Mako Optics > Optics, Mounts, and Sights

Posted: 4/27/2011 7:57:55 AM EDT

Has anyone ever used one of the 3x magnifiers? Do they work? Do they fall apart?

Posted: 4/28/2011 11:42:38 PM EDT

[#1]

There are two generations of Mako magnifiers (actually kind of like three). The first generation was built for us by a manufacturer who delivered samples that met our specs. The first run met our specs. The second run was delivered and we discovered in internal testing that they were not nitrogen-purged or even water tight. We were able to fill them with water by running them under a faucet. Also, we found that the magnification was no longer true to what we specified, but was lower than it should be. Some had debris inside. By the time we had received the second batch, we had had a lot of backorders for them, since ours was one of the first affordably-priced magnifiers. A bunch had been shipped our immediately. The manufacturer had lowered the quality on us. About the time we discovered this, we began to get feedback from customers telling us that the magnifiers were falling apart under recoil.

We found a new manufacturer that would meet our quality requirements, and began producing the second generation of magnifiers. Meanwhile, the original manufacturer continued to build the low quality magnifiers and still sells them to several other companies.

There are hundreds of the first generation magnifiers out there, and some are still in stock with dealers or distributors. To differentiate the second generation from the first, all second generation magnifiers have a coloured ring that has our logo and the magnification power marked on it, as can be seen in the photo I have attached.

The second Generation magnifiers are waterproof and fog-proof and are nitrogen-purged. They are rugged and the magnification is correct. Keep in mind that they are designed as an intermediate-priced magnifier and are not in the high-end class that our Mepro reflex sights are in, but are good, solid, affordable magnifiers.

So the key is, if it has the coloured ring, it's good to go. If not, it is one of the first gen magnifiers that may or may not be good (or another company's magnifier that was built by our original manufacturer) so you're best to leave it alone. Our first gen magnifiers are still covered by our lifetime warranty.