It’s no secret that there are thousands and thousands of red dot sights out there, from cheap imitations to high-end ACOGs. Unfortunately, despite the massive volume of red dots, very few offer high quality for a reasonable price.
Luckily, the Lucid Optics HD7 red dot sight is a reliable optic that is here to save the day. It has a considerable number of features and goes for a fairly affordable price. Today, we’ll take a closer look at this scope and review all of its features to help you decide if it’s right for you. Read on for more information.
Lucid Optics HD7 Red Dot Sight Review
The HD7’s power source is a single AAA battery that is housed in a waterproof compartment at the front of the scope. You’ll get around 1,000 hours of battery life on this one little battery, which is extremely impressive for a scope of this caliber. What’s more, the sight shuts off automatically after 2 hours to conserve your battery life further - a technology called Auto-Off Red Dot Optics.
The controls are on the left side, and include an On/Off switch which is activated by holding the button down for a couple of seconds. Holding down the button for slightly longer will turn the sight off.
You’ll find two buttons beside the On/Off switch - each has an arrow that points up and down, which controls the brightness of the sight. Adjusting the modes of reticle brightness in this way overrides the automatic brightness and dimming feature. There is also an automatic light sensor at the top of the sight that continually adjusts the brightness of the sight based on ambient lighting conditions to ensure that you always have a clear shot.
If you’re a fan of selectable features, you’re in luck. The Lucid Optics HD7’s reticle is a bit of a far cry from other sights of its type in that it has a selection of four reticles for you to choose from. There’s a thumbwheel at the upper left side that you can turn, which cycles through each of the red reticles:
- A small 2 MOA reticle
- Dot inside the donut
- T reticle with stadia lines for distance estimation
- Chevron reticle with stadia lines
You can turn the knob both clockwise and counterclockwise to cycle through each of these recycles.
Specifications
- Weight: 13 ounces
- Battery: 1 x AAA (not included)
- Brightness levels: 7
- FOV: 35-feet at 100-yards
- Chemical rubber armor
- Cast aluminum frame
- 13mm mounting nuts
- Reversible mounting pins
- Lower ⅓ co-witness
- Waterproof & fog proof
- Auto brightness sensor
- 2-hour auto shut-off
- Parallax free
- Capped ½ MOA adjustments
- Limited lifetime warranty
What’s So Good About It?
There’s no doubt that the HD7 is a rugged sight. The first iteration of this scope had the same features and overall build but still had a fatal weakness - during testing, the first HD7 model was given to some airborne troops for a ral test (which you really never see from any other optics company).
The soldiers jumped with a full combat load under the canopy of the standard T-10 parachute, which cannot be steered. They each had an HD7 mounted on their standard-issue M4s. Of the six soldiers that jumped with these sights, one soldier had the top turret knocked off, and when he made a parachute landing fail, he landed on the rifle and sight.
It’s safe to say that the new HD7 does not suffer from this problem.
As you have already seen from the above list of specifications, the HD7 is waterproof so the sight will be able to withstand getting wet just fine.
Some Flaws
While the Lucid Optics HD7 is a titan in accurate target acquisition, the only real problem with this scope actually has nothing to do with the scope at all but with its magnifier. The higher the power setting that you put the magnifier on, the larger the reticle is going to become, and at 5x magnification, the reticle takes up a lot of FOV.
Looking through the sight with the magnifier removes some of the clarity of the image. So, if you want a scope that you are also able to magnify with, we suggest purchasing one that has a built-in magnification capability.
FAQs
Are Lucid Optics good?
The short answer: yes. Lucid Optics is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of weapon scopes and sights, and for a good reason. They produce some of the best optic products in the world, and their sights have been used by soldiers from around the country.
What we like about Lucid is that they are constantly finding ways to innovate and introduce new technologies into the game while still maintaining a satisfying level of simplicity. If you’re looking for trustworthy optics, Lucid should definitely be on your radar.
Where are Lucid Optics manufactured?
All of Lucid Optics' products are designed and manufactured in Riverton, Wyoming, in the United States. Of course, there are a couple of products from Lucid that, unfortunately, have to be assembled in other countries. However, there’s a good reason for this - Lucid produces some of their products in Asia so that they can continue to offer them at an affordable price point.
What distance is a red dot sight good for?
There are dozens of factors that will influence the effective shooting range of a red dot sight, including the size of the dot, ambient lighting, the environment, the size of your target, and more. Typically, if you are using a red dot sight without any magnification, you can easily aim at a target as far as 100 yards away, if not more.
Wrapping Up
Lucid Optics is a leading scope manufacturer and is responsible for some of the best and most popular optic products in the world. Their products are considered the market standards. If you’re looking for a red dot sight that will give you an edge with multiple reticles that is good value for money, look no further than the HD7.