Zerotech Thrive

1-10x24 RAR Review

ZeroTech Optics has been releasing a lot of products recently. One of these is a new base model low power variable optic or LPVO. It is a second focal plane (SFP) 1-10 power optic with an illuminated reticle. The official name of this LPVO is the ZeroTech Thrive 1-10x24 - RAR. It offers clear glass as well as a bunch of other features.

As mentioned, the Thrive 1-10 is ZeroTech’s value priced LPVO. It is currently just under 300 dollars. This makes it a great option for someone wanting to see if they want a LPVO, or anyone looking for an inexpensive option that has a 10x magnification. It also comes with a neoprene scope cover, which is way nicer than the plastic flip caps other companies give you.

Being a 1-10 power optic has some advantages. At 1 power, this LPVO has a true 1x magnification, or as close as you can get. When at 1x, the Thrive 1-10 is really close to what looking through a red dot looks like, just with an actual reticle instead of a dot. Don’t get this confused though, it is not a red dot. Then, if you turn the magnification up to 10 power, you can identify targets with ease. Or actually reach out some distance to shoot. 25 years ago, a 10 power scope was all you needed to reach out to 1000 yards and that is still true today.

Now we know what the ZeroTech Thrive 1-10 is capable of, what kind of reticle does it have? The 1-10 uses ZeroTech’s “RAR” reticle. This reticle is a second focal plane MOA reticle. Being a SFP reticle, in this case, means that the reticle's MOA marks and numbers will only be accurate at 10x. It also means that the reticle will stay the same viewable size throughout the magnification range. Okay, let me try to explain the reticle, there is a lot going on, kind of. Pointing toward the center of the reticle are three, 4 MOA thick lines that taper down. One on each side, and one on the bottom. These are to help draw your eye to the center reticle portion. The center reticle has thin lines with hash marks every 2 MOA. These hash marks are 1 and 2 MOA high, depending on where they are on the stadia lines. These can be used for ranging, bullet drop, or windage. Inside the inner reticle is a 0.75 MOA dot. Then surrounding the inner dot and part of the reticle is a horseshoe ring. The horseshoe is 12 MOA in diameter. I really like the RAR reticle as I found it super quick and very useful.

The RAR reticle is semi-illuminated. Basically the horseshoe and center dot illuminate. To turn the illumination on, tap the button on the battery cap. It has 6 illumination settings. To increase brightness, just push this same button again. Once it hits the brightest setting, when you tap the button again, it will start cycling down to the lowest setting. Then when on the lowest, it starts cycling up again. Hold the button down for a few seconds to turn the reticle off. The reticle is not “daylight bright”, but it is fairly bright and can be seen on overcast days.

Now that you know what the reticle of the Thrive 1-10 looks like, it needs to be sighted in. Having the ability to crank the Thrive up to 10 power really helps you be able to see where you are hitting on the target. The adjustment ring, to adjust that magnification from 1-10x, is fairly smooth. It also has a small, removable, throw lever. It's not huge like some others, but it is useful. The Thrive 1-10 uses capped turrets. So to adjust the windage and elevation, you must unscrew them and set them aside. Then you have standard click adjustable turrets. The turret’s clicks are not super positive. They also feel a little mushy to me. This is a base model scope, so I didn't expect them to be crisp. More just a heads up. Once the turrets are adjusted to your satisfaction, you can loosen the center screw, pull the turret up, set it to zero, and re-install the screw. Something else I noticed with the Thrive 1-10 is that each click adjustment is ¼ MOA, which is a more fine adjustment than many of the Thrive's direct competitors in the market.

The clarity of the Thrive 1-10 impressed me. For being a value optic, the clarity at 10x was nice. It didn't have any shadows around the edges, just a clear picture. The eye relief is decent, but a little tight at 10x. I'd say the eye relief falls in the middle of comparably priced LPVO’s. There are better and there are worse. At 1 power, the scopes clarity and eye relief are quite good. I didn't run into any trouble, using the Thrive, anywhere in its magnification range.

I ended up mounting the Thrive 1-10 on a 16” 556 AR. It needed something other than the red dot that was on it and the Thrive fit the bill nicely. After mounting the scope, it was off to the range. This is where I ran into the Thrive's only real problem. I pushed the button to turn on the illumination. Okay, that worked as expected. Then I shot the rifle. Every time the rifle recoiled, the illumination would flicker off and then back on. I contacted ZeroTech and they said that it can do that with certain recoil impulses. Yes, it is an inexpensive optic, but this bothers me. It's not like I was mounting the Thrive on something with heavy recoil. I guess I'll have to move it to a 22lr or not use the illumination. Besides that drawback, I really like the reticle. It is easy to use and draws your eye right to the center aiming point.

If you are looking at getting into an LPVO, the ZeroTech Thrive 1-10x24 is not a bad choice. Yes it has some problems, but it also has some great features. Personally, I think it would be a fantastic optic for a 22lr rifle. Go head over to ZeroTech and take a look at the Thrive 1-10x24 RAR.