unnecessary.
Barrels:
EVOL has an 18" TJs mounted in a superb barrel system. It is very, very rigid and does not suffer from common harmonic problems that most other airguns suffer from at high power (or with heavier ammo).
My .25 L2 has an Alfa Precision barrel. I'm not familiar with this maker, but I can say that I'm impressed with the quality. The steel looks good, the bore, machining - all look great.
Scope Rail: Leshiy 2
Nothing special to note here really, I gave the L2 the win in this category, because the rail on the EVOL drives me nuts. I prefer my scopes to sit low, but the rail slots are minimal and the magazine prevents me from using any of my QD/unimounts, unless I sky jack them with rail risers. This isn't an issue if you use traditional medium to high rings, but I do not like having to work around a magazine to mount an optic.
Magazines: EVOL
By far, the best quality mags of any that I have seen thus far goes to the EVOL's. My gripes would be how slippery they are, and it takes some practice to load them (pro tip: make use of the little catch tabs on the bottom... you'll know what I mean when you see them).
The L2 mags are not bad, and I understand the need for their design. I do find that using a powerful magnet works best to remove the backing.
So are they worth the price points?
EVOL - The price is too high in my opinion. For $2895, I would have expected to receive a perfect rifle. I have had to fix every single o-ring since I have bought it, cleaned up the chamber and bore on my own, polished parts.. I really expected better. I would also like to see a full schematic of the rifle along with specs on tools used for performing maintenance (specific tools for the barrel shroud nut to disassemble the shroud, recessed air cylinder manometer, and other non-trivial items).
I've obviously figured everything out, but I take the position that end users should be able to fix compromised o-rings on their own if they're comfortable doing so. Airgun makers should make it a priority to enable customers to perform such maintenance (period). Especially for rifles with top-shelf price points.
Would I buy the EVOL again? Probably, you can't beat its barrel system and accuracy, but my rifle shouldn't leak the first time I take it out of the box and fill it with air (leaving me on my own to figure out how to safely repair it). QC needs to improve or the price needs to be adjusted to something more appropriate.
Leshiy 2 - The price is also too high for what it is, but only by a few hundred dollars. I'm sure the R&D and import costs were not cheap, so I cannot criticize it much.
Would I buy it again? In a heart beat, but its a pellet gun and I cannot expect to shoot accurately in real world conditions beyond 100yards/meters with pellets.
Time of ownership:
EVOL: a few months
Leshiy 2: a few weeks
Build Quality: Tie
Leshiy 2
Pros:
State of the art, bleeding edge design
The L2 is built very well, but it's quite different than any other EDGun that I have owned
Anodization and materials are good, the ergonomics are spectacular
Gun overall feels extremely well thought out and retains that "simple" feel in design
Cons / Concerns:
I might have some concerns around the lifespan of the (presumably) PEEK wheel that turns the magazine
The lower trigger housing and rail are some type of nylon / polymer material (much softer than the gas nitride used by Glock), so I'll have to see how it holds up over time. I think this will be a non-issue, but I'm filing this under my personal "concerns" category for now
Regulator creeps - no idea what is going on with this. I have already rebuilt it with new o-rings, but that did not fix the problems
The first shot is slightly hotter than the rest
If it sits for 2+ minutes, the next shot will be hot
Luckily, this higher reg pressure is only +10fps - but it shows at long range
Spiraling pellets - I recorded video of pellets in flight spiraling (aka, gyroscopic precession )
Does not seem to affect accuracy though; it still groups well enough at and above 100m
EVOL
Pros:
Feels more like a firearm than an airgun
Titanium air cylinder
Fine threads everywhere (this is a very good thing and rare with airguns)
Barrel tension system is stellar (one of, if not the best that I have seen)
Good luck getting the barrel out of the shroud though
Cons / Concerns:
I have had to replace EVERY single o-ring in my rifle (purchased new from AoA)
Fortunately, there are not many o-rings
Partial schematics available
Marred up the air cylinder manometer / fill probe housing fixing an o-ring that was compromised (this manometer is VERY TRICKY to get out and tensioned back down)
Had to do some barrel work on my own
Cleaned up the chamber throat
One aggressive round of bore polishing
Power: Both are decent
My EVOL's barrel is 157mm longer than the Leshiy and the calibers are not the same.
EVOL
Currently tuned for 105FPE with 62gr slugs (114FPE seems to be the max with this ammo)
Plenum chamber is small (roughly 32cc, minus the volume the head of the regulator takes up)
The barrel is also small, so the small plenum is relatively unimportant
Power range is great, but it would have been nice to be able to push the 62gr closer to 1000fps
Great valve and hammer system
Tuning is simple
Leshiy 2
Tuning this thing is easy and very "different" (I cannot reveal the primary tuning mechanism at this time)
Reg pressure isn't as relative as it is in other platforms
Big power for a little gun!
Easily +70FPS over my 350mm Leshiy 1 in .25
Accuracy & Ammo Compatibility: EVOL
The EVOL has a distinct edge over the L2 at 100m and beyond. The L2 is of course a revolver, but it's been very accurate to at least 75m (touching holes). The EVOL is a laser with 44 & 50gr pellets, and 62-66gr slugs. I find that the off the shelf variety of .30cal slugs smaller than 62gr are like kites in the wind and drift way too much at 100m or more. I think a faster twist rate would be ideal though for smaller/lighter slugs.
My L2 does not shoot slugs (yet), and this frankly sucks! It makes up for it shooting 34gr JSB MKIIs and 26.54gr JSB Hades very well.
Weight & Size: Leshiy 2
Scoped, my Leshiy 2 is 7lbs (3.2kg) on the money. This is 0.3lbs less than my EVOL unscoped, and I have to say that as a hunter - the lighter the better. I can fit my 350mm Leshiy in my smallest backpack (28L daypack), and I just can't see it getting any better than this size.
The EVOL on the other hand is a full-size carbine. I have opted to install a high-quality folding stock adapter, and chose the Magpul SL (collapsible and I like its ergonomics). It has some bulk to it, but it's not nearly as large as some other rifles in its class.
Sound Moderation
EVOL: Loud, but fixable
The factory moderator with the EVOL is not quiet. I'm running DonnyFL's threaded adapter on the end of my shroud with just a thread protector. When i need silence, I thread on a 7" moderator that Mr. Neil Clague made for me, specifically for this rifle. It's light, but adds some length.
Leshiy2: Quieter than the original Leshiy
At 150bar, the report is backyard-friendly, but barely. The pellet impact at this power-level is definitely not backyard friendly. I am running the factory long moderator from a .177/.22 cal with my .25, and it does not affect accuracy. I also have the long .25/.30 factory moderator now, but I find it to be louder and unnecessary.
Barrels:
EVOL has an 18" TJs mounted in a superb barrel system. It is very, very rigid and does not suffer from common harmonic problems that most other airguns suffer from at high power (or with heavier ammo).
My .25 L2 has an Alfa Precision barrel. I'm not familiar with this maker, but I can say that I'm impressed with the quality. The steel looks good, the bore, machining - all look great.
Scope Rail: Leshiy 2
Nothing special to note here really, I gave the L2 the win in this category, because the rail on the EVOL drives me nuts. I prefer my scopes to sit low, but the rail slots are minimal and the magazine prevents me from using any of my QD/unimounts, unless I sky jack them with rail risers. This isn't an issue if you use traditional medium to high rings, but I do not like having to work around a magazine to mount an optic.
Magazines: EVOL
By far, the best quality mags of any that I have seen thus far goes to the EVOL's. My gripes would be how slippery they are, and it takes some practice to load them (pro tip: make use of the little catch tabs on the bottom... you'll know what I mean when you see them).
The L2 mags are not bad, and I understand the need for their design. I do find that using a powerful magnet works best to remove the backing.
So are they worth the price points?
EVOL - The price is too high in my opinion. For $2895, I would have expected to receive a perfect rifle. I have had to fix every single o-ring since I have bought it, cleaned up the chamber and bore on my own, polished parts.. I really expected better. I would also like to see a full schematic of the rifle along with specs on tools used for performing maintenance (specific tools for the barrel shroud nut to disassemble the shroud, recessed air cylinder manometer, and other non-trivial items).
I've obviously figured everything out, but I take the position that end users should be able to fix compromised o-rings on their own if they're comfortable doing so. Airgun makers should make it a priority to enable customers to perform such maintenance (period). Especially for rifles with top-shelf price points.
Would I buy the EVOL again? Probably, you can't beat its barrel system and accuracy, but my rifle shouldn't leak the first time I take it out of the box and fill it with air (leaving me on my own to figure out how to safely repair it). QC needs to improve or the price needs to be adjusted to something more appropriate.
Leshiy 2 - The price is also too high for what it is, but only by a few hundred dollars. I'm sure the R&D and import costs were not cheap, so I cannot criticize it much.
Would I buy it again? In a heart beat, but its a pellet gun and I cannot expect to shoot accurately in real world conditions beyond 100yards/meters with pellets.
(Hint, Russian novels NOT known for being short). I do though ALWAYS appreciate and value your input, and I do find it honest and to the point comparing the two different guns & brands. 
