New Aimpoint photos leaked

[heyscooter]

I love Aaron smashing away in the comments. Hi Aaron! Keep fighting the good fight!

[Rex G]

I have a very favorable experience-based opinion of recharge-able AA Eneloop cells, specifically the white-body low-self-discharge version*, so an Aimpoint optic that will run on AAA Eneloops has my attention. A "smart" charger is necessary to get the best re-charges, particularly as the cells age, but for something as vital as a weapon's optic, might well use only new ones. (White Eneloops are packaged and sold charged.)

*High-self-discharge Eneloops have been marketed, so it is now necessary to be specific. The high-self-discharge cells have more milli-amp hours of power, but they will self-discharge much more quickly.

[1986s4]

Eneloop NiMH ? Never heard of them up 'till now, thanks guys. Do these come 1/3N for the Aimpoint Pro? I'm looking.

[Hizzie]

I like AA's for commonality with ear pro and backup flashlights in the range bag. I'll be more interested in this optic if/when there are AK compatible mounts available.

[Wayne Dobbs]

I like the looks of this, but I hope for more "budget" models like my PRO.

That is a matter of discussion...

And while it's really cool for an organization to have a sight that uses a commonly found battery, if you're a serious user, never put an inexpensive version of any battery in your optic. Those Chinese "gifts" will leak and ruin your expensive gear in short order. Top quality, top price batteries only.

[HCM]

I like AA's for commonality with ear pro and backup flashlights in the range bag. I'll be more interested in this optic if/when there are AK compatible mounts available.

The M5 uses AAA's (not sure if that is what you meant). As far as mounts, my understanding is it uses any Aimpoint Micro mount.

[voodoo_man]

I have a very favorable experience-based opinion of recharge-able AA Eneloop cells, specifically the white-body low-self-discharge version*, so an Aimpoint optic that will run on AAA Eneloops has my attention. A "smart" charger is necessary to get the best re-charges, particularly as the cells age, but for something as vital as a weapon's optic, might well use only new ones. (White Eneloops are packaged and sold charged.)

*High-self-discharge Eneloops have been marketed, so it is now necessary to be specific. The high-self-discharge cells have more milli-amp hours of power, but they will self-discharge much more quickly.

I only use enelope pro for flashes and I will probably use them for this optic once I purchase it.

[BillSWPA]

Eneloop NiMH ? Never heard of them up 'till now, thanks guys. Do these come 1/3N for the Aimpoint Pro? I'm looking.

I think the reason you never heard of them is because if everyone figured out how good they are, the disposable alkaleak market would disappear.

NiMH is essentially the same chemistry that is used in a cordless phone. However, the white Eneloops mentioned above are a slightly different "low self discharge" chemistry that will hold its charge for a long time, but cannot be left on the charger like your phone.

NiMH will not leak. It will provide a high level of power throughout almost all of the discharge cycle, unlike an alkaleak which starts out high and gradually tapers off. They do not develop memory, so they can be recharged at any time without concern. Unlike Li-Ion, it is a very safe technology. The cells can be recharged anywhere between 1,000 and 2,000 times.

The one disadvantage to NiMH is that they are 1.2 volts rather than 1.5 volts. So, in a small minority of devices, the low battery indicator will believe that the battery is low when in fact it is quite good. IF this impacts the functioning of the device, then you will have a problem. In the vast majority of devices, you will get better performance from NiMH even if the instructions say to use alkaleaks only (those instructions are primarily to keep people from using less expensive carbon-zinc, or sticking a 4.2 v. Li-Ion cell in a device that expects 1.5 v).

Eneloop AA and AAA are the gold standard for NiMH cells. However, their C and D cells are really just bundled AA or AAA cells. So, for more capacity, in the C and D sizes I use Tenergy Centura. I also use the Centuras in 9V, but the jury is still out on these.

I do not know of anyone who makes a 1/3 N size NiMH. As best I know, this size is limited to lithium primaries. The readily available NiMH cells are largely limited to AAA, AA, C, D, and 9V, although N-cells (about 1/2 of a AAA) can be found.

You do want to invest in a good charger, with Powerex Maha chargers being among the best. I use a Powerex Maha C808M for the ability to charge up to 8 cells at once, to charge AA, AAA, C, and D cells, and to automatically charge every cell type at the maximum current. I use a separate Powerex charger for 9v. The Powerex Maha C9000 is very popular for AAA and AA cells, for its ability to analyze cells as well as charge them. However, if you use this charger, be aware that the default charge voltage is 1A. This is fine for AA, which can be charged at up to 2A, but is a bit much for AAA, which is better charged at 0.7A and below. So, if you are charging AAA, you want to specifically program in the charge current.

I also use a Thrunite MCC4 charger for charging AA and AAA NiMH as well as 18650, 16650, and 16340 Li-Ion cells. This charger has worked quite well for me, but will be slower for AA cells.

[Hizzie]

The M5 uses AAA's (not sure if that is what you meant). As far as mounts, my understanding is it uses any Aimpoint Micro mount.

That is much more interesting.

[Wayne Dobbs]

As far as mounts, my understanding is it uses any Aimpoint Micro mount.

Correct.