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Thread: Pentex AR? Does anyone use it or know about it?

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    Pentex AR? Does anyone use it or know about it?

    The new office I work at uses a lot of stock Pentex lenses with AR. I have never used these lenses and wonder how good the AR is. Does it scratch easily? Is it hard to clean and does it get dirty fast after a few months?

    I'm used to Crizal Avance and how easy they are to care for even after a couple of years.

    I'm told the Pentex AR is as good as the newer Crizal Alize. Is this true? I consider Alize very inferior to Avance but better then most AR out there.

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    The Pentax ECP is very smooth and easy to clean but the Poly ECP will give you trouble. A lot of peeling on the edge of the lens especially on groove cut. And i have stopped using it because of that.

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    We have used Pentax stock lenses in high index w/ AR for years. It used to be their AR had quick breakdowns, but about 5 years ago they really stepped up, we haven't had a minute of problems with their stock high index AR in the last 5 years, wonderful price as well.

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    Quote Originally Posted by CalCal View Post
    The Pentax ECP is very smooth and easy to clean but the Poly ECP will give you trouble. A lot of peeling on the edge of the lens especially on groove cut. And i have stopped using it because of that.
    That doesn't sound good. The AR peels but just on poly?

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    Master OptiBoarder LENNY's Avatar
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    I believe there are 2 types of AR from them!

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    Quote Originally Posted by LENNY View Post
    I believe there are 2 types of AR from them!
    More details?

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    Master OptiBoarder LENNY's Avatar
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    Looks like they have Surpass, Surpass ECP and Ultra. All very small price difference!

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    Seiko and Pentax stock lenses are going through some changes. Most of the newer AR really is the terrific Surpass ECP which gets improvements almost every year. The older Pentax AR was terrible 5 years ago, but since then its been much better.

    It will depend on how old your lenses are on which AR they fall in with. You may want to rotate and use the older ones up first.

    I believe soon everything will be Surpass ECP eventually, even in all stock lenses. It really is an amazing AR though.

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    So Surpass ECP is the best? Would that make Surpass the middle one and Ultra the low end one?

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    Quote Originally Posted by Happylady View Post
    So Surpass ECP is the best? Would that make Surpass the middle one and Ultra the low end one?
    Surpass (non-ECP) is older, I don't think its made anymore but there maybe some stock still. I have not seen the Colt's data on Ultra to see where it falls, but it may be just a rebranded Surpass ECP as Surpass was originally a Pentax only product, not Seiko. That would explain why the price is the same. I only order Surpass ECP and have for years. Its terrific and a great value. It will be available on Trivex finished soon.

    I think Seiko's strategy has been to simplify production by just making one best A/R, vs. a tiered multi AR strategy, that way the A/R chambers are always full and they minimize material costs by only having one formula to buy. They have improved Surpass ECP a few times (without raising prices) so I think that strategy will continue for a while.

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    Thanks everyone for the information. My office uses the ECP and I feel pretty good about it now.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Happylady View Post
    Thanks everyone for the information. My office uses the ECP and I feel pretty good about it now.
    Surpass ECP has one of the highest Colt's RLS Scores, beating all Essilor and Zeiss A/R's (based on 2009-10 data). It's very slightly behind Hoya Super-High Vision. Hoya has not released certified Colts Data for the EX3 but its likely to be good. The price is wonderful too, its a "D" quality AR at a "B" price.

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    Quote Originally Posted by sharpstick777 View Post
    Surpass ECP has one of the highest Colt's RLS Scores, beating all Essilor and Zeiss A/R's (based on 2009-10 data). It's very slightly behind Hoya Super-High Vision. Hoya has not released certified Colts Data for the EX3 but its likely to be good. The price is wonderful too, its a "D" quality AR at a "B" price.
    What reflection colour does Surpass ECP have?

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    Light Green, with a touch of purple

    Quote Originally Posted by jptopti View Post
    What reflection colour does Surpass ECP have?

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