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10 Best Bow Sight Lights in 2024 – Reviews & Top Picks
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If you’ve googled this, you obviously know what a bow sight light is, and how it functions. Or how else did you know there’s an optical shooting gadget out there that has the ability to improve a hunter’s vision in low light conditions?
The point is, we know you’re well covered in that area.
Now, correct us if we’re wrong, but we think the fact that you couldn’t decide which gadget is well-tailored to meet your needs is the reason why you’re here. Is that guess close enough? Yes?
Then worry not because today’s piece is all about the 10 best bow sight lights that we used—and liked—last year.
The TRUGLO Tru-Lite Xtreme Sight Light has been designed with an adjustable violet LED sight light. Why LED, you ask? LED lights have been known to not only be efficient and reliable but also durable. So, let’s just call this… advantage ‘Numero Uno.’
The second perk is the fact that TRUGLO Tru-Lite Xtreme Sight Light has an easy ON-OFF functionality. Now we don’t want to go deep into the complicated scientific nitty-gritty details of it all, so we’ll keep it simple. This feature is sort of a special type of controller that enables you to switch the light on or off when the estimation error is positive or negative.
Unfortunately, there’s a downside to this. And that principal disadvantage is, under ordinary conditions, the error is constantly cycling. It’s not just a one-time on and off thing. You’ll have to keep switching that light on and off at various intervals because the bow sight’s estimation error will keep on changing. This might not be a big deal to some users, but it’s still something nonetheless.
TRUGLO Tru-Lite Xtreme Sight Light comes with removable batteries. And before we move on to the next feature, let’s just take a minute to get something off our chest. We’ve never quite understood why some brands think it’s okay to design a bow sight light with inbuilt batteries. These things short circuit all the time. So, imagine the hassle that you’ll have to go through just to change that inbuilt battery. Are you sure that’s something you want to experience?
Throwing away the device is also not an option because, you know, you’ve spent money. Put two and two together, and you’ll realize bow sight lights that come with inbuilt batteries are never cost-effective. You’ll end up spending more money whenever they run out of juice, just to get a professional’s help.
The accessory will also come with sight housing adapters, and the whole thing when assembled, only weighs 0.1 pounds. To put this in a different way, it will never feel too heavy on a bow sight to a point where it makes you feel uncomfortable. In addition, its dimensions are 5.5 x 5.5 x 1 inch. Too small to even notice it’s there.
The sight housing adapters are the reason why the TRUGLO Tru-Lite Xtreme Sight Light is always compatible with several bows. We’ll talk about compatibility as a factor in the buyer’s guide, but for now all you need to know is, it will perfectly fit your bow sight.
By the way, we aren’t overvaluing the product. It’s just that good. And if you think we’re exaggerating, talk to a user who uses a brand other than TRUGLO. Say Spot-Hogg, for example. We’re certain they’ll attest to this fact.
We forgot to add, the TRUGLO violet LED lights comes with the right amount of intensity. They’ll offer you the glow you need, without spooking the prey or grabbing its attention. And because the batteries are so good, you’ll have plenty of brightness to work with even when the settings are low.
Pros
Removable batteries
Lightweight and small
Universal fit
ON-OFF functionality
Adjustable violet LED sight light
Cons
You’ll have to switch the light on and off a lot more frequently
2. HUNTCOOL Fiber Optic LED Sight Light – Best Value
The HUNTCOOL Fiber Optic LED Sight Light has earned this spot because it’s a quality sight light that offers more than what you’d typically expect from such a product. In fact, we’d like to go on record as having said that this is the best bow sight light for the money.
Have you ever heard of the phrase, “Value for Money Product?” It’s essentially a product that allows the user to derive maximum utility in return for the money invested in it. Something that knows how to balance effectiveness and efficiency.
Buy HUNTCOOL Fiber Optic LED Sight Light and we guarantee you that you’ll be able to derive the maximum benefit possible from it, taking into consideration your tight budgetary constraints.
The color feature also happens to be a perk here. In general, we have three types of colors: primary, secondary, and tertiary colors. Blue happens to be a primary color, and if you’ve read anything about the psychology of colors, you’ll know it’s the color favored by so many people. The HUNTCOOL Fiber Optic LED Sight Light is blue because it’s meant to offer “a sense of calmness and serenity.”
The batteries included in this product are LR41 removable batteries. And that’s a good thing because, as we’ve said, it makes it easier to replace and use the secondary batteries should the primary ones run out of juice.
What about the installation? Well, the HUNTCOOL Fiber Optic LED Sight Light is very easy to install. You’ll even get a small piece of paper in the package with very few, but detailed installation instructions.
The product usually comes in black and its total size is 0.98 x 0.5 inches. The construction material is glass fiber reinforced plastic, in case you were wondering. This material consists of glass fibers and a polymer matrix. We don’t know how much you know about polymer matrix, but we feel obligated to inform you that part of it has polyester thermosetting resin—The reason why the product exudes chemical and environmental resistance.
And you haven’t even heard half of it. In addition to making the product resistant to different elements, this material has been used on many occasions as an alternative to aluminum. It makes products incredibly light, extra strong, and highly versatile.
Does it have a downside? Come to think of it, it actually does. We still don’t understand why HUNTCOOL couldn’t make the brightness adjustable. That would have been cool. But at least they took into consideration the compatibility factor and designed it to fit most sight fixtures.
The Axcel Armortech Sight Light is like that person that you really want to get to know, but you feel like they’re out of your league. It’s a quality sight light, with all the right features, but the price tag has always been an issue. If money wasn’t a problem, this would definitely be our first choice. But taking into consideration the current economic situation in our country, we just had to rank it below the first two.
Anyways, let’s now see what this beauty brings to the table.
First off, this Axcel model is a unisex product. And this is something that we think is very important. Gone are the days when products were only classified as male or female. The society isn’t retrogressing, but progressing. And as we approach the new millennium, we can feel the winds of change sweeping through the sports industry. The future is unisex, guys. Take note.
The Axcel Armortech Sight Light is a white LED light accessory. So, once you’re done threading it to your bow sight, it will definitely illuminate your pins. Also, white is good. It’s often regarded as an inherently positive color.
The type of batteries that you’ll find installed in the device are L736 alkaline batteries. For the record, “Installed” doesn’t mean that they’re irremovable. It simply means you’ll be getting them at no cost, already set up for you.
Speaking of, we didn’t like how fast they ran out of juice, to be honest. If you’re planning to use your bow sight light more frequently, be prepared to change a lot of those.
The other thing that we liked was the brightness setting. We didn’t even have to work with the highest setting because the lowest setting was enough to illuminate the pin. And the way the control knob was designed it could turn either direction. A clear indication that they took into consideration left-handed shooters as well.
Legal Disclaimer: the Axcel Armortech Sight Light construction material has chemicals prohibited in the state of California. If you’re a resident in that state, you might want to pick a different product.
The SAS Fiber Optic LED Sight Light is a product that has most of the features that define a good sight light, and still comes with a reasonable price tag. It will never weigh down your pockets, even if you’re working with a shoestring budget.
It has a dimension of 2 x 1.6 x 4 inches, only weighs 0.02 pounds, and has a thread design ⅜–32 inches. That means you’ll rarely hear a user complain about how this product doesn’t squarely fit their prefered bow sight. And being a universal fit, it’s very compatible with TRUGLO, Cobra, Trophy Ridge, Toppoint, Copper John, and even Apex.
The LED light that you’ll get with this iteration will be blue. According to SAS, this color is what they found to be perfect for uncertain lighting situations.
We also cannot fail to talk about the optical fiber technology incorporated into the design. We’re certain many of you have at one point in time heard about this technology, but we bet you’ve never quite known what its primary function is. Well, it’s meant to help the device transmit light signals over long distances.
The answer to that next question is aluminum. You’ll obviously be curious to know what the construction material is, so… it’s aluminum. What benefits are derived from aluminum? Oh boy, in order to explain all those benefits, we might have to pitch camp here. Long story short, aluminum is not just durable, but also corrosive resistant, thermal efficient, strong, recyclable, and more importantly, light in weight.
The only downer was the fact that the brightness couldn’t be adjusted. It only had an on-and-off switch, but no adjustment knob. Not that we weren’t comfortable with the brightness level, but users do have different preferences, you know. It could still be a deal-breaker.
Other than that, it’s a solid bow sight light with easy installation.
We believe a 4.5-star review rating on an e-commerce site is all you need to understand just how good this product is. The Spot Hogg Sight Light for sure balances out affordability with quality, and it comes with ⅜–32 standard SAE thread.
Are the batteries removable? Yes, they are. It uses the 384 Silver Oxide zero mercury batteries. These types of batteries have the same running time as the standard type, but are more environmentally friendly.
The color of the Spot Hogg Sight LED light is white. However, it gives a purple glow, so as to ensure your visual experience is significantly improved.
The only flaw that we noticed was in the switch designed to turn the light on and off. Spot Hogg should have used a push button in lieu of that switch because it malfunctioned on day one.
Safari Choice is quite frankly an interesting brand. This company specializes in manufacturing diving gear equipment, but they somehow found a way to hack into this industry. And they’re definitely good at what they do because they’ve managed to dominate the market for more than a decade.
The Archery Hunting Sight Light has been designed to fit nearly all of the bow sights that the current market has to offer. To be specific, it pairs well with the TRUGLO sight, Copper John, Apex, Trophy Ridge, and even Cobra. It will practically fit anything, on the condition that the sight has a standard size threaded hole.
And that’s not all. There’s a 3-step adjustment knob feature that helps users control the light intensity. Even if you’re hunting in ambient conditions, you’ll never feel as though you’re struggling to see where the pin is.
We’re positive Safari Choice is a woke brand because the Archery Hunting Sight Light is a unisex product that can easily be adjusted for both left and right-handed sight bows. To top that off, it takes the AG3 batteries that are readily available.
The only drawback here is the fact that the batteries run out of juice fast. And when we say fast, we mean within minutes.
Believe us when we say, Viper outdid itself with this one. They completely revolutionized the industry because this product right here is the first Micro-USB rechargeable sight light that we’ve come across. And… it comes with its own cord. So, all those budgets that you used to make at the end of every week just to ensure that you have secondary batteries on standby, are now a thing of the past.
The second feature is the 3-blue light intensity levels. You can simply change the light intensity to high, medium, or low. There’s no need to explain the benefit of using a blue color because we’ve already touched on that. The thing that impressed us with this feature was its push button. We were seriously tired of using adjustment knobs or switches that were like a delicate flower.
“Is it a universal fit?”
Giving you a simple ‘Yes’ would be a disservice to the brand. The VIPER Archery Universal Sight Light offers more in this department. It will perfectly fit a bow sight that comes with a thread-hole size of ¼28 and the standard ⅜–32.
By the way, we finally have a bow sight light that’s waterproof. So, we’re sorry if you’ve been using rain as an excuse to not show up during your morning practice sessions.
The only problem is, the VIPER Archery Universal Sight Light often makes this annoying clicking sound once it’s been turned on. It’s so annoying it could drive anybody nuts.
The CBE CBE-RSL Rheostat Sight Light is yet another unisex-adult product that has been around for a while now. The fact that it’s lightweight in addition to being compact is one of the things that make it a quality sight light.
The batteries are replaceable, and as you can tell, we’re so big on that one. Also, it’s easy to attach, operate, and has been designed to offer three brightness levels.
We thought this was going to be our first product with zero flaws until we realized it doesn’t really fit most bow sights. The description on the box said, “It’s suitable for use with any bow sight that uses a ⅜–32 thread,” but our experience was very different. Different in the sense that it didn’t even fit our bow sight despite the fact that it’s been designed to use a ⅜–32 thread sight light.
Is it a real ⅜-32 thread? Yes. Unlike the CBE CBE-RSL Rheostat Sight Light, this one does fit on any bow sight that’s designed for a ⅜-32 thread. The ability to switch the light on and off is also a nice addition, but then again, we prefer the push button. Also, the thought of working with a bow sight light that lacked the light intensity adjustment feature kind of made us hesitant to invest in this product.
Installation was easy, but there was a gap left between the device and the bracket that made it difficult for us to seat it squarely. At first, we thought we could ignore it. However, after using it for a while, it became a nuisance. We realized we needed to reach out to a professional to help us fix it.
We forgot to mention the switch is kind of not a switch but a cap that you tighten or loosen. So basically, a makeshift switch.
Lastly, we would like to ask Copper John to correctly match the description on the package to the product. The color listed on the description box, and the actual color of the product, were very different.
The Black Gold Sight Light is also a product that we didn’t like that much. Yes, it’s durable since it’s been constructed using the 6061 T6 machined aluminum, but it doesn’t offer much. The batteries drained so fast, the design looked iffy, the mounting brackets were weak, and the actual product didn’t really look the same as the one pictured on the description box.
Did we feel ripped off? Kind of. The only feature that got us talking was the three-brightness setting and its ability to illuminate the pin in ambient light conditions. But several other sight lights do offer all of those things minus these flaws.
Pros
6061 T6 machined aluminum
Three-brightness setting
Cons
Batteries drained so fast
The design looked iffy
The mounting brackets were weak
Product didn’t match description
Buyer’s Guide
We’re hoping the above reviews are all you need to understand just how important of an accessory the bow sight light is. It’s certainly a must-have for shooters who wish to improve their marksmanship, especially in ambient light conditions. Moving on, we’ll now talk about some of the factors that you ought to take into account before purchasing a bow sight light.
The Price
Let’s not even pretend we didn’t know this would be the first factor on our list. The price of a commodity has always influenced different market forces including consumer decisions, and that’s not going to change now or ever.
Some users are of the opinion that expensive automatically equates to high quality. Well, we’re here to tell you that that notion is false. We’ve seen and even used products that would cost you an arm and leg, only to be disappointed the minute we conducted a test run. If you want a good bow sight light, focus more on its performance and less on the price tag.
Compatibility
We have bow sight lights that have been designed to fit almost any type of bow sight, and those that only function efficiently when paired with their respective brands. So, the million-dollar question to be asked here is, will the device be compatible with the bow you’re currently using?
And just so you know, you can’t roll the dice on this one. If you choose the wrong sight light, you’ll have to go back and buy a different one.
Sorry, what’s that you said? You’ll just go back and replace it with one that’s more compatible? Oh, no, buddy. We don’t know if this is news to you, but some retailers have return policies that aren’t too friendly to customers.
What you need to do so as to avoid getting yourself in such a situation, is to first check the manufacturer’s recommendation. What light sizes do they recommend?
Once you’ve written down the specifications, head over to the store and look for a bow sight light that comes with those specific clips or screws. Also, check the device’s thread size. If you cannot find one in your preferred brand’s section, search for a universal fit in any one of those other brands.
A bow sight light is not a household item. This is something that you’ll be using in extreme and time-sensitive situations. You don’t want to compromise on quality, because then you’ll end up purchasing a device that will fall apart on day one. It’s easy to tell if a product has what it takes to deliver just by going through the online reviews.
Brightness
If the bow sight light is not giving you the right amount of light while shooting in low light conditions, why the heck did you even buy it? The main purpose of sight light is to improve visibility. So taking that function into consideration, brightness automatically becomes a significant factor.
The level of brightness offered usually varies when it comes to these things. And it’s clearly stated in the product reviews that we’ve listed above. Some sight lights offer excess brightness while others only offer a decent amount. So be sure the optic will be able to offer incredible vision in total darkness before making any purchase.
Also, it has to come with adjustment knobs or controls that allows you to regulate the intensity.
Durability
Talking about durability as a factor was inevitable.
What does the product’s review say? Is it capable of remaining functional in extreme weather conditions without requiring excessive maintenance? And what’s it made of? Reinforced plastic? Aluminum? Or just some cheap material that the manufacturer felt like using so as to reduce the cost of production?
These are questions that you need to seek answers to. A durable bow sight light will serve you for a long period of time, without showing any sign of deterioration in value or quality.
Track Record
We’ve realized users are always quick to forget the fact that these devices were introduced to us a couple of years ago. They’re still relatively new, and that’s why most users don’t know much about them.
Heck, we’ve even met ‘experts’ who still think bow sight lights are nothing more than fancy flashlights. In a way, that’s true. But, that’s not all a sight light does.
The point that we’re trying to pass across is, only work with trusted brands. Do your due diligence and then reach out to the brand. That’s the only way you’ll be guaranteed credibility in this industry.
Batteries
In our opinion, bow sight lights that come with removable batteries are the best.
You know what? Scratch that.
We meant to say, bow sights that use rechargeable batteries are the real deal.
The battery life is also a thing. Quality batteries will serve you for several hours a day.
Weight
If you can feel a difference in weight after installation, you’re using the wrong bow sight light. These devices have been designed to be compact and lightweight. Anything that feels or even looks bulky will just interfere with your focus, especially if you’re the type of hunter who loves running around.
Conclusion
We enjoyed our time here, but it’s time to log out. But before we go, we’d like to remind you what our top pick is: The TRUGLO Tru-Lite Xtreme Sight Light.
If this isn’t a product that you fancy, you could always go for the HUNTCOOL Fiber Optic LED Sight Light, which will offer you value for money. And if you’re the type of person who likes to play in a league of their own, the Axcel Armortech Sight Light is the premium choice. Until next time… Adios!
Robert’s obsession with all things optical started early in life, when his optician father would bring home prototypes for Robert to play with. Nowadays, Robert is dedicated to helping others find the right optics for their needs. His hobbies include astronomy, astrophysics, and model building. Originally from Newark, NJ, he resides in Santa Fe, New Mexico, where the nighttime skies are filled with glittering stars.
