Hi. Although I'm an official OF, I've been shooting scoped rifles for more than 5 decades, so that experience does count for something. This is a LONG post.......
I have a LOT of newer scopes of all brands from Arken to high end Sightron Sllls.
First, I no longer compete or hunt, but I have 2 private ranges and can shoot any time I want.
Here's a list of my current inventory and choices....
4 Arken EP5s 5-25X56
1 Arken 7-35X56\
1 Arken SH4J
Several older Arken 6-24 models from when they first hit the scene
4 Discovery PRS Gen ll ED 5-25X56
1 Discovery PRS Gen l ED 5-25X56
1 Discovery 5-40 ED ELR meh
1 Orcair 5-25X56
4 CV Life 'Bear Swift' 5-25X56
1 (new) Vortex Strike Eagle 5-25X56 ($800) waste of $
2 DNT 5-25X56
Deciding what I like best is a difficult question. I'm a retired Engineer, so I look at performance/cost ratio for MY needs. I just punch paper and ring steel.
Don't judge Arken based on the older 6-24 models. They have constantly had the OEM upgrade the glass from Chinese to Japanese. Yes, you CAN tell the improvements.
All my Arkens are what I consider the 'standard' all others would be +/-.
I have a lot of older varmint rifles that have Vortex Viper 6.5-20X50 scopes which were the 'hot ticket' back then. They were pretty good, but recent optics have made a HUGE improvement!
My Choice? (in this mid-priced category)
If $ was of no concern, I would go DNT.
If budget factors in, the Discovery ED PRS Genll is my choice. I bought another yesterday!
Like a lot of 'reviewers'. I can honestly say the Discovery PRS scopes are actually BETTER than the Arken EP5 (Genl). Not just optically, but mechanically as well.
One downside? They are BIG, but I like big scopes.
I have been buying Discovery scopes for 30+ years and NEVER had a single issue, but the important thing to understand is that Discovery REALLY listens to feedback and customer reviews.
I take ALL 'free' scope reviews with a grain of salt. However, all 4 of the new Discovery PRS Genlls have seen a small (but significant) 'upgrade within the new Genll models.
The first ones came with 3 sunshades. They quickly dropped that.; Next, they added a rear 'flip up' cover instead of the silly rubber cap.
They recently changed the mag lever to the newer DNT/Arken style. See a thread there?
Lastly, the included rings, are the newer 'honed' type. Although the supplied 1.25" rings are fine for a AR-15, they are too high on a HB bolt action. However, Amazon allows you to select the scope with the ring height of your choice. I use the .97" (34mm) rings on all my bolt actions.
Bottom line.... It appears that a LOT of these brands come from the same OEM, despite some FALSE claims stating otherwise. I have proved this in my Amazon review of the Orcair 5-25X56.
Have fun, this is a wonderful time for the optics consumer.
ron