ATIBAL ENCLOSED

SOLAR TACTICAL DOT (STD)

REVIEW

The Atibal Solar Tactical Dot is a "closed-in" red dot sight built like a tank. Most red dots have an open lens where dirt or rain can get inside and block the laser diode, but this one is completely sealed in a metal box. It’s designed to stay on, stay clear, and take a beating without breaking the bank.

A rugged, "always-on" red dot sight that uses both a battery and the sun to stay powered up. It’s built for people who want a sight that works every time they pick up their gun, no matter the weather. It uses a 2032 battery as well as solar power.

So, I’ve been running the Atibal Solar Tactical Dot (STD) on the Lone Wolf Dusk 19 setup, and honestly, It’s a pretty slick combination. If you're used to those standard open-glass red dots, the first thing you’re going to notice is that it looks like a little mailbox sitting on top of your slide.

It’s an enclosed emitter, which is a game changer if you’re actually out in the elements. Think about it? If it’s on a standard Glock-style setup, you’re always fighting lint, dust, or raindrops getting right on that tiny laser bulb. With this thing, it’s all sealed up in a nitrogen purged tube. If the glass gets muddy or wet, you just wipe it off with your thumb and you’re back in business . You don't have to worry about the dot starbursting, because of a drop of water that is on the lens.

The STD has a 2032 side battery compartment with a round cap on the right side. It has the plus and minus adjustment on the left. The buttons are rubber coated and easy to adjust. When mounting the optic, I had to get an adapter plate because it is the Acro micro footprint. It has fairly decent clicks in the windage and elevation adjustment. It was very easy to mount and sight in.

Now, the Enclosed STD does add a little bit of weight to the slide, but on the Dusk 19, it actually feels right. That frame already has a better grip angle and flat trigger, so the extra few ounces of the optic actually helps keep the muzzle down when you’re shooting fast. It makes the whole gun feel a bit less of a handful in your hand.

The coolest part for me is that it has that solar panel on top, so during the day, it’s gathering sunlight to power the optic. Besides that it has a shake awake feature, if you leave it on the nightstand or in the holster, it goes to sleep. The second you touch the grip, that 3 MOA dot is right there waiting for you.

It’s definitely a bit chunkier than a standard RMR, so you’ll want to make sure your holster has a decent optic cut. Luckily for me the holsters I used worked just fine.

Shooting with the Atibal Enclosed STD was very easy. When I brought the pistol up to shoot, the dot was there. I didn’t have to search for it, it had fingerprints on the front of it, and the dot still looked the same. I ran numerous Bill drills, double taps, and drawing from concealment with it. The dot was always there. I sighted the dot in at 7 yards and ran about 100 rounds through it. I then moved out to 15 and did the same. I finally moved to 25 yards and that was the sweet spot. With the 3 MOA dot, I found that anywhere from 5 to 50 yards, I was always on target. I did not put the pistol in a rest, I just sighted it standing and shaking, as my old hands do. The dot was always there when drawing. During shooting, the optic seems to cushion some of the snap from the 9mm plus P defensive ammo that I was sighting in with. The fact that the big box gives you an extra area to rack the slide is a plus. With gloves, bare hands, if you rack it off the table, or your holster, there is always a place to get a good purchase.

I’ve carried the Dusk 19 with the Atibal Enclosed STD mailbox on it for several horseback trips. As we all know, if it’s tested by me, there has to be a horse involved. I fell off after my horse took a misstep. It went into the Cumberland river in May and so did . The STD was underwater for several minutes in the cold river. I had no water in the optic. I’m not sure if I hit it on anything on the way down. But it did sustain 11 hours of constant movement on the horse. Then when I got back to camp, I went directly to the bath house and stood in the hot shower for over an hour. At first I was fully clothed, then I stripped and left my pants and the holster with the firearm in it, on the shower floor with super hot water running over it. After I was able to become somewhat normal again, I pulled the pistol out of the holster and gave the optic a wipe and it still worked.

I recommend a full sweat guard if you’re going to carry it appendix or close to the body. My love handles and belly had some wear from the big optic. I pinched myself several times. If that’s all I have to put up with, so that I can have an optic that has solar and battery backup, I’ll take it. As of this writing, I found two other manufacturers that have the same style setup. The price of them is a lot more than the Atibal Solar Tactical dot. As we know, they are probably all made in the same factory.

Firearms Insider Reviews - Key Points

Claim to Fame:

The mailbox advantage blocks mud, dust, rain and other elements

Infinite power loop, Solar and battery

Shake awake technology

Parallax free mounting options

University mounting options with the Aimpoint micro footprint

Target Market:

The working man’s gun that spends more time in a holster outdoors than in a safe

High end performance with an average cost

Competitive shooters

Features, Benefits, and Specifications of this product:

Enclosed LED design
Solar assist illumination
Shake awake technology
50,000 hour battery life
True 1x, window size 20.5x16mm
3 MOA DOT
Adjustment is 1 MOA
Windage adjustment is 90MOA
Elevation adjustment is 90MOA
10 brightness settings 8 daytime and 2 NVG
CR2032 Battery
50000 hour run time
Lifetime warranty

What other aesthetic options or finishes are available?

This optic is a very utilitarian product. It’s in black, but sometimes you might find them in a FDE color.

What others are saying

Its not the First and it wont be the last

It’s a beast. I’ve been using it for both weekend competitions and some pretty messy boar hunting trips, and it hasn't let me down once. It’s tough, it’s reliable, and it doesn't cost as much as a used car. Whether I’m trying to shave seconds off my time or tracking a boar through the brush, it’s become the one piece of gear I don't have to second-guess. i will be getting more i have a few more gun i want to outfit and these are my top choice.

Link to other reviews:

Nothing found as of publishing

Price point:

MSRP: $349.99.

Retail: Around $249.99 to $299.99 on sale

I need it now! Availability:

Atibal Optics and use code “FIREARMSINSIDER20” FOR 20% off

Optics Planet

Our Rating:

Pros:

Total environment protection
Solar power and battery
Crisp high quality glass
Side loading battery

Cons:

It’s a chunky boy
Weight. 5.6 ounces
Make sure it will work in your holster. It might have to be modified

Score: 7.00 Good

I first learned about the Atibal SLR-1 red dot at Triggrcon. To say the least, I was impressed with the prototype I handled. After some time, the production versions were released and they sent one for review. The SLR-1 is 1x20 red dot sight.

There are a lot of red dots on the market, but only a few are even similar to the Atibal. The Atibal SLR-1 is solar and/or battery powered. The solar works so well that I even ran the red dot without a battery, in overcast weather. Because the SLR-1 is so efficient, it has a combined battery life of over 100,000 hours, that’s over 11 years! Another innovative feature is the removable solar panel, should you break it or something, just order a new one. Much better than ordering a whole new sight. When in the “solar” mode, brightness adjustment is done automatically depending on ambient light. One can switch over to “manual” mode if they want to set the brightness level.

As with most red dots, the Atibal SLR-1 has a bunch of expected features. The SLR-1 has a 2 moa dot or a 35 moa circle dot reticle. 8 brightness settings, 1 of them is night vision compatible. It’s shockproof, water proof, parallax free, nitrogen filled, and has multi-coated lenses. The battery is easily accessed on the side of the sight, as are the multi-use buttons. Length on the SLR-1 is 3”. Weight is 5.6 ounces. It comes supplied with a very nice AR co-witness mount, but has mount compatibility with Aimpoint T-1 and H-1 mounts

Now that all the technical stuff is out of the way, let’s dig into some of the good stuff. My SLR-1 came in a nice plastic padded case with everything needed to mount it, zero it, clean it, and cover it, they even threw in an extra battery. I can’t say enough good things about the supplied mount. Most supplied mounts are usable, but not great. The Atibal mount is sturdy, good looking, and mounts very securely. A wrench is even supplied to tighten down the mount.

Actual use of the SLR-1 is where it shines. The dot and circle dot are very clear. Looking through the 20mm tube, I see little to no color differences. Because the solar panel is mounted on top, it picks up light well. When using the “solar” mode, the brightness of the dot is automatically adjusted. One drawback to the “solar” mode is that you can only use the 2 moa dot reticle, not the 35 moa circle dot. The auto brightness function adjusted brightness extremely well, never did I feel like the dot was too bright or too dim. It is also very responsive to changes in ambient light. To switch over to the “battery” mode, just tap the “+” button and you are now using the battery. Here you have manual brightness adjustments. As you can guess, “+” increases the brightness, and “-” reduces the brightness. The dot does flare when turned up, but that’s pretty normal for any red dot. Since we are on “battery” mode, if you hold down the “-” button for about 3 seconds, the reticle will change over to the 35 moa circle dot. After using the circle dot, I think I prefer a 65 moa dot over the 35 moa dot. Mainly because the bottom of a 65 moa circle is the height over bore zero of an AR at 7 yds. Now if you want to switch back to “solar” mode, just hold down the “+” button for about 3 seconds.

I’ve been using the SLR-1 for around 4 months. I really like the 2 moa dot and hardly ever use the circle dot. Like mentioned before, it is super clear and easy to find the dot. It has held zero, even with me bouncing it off a wooden bench. It’s light, so it fits in well with the carbine it is on. One design aspect I like is the protected turrets. Yes, it makes it harder to get the caps on and off for adjustment, but protects them from being broken off. Speaking of caps, the turret caps also can be turned over and used to adjust the windage and elevation, both of which are 1 moa adjustments. The actual clicks on the adjustments are pretty good also. There is no problem hearing or feeling them.

Atibal did a stand up job designing the SLR-1. It’s clear, tough, and has some of the best battery life in the game. The use of industry standard mounts is smart, as is the multiple reticle option. Plus it has a lifetime warranty. Atibal has been upping their game in the optics industry, definitely give them a look.