This is not the end of my commentary on 5x prismatics, but it is a wrap for an unintentionally very long term project I had. I spent an unhealthy amount of time evaluating these four prismatic riflescopes:
Element Immersive 5x30 https://alnk.to/gzXEPUr
Swampfox Sabre 5x36 https://alnk.to/aAPTubq
Vortex Spitfire Gen2 5x https://alnk.to/3co4hVD
Primary Arms SLx 5x https://alnk.to/2jOhnT7
Two are large prism designs. Two are small prism designs.
The order in which I list them above corresponds to the image quality, from best to worst, although there isn't a ton of difference between SLx and Spitfire Gen2. Purely on the merits of resolution, Sabre is comparable to them as well, but much wider FOV and forgiving eyebox does put it a step above in terms of performance (at the expense of about a pound of weight). Element Immersive 5x30 is a different beast optically and it should be at a higher price at which it sells. It resolves better, has higher contrast and widest FOV of the bunch. Side-focus adds flexibility.
With the mount it comes with, Element weighs almost the same as the Sabre. On balance, it is the best image quality on 5x you will find under a grand or so.
If you are looking for a mid power prismatic, I would approach the selection by asking these questions and in this order:
How much weight can you tolerate?
How much are willing to spend?
Which reticle do you prefer?
If this is not a particularly weight conscious setup, go with a large prism model.
If you can spend a little more money, go with the Element.
If you are in a serious budget crunch and can live with an MOA reticle, go with the Swampfox.
If you are trying to keep weight minimal and it is going onto a 5.56 AR, I likes the Spitfire more than I thought I would.
If you are trying to keep weigh minimal and need mounting flexibility of support for alternative calibers, go with the PA SLx. It is the smallest and comes with a broad range of mounting options straight out of the box.
As I go through my various inventory reduction efforts, out of these four, I will keep the Element and the PA for the reasons listed above and in the attached video.
Element is simply a better scope. I have two. The one with BDC reticle sits on a 5.56 FoldAR that travels with me to classes. The one with the MRAD reticle currently sits on 10/22TD that I use for a lot of practice.
PA SLx 5x with the Aurora Mil reticle is at home on a compact 300Blackout I built for my brother. A simple mil grid is very easy to adapt to different trajectories. Piggy backed red dot helps to go fast when needed.
There is nothing wrong with the other two, but I am not an MOA shooter and I prefer the ergonomics of the SLx.