Best laser under 1k? maybe! - SightMark LoPro Mini Laser Sight

Originally got one of these to see if I would want/use a visible laser unit before invested in something more expensive. Even at 100 bucks i was iffy because I just hardly saw the need for it, but wanted to see if there was any practicality to one. Picked one of these up for my .300 blackout 8.5” and it’s been AWESOME. Shooting at dusk? Morning? Under a barricade? Bizarre shooting angle just because you end up in weird places in a match/fight/war/larping?? I really found myself using it all the time. The pressure switches are hands down the weakest part of the whole unit. It almost made me return the thing! With a very tactile feel and a responsive ‘click’, the pad itself is nice! Way more rewarding to click than some of those rubber pressure pads that leave you uncertain exactly where you need to be pressing lol. But there’s a big problem: I’ve had two of the pressure pads units start false triggering the laser and leaving it powered on at the slightest touch! I thought it was the laser unit! I almost took the laser off and forgot about it because of it. But then I thought I’d try it without a pad:no issues! Although then it’s lost it’s momentary function which stinks. But it never false triggered without the pad in. SOLUTION: I had a modlite scout light pressure switch lying around, but the biggest problem with the Lopro is that it’s a completely proprietary pad socket mount. No third party pads, like the modlite fit without modifications. Well, I loved how bright the laser was, the build quality of the laser unity, and the direct mount all were huge wins for me. So I was determined to fix it. I cut off one of my modlite switch ends and then when I cut the LoPro pressure pads cable I saw the other end had pulled itself right off the pad/motherboard connections. And during that process ANY vibration would power the laser on, because the switches are actually STOPPING the signal all the time and when you press them it lets the signal pass. So it would let the signal pass with a vibration and then never get the off command. But by attaching the LoPro laser mount to a modlite switch, I now have a functioning laser, that has never failed me since! I ended up buying another and doing the same thing to it because THE SAME thing happened to it! The laser started misfiring and sure enough when I looked at the pad, the connections had vibrated right off. But since swapping to the modlite switches, both units have been awesome. One on a 8.5” .300 blackout and another on a 10.5” 5.56. Both have shot well over 1k rounds with the lasers in their current set ups with no issues. I added loctite to the turrets once I zero’d the units when i read the reviews of zero shifting and have had no issues with the zero shifting. Only giving 4 stars because 2/2 units had the same issue with the pressure pads, but frankly, you’re not buying a $100 green laser for the pressure pad. Or at least, you shouldn’t be. These are super bright, and while not practically useable during the brightest part of a summer day standing directly in the sun, it is still able to be seen. they rule in any other scenario though. If it’s dusky, or you’re inside, it’s almost like cheating.

TLDR;

Laser:10/10
Pressure pad: 2/10

If you want to see a bunch of pictures of this unit in use go to @bargainbintactician on Instagram. I post almost daily, and have this laser unit on many of my weapons now!