High quality for an affordable price - Athlon Optics Helos BTR Gen II 2-12x42mm 30mm Tube Rifle Scope, First Focal Plane

There are many things that I like about this scope.
1. Eye relief. Maybe I got lucky on my placement, but I can bring this scope up without a cheek weld and get on target with ease throughout the 2-12 range, no hunting required. It doesn't seem nearly as finicky as my LPVO before hand which had a supposed similar eye relief.

2. Quality feel. The turrets are great and feel solid, doesn't feel mushy, there doesn't seem to be any play. Whether or not that will change over time is to be determined, but the clicks give excellent feed back and it snaps into place nicely. Magnification ring has a good resistance to it. It's got a good feel to it overall and good build quality.

2. Optical quality. It's there, I'm a stickler for glass quality and the glass in this is really, really nice for the price. Chromatic aberrations are minimal, so minimal that it puts higher prices optics to shame. It's sharp, I can details at 300-400 yards no problem. I wouldn't say the sharpest, but it is definitely up there!

3. Reticle illumination. Seems quite good, no issues I can say thus far. Definitely noticeable during daytime, so that is a plus for me.

4. Price. Admittedly I was very hesitant and skeptical because of the price of this optic, couldn't find much information on it, but the things I did find spoke relatively well, so I went for it and so far so good. A really great value and makes me question why others sell for such a high price.

5. Magnification Range. This is more of a personal preference, but it sits at that comfortable spot to me. 2x feels really nice and 12x gets me up close enough to identify details. I've done countless hours of research and it kept coming back to this optic. All others were too expensive for what I wanted them to do or didn't have the qualities I was looking for.

Things I can't make a comment on is holding zero or long term durability, but I have full confidence that this scope will be able to maintain zero. Durability is to be determined through the test of time.

Cons: My scope did not come with flip caps, but at this price point (or the price I got it for) I simply cannot complain and will find aftermarket ones. No stars off for that, it would be nice if they were included, but it's not a deal breaker. Other than that I can't think of anything else so far.

Summary: Great value optic with amazing qualities, I would highly recommend this. For the price you're paying it easily rivals higher prices optics. I would argue the glass quality is superior (based off personal observations) to some known brands out there which sell for easily 2-3x the cost.