Monstrum Ares V2 Open Reflex Red Dot Sight for Rifles and Long Guns with Shake Awake

I spent months agonizing over how much to spend and which brand and model. After an unreal amount of YouTube research and reading and comparing specs and channeling what’s probably my undiagnosed ADHD so hard, you’d think I was shopping for an organ. It’s full metal, minus the buttons which are rubber. The slating of the glass is pretty perfect. If there any tint, I can’t see it at all, even in full outdoor sun. The reticle is very clean. I discovered that I have astigmatism because if I look directly at the reticle it’s kind of slightly doubled but if you I use both eyes and look at your target, not the reticle, my astigmatism no longer messes with it and it’s crystal clear and laser sharp. I had someone who does not have astigmatism take a look and they described it as being crystal clear and perfectly sharp. Battery life is amazing. I’ve had the original batteries in there now, for about 6 months with probably the equivalent of 2 weeks worth of time and still going strong. The shake awake is flawless. The brightness of the reticle is really incredible for such an inexpensive optic. I went in the full screaming bright sun and started it as low as it goes to increase one click at a time, to see when it would be visible to a point of being usable. I was able to get it visible and easily functional 2 clicks from Max. At Max, it’s incredibly visible and remains crisp. This model does the classic Eotech style circle dot, just the dot or just the circle—no change in quality between settings. It’s really hard for me to imagine how the sight picture and reticle and glass could be better without spending a few hundred bucks. As for Zeroing, it works exactly as you want and expect it to work. It has very fine adjustments, was easy to dial in and in months of use, it hasn’t moved at all. Honestly, my only critique is I wish it had a Green mode. Then it would truly be perfect. Build Quality: 5/5 Glass: 5/5 Reticle quality: 5/5 Zero: 5/5 Brightness 5/5 Buttons: 5/5 Bang for the buck: 5/5 Material quality: 5/5 Battery life: 5/5 Support: I had emailed support asking if there was a flash kill or any sort of cover for this. My goal was to either use it to shield the glass from BB or modify the cover and install some Lexan into the cover so it held a shield in place. Unfortunately, there is not. I was able to cut and shape my own lens and devise a way to mount it. I will say also, anecdotally, the glass seems to be good quality in terms of strength. My shield got shot off at about 10ft with a .25g bb and the glass got a direct hit with 2 follow-up shots at 300fps. It didn’t crack, the glare coating didn’t scratch or otherwise. I’ve seen a LOT of optics in this price point and even some as high as 150, basically crack or straight up blow out. Needless to say, you should still use shields. It’s got a lifetime warranty so long as you don’t do don’t something stupid with it but unlike real firearms where if you get shot in the optic, you have WAY worse things to worry about than glass breaking, you do need to protect the glass. All in all, if you want an optic that’s gonna deliver as good of a quality performance as anything I’ve tried under 200$, this is an easy no brainer. Aesthetically, it looks nicer than the pictures, which already don’t look bad but once you feel it, it’s solid. It may not be the look some people want but other than that preference possibility, it could be 25$ more expensive and still be worth. I suspect this would hold zero pretty well on a decent selection of rifle calibers, without going too crazy and might even hold on a 20ga. I wish Monstrum had “pelican” style cases for this and a flash kill/shroud and it did Green as well as red but overall, you will not be disappointed at all. Everyone who sees it, asks to shoulder the rifle and give it a look or a try and they’re always very impressed and ask for the link. Best dot optic I’ve found under 100 and I would say even under 200, for its feature set and what it’s meant to do. I slapped it on the M4 using the adjustable height quickdrtach riser that Monstrum also sells. That is also a pristine purchase. Definitely look at that if you need a riser.

Update, Seller responded extremely quick and sent replacement within 48 hours. It works beautifully. Just left the range. Was easy to zero in, seems to hold zero great. Very well made and sturdy. Red dot is nice and bright. Actually blew my expectations really. Can't beat it for the price honestly. Easy to install. Comes with all that you need. If you want a nice affordable red dot this is the one. Definitely going to be checking out some of the other monstrum products for sure. I wanted to like this red dot. Felt well constructed. Fit it nicely on my 9mm carbine. But every few shots it powers off. Changed the battery. Did not help. Just keeps shutting off. Not to mention i can't get it to hold zero when it is actually powered on. Im going to try one more time. Got a whole new battery. If that doesn't work I will send it back. No point in having it if it keeps randomly turning on and off every few shots. Update, Seller contacted me and has been super helpful and fast responses. Getting the broke one replaced. I will update after I check that.

Love the shake awake feature and it can also be turned on by the power button and it a automatically goes off after being still for a while so it won't be dead the next time you get it out of the safe if you forget to turn it off. It's very well built and can be easily mounted in 5 minutes. It's brightness levels can be seen in a low light setting really well without being too bright that it glares, and its bright enough to clearly view the reticle on the brightest sunny day too. It's pretty accurate too its handled probably close to 5-6 thousand rounds of 5.56 on my AR and still holding where it was when zeroed. The only bad thing I can say is if your trying to get perfect zero at 125 yards like hole through hole 1 click of adjustment and its slightly over corrected, but its a great reflex for the money otherwise. Top notch.

Just received this optic, and have it mounted on top of the Monstrum Archangel. It's a very good optic for the price point. Seems sturdy well built like all of Monstrum's products. I see that a lot of people are complaining about not being able to switch the reticles. All you have to do is hold the +(plus) button for 3 seconds and it will switch the reticle. It does have a square type of glow going on but it doesn't affect the sight picture or your vision. There are 3 reticles, (A square, a square with a dot in the middle, and a red dot). Both the square with the dot in the middle, and the red dot are very nice. I like them both but don't care for the one with just the square. I haven't tried to adjust for wind and elevation yet, but overall it seems to be a very solid optic.

This thing ironically had more positive reviews than most cheap dots on Amazon, so I thought I'd hit the jackpot at the price. And yes, I've bought tons of other cheap optics on here so I know what to expect. And many of them are great. This was complete garbage on every level. It seemed good at first, super weighty, quality seemed solid, I thought I had scored. It only went downhill from there... - included battery dead - no hex tool for the picatinny screws - won't even mount straight, looks horrible at a super noticable angle - battery compartment lid barely moved and creaked like it was a hundred years old and rusted shut - picatinny screws are as soft as mashed potatoes and stripped after literally one normal tightening - shake awake worked literally 3 times then completely died so long story short, a completely trash, unfunctional, pointless paperweight. of all the budget dots i've bought on Amazon (CVLife always delivers) this is hands-down the worst. i wouldn't touch this again with a ten-foot pole.

Works well and is built solid. I like the shake a wake option. Makes the range fun, easy and fast.

I absolutely love the Monstrum Ares V2. The clarity is excellent, the construction is solid, and the overall performance far exceeds what you'd expect at this price point. It feels rugged and dependable, with smooth adjustments and crisp, repeatable turrets. The illuminated reticle is clean and easy to use in all lighting conditions, and the eye relief is generous enough to stay comfortable during extended shooting sessions. Zeroing it was simple, and it has held zero perfectly ever since. Honestly, this optic delivers the kind of quality and functionality you'd expect from a much more expensive scope. If you're looking for a reliable, durable, and feature-rich LPVO without breaking the bank, the Ares V2 is a fantastic choice. I couldn’t be happier with it.

Solid red dot. Super clear glass, crisp dot, and the brightness settings cover everything from low light to bright sun without washing out. Mounts up tight and holds zero like a champ—no issues even after banging around a bit. The QD is a nice touch, makes it easy to swap setups. Honestly surprised at how good this thing is for the price. If you’re on the fence, just get it. Monstrum nailed it.