Repeated failures – serious quality control issues - Gideon Optics Judge XL 1x22.5x28mm Reflex Red Dot Sight

I strongly recommend avoiding Gideon Optics. I am currently on my third Judge XL in less than five months, all failing in the exact same way.

Each optic developed an issue where the emitter disappears completely. The failure appears to be related to either the battery connection or the brightness adjustment buttons shorting out. When pressure is applied to the brightness buttons, the dot will briefly flicker on and off before dying again. This is not acceptable for any optic, especially one marketed for serious use.

Gideon contacted me through social media and attempted to blame the issue on “child-proof” battery coatings. This explanation does not hold up—CR1632 batteries are not manufactured with bitterant coatings, and the problem persists across multiple units.

At this point, this is clearly a quality control problem, not user error or batteries. Two replacements with the same failure mode speaks volumes.

In my opinion, these products are unreliable and poorly built. A lifetime warranty does not make up for repeated failures and downtime.

Purchase at your own risk.