Got my Sparc a couple of days ago and finally got it to the range as well. From the onset, I would say I am pleased with the optic for $180-200.
Here is what I have observed thusfar.
All the gizmos and such that come with it are great. You can low mount, high mount, and there is an additoinal 1/8" riser to use with either mount. I needed it on the high mount to work best with NV. Cool.
Aside from the battery issue comparison with the Aimpoint T-1, the smaller diameter tube of the Sparc means less light transmission through the tube which means lower light situations will result in a slight increased difficulty in seeing the target without additional illumination.
Still don't like the switch given the short battery life. I would prefer an optic that takes a couple of seconds to turn on verus what the Sparc has.
The bikini cover actually doesn't seem to work that well once the optic is mounted. The bikini comes on the optic mounted in the best way possible, with one strap along the bottom of the optic where the mounts go. Once on the mounts, that option is removed and so getting the bikini on, properly placed, and off, is a pain.
The range of light settings is fairly limited. The lowest light setting is far too bright for lower light work where you can still see your target. I did not get a chance to do high noon testing of the bright end.
The NV setting worked amazingly well for being a single setting NV option. It worked okay with my NV scope so long as I didn't illuminate anything with my IR illuminator inside of about 15 yards or illuminate anything that was within about 25 and white. The dot got washed out. That aspect will vary depending on the illuminator, of course, but that was my experience with my gear. If there is sufficient ambient light to not use the IR illuminator, then the NV setting seems pretty good.
I mounted the Sparc on a S&W M&P 15-22 as it will be the eventual final home for it, though I plan on putting it on a .45-70 next. Zeroing went fine. The 1 MOA adjustments weren't too bad at all. On this gun and having 100 yards be about the furthest I will be shooting it, the 1 MOA adjustment is really a non-issue.
I liked the 2x magnifier, but do have a couple of complaints about it. First is that while sturmgewhre noted the fish eye effect, I didn't, but I did notice that the FOV is nearly cut in half. Maybe they added a ring inside the optic to cover the fish eye problem and I have a slightly different model. So the FOV is less. This isn't horrible, but not what I was expecting.
Second is that there is no sort of holder for the 2x magnifier to keep it clean when not in use. I put mine in a heavy duty ziplock bag to go in my range bag for now, but this isn't optimal.
I will play with it for a bit on the .22 and later transfer it to a .45-70 to see how it does. If it works well there, then I may see another one or two in my future, especially for my sporting guns.
FYI - I think the Aimpoint Micros have a bunch of shortcomings as well. I am not just picking on the Sparc. Sturmgewehre already pointed out all the good stuff. I am just pointing out some of the considerations that might give reason for a person to not buy it that more glowing reviews might not cover. The NV setting is a good example. It has it, but buying the scope because it has it would not be prudent because it is singular, not bright enough when used with in IR illuminator at shorter range, and so has limited usability.
