Hikmicro Alpex Range Explained: Lite, 4K or Pro — Which Digital Day/Night Scope?

If you shoot foxes or rats after dark, you've probably already worked out that the Hikmicro Alpex is the default digital day/night scope in the UK. The harder question is which one — the range now runs from the Lite at around £400 to the new Pro at around £850, with LRF and non-LRF versions in between. This guide walks the current line-up so you can buy once.

Quick picks (TL;DR)

• Best for most foxing rifles: Alpex 4K LRF (A50EL) — around £700, and the built-in rangefinder costs you essentially nothing over the non-LRF model
• Best for airgun pest control and rats: Alpex Lite 4K (A40E) — around £400, purpose-built for shorter-range work
• Best if you want the lot: Alpex Pro LRF (A50PL) — around £850, higher-resolution sensor in a lighter body
• Whichever you pick: budget for the Hikmicro IR torch (around £80) — the supplied illumination is the first thing serious users upgrade

What an Alpex actually is (and isn't)

The Alpex is a digital scope, not a thermal. A conventional optic with a digital sensor behind it: in daylight you get a full-colour image and it behaves like a normal riflescope; after dark it switches to a high-sensitivity mode and sees infrared light from an IR torch that's invisible to the quarry. That's the practical difference from thermal — a thermal scope reads heat and needs no illumination, but costs considerably more for an equivalent sight picture and is poorer for positive identification. Digital gives you an image you can recognise — you can see which fox, count rats on a midden, and read your backstop. It's why the spot-with-thermal, shoot-with-digital combination has become the standard night setup, and why the Alpex sits on so many foxing rifles.

The range, model by model

Alpex Lite 4K (A40E / A40EL) — the airgun and rat scope

Around £400, or around £500 with the laser rangefinder. The Lite runs a 4K sensor behind a 40 mm objective and is pitched by Hikmicro squarely at airgun hunters and pest controllers — shorter ranges, lighter rifles, high volume of shots. If your night shooting is rats round the yard or rabbits on a permission, this is the sensible buy, and it leaves money for the IR torch. The LRF version is worth the extra £100 on an airgun, where knowing 28 yards from 35 matters more than it does with a centrefire.

Alpex 4K (A50E / A50EL) — the foxing standard

Around £700 either way — and that's the point: as we write, the LRF version costs effectively the same as the non-LRF, so unless you actively don't want the rangefinder there's no argument. The 50 mm-class 4K is the volume seller for a reason: full-colour daytime use, 4K Ultra HD low-light performance, and enough reach for any sensible night shot with a centrefire. If you're setting up one rifle to do daytime stalking duties and night foxing, this is the one.

Alpex Pro (A50PL LRF) — the new flagship

Around £850. The Pro brings a higher-resolution 12 MP sensor in a lighter, easier-handling body, with the LRF built in. Whether the step up from the 4K is worth roughly £150 depends on how often you push range and magnification at night — we've covered that question properly in Alpex Pro vs Alpex 4K: is the upgrade worth it?. Short version: high-volume foxers and anyone running big magnification will see the difference; occasional night shooters won't miss it.

Do you need the LRF version?

At night, yes — more than you think. Range estimation in the dark is genuinely hard: there's no foreground reference, IR images flatten perspective, and a fox at 180 yards looks much like one at 120. A button on the scope that gives you the true distance removes the worst guess in night shooting. With the price gaps as they currently stand (nil on the 4K, around £100 on the Lite), the LRF models are the default recommendation.

Don't skip the IR torch

A digital scope is only as good as its illumination. The dedicated Hikmicro IR torch (around £80 — note it doesn't come with brackets) throws further and more evenly than baseline illumination, which translates directly into cleaner identification at distance. It's the highest-value £80 in this whole system.

Pairing with a thermal spotter

Most experienced night shooters run a thermal spotter for finding and a digital scope for shooting. If you're building that setup from scratch, the Alpex Lite LRF + Habrok 4K bundle (around £1,850) packages the scope with Hikmicro's multi-spectrum binocular and is meaningfully cheaper than buying separately. For help choosing a standalone spotter, see our handheld thermal spotter guide.

A quick word on the law

Digital and thermal optics are legal to own and use in the UK. The restrictions sit on the quarry, not the kit: foxes, rabbits and rats may be shot at night (subject to the usual permissions and safe-shot rules), while deer may not be shot at night without a specific licence. If in doubt about your ground or quarry, check before you go out — not after.

FAQ

Is the Hikmicro Alpex any good?

It's the best-selling digital day/night scope in the UK for a reason: the image quality per pound is unmatched, and the range covers everything from £400 airgun setups to the £850 Pro. Our customers' most common feedback is wishing they'd bought the IR torch at the same time.

What's the difference between the Alpex 4K and the Alpex Pro?

The Pro runs a higher-resolution 12 MP sensor in a lighter body. At modest magnification the difference is small; at higher magnification and longer range the Pro holds detail noticeably better. Full comparison here.

Can I use an Alpex in daylight?

Yes — unlike tube night vision, digital scopes are daylight-safe and give a full-colour image. Plenty of owners run one as their only optic on a foxing rifle.

Is digital night vision legal in the UK?

Yes, for owning and for shooting legal night quarry such as foxes, rabbits and rats. Deer are the exception — night shooting of deer requires a licence.

Which Alpex for an air rifle?

The Alpex Lite 4K (A40E), or the LRF version if the budget stretches — precise ranging matters more with a looping airgun trajectory than with a centrefire.

Ready to look at the range? Browse the full Hikmicro collection or everything in night vision and thermal. Prices correct at time of writing; check the product pages for current stock and pricing.