EOTech VUDU 1-8x Review: Is it a Good LPVO?

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January 16, 2023

EOTech is an industry leader in holographic sights, with decades of experience and several products adopted by top clients worldwide, including the U.S. military.

The Vudu line is the firm’s first foray in the realm of variable riflescopes, joining the highly competitive markets of Low-Power Variable Optics (LPVO) and long-distance shooting rifle scopes, facing competition from other established manufacturers, such as Vortex or Leupold.

The Vudu 1-8x24mm is EOTech’s first LPVO with a Second Focal Plane reticle. Learn about its development background, design, and features and determine whether this new optic is a suitable addition to the discerning shooter’s gun safe.

Background of The Vudu Riflescope Line

First announced at SHOT Show 2015, the Vudu Precision Rifle Scope line first hit the market in August 2016, with three initial models: 1-6x24mm, 2.5-10x44mm, and 3.5-18x50mm. All three original models featured first focal plane (FFP) reticles, mainly intended for the long-distance competition shooting scene.

Of these, the 1-6x24mm was the most successful model and the only one that fits the definition of an LPVO. Magazines and industry professionals regarded it as one of the best FFP scopes on the market and one of the best LPVOs available.

EOTech holographic sights are famous worldwide for their simple, intuitive reticle systems, featuring a 68 MOA red ring and a 1 MOA center dot, known as the “donut of death” in certain circles.

Early Vudu FFP scopes featured the SR-1 reticle, which mimicked the “donut” at 1x magnification but replaced the classic 1 MOA dot with a fine dot-and-crosshair system, visible enough to be used like the holo sights.

At 6x magnification, the crosshair expanded into view, featuring 1-mil wide hash marks and allowing for more precise aiming adjustments. Variants of the SR-1 reticles, the SR-2 and SR-3, instead featured accurate bullet drop compensation for 7.62x51mm M80 and 5.56x45mm M855, respectively.

The New EOTech Vudu 1-8x24mm SFP

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EOTech first unveiled the Vudu 1-8x24mm at the 2019 NRA Annual Meetings before hitting the market in January 2020. Although it is a new entry in the growing Vudu Optics riflescope line, the 1-8x24mm model is not a new generation or improved version of the earlier 1-6x24mm scope.

The primary difference between the Vudu 1-8x and its 1-6x predecessor is the focal plane; the earlier scope is FFP and mainly suited for precision shooting disciplines, whereas the Vudu 1-8x is SFP targets a broader audience.

The Vudu 1-8x24mm was the first SFP riflescope produced by EOTech. The SFP line was later expanded with larger, heavier models intended for long-distance shooting: the 3.5-18x50mm SFP and 8-32x50mm SFP scopes.

Today, EOTech’s Vudu riflescope line comprises seven models, including two LPVOs: the original 1-6x24mm FFP and the 1-8x24mm SFP.

Why a Second Focal Plane Optic?

With the Vudu 1-8x, EOTech intended to create a daylight-bright optic without adding undue weight. The solution was to bring the reticle system to the second focal plane (SFP), allowing the scope to remain light enough for use on hunting, competition, and tactical rifles.

At 21.3 oz., this optic is not lightweight by any means, but the versatile magnification range and potential applications more than compensate for the scope’s mass.

Reticle System and Illumination

The new Vudu 1-8x24mm is an SFP scope that abandons its FFP predecessors’ donut for a new reticle, the HC3 (also known as REV2, depending on documentation). As with any EOTech product, this reticle emphasizes simplicity of use and fast target acquisition.

Though it does not feature the traditional EOTech donut, the HC3 reticle possesses an illuminated 1/2 MOA center red dot with four bullet drop compensation (BDC) hash marks, respectively located at 2, 5, 8.5, and 12.5 MOA under the central dot.

Because the BDC hash marks are not calibrated for any particular caliber, operators can sight them with their caliber choice, bullet weight, and engagement distances.

Remarkably, the center red dot does not bleed into the glass, remaining sharp without disturbing or discoloring the image. It appears as a clear dot under all lighting conditions, even the brightest sunlight.

At the medium brightness setting, the included CR2032 battery features an autonomy of roughly 500 hours, and an auto-power down feature, putting the illumination to sleep after two hours.

Even if the batteries run out of power, the sharp crosshairs and stadia remain visible, allowing them to continue shooting.

Glass Quality and Features

Many riflescope manufacturers add slight tinting and coatings to their glass to favor visibility in certain lighting conditions, but this practice comes at the cost of light transmission.

EOTech chose not to add tinting to the Vudu 1-8x, resulting in an optic with outstanding light transmission and a clear, sharp image in their true colors, even in sunrise or sunset conditions. The XC-HD protective multi-coating does not appear to affect light transmission much, even in adverse conditions.

Eye relief is comfortable, at roughly 3 to 4 inches, depending on magnification. Parallax is non-adjustable, fixed at about 136.7 yards.

Be mindful of your stock weld, and be careful if you’re engaging targets 100 yards or closer, especially on a high magnification setting, as parallax errors may become very apparent.

When set to 1x, the scope provides an excellent field of view, and the center dot allows for fast and accurate shooting. Even at high magnification settings, scope clarity remains excellent, with barely any blurring at the edges and no discoloration or chromatic aberration.

Accessories and Mounting

The EOTech Vudu 1-8x24mm comes out of the box with a power throw lever, a scope and reticle user manuals, lens covers, a lens cleaning scope, and a CR2032 battery.

The power throw lever makes magnification adjustments straightforward. Discerning shooters may appreciate the ability to change magnification settings quickly and on the fly.

The scope’s EZ-Clik turrets are low-profile and feature large, easily adjustable knobs. The turret adjustment produces positive, audible clicking, and turret tracking returns to zero near perfectly, even after making large adjustments.

Although the box does not feature scope rings, the Vudu’s 30mm scope tube is compatible with any set of standard 30mm scope rings, allowing the operator to install the Vudu 1-8x on various rifle platforms and mounting interfaces.

Durability

The Vudu features a rugged, impact-resistant one-piece 7076-T6 aluminum body.

It is fully waterproof and weatherproof, resistant to extreme temperatures, and capable of withstanding harsh recoil without losing zero, from full-auto 5.56mm magazine dumps to powerful cartridges such as .458 SOCOM.

This riflescope stands up to demanding field use and is not afraid of anything the shooter will throw at it.

Applications

The Vudu 1-8x24mm is ideal for shooters who need versatility and accuracy both in close quarters and at short to medium ranges. This scope features no gimmicks or questionable features, only providing the shooter with what they need to quickly and accurately acquire targets within the intended engagement distances.

This LPVO is ideal for shooting rifle competition in disciplines such as 2-gun or 3-gun. The 8x maximum magnification setting also pairs well with a deer hunting rifle chambered in .308 Winchester, 6.5 Creedmoor, or .260 Remington, especially if shooting from a stand at distances 200 yards or more.

The Vudu 1-8x24mm is not only an impressive addition to the growing line of Vudu riflescopes but is an excellent second focal plane LPVO, worthy of the EOTech name and standing up to the company’s stringent quality standards.