The following review was first published on our companion site, Shooting News Weekly. To subscribe to a free weekly newsletter of top stories that appeared on Shooting News Weekly, click here.
Last year, Olight introduced its first red dot sight. For a company that was known for its affordable weapon-mounted lights and flashlights, that was a surprise. Even more eye-catching was the design. Rather than being powered by a standard battery, the Olight Osight used a non-replaceable rechargeable battery that’s powered by a magnetic recharging “hood” that needed to be placed over the sight (read SNW’s review here).
Like all of Olight’s products, it is competitively priced compared to similar sized sights with comparable functions. But the unique design put some people off. Gun people are nothing if not set in their ways and lots don’t take well to what they perceive as radical new designs.
Maybe that’s why Olight — which now has a growing line of Osight red and green dot reflex sights — has since added new models with traditional replaceable batteries. One of those is the Osight SE enclosed red dot sight.
Yes, that's a very traditional CR1620 battery door. on the right side. There’s nothing about the Osight SE’s design or function that’s going to scare anyone off.
Traditional rubberized + and – buttons on the left side let you adjust brightness and, if you have the red dot version, select your favorite reticle setup. You can choose a standard 2 MOA dot, a 32 MOA circle or both at the same time. Osight also offers another version of the SA that gives you a 6 MOA green dot with no other options.
The Osight SE is small. At just under 1 inch wide, it’s the perfect size to ride on a micro compact pistol like a Shield Plus or Shield X, a P365 or a Springfield Hellcat as you see here. The sight’s housing is built low enough that it pretty much allows you to use standard iron sights if the red dot should fail.
Osight has chosen filtering that doesn’t create much of a tint to the view through the SE. There are eight standard brightness setting and two night-vision-compatible levels. And yes, the brightest settings are truly daylight bright.
The Osight SE’s housing is 2027 aluminum and again, it’s fully enclosed. That’s intended to keep water and dirt from getting between the emitter and the front lens. I’ve shot in the rain with a standard open design red dot and if a drop gets on the emitter, it’s useless. All you’ll see is a starburst of laser light reflecting back at you until you stuff something into it to absorb the water.
The enclosed SE has an IPX7 waterproof rating. That means you can dunk it as deep as one meter for half an hour and it will keep on ticking. I didn’t have anything that deep, but I dropped mine in a glass of water and left it for 30 minutes. It stayed dry inside (including the battery compartment) and worked perfectly. I put it in the freezer, too, and it worked just fine as soon as the frost was cleaned off.
I’ve carried the Osight SE on my Hellcat daily for a few weeks now and it’s done everything it’s supposed to do.
The Osight SE uses the popular RMSc mounting pattern, which seems to be the most popular option these days. Osight also offers an RMSc to RMR adapter plate if that’s what you need for your pistol.
The Osight SE is clearly aimed at the sweet spot of the market. While it’s solidly built, this isn’t a bomb-proof unit like a Trijicon or Aimpoint reflex sight. It’s also priced at about a quarter to a third of those options. The SE is more comparable to smaller enclosed sights from Holosun or SIG SAUER. In terms of size and features, the SE is very similar to those offerings, but again, the SE is significantly less expensive.
For most people who want to keep costs down and put the savings into ammo and range time, the Osight SE will clearly be a worth a look for use on an everyday carry pistol.
Specifications: Osight SE Enclosed Red Dot Sight
Window Size: .83 x .55 inch
Reticle: 32 MOA circle, 2 MOA dot or both
Dimensions: 1.59x.97x.98 inches
Weight: .97 ounces
Battery: 75,000 hours (dot only, CR1620)
Housing: 7075 aluminum
Adjustment: 1 MOA per click
Shake Awake: Yes
Waterproof Raging: IPX7
Made In: China
MSRP: $199 (about $159 retail)
— Dan Zimmerman
