There was a time when seeing a red dot sight on the firing line was a rarity. In more recent years, though, it’s become the norm. However, a red dot can present challenges to shooters with astigmatism, which is why some companies offer green dots instead. But what if there was something else, something with exceptional clarity and versatility, that worked for shooters across the board? Enter the Lucid Optics E7, Enclosed Reflex Sight, colloquially referred to as “Blu,” thanks to its blue reticle.
What’s the Lucid Optics E7 Blue?
The Lucid Optics E7 is an enclosed reflex sight with a blue reticle. It’s the first of its kind, and for good reason. Historically, it’s been a bit cost-prohibitive to mass-produce blue reticles, but Lucid found a way to do it. Also, the market is still dominated by red dots. Even green dots are few and far between compared to red. It was a bit of a marketing risk for Lucid to go blue. But they’ve already built a solid reputation in the optics world for designing and manufacturing reliable optics at reasonable price points. With that starting point, they can now build on that reputation with something truly new.
What are the specifications of the Lucid Optics E7 Blue?
As a reflex sight, the E7 has a larger, square housing, in contrast to the more diminutive, rounded design of most red dots. The housing is made from 7075 aluminum, an alloy made with zinc. This type of metal has fantastic tensile strength and delivers approximately 90 percent of the same strength and ruggedness as steel, at only one-third the weight. The housing has a matte black finish for resistance to wear and to cut down on glare during use.
Which guns do the Lucid Optics E7 work on?
Here’s one of the cool things about the E7: it’s designed for incredibly versatile use across many platforms. It’s an ideal handgun sight and has withstood testing that included 20,000 rounds of 40 Smith & Wesson, but it can do more. This sight can withstand the G-force generated by handguns, rifles, shotguns, and lever actions. That means you aren’t restricted by platform but rather by the visual you prefer and need for a specific application.
How does the Lucid Optics E7 work on the range?
For this review, I mounted the E7 to more than one gun. The included mounting plates are the tricky part, as is height. Even so, it’s compatible with different handguns, AR-15s, and my favorite lever-action. The height on the lever made a cheek weld a bit challenging, but that could be solved with a compatible mounting plate to lower it.
The first thing I can say is that it really is as versatile as promised. Mounting it with the included ACRO mount is straightforward, and zeroing is a simple process. As mentioned above, it has a 90 MOA adjustment range for both windage and elevation, so you’re not likely to run into any issues. Brightness can be changed as needed to suit the conditions, which comes in handy.
Lucid states that the reticle of the E7 allows for as much as 30 percent faster target acquisition and also says the zeroed reticle stays on target with no need for fussing over precise placement within the lens. The central dot is 4 MOA, and the surrounding three-quarter circle is 32 MOA. When you’re getting on target, the sharpness of the blue does draw your eye quickly. For me, it was significantly easier to visualize than the many red dots I’ve run and either equal or better to some green dots.
Field of View and Target Acquisition
The field of view with the E7 is good, and the eye relief enhances that. It truly makes it easy to visualize surroundings, even as you focus on the center 4 MOA dot of the blue reticle. This is useful not only for range and close-quarters work on paper targets but also while hunting. It’s important to have a clear view rather than being forced into tunnel vision, and the E7 allows you to see your surroundings with ease.
Something Lucid claims in their marketing copy is that you can diminish the brightness of the E7’s blue reticle to better see your target. I tried this out on targets that were dwarfed by the reticle, thanks to proximity. Lowering brightness makes the glow of the reticle less distracting and allows you to see more clearly. It is not, however, a perfect solution if you simply want or need a smaller dot. That said, the dot size of the E7 hasn’t been a problem whether I’m shooting targets or hog hunting. Some of this comes down to experience, but it also isn’t that challenging to hone those skills.
So far, the E7 has handled recoil and use on multiple firearms just fine. Even while being banged around a bit, it maintained its zeroing and showed no real signs of wear. That blue reticle does a great job staying on target. I’ve certainly used red dots that require more careful focusing and centering, so it’s a nice feature of the E7 and does help improve target acquisition.
Astigmatism Work Around
Extended sessions with a red dot typically result in experiencing a glowing halo effect, which can cause me to struggle to stay on target. Thanks to a few years when I had an optometrist who was also a shooter, I’ve heard the lengthy, technical rundown of why my eyes do this, but the simple answer is astigmatism. That hasn’t been an issue with this blue reticle. Even when I spend significant lengths of time shooting or hunting, the blue stays crisp, and my eyes stay happy. That alone is enough to make me recommend the E7. It also performs well in low light, delivering enough brightness to produce great results down range, whether on paper or feral hogs.
Should you get a Lucid Optics E7?
The Lucid Optics E7 outperforms its price point and delivers as promised. A lot of thought went into its design. The boxy shape of the reflex housing might be a hindrance for many holsters, but it doesn’t make it impossible. This is a sight I’m comfortable having mounted to my home defense gun and hunting guns, too. It’s worked well enough I can see the logic in having more than one E7 on hand. Whether you’re a fan of red dots or prefer green dots, the blue dot reticle of the E7 offers enough benefits to be well worth considering. Hopefully, we’ll see more blue reticles in the future.
