TESTED: Lucid Optics E7 Micro Enclosed Blue Reflex Sight

Reflex sights are nothing new. But some are more user-friendly than others, and sometimes something truly different comes along. The Lucid Optics E7 Micro Enclosed Blue Reflex Sight is one of those different things. Different can be good, bad, or neutral. The E7 is good. The optic’s housing and size are nice, but the reticle immediately grabbed my attention.

Lucid Optics E7 Micro Enclosed Blue Reflex Sight Review

This E7 unit was my first experience with Lucid Optics. It came installed on a Stribog sub gun loaned to me by Rainer Arms, and I’ve been running it for a few weeks now. So, Lucid Optics did not provide it for review and I don’t get to keep it. But I think this optic deserves some attention, so here we are. Let’s get on with it.

The M5 BLU Reticle

We’ll hit the Lucid Optics M5 BLU Illuminated Reticle first. It’s blue. I didn’t even know that blue reticles existed, since all mine are either red or green. Lucid gives several reasons for choosing blue:

Blue transmits faster than any color in the spectrum
The human eye is more sensitive to blue wavelengths than any other in the spectrum
Blue illumination presents a clean edge
The blue wavelength is the most easily refracted by the human eye
Exposure to blue light reduces stress levels
Less than 0.2 percent of people have a color blindness to blue
A blue reticle’s illumination can be reduced to a see-through level, allowing more positive target identification

the mount helps the Lucid E7 easily fit into AR platforms.

I can’t comment on all of those points, but I can say that the blue color grabs my attention, is very easily picked up, and is indeed easy on my eyes. Further, I confirmed that the illumination can be dialed back to a see-through level, though I haven’t used it that way since I’ve been shooting on bright days.

I also like the M5 reticle itself, which the company claims is “proven to be 30% faster to target than a standard dot.” I can’t confirm that information either, but personally, I do better with a bullseye-style reticle than a simple dot. The M5 is a variation of the bullseye, with the outer ring and two diagonal lines drawing my focus in. Your mileage may vary, but I like it a lot.

My adult son, who is also my co-tester, agrees. We both think the M5 reticle is possibly the best we’ve ever run, including the blue illumination.

Lucid Optics E7 Reflex Sight Features

The E7 isn’t just the reticle. The 6061-T6 aluminum construction is both lightweight and durable. I should note that the Lucid Optics website says the E7 is made from 7075 aluminum, but the enclosed instruction manual says 6061-T6. I’ve chosen to go with the manual.

The proven Aimpoint ACRO mounting system ensures a solid fit that won’t loosen on handguns or carbines. I wanted to run the E7 on a handgun, but I don’t have an ACRO plate. Here’s where I repeat my call for optic manufacturers to settle on a universal footprint. I’m sure that will happen about the time my dog sprouts wings and takes flight. So, I was left with running the E7 on the included riser mount, which came on the Stribog. It still got plenty of work.

The “Shake-Awake” function means the optic is ready when you are. Honestly, all modern reflex sights should have this feature, and I think it won’t be long until they do. The closed emitter setup means the E7 is less susceptible to moisture, dirt, and debris than open-emitter models, making it more reliable. The trade-off, of course, is a bulkier housing, but the E7 really isn’t bad. It only weighs 2.65 ounces, meaning I don’t notice the weight at all. It’s also compact, hence the “Micro” in the product name, making it perfect for the Stribog, but I wouldn’t hesitate to run it on a handgun if I had the ACRO plate.

A big field of view helps shooters get on target.

Running the E7

The Stribog is not exactly a precision weapon and we didn’t run it like one. But the optic must be precise, no matter the application. It was pre-zeroed, so we let it rip right away. We noticed that the window isn’t as quite big as some other optics we’ve run, but we had no problem picking up the reticle or the targets as we ran transition drills on the pistol range.

Hanging steel, a dueling tree, or knocking down plates, the E7 put us on target quickly and maintained its zero through some 500 rounds. We ran 124-grain Igman 9mm FMJ and 147-grain Sterling Subsonic 9mm FMJ when we ran it suppressed. Global Ordnance generously provided the ammo. The Stribog has very little recoil, and the E7 had no problems, not that we expected any.

The blue reticle is so easy to see, and we both enjoyed using it. Lucid Optics’ claim that the blue color makes for clean edges held true, even in fast transitions between targets. We dialed up the brightness because of the sunny days, but it remained crisp and didn’t overpower my vision like some red reticles do. I’ve always preferred green to red, but I may just like blue even better.

Final Thoughts

This optic impressed me. I was taken with it from the beginning and my appreciation only grew once I used it. Frankly, I’d never heard of Lucid Optics before, which seems strange. Well, I’ve heard of them now. The E7 seems very well constructed and it ran extremely well. I’ll miss it when I return the Stribog to my friends at Rainier. But I don’t intend to miss it for long, because I plan to get one of my own sooner than later.

The E7 comes with shake awake tech and 50,000 hour runtime.

Quality reflex sights are everywhere now, at just about every price point. The E7’s $299.99 MSRP seems very reasonable compared to some others I’ve seen, and I found it for $239.99 online. And it sure doesn’t hurt that the E7’s reticle is so good. I looked at Lucid Optics’ product line, and this seems to be the only blue reticle they offer. I hope they will expand that line in the future; my eyes would appreciate it. But for now, maybe give the E7 a hard look. You may like it as much as I do.