Lucid Optics’ E7 electronic reflex sight is one of the more interesting enclosed-emitter sights on the market. Unlike nearly every other red-dot or reflex sight, which usually includes a red or green reticle, the light inside the Lucid Optics E7 shines blue. As a company, Lucid Optics is one of the few that stands out in the industry by incorporating blue emitters in its products, and the E7 is its go-to “mailbox” enclosed emitter sight.
Lucid Optics E7 Reflex Sight Overview
The Lucid Optics E7 is a ruggedized enclosed-emitter reflex sight meant to be mounted on handgun slides or over long guns. As a courtesy, Lucid Optics even includes both a standard-height Picatinny mount meant for AR-pattern firearms and a Glock MOS-compatible optics plate. The E7’s outer housing is manufactured from black anodized 6061 aluminum and comes with an IPX7 waterproof rating because toughness and durability are some of the chief design considerations. In this case, it’s readily apparent how both the front and rear windows are solidly encased under an ample amount of material to protect them from impacts. Similarly, the top front edge of the E7 also has a curve to provide additional impact protection via deflection. Call them mailboxes, call them toasters–however one wishes to describe this shape, the Lucid Optics E7 relies on this form for its strength.
Like most other sights following the ‘mailbox’ format, the Lucid Optics E7 uses the Aimpoint Acro footprint, which is widespread and highly compatible with a multitude of mounts and plates on the market but also works well with the E7’s external shape. Such sights either have their battery compartments over the top or on the side, and the E7’s is situated on the right side. Its rubberized controls sit on the left side and its windage/elevation dials on the top rear or right rear. E7s feed off a single CR2032 battery and can provide a 50,000-hour battery life. This optic has 10 different brightness settings, but I find myself leaving it on the maximum level virtually 100 percent of the time.
The E7’s windage and elevation dials are calibrated for 1-MOA per click, and both have a maximum adjustment range of 90 MOA, making it suitable for nearly any handgun or long-gun. As I described previously, the E7 generously encases its 18×21 mm window in a thick layer of material to protect it from harsh impacts. As a reflex sight, it’s both tinted and parallax-free. After looking through the sight across different lighting conditions, its tint is imperceptible and any optical distortion is extremely minute to the point of being a non-issue.
Lucid Optics M5 Blue Reticle
The E7’s blue-emitted M5 reticle is arguably this optic’s lynchpin. Its blue LED reticle is what sets it apart from every other reflex or red-dot currently on the market.
The M5 reticle itself, which is also available on other optics that Lucid Optics offers, consists of a 32-MOA semicircle/horseshoe with a 4-MOA central aiming point and two lateral diagonal bars. These bars are meant to lead the eye to said central point.
Going Hands-On With The Lucid Optics E7
To date, the bulk of my experience with the Lucid Optics E7 sight has involved its use as an off-set sight mounted to “The Conroe,” an AR-15 chambered in 5.56 NATO built in collaboration with Big Tex Ordnance. In its current configuration, The Conroe uses the excellent Leupold Mark5 HD 2-10×30 as its primary sighting system but given the limitations of a traditional non-LPVO first focal plane riflescope, ensuring that this firearm has an offset secondary sighting system like a reflex sight is crucial. I installed the Lucid Optics E7 on an angled offset mount and zeroed it for 25 yards using 5.56 NATO ammunition.
My goal was to establish a zero that would ensure I landed A- and C-zone hits with 5.56 NATO ammunition ranging from 55 to 77 grains at reasonable and/or close quarters distances. After the initial zeroing, one of the first things I noticed is how easily the semicircle encapsulates the 5.5-inch bull of a standard NRA B-8 target at 25 yards. From a durability standpoint, I didn’t throw the Lucid Optics E7 off a cliff or run it over with a truck, but it has been on-board The Conroe since I fired its first shots. Being a fairly new firearm, The Conroe has only seen a little over 200 rounds fired. Most of these were fired at a 1-day Green Ops scoped carbine class where I also had the chance to shoot steel at 40 to 50 yards. The hits came easy with the E7. Other than this class, I’ve also spent plenty of time dry-firing in my backyard and looking through the E7 in varying lighting conditions to better evaluate it.
The Blue Experience
I am generally color-agnostic when it comes to reflex sight reticles, and shooting with the Lucid Optics E7 was my first experience using any blue sight. The electric blue hue of the Lucid Optic’s E7 reticle is certainly novel and eye-catching. From a color perspective itself, I didn’t find it distracting nor did I feel as if the novelty interrupted any of my shooting or dry-fire.
Even though the E7 has a high ratio of “edge thickness” to window surface area, lining up the sight with proper target focus was easy and I had no problem pinging rifle-size steel. However, I did notice that the M5 reticle could appear somewhat blurry given the astigmatism in my dominant eye. Because of this, it was also difficult for me to find the very fine central aiming point too. Many times, I simply aimed using the entirety of the blue orb, which worked, and I got my hits. Astigmatism or not, the M5 reticle is on the busier side, and for this reason I personally think it’s best suited for a braced large-format pistol or shoulder-mounted longarm. Regardless of emitter color, a simple 3- to 6-MOA dot would be preferable for handgun use for me.
While it’s no fault of the blue itself, the E7 needs to be on the highest setting for best results. If there’s anything I would change, it would be for the emitter to push a brighter beam because it’s easy for the reticle to wash out in extremely bright and direct lighting scenarios.
The Takeaway
As pistol-mounted reflex sights become more mainstream and transition from “fads” to essential accessories, the sub-category of enclosed-emitter reflex sights in particular is one of the hottest segments of the reflex market. This is due to overlapping categories of shooters and users that are interested in hard-use, ruggedized units whose most delicate parts are sealed off from the elements. The Lucid Optics E7 checks these boxes and as a company, it’s commendable that Lucid Optics isn’t afraid to try something different with their cool blue reticles.
Read the full article here