Omega vs Sandman S

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So I bought a 22 can from Tar Heel State a few weeks ago and think I want to go ahead and get the process started for a .30 cal can as well. It seems the Omega comes recommended from many but the Sandman S has caught my eye as well. Going by the numbers, the omega is smaller/lighter/quieter than the sandman but I like dead air's qd system better than the ASR mounts. The key-mo system is available for the omega but it is not cheap.

Now for my specific usage. Calibers I would like to suppress are 556/223, 6.5 creedmoor, 300 blackout, and 308. I would like to tuck the can under a rail on the 300 blackout but it is my understanding that direct thread is my only option since running a QD brake/flash hider under a rail probably wouldn't work well; I want to be able to shoot it unsuppressed if need be so a flash can would fill the space if the suppressor isn't there. I understand the dead air wouldn't work for this but I could get a nice tight fit to the rail instead of tucking if it comes to that.

Does anyone have experience with both? Does anyone own one or the other and want to do a range day? Trying to fully weigh pro's and con's before dropping the cash.

Also, Scott at Tar Heel told me that the omega's only come from SiCo in FDE or the gunmetal gray. I've seen them in black so are people cerakoting on their own after purchase?
 
You can use Dead Air tucked inside a rail, but not the ASR. Shooting without the suppressor would be an issue, though. Not sure there's a flash can that attaches to the DA muzzle devices.

What you're calling black and Scott is calling gunmetal grey is probably the same color.
 
To fit under a hand guard, You could find a taper mount suppressor like a Griffin Recce 7 (3oz heavier than Omega but $375 cheaper) or Alpha/Paladin ($275 cheaper and same weight as Omega). Both are full auto rated and 300WM rated. And the Paladin doesn’t have a glued outer tube like the Omega which I’ve seen people sending back because they come loose.
 
Yeah I may not have worded that properly. If I were to run a can tucked it would be the omega ran as direct thread and the flash can would allow for unsuppressed shooting. Dead air tucked isn't an option as I want to retain the ability to shoot without a can. How much of an inconvenience is it to swap from direct thread to the asr mount on the omega when swapping hosts?

As far as performance goes the numbers for the Omega look good and I can't find any numbers posted for the Sandman S.
 
Yeah I may not have worded that properly. If I were to run a can tucked it would be the omega ran as direct thread and the flash can would allow for unsuppressed shooting. Dead air tucked isn't an option as I want to retain the ability to shoot without a can. How much of an inconvenience is it to swap from direct thread to the asr mount on the omega when swapping hosts?

As far as performance goes the numbers for the Omega look good and I can't find any numbers posted for the Sandman S.

Here’s some Sandman metering info....and it’s 18.5oz

 
How much of an inconvenience is it to swap from direct thread to the asr mount on the omega when swapping hosts?
Not much at all. 30 seconds or less. (Assuming it's cool enough to handle, or you're equipped to grab a hot can)
 
Personally what do you think about the ASR system?
Personally...I've never used it.

My Omega is used direct thread, or with YHM muzzle devices. My Sakers are used with YHM as well.

That being said, I think the ASR is a solid mounting system. You have a wide variety of SiCo cans that use it. The one downside is you can't tuck it inside a rail...and to me, that doesn't matter. I wouldn't do that with a centerfire rifle can, regardless of caliber.
 
I only have experience with the Omega and YHM cans, but I do like the ASR better than the YHM ratcheting system. I have stuck the YHM mounts and had to use a vice to get them off a few times, but no problems with ASR. The Omega is a nice medium grey, but it darkens if you get it nice and hot:)
 
Here’s some Sandman metering info....and it’s 18.5oz



Finally got a chance to watch this vid. Numbers actually don't seem that great for the S. 300 blk was in the low 130's and 5.56 average wasn't hearing safe at 141.

The Omega says 119 db for 300 blk and 556 is 130 db. This alone might have made my decision. I know tone matters too but unless I get the opportunity to shoot with someone who owns them, numbers are all I have to go off of.
 
I only have experience with the Omega and YHM cans, but I do like the ASR better than the YHM ratcheting system. I have stuck the YHM mounts and had to use a vice to get them off a few times, but no problems with ASR. The Omega is a nice medium grey, but it darkens if you get it nice and hot:)
You're in a very small minority. I can find dozens upon dozens of complaints/issues with almost every QD system out there...some way more than others. YHM's design limits itself to very few of the issues the others have. Plus, they have the added benefit of the moving parts being on the mounts, so getting something fixed/replaced rarely ever involves mailing off your suppressor.

I'm not saying they never had issues, and accept the fact a lot of people think most of the mounts are hideous, but I'd bet it has the lowest percentage of issues among the Top 10 manufacturers.

I have YHM, Silencerco and F1 cans...and they're all direct thread and/or YHM compatible. It's a requirement for any I purchase at this point. The mounts themselves are also as affordable as any other you'll find.

I do think a majority of the ASR issues are the fault of the users...compared to the SiCo Trifecta system the Sakers used to come with. The fact that SiCo will swap the Trifecta MAAD module and all of your used muzzle devices for a complete set of ASR pieces at no cost to the end user speaks volumes.
 
I have an omega probably an early 14' production. It is a dark, dark gray color. In anything but direct light it looks black. As you can see in my avatar in direct sunlight the gray does come out. I pulled it out and had to bring it under direct light to see the black of the direct thread mount vs the can's gray. Don't take this the wrong way but I would not make color anywhere close to the top of the list on deciding which can I would buy. As you said, it can always be cerecoated later.

I swap the direct thread for the ASR mount regularly between the bolt gun and AR's and as long as you keep the threads clean inside the can (300blk subs tend to foul it up some) it is easy to screw on and off (assuming it is cool enough to touch). That said I don't put a hot (just beyond being comfortable to hold so around 175ishF can with ASR mount on a cold brake mount and let it cool. If it does it takes a strap wrench to break loose (Its repeatable). Known issue with this mount/can. I think it is an issue with dissimilar metals expansion/contraction. Would it keep me from buying another omega? nah. I'm happy with the Omega. I just wait another 3-4 minutes for it to cool then swap guns.
 
Have you had any issues with the ASR not locking up properly?

What all comes with the can as far as direct thread cap, flat end cap, anchor brake, muzzle brake, ect? Trying to get an idea of how much I'll have to spend on accessories off the bat.
 
Have you had any issues with the ASR not locking up properly?

What all comes with the can as far as direct thread cap, flat end cap, anchor brake, muzzle brake, ect? Trying to get an idea of how much I'll have to spend on accessories off the bat.

Not locking up properly... no. If you try to tighten the can with the locking ring engaged you'll feel the teeth hitting and hear them as well. Just disengage the locking ring and finish tightening it down and then engage the locking ring. I haven't had it come loose with the ASR mount but with the direct thread I give it the "wrist flick" to keep it from backing off. At first, I just screwed it down till tight, but it would work loose after shooting a bit. Using the wrist flick I haven't yet.

Accessories etc. That seems to vary the most depending on what special Sico was running. I'd check with Scott at THSF to see what they're including now, but probably the direct thread and either a brake or flash hider ASR mount would be my guess. At one time Sico was adding another ASR brake/flash hider and a pouch with warranty registration, but not sure what they're including now.
 
Hmmm. Wonder how common that is? I've been reading a lot and haven't seen that. I've read about the baffles not being permanently attached to the tube though.
 
Hmmm. Wonder how common that is? I've been reading a lot and haven't seen that. I've read about the baffles not being permanently attached to the tube though.

I’ve seen quite a few cases of it...mentioned it in my Thursday post and voila it happens here
 
Finally got a chance to watch this vid. Numbers actually don't seem that great for the S. 300 blk was in the low 130's and 5.56 average wasn't hearing safe at 141.

The Omega says 119 db for 300 blk and 556 is 130 db. This alone might have made my decision. I know tone matters too but unless I get the opportunity to shoot with someone who owns them, numbers are all I have to go off of.

Is that at the shooters ear or the 3m up 1m left?
 
Not sure, the SiCo specs are listed on their site. Maybe I should find a real world test on YouTube to compare

Military Arms Channel



Suppressors used (and where you will find them in the timeline): AAC SR-7 - 5:08 SilencerCo Saker 7.62 - 5:41
SureFire SOCOM 762 - 6:11
Griffin Armament Recce 7 - 6:46
Dead Air Sandman-L 762 - 7:24
SilencerCo Omega 30 Cal - 7:59

Tested on a 5.56mm Rifle:
Griffin Armament Recce-7 - 8:53
SilencerCo Saker - 9:20
SilencerCo Omega - 9:50
SureFire SOCOM 762 - 10:19

Spreadsheet:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1AmLjirqXYbibSqcsVA6Syrbp3qShh9QYk-Pw6hWrs-A/htmlview

30 Cal Results (dB)
AAC SR7: 145.49
Omega: 137.15
Recce 7: 138.8
Sandman L: 140.6
SF: 146.5
Saker: 140.36

5.56 through 30 cal can (dB)
Omega: 136.6
Recce 7: 135.23
Sandman L: not tested
SF: 143.26
Saker: 138.6
 
I literally just watched that vid a little bit ago. Even though that is the sandman L, every vid or comparison I've found including the two shows that the omega beats the sandman s in terms of suppression regardless of caliber. In the vid above the omega outperforms the sandman L which is a much larger can.

To make things even more complicated, I spoke with @TARHEELSTATE and he running a Christmas special on the sandman S for $775 and Deadair has a promotion running through the 31st in which you get a free muzzle device, in addition to the device that comes with the can, when you register your purchase with them.

So to summarize:

Deadair Sandman S - $775, includes a muzzle brake, additional muzzle device through Deadair, heavier duty, no minimum barrel restrictions

SiCo Omega - $870, comes with a direct thread cap, ASR cap, and ASR muzzle device, lighter, better suppression, rated down to 10.5" 5.56


Idk what to do. I'm off this week and get paid Friday and the plan was to purchase this week but when it comes to big permanent decisions I can never make up my mind..
 
You’re really dead set on those two? No other competitors for price and performance?
 
I literally just watched that vid a little bit ago. Even though that is the sandman L, every vid or comparison I've found including the two shows that the omega beats the sandman s in terms of suppression regardless of caliber. In the vid above the omega outperforms the sandman L which is a much larger can.

To make things even more complicated, I spoke with @TARHEELSTATE and he running a Christmas special on the sandman S for $775 and Deadair has a promotion running through the 31st in which you get a free muzzle device, in addition to the device that comes with the can, when you register your purchase with them.

So to summarize:

Deadair Sandman S - $775, includes a muzzle brake, additional muzzle device through Deadair, heavier duty, no minimum barrel restrictions

SiCo Omega - $870, comes with a direct thread cap, ASR cap, and ASR muzzle device, lighter, better suppression, rated down to 10.5" 5.56


Idk what to do. I'm off this week and get paid Friday and the plan was to purchase this week but when it comes to big permanent decisions I can never make up my mind..

Go with the Omega. For sound reduction you will be happier than with the Sandman S.
 
Going Friday to purchase the Omega. Speak now or forever hold your peace!

Plan is to run the provided ASR mount and brake and see how I like it before investing in that system. If I don't like it I'll pony up for the key-mo adapter which is pricey but will allow me to have my cake and eat it too.
 
If you want a flat cap, let me know. I have a guy in Mooresville that makes them in Ti for less than SiCo sells theirs. Same goes for other direct thread mounts.
 
If you want a flat cap, let me know. I have a guy in Mooresville that makes them in Ti for less than SiCo sells theirs. Same goes for other direct thread mounts.

I will definitely get with you. I just read something about someone on arfcom making them in Ti. Wonder if it's the same person
 
I will definitely get with you. I just read something about someone on arfcom making them in Ti. Wonder if it's the same person
It is. Same source.

Mine is 11.5oz with Ti ends.
 
Asked what? I know you brought up the baffle/tube separation but I don't see that as a major issue.


The tube is literally glued on. In a high stress/high heat environment it just seems like something you’d want to avoid considering the glue is failing lots of people.

Earlier today I wrote:
You’re really dead set on those two? No other competitors for price and performance?


You asked about two cans and ONLY two cans that couldn’t be more dissimilar in terms of what they are.

Are you wanting something in the lightweight category (14oz) or heavier (18.5oz)? You never said why you liked either

There are plenty of strong lightweight options to compare the omega to:

YHM Ti .30 cal
Griffin Paladin (rated 7.5” 5.56, 12.5” .308 btw)
TBAC Ultra 7

Compare the Sandman S to:
Recce 7
YHM Nitro 7.62 (has changeable endcaps)
Sig 7.62 QD

Those are just three examples but there’s more options in each category

You just have your mind set on two very different cans it seems and no real discussion outside of them.
 
The tube is literally glued on. In a high stress/high heat environment it just seems like something you’d want to avoid considering the glue is failing lots of people.

Earlier today I wrote:



You asked about two cans and ONLY two cans that couldn’t be more dissimilar in terms of what they are.

Are you wanting something in the lightweight category (14oz) or heavier (18.5oz)? You never said why you liked either

There are plenty of strong lightweight options to compare the omega to:

YHM Ti .30 cal
Griffin Paladin (rated 7.5” 5.56, 12.5” .308 btw)
TBAC Ultra 7

Compare the Sandman S to:
Recce 7
YHM Nitro 7.62 (has changeable endcaps)
Sig 7.62 QD

Those are just three examples but there’s more options in each category

You just have your mind set on two very different cans it seems and no real discussion outside of them.

In all honesty, I missed that post completely.

I see what you are saying. I'll be the first to say that I haven't weighed all the options out there because, quite frankly, I get a little lost when comparing because there are SO many different options out there and being that I don't own a can, I wasn't exactly sure what I was actually looking for. It's a bit overwhelming. It seems that the omega and dead air are what I see the most on social media and whatnot so naturally they are the ones I started looking into. 21st century marketing at work I guess.

So when it comes down to it, I suppose I'm wanting:
exceptional suppression
lightweight
modularity (intended uses: 8"-10" 300 blackout pistol tucked under rail (direct thread), 5.56 ar's (qd), ar10 (qd), 6.5 creed bolt gun (direct thread or qd)

The omega seems to fit the bill for all scenarios above, is made by a large reputable company with great customer service and is unlikely to go out of business, and has positive feedback and a good reputation. The outer tube threads onto the baffle stack so that tells me it was designed to be removable so it coming loose doesn't seem like a biggie.
 
In all honesty, I missed that post completely.

I see what you are saying. I'll be the first to say that I haven't weighed all the options out there because, quite frankly, I get a little lost when comparing because there are SO many different options out there and being that I don't own a can, I wasn't exactly sure what I was actually looking for. It's a bit overwhelming. It seems that the omega and dead air are what I see the most on social media and whatnot so naturally they are the ones I started looking into. 21st century marketing at work I guess.

So when it comes down to it, I suppose I'm wanting:
exceptional suppression
lightweight
modularity (intended uses: 8"-10" 300 blackout pistol tucked under rail (direct thread), 5.56 ar's (qd), ar10 (qd), 6.5 creed bolt gun (direct thread or qd)

The omega seems to fit the bill for all scenarios above, is made by a large reputable company with great customer service and is unlikely to go out of business, and has positive feedback and a good reputation. The outer tube threads onto the baffle stack so that tells me it was designed to be removable so it coming loose doesn't seem like a biggie.

But the design is made to be removeable for ease of repair by SiCo, but this is causing it to be removed accidentally by owners which is a biggie. One example:

https://www.ar15.com/forums/armory/-/20-451875/?page=1

There’s also a fair amount of people that have had internal welds fail and all the Omega guts head downrange with the first shot.

Maybe it’s my military background and I want something to be robust enough to not have issues like this, I don’t know. But an outer tube that can be unscrewed (which SiCo was previously having people mail them back in for service and are now telling people to loctite it themselves probably due to increasing occurrence/cost) by accident during normal operation just is a huge red flag to me. Even Silencershop calls it light duty. I would’ve bought an Omega two years ago. But now there’s two years of silencer develoment and advancement plus issues coming to light with the design that they don’t mention in the promos

If you wanted a lightweight can, the Sandman S shouldn’t have been in the running. It totally skewed the results because they’re vastly different suppressors.

Look at:
Griffin Paladin
Griffin Optimus (14oz in Short config)
YHM Ti .30
Rugged Micro 30 (seriously)
Rugged Razor (Rugged is made in SC!)
Thunderbeast Ultra 5,7,9 (7 is my personal choice)
Sig 762QD-Ti
“Q” Trash Panda

Literally all of those cans fit your needs. The Omega is a great can, and gets a lot of traction due to SilencerCo. But in that list, there’s a lot of new tech even compared to the 3-4 year old Omega.

Don’t rush into this. Weigh your options
 
"At one time Sico was adding another ASR brake/flash hider and a pouch with warranty registration, but not sure what they're including now".
All I got was a hat---
 
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