Latest rolling review of the Arkens Zulus having finally had the weather window to try it out real time.
1. On a dull day the Brightness adjustment needs to be at the max of 6 setting, even then it is quite dull. When the sun is out (when’s that then?) 3 or 4 is fine;
2. Battery life is excellent for daylight setting up/shooting though tonight I will be using the LRF/BC and onboard IR so we shall see (or maybe not…);
3. Battery screw cap - abysmal! Struggles to find threads - why oh why do manufacturers skimp on a component part which is obviously going to be taken off and put back on frequently? Does my head in!
4. Mount - much has been said and generous advice given as is the norm on this site. Mine came with the 35mm version which has been fine on my triple deuce but why not have a standardised mounting system to fit 11mm rails through to Picatinny? If an adapter is required why not provide one? Also see “9” below;
5. Range Finder - excellent BUT anything above 5x the RF crosshairs may disappear from the screen. If you like the PiP facility (I do) the RF crosshairs will be obscured beyond 5x - after only one week I keep mine on 5x so that I can access the RF, ping the distance and then increase the magnification if/as required;
6. Focus - as before it is very sensitive - it would be a real annoyance without fitting the Ebay “knob” (pause for schoolboy titters from the SD collective);
7. Onboard IR - excellent even on the basic setting - the Auto setting apparently reduces IR flare and looks very promising - tonight Mathew….;
8. Ballistic Calculator - only tested at 100, 130 and 150 yards today and spot on - being old skool I am not sure I will actually use it but rather default to holdover for those few occasions when it is required (NI fields are generally very small);
9. Mounts - much is made of the 26 zero settings which enable you to use the Zulus across several chamberings/rifles BUT to do so you will almost certainly require adapters from 11mm (rimfire/air) upto but excluding Picatinny and anything inbetween. Fortunately Eaglevision do a series of mounts to suit all occasions (other manufacturers are available) and I found that the basic 11mm to Picatinny worked absolutely fine on my Cogswell and Harrison (CZ ) .17hmr despite my initial concerns that a straight rail i.e. without a ejection port cut-out would foul case extraction. So big shout to the guys in Eaglevision for their help and excellent service;
10. Finally, as a graduate of the Eric Morecombe Conservatoire for Pard Users Everywhere (all the right buttons…) I particularly looked forward to using the recoil-generated record function BUT it doesn’t work on my or from what I read, other .222s. I don’t know where this function does “kick in” (!) but the manufacturers must in their project development have surely determined at which chambering/recoil level this function actually operates. To not say this up front is I feel disingenuous at least - a pity.
Soo there you have it - feedback in it’s rawest form! After one week of limited access I have been mightily impressed by the Zulus - more will follow as my
fiddling journey continues….

