Tech Tip: Comparing Red Dot, Holographic & Prism Sights

[@CalebSavant]

A quick addendum on NVG optics, it's really easy to get conventional red dots up higher to be used with helmet mounted NVGs but it's really hard to beat the crispness of an EOTech through NVG's.

[@slurpyman20]

^^^This. The red dots CAN’T put out a Low enough beam so that with nvg’s the dot doesnt Wash out everything AND the window size of EO’s is much bigger resulting in wayy faster target acquisition……Hence why most guys on duty still prefers the EO and why its still used by mil/le

[@chad9166]

@@slurpyman20 This is not true. There are plenty of red dots with NV settings that get extremely dim and are perfectly capable of not blooming. There are even a few that rival EOTECH's clarity under NV. The big advantage of EOTECH optics are their big window which aids in light transmission, not target acquisition. Outside of NV, window size doesn't really matter if you're shooting both eyes open--which you should be.

[@slurpyman20]

@@chad9166 Lol. Nope. Not our experience. Theres not one red dot that excels with nvg’s vs eo’s. Too much cod for u.

[@erikmiranda4542]

Eotechs clarity sucks in my opinion. Reticle always looks fuzzy no matter the setting of brightness. I like holosun alot better. But if I'm going for drip factor then yeah eotech all day everyday. I do also understand the argument presented and realize my opinion has nothing to do with it. Lol.

[@chad9166]

@@slurpyman20 Sounds like you're trying to use red dots that don't have NV settings lol. Even cheap NV capable holosuns amd sigs don't "bloom" though some are less clear that EOTECHS with their smaller windows. I guess you need some more experience!

[@skippy-ic2bo]

Based on recent personal experience, I wanted to suggest an edit on prism optics. Prism optics do not have to be large and bulky nor are the 1x's a bad match for magnifiers. My Primary Arms 1x micro prism and Sig 3x magnifier have been a wonderful combo. There was no more difficulty in setting up the alignment of these two and the reticle focus than any other scope I own. The weight of the prism is equivalent to a red dot and the combo is still less than a bulkier holographic or LPVO! Thanks for the great summary, crazy durability story, and service to our country.

[@Axe_six-six]

I was going to make the same point about the Primary Arms micro prism vs being half the size of the 5x used as an example, but you beat me to it :)

[@scott2228]

With the Sig 3x do u still have to adjust the PA prism diaper when u move the Sig off to the side?

[@mdeamicis]

I came here to say primary arms micro prims are just as small.

[@brianmoore1164]

I am one of those people with the eyes "that suck." Truer words have never been spoken. Prism is a fantastic solution, and for me a green dot sight is a workable solution as well. The star effect disappears by simply changing to a green dot sight. Probably not true for everyone, but definitely worth checking.

[@DIYDad1]

Never tried a green dot but I've "heard" that the dot disappears when shooting in wooded areas, grassy Prairie areas, basically anywhere that might have green background. Have you found this to be true? I've also heard green is easier for your eyes to pick up more quickly because of the visible spectrum that it's in.

[@brianmoore1164]

@DIY Dad I've never had trouble with a green dot being hard to see. My favorite use for them is squirrel hunting, and the green background is never a problem. For most of us, the green is easier and faster to pick up. Now, nothing with eyes is universal, but the green dot comes close. The ease and attention getting nature of bright green is why so many safety vests have gone to bright green now. Next time you are in your favorite gun store, try them side by side. It will be easy to tell what your eyes like best. For me the difference is so strong that I no longer own any red dots.

[@matthewjohnson2428]

Green isn't perfect for me, but I run a Holosun 507C on my carry gun and the rid was just a gigantic smudgy mess, but the green is workable. I use a 1x prism on my long gun and would never use a red/green dot on it because it doesn't offer the clarity I want for 100 and 200 yard shots, but for a handgun, a somewhat kind of smudgy green dot works fine for 50 yards and in

[@MikeGr20]

Hey Caleb, thanks for ALL your (and Steve) videos and MOST IMPORTANT thank you for your service to our country! 🇺🇸

[@JonesyMcDanes]

Prism: Most durable, most crisp image, has poor battery life but doesn't need batteries to run, difficult to use with backup sights and magnifiers, heavy, moderately expensive, not affected by astigmatism, and difficult to use with NV. Holographic: Works best with magnifiers, very durable, second most crisp image (they look a little grainy under magnification), affected by astigmatism, works well with NV and is cheap for an NV compatible sight, heavy, moderately expensive for a 1x, needs batteries to run and has poor battery life, and can use backup sights without issue. Red dots: Very light, very cheap, works "ok" with magnifiers, affected by astigmatism, reticles not as crisp as other options, battery life so good the battery may expire before it runs dry, NV compatible models are somewhat more expensive than holographic sights, can be used with backup sights without issue, very small and compact, and not as durable as other options (but still very durable).

[@ilukeberry]

EOTech has best glass to shoot with night vision. Since it's holographic it doesn't require any coating on glass which has better light transmission when looking through it with nods.

[@Cautionary_Tale_Harris]

Getting a lot of mileage out of this video today. I can respect that.

[@davidgaines8607]

Lol

[@chadlowery1098]

A lot of this comes down to personal preferences and priorities. I have an astigmatism and wear corrective lenses. Due to the better crispness of the reticle as well as the durability and redundancy, I prefer a prism optic. There are companies making small 1x prism sights with great BDC reticles between the sizes of a micro T2 and MRO. The only downside I find is they do have a bit of parallax and less eye relief (not like a scope though) and with a magnifier. For my vision, I set them to be crisp when magnified and a little blurry without. They are still clearer than holographic and red dots unmagnified and much clearer when I need it at magnification. Plus I get BDC.

[@ashlandgunclub1000]

I hear Calebs hair is bullet proof and night vision compatible

[@rickh9396]

I have an astigmatism, but I always wear either contacts or glasses, both of which correct the astigmatism. It's not a perfect correction, but they make red dots plenty clear enough for me to use them.

[@MrWhipple42]

Came here to say the same thing. With corrective lenses, I've never noticed anything strange when using a red dot.

[@joeg8269]

Yeah I'm not sure how "crisp" the dot is for those without an astigmatism, but since a red dot is for quick target acquisition and it should be super-imposed on the target, I've never spent too much effort / time looking at the specifics of the dot. Having an astigmatism, If it does get a bit blurry, I just turn the brightness down a click and it's good to go.

[@Nerotique]

I envy you. I absolutely have to use a prism optic.

[@phalypso]

Just want to add my perspective here regarding astigmatism which comes in varying degrees of severity. Mine is not severe but worse than moderate and corrective lenses don't help me with a red dot. I can't square my lens to the optic and keep my cheek on the riser. I have not tried holographics nor prismatics, but I have always been able to use a scope without lenses. The diopter adjustment will allow that without lenses.

[@Russianmafia10]

One red dot that is really good with a magnifier is a holosun with the ACSS reticle, since it uses a Chevron with a 0 MOA point of aim

[@atlantaswelder]

Growing up my dad was a big believer Brownells and the products they sell and I suppose now I am too. I recently purchased a set of YHM pop up sights and man are they nice!! Thank you for your service 🇺🇸

[@nunyabinness3574]

"Im not a rocket surgeon" 🤣

[@petesheppard1709]

I'm gonna use that. 😎

[@philipmosky5279]

Thanks Caleb, keep the great information coming. Always appreciated.

[@chrisdjernaes9658]

Thank You for your Service and thanks for the education on optics. Never miss an episode 🍻

[@cshannon7]

Great comparison Caleb!!! Thanks for clarifying this!!!

[@MrJbrew69]

Caleb, Merry Christmas to you, your family & Brownell’s from a fellow Louisianian!!! 🎄

[@Vod_MacDuff]

My astigmatism sucked with both the red dot, and the holo. The prism was fine, but I didn't care for it still. I ended up getting the Holosun 510c green dot, and it was decent enough. For some reason the 510c was much better than the other red dots I looked at, and I'm not sure if it's because I got the green one, or the model.

[@stanhorton7414]

I personally run a vortex spitfire with a 4x magnifier mount to the muzzle side of the optic. Doing this eliminates any need to adjust the parallax on the prism and eliminates the eye relief needed for the magnifier and prism. Plus it does not affect the reticle size in anyway.

[@scott2228]

I was going to get the Primary Arms micro prism with the micro 3x mag. Glad I learned u have to adjust the diaper when switching from magnifier. Saved me $$.

[@ryanthomas2374]

Its been so long since I have seen a slicked back hair styling video from brownells!

[@patrickseaman]

I'd love to see a deeper dive into astigmatism, holographic and prism options for both pistol and rifles.

[@chrisanderson1077]

Thank you for your service Caleb.

[@brianbaird3]

That’s why i run back up magpul flip up sights to my reddot

[@ToyMaestro]

These guys are awesome !! Calebs videos have helped this noob with alot of things!

[@mas687609]

The host with perfect hair

[@SKSlaya12]

Have you used any of the primary arms micro prisms I like mine its still finicky with eyebox but I works as intended

[@mi4842]

I just got one in a trade, working with the eyebox is finnicky I agree but its nice and compact. also just a little heavier than a red dot, only other bad thing is I tried using it with a magnifier and it did not work. maybe have to adjust both diopeters but couldn't be bothered

[@ruebenmikoch]

I like the 3x prism, ACCS reticle, with a quick release and BU iron sights.

[@pandorasframework]

Nice video, that was a good quick overview. However I feel like you should have mentioned that holographic sites have a significant advantage since there is no parallax. Just my two cents I appreciate all your hard work. Merry Christmas

[@petesheppard1709]

Have you been able to look at the Primary Arms microprisms? My 3x is as small as those red dots, but has great optics at a very reasonable cost! The etched ACSS reticle is great; the only time I need to turn it on is in low light.

[@manuelramirez-zt8de]

Thank you man learned a lot from this video great work 🙏🏼

[@jordanforever2345]

Nice explanation. I learn something.

[@chef6712]

The primary arms 1x micro prism is about the same size if not smaller than most red dots

[@mas687609]

Very informative, liked this vid

[@davidherbst]

"The first time I got blown up in Afghanistan…" Badass way to start a story.

[@lewing348]

That's a phrase ya don't hear very often, "The FIRST time I got blown up ..."

[@kenlration99]

yeah I shook my head and said "wait......what?"

[@tomasteply1956]

I'm kinda optics nerd and am very interested in the science behind the stated facts. Like why the hologram doesn't get magnified or why the prism scope messes the zero of irons. Any good sources appreciated.

[@JamesSmullins]

I can't speak for why halos aren't magnified but can prisms effecting irons. If they were true 1x then it wouldn't but rarely are any optics true 1x. They can range from 1.1 - 1.5x. That's going to magnify the front site causing a shift in the post most likely causing the high or low impact shift. That very small magnification can have huge impacts.

[@tomasteply1956]

@@JamesSmullins ok that totally makes sense 👍 thx

[@tomahawkm4687]

Uh a third version today?

[@larsmurdochkalsta8808]

Could be wrong but I think you used the unity mount for red dots as an example of easy to find mounts for nighvision. I know they definitely make that for the EOtech

[@Russianmafia10]

Eotech uses an integrated mount, so you would just need a picatinny riser

[@larsmurdochkalsta8808]

@@Russianmafia10 true, I thought there were some that have a different mounting footprint. But they might actually all have picatinny. Regardless, it's very easy to use them with night vision was my point

[@nicholaskuzmak6574]

I have an astigmatism and struggle with red dots, but not all. Some green dots are much better with my eyes, but all red dots are a disaster. The Hologun 510c-gr and 507c-gr work pretty well for my astigmatism. But the best, by far, sharpest, is the prism sights. I run a 3x on my AR and love it, especially with the etching if i lose battery. I have shot holographic sights but never found one that works for me and fits my budget.

[@bobtillman9257]

Trijicon makes a fiber optic/tritium reflex sight, no battery needed and small as the re dot in your video

[@Bill-rs1zm]

I’ve seen noticeable impact shift zeroing irons separately and zeroing irons through a red dot as well.

[@blckandwhtknight]

Is your mount absolute cowitness or something else? If it's not absolute I would pay close attention to your head position and cheek weld. Having bad alignment will mess you up

[@Bill-rs1zm]

All my red dots are absolute that’s what I prefer. Head position shouldn’t matter to a degree since there is very little parallax past 50 yards with a red dot in my experience can’t speak for lower 1/3. I always zero iron’s separately from the red dot.

[@minilogoguy18]

Parallax is much worse than most manufacturers are willing to admit. I've tested this with a aimpoint T2 and an Eotech. Hoplopfheil has a video demonstrating. The Eotech is the only parallax free laser emitted optic.

[@762x69]

Chasing this video today has been an exercise deserving a free optic, lol

[@MRsolidcolor]

i rock that MRO on a UNITY mount! try it if you looking for a bad ass set up!

[@SnapD24]

Aren't red dots LED emitters instead of lasers?

[@cbrooks2767]

Yes, that's why the battery life is so much better than laser holographics.

[@ALLaboutGAMINGxCHAOSxHOLLOWx]

Ok so yeah i have had two sig dots, one was on my AR-15 and i have the zero for my 43x and i just thought the lower end dots had blurry dots but i put my girlfriends glasses on and there both so crisp!!! I didnt even know i needed glasses lmao... And this whole time i thought my eyes were fine

[@todddewell6314]

Very good info!! Thanks

[@AldoSchmedack]

A tophat, an AT4 and a Kennedy tool chest. Someone has great tastes!

[@peterreily1490]

Holographic battery life. Also, some of us didn’t know we had horrible astigmatisms until we got red dots and went “why does this look like multiple layers of starbursts?”. Battery life on an eotech EXPS3 is fractional of a red dot. Also, some red dots don’t have that starburst layover effect when using a magnifier. At least not to the same degree as with the naked eye. Though I’ll forever complain about eotech battery life and mounting on an AK platform kinda sucks. I’d rather use a red dot 2MOA and train with it getting the general placement and kind of kentucky glassing the impact point through repetition. As well as finding a pistol holographic (true holographic) or prism is almost unheard of. I prefer to run an AK platform and it’s easier for me with that low mount height to just train with a red dot not worrying about eye relief and hitting center mass through what I call kentucky glassing. You’re guessing through glass pretty much. Do it enough and you can have a pretty good guess where your shot will impact. 20/20 and 15/20 vision (yes there’s better than 20/20 vision, but a horrific astigmatism where street lights at night look like a massive starburst too.

[@rebel._]

Prism Sights FOREVER!

[@VernonELSmith]

Whoa. Actually learned quite a bit from this Quick Tip!

[@hoosiered471]

Informative breakdown of the various options, but what about the LVPO option instead of the prism option????

[@VndNvwYvvSvv]

LPVO is just low power variable magnification. It doesn't tell you what the technology is.

[@reneescouch9035]

Awesome video man!

[@magickaldood]

Because of the way that holographic collimators work, Eotech sights are not true 1 moa dots. They are actually multiple parallel points of light focused out to infinity. Under certain magnification you can see the tessellation of the images; this is because a hologram is not a single image. It is actually a composite of thousands of individual points of light that are all diffracted by the holographic grate (the shape of the grate defines the reticle) from a laser. Due to the way an Eotech is constructed the light is collimated to be self-referential, meaning that the dot always appears to be centered in the circle and the circle appears round and of the same relative size to the dot. Due to the way the eye picks up light, they will appear to be about 1-2 moa to the naked eye. This is how your eye interprets the light, but the absolute size of the dot is actually only a few photons. When magnified the eye still perceives the dot as about 1-2 moa because it can't discern a point of light smaller than that. Additionally, the relative measurement of the circle is also maintained because the light is parallelly diffracted.

[@mikafoxx2717]

Love the in depth analysis. Almost nobody explained the way these work, but I realize the base is only a laser collimator to illuminate the holographic plate which you view though. It's just a hologram image pegged at infinity. Similar to those laser pointer attatchments that create images out of the beam, just much wider.

[@sssss8700]

Would be interesting to see prisms compared to traditional rifle scopes for those of us that are unfamiliar with prisms

[@roba4176]

look for a acog vs lpvo video.

[@mnyee1995]

What will you suggest the best optic to use on Keltec KSG shotgun for home defense? I'm wearing glasses and contact lens. Thanks.

[@mehtevas2653]

your video was label in the intro as "process for getting an sbr" 0:03

[@ericrumpel3105]

So which is the best for CQB combat shotgun in your opinion?

[@EnergizerTX]

I have an astigmatism and aome red dots are made for this, but its not perfect. However, I am curious how the old RX01 AND RX06 trijicon reflex sights work as i dont recall ever experiencing issues having an astigmatism. By the way, my eyes were lasered too... But still have an astigmatism.

[@ETHRON1]

Aw...isn't that little red dot cute sitting next to the others 😉😆😆😆

[@paulpugh2480]

Thnx.for the info.

[@eddiexoc8430]

Thank you

[@undeadbrosm41a39]

A rocket surgeon, sounds like an important job

[@mdeamicis]

Primary Arms makes micro prisms with the magnificent ACSS BDC reticle

[@Camopar87]

Thank you for serving. Good video too

[@PatricTheSpartian]

Astigmatism part should come with a couple of asterisks. I have a fairly pronounced astigmatism but I personally find red dots to be more comfortable than holosights. So, please, try out different options before commiting to one.

[@barkerd427]

Uncle Sam shot lasers into my eyes many years ago as well. Still see great! I got PRK in Landstuhl.

[@genobielawa9538]

Great video thanks

[@timalexander7758]

Thank you!

[@bassh8me1]

The first time you got blown up? How many times have you been blown up? And, thank you for serving!

[@renegadearms]

We’ve beat the crap out oh of the ACOGS and same thing we had guys blown up and stuff and ACOG still good.

[@brandonwardlow4246]

The EOTECH is the king of NV optics

[@joshawageorge2122]

There's one thing wrong with most red dots the batteries .etched glass along with tritium to illuminate, batteries wear out

[@averylee4302]

I always assumed that people complaining about prisms just had really cheap optics.

[@VincitOmniaVeritas7]

Red dots aren’t lasers (stimulated emission),they are LED (light emitting diode, spontaneous emission). Lasers are damaging for the retina.

[@donaldhollingsworth3875]

What 1-2 MOA red dot site would you recommend for a Sig Sauer P322 pistol?

[@brandonwardlow4246]

Just casually says “the first time I got blown up” 9:24

[@harleydartez]

Good info.

[@sixoffive]

Can I burrow your notes?

[@ironmikehallowween]

Why don’t people just use 1x8 compact variable scopes with a lit reticle. I had the red dots and the magnifiers, and they work well for closer ranges, but the scopes seem far superior at every range with greater precision.

[@georgefrancis6195]

So you are tell us that a M4 that was propelled violently muzzle down into a vehicle ceiling sheard both takedown pins? Maybe what you meant to say was the holes in the upper and lower recievers failed right? Because i'm having a hard time believing that the steel pins failed before the Aluminim.

[@CalebSavant]

Both the pins as well as the aluminum in the receivers were wrecked. Each pin was in multiple pieces just to clarify.

[@Gunthusiest]

Caleb talking about anything: Theee/Actual/Itself

[@Russianmafia10]

I can't think of a reason to use iron sights through a prism sight. If the sight goes down, you likely can't see through it, so would need to remove it anyway

[@scottlagro1598]

There are two major things you need to add to your review. First is that prism optics can be some of the larger optics; my AR personal defense gun is a larger magnified prism scope with a red dot on top. This allows very quick both eye target acquistion & better for us older guys with worn out vision. The second item you're ignoring is digital scopes - I can get a SightMark Wraith HD 2-16x28mm Digital Night Vision for under $400, significantly cheaper than holographic sight, with zoom, & far superior night vision (which you addressed on all 3 types you addressed). The only problem is Brownells does not carry Sightmark.

[@chad9166]

This is a review of optics that can be passively aimed with night vision. Digital scopes are not passive aiming or compatible with head mounted night vision. A digital scope like that should be compared to things like NV clip ons and thermals, not 1x optical sights

[@CalebSavant]

Thanks Scott, I covered that first point in the video and the second about digital scopes was not missed, this is just simply not a video about that. The other three fall in closely to the same category whereas digital is in another of it's own, therefore did not find it's place in this video. Unfortunately I do not see us carrying Sightmark anytime soon as the quality of the products simply do not align with the quality we strive for in our optic line.

[@ChristianConstitutionalist3192]

Prism Optics Are Better Than Red Dots And Holographic Sights.

[@Paladin1873]

I see how the prism sight is different and functions more like a periscope, but all the sources I've read claim a red dot is a reflex sight mounted inside a tube. Is that correct?

[@fokker1138]

Did anyone else notice the title card says, "Quick Tip: Process for Getting an SBR"?

[@edgardoroman9061]

I don't think those "Rocket Surgeons or Brain Scientist" could have explained it better.

[@bigbadjohnpesek9894]

I have the holographic sight. I love it over all the red dots I have.

[@5jjt]

Caleb, how did you convince Uncle Sam to improve your vision?

[@Felenari]

Adding rocket surgeon to my resume now.

[@59jkappelman]

Where does holosun he510c-gr fit in these 3 types of optics? Hybrid?

[@watermann8200]

They're holographic.

[@chad9166]

@@watermann8200 Actually they are red dots. Holosun doesn't produce any holographic optics

[@jonathanluttrell1380]

He510c is basically a giant version of their pistol red dots. Uses an open emitter to project onto the glass.

[@RileyRR]

All hail the prism!!

[@chad9166]

Hey Caleb! Since Brownell's decided to reupload (IMO) in response to my comment, allow me to clarify regarding red dot vs. holographic magnification. You're right that red dots generally get to 2 MOA whereas a holographic EOTECH reticle can be smaller. Even through a magnifier, at 100 yards both optics' dots will cover their respective 2 inches (red dot) or ~1 inch (holographic) IN ADDITION to magnifying the target area. Here's where the myth probably originated. EOTECH has * falsely * claimed, verbatim: " The 1 MOA aiming dot does not expand when viewed with magnification." This is physically impossible, and you can prove it yourself by looking through a 3x magnified EOTECH, and see that the * HOLOGRAPHIC * 65 MOA ring will have tripled in size, just like a red dot with a circle reticle would. But where did they come up with this? Due to holographic laser tech being more precise than LED emitters found in red dots, "1 MOA" of an EOTECH is actually more like a point source of light. It's extremely small. Smaller than the human eye can really perceive as a 1 inch circle at 100 yards. The dot on an EOTECH on 1x appears about 1-2 MOA because that's pretty much the limit of what our eyes can distinguish, and even when you magnify it, it's still really small! So yeah, basically rocket surgery. I will concede to Caleb that for practical purposes, the "dot" on an EOTECH doesn't *appear* to magnify(but it does, and the circle definitely does, which is important because the circle is a ranging tool!!) I just felt the need to dispel a marketing myth from EOTECH. Thank you for being attentive to your viewers and going for corrections!

[@xavierobando485]

That’s ok Caleb. I’m not a Rocket Surgeon either.

[@luciusuri9415]

Great explanation. I hope your buddy survived.

[@danielbell4007]

Doesn’t the red dot use LED while the holographic uses laser?

[@MrJohnn57]

Holographic as a secondary optic, hum French army test it for the FÉLIN program, and I agree, it wasn’t a good idea 😂

[@righteousone8454]

Prism scopes warp picture, but have etched scope. I would stay away personally. If you use no magnification version, or even 1.5x

[@RedHuntsman]

1 in 7 of men have some level of color blindness, often impacting red colors, which will make it more difficult to pick out the red dot depending on the background. Green dots generally don't have this issue.

[@minilogoguy18]

Green dots haven't really caught on mostly because it takes a lot more power to generate a green laser so battery life suffers.

[@RedHuntsman]

@@minilogoguy18 yes, I've been using red dot reflex sights for decades for aiming telescopes at night-batteries last for ever. But using a red dot against a forest or green background and that red dot disappears for me.

[@chad9166]

@@minilogoguy18 Green (and red) dots are LED emitters, not lasers. Meaning there isn't big increase from red>green in power draw like there is in lasers.