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TruGlo TFX let down!

23K views 53 replies 24 participants last post by  bowserb 
#1 ·
Well I got my slide back from having the TruGlo TFX sites installed and I’m not impressed at all, actually disappointed to tell the truth.


I was under the impression (my own) that they would glow in the dark somewhat brightly but that’s not the case. They are very dim and very small to boot. I also thought that the white ring on the front sight would also glow aiding in the site picture but all that shows is a very small, dim green dot.


I haven’t had a chance to see how they perform in daylight yet but I have a feeling they’ll crap out there too.


Am I just expecting too much or do you think that mine are defective?
 
#3 ·
I hope so but for the night, which was the main purpose of them, they suck. I feel I just wasted the $160 I spent for them including shipping. Maybe someone that has the exact same sites will chime in and tell me their experience with them.


Are your trijicon’s pretty bright at night?
 
#9 ·
Thanks for the pics JohnC28. The first two really show a difference and in the dark it is a whole lot worse than that. I sure hope that I can exchange the ones I have on now and get some decent ones. Either way the TFX’s that are currently on my slide are coming off. I just hope it doesn’t end up costing me anymore than shipping.
 
#10 ·
So if you go into a dark room like a closet with no lights, are you not seeing a Glow? Just send it back with a note and let me know you want the TFO's instead. I would refund the difference minus the Shipping. Easy Peazy.

The TFX has a sapphire glass between your eyes and the fiber optic which dims it slightly. Then the capsule sealing the fiber optics also cut some light transition.
 
#11 ·
Thanks for chiming in. Yes I turned off the lights in my shop and then in the bathroom and all I see is what I consider three very small, very dim green dots. To me they are just about useless because it takes a few seconds to even line them up. If they were a bit brighter then maybe I could get by and just live with it but not the way they are now.


Now granted, my eyesight isn’t what it used to be but until I go blind I would expect more. Again thanks for the offer to change the sites out. I will be sending the slide back in a couple of days.


By the way, anyone wondering if your slide might come back marred a bit from the install put your worries aside, not a mark on mine. Great work.
 
#12 ·
ajamesp51,


I forgot to ask, which night sights do you recommend as the brightest along with fiber optics that you sale? If you could just narrow it down to a couple of them then that will be great. I have no experience with them other than the ones I have now and need some expert advice here. Thanks.
 
#13 ·
TFO/TFX are the brightest...

@1222 bro i've had every night sight available and trust me TruGlo's glow much brighter then Trijicons... I don't think that's even a debate. I would keep the TFX's as they are pretty much the hottest night sight set around. They are also much more durable then TFO's.
 
#15 ·
Now I’m starting to second guess myself about the sights. I went down to my local gun store to purchase another handgun and decided to take along my slide to see what they thought of the TFX sights. Every one of them said they seemed fine and a couple went as far as saying that mine were a bit better than theirs.


I don’t want to have them replaced only to be unhappy with them a second time. But after looking at the pics with the TFO’s compared to the TFX’s they (TFO) do seem markedly brighter.
 
#16 ·
You need to let your eyes adjust to the dark. I know in an emergency, time is not always on your side.
You may or may not get used to seeing the dots at arms length away in a hurry. I have TFO, and can see them in any light to total dark. They are not blindingly bright, but just right for total dark without distraction.
Night sights IMHO are not supposed to distract or cause pupil reaction to the point of not being able to focus on the target.
TFO, however, can not get gun cleaner on them, or they may get ruined.
 
#18 ·
OP, first I've heard of someone being dissatisfied with TFX's
I have TFO's on my XD and they're quite bright and work extremely well. I was about to order TFX's for my xds (and probably still will) but I'm curious to see the outcome here.

James as always will get my business either way. :)
 
#19 ·
I have TFX's on my Mod 2 and compared them with my Meprolights, and to me, they are great sights. Everyone has a different perception and preference of what bright should be. If you are unhappy do what makes you happy, don't live with regret.
 
#20 ·
Thanks for chiming in. Yes I turned off the lights in my shop and then in the bathroom and all I see is what I consider three very small, very dim green dots. To me they are just about useless because it takes a few seconds to even line them up. If they were a bit brighter then maybe I could get by and just live with it but not the way they are now.


Now granted, my eyesight isn’t what it used to be but until I go blind I would expect more. Again thanks for the offer to change the sites out. I will be sending the slide back in a couple of days.


By the way, anyone wondering if your slide might come back marred a bit from the install put your worries aside, not a mark on mine. Great work.
This is my experience with Trijicons. Just now went into the bathroom. Closed door, lights off. Gave my old eyes at least one minute to adjust. I could NOT see the front sight at all. Both dots on the rear are extremely dim. In short, they are worthless.

They are about two years old. Allow a Hi-Jack? Is that the expected life of these things?

I feel for ya', OP. There ought to be something better!!
 
#21 ·
This is my experience with Trijicons. Just now went into the bathroom. Closed door, lights off. Gave my old eyes at least one minute to adjust. I could NOT see the front sight at all. Both dots on the rear are extremely dim. In short, they are worthless.

They are about two years old. Allow a Hi-Jack? Is that the expected life of these things?

I feel for ya', OP. There ought to be something better!!
The half-life of tritium is 12 years. After 2 years there shouldn't be an appreciable difference from when they were new.
 
#24 ·
Ok, so I went out to the desert to try them out before sending the slide back and here are my findings.


I found that I need to have my reading glasses on to see the sites without any blur which really enhanced the crispness of the sites considerably. The target is very blurry but I found my shooting improved quite a bit doing it that way.


The fiber optics worked just fine during daylight so no complaints there. I hung around until the sun went down to see once more how they would perform from twilight to all darkness. As it started getting dark (too dark to shoot) the sights were still working ok, so far so good. Then when it finally had gotten really dark I tried them again. To my surprise I could see all three green dots without a problem.


As soon as I pulled up the gun to shooting position all three were there, none of the few seconds to line them up as previously when I tried them at home. I don’t know why they seem to working now but they are and that’s all that counts.


Could they be brighter, yes? Will I still be sending them back, probably not? Since this is my first experience with night sights I was wondering if perhaps the sites needed to be “charged up” a bit from the sunlight and that is the reason they are working better now?
 
#31 ·
Since this is my first experience with night sights
^ That statement pretty much sums up this entire thread.
I feel you were expecting too much from the start.


Final update:


The night sites seem to be working just fine now so I am definitely keeping them. Most likely when I first tried them at home and could barely see the night sites at all I probably didn’t have my up-close glasses on. Plus factor in that my presumption of night sights were that they would be super bright and the size of the tubes themselves.


Now that I’ve learned more on just how they (night sights) are supposed to be and work I wish I never started this thread with such negativism. I also hope I didn’t influence anyone reading my complaints from purchasing the TFX sights.
Seems you've found the light, so to speak...
If the night sights were too bright, they would be a distraction, not an asset.
 
#27 ·
Final update:


The night sites seem to be working just fine now so I am definitely keeping them. Most likely when I first tried them at home and could barely see the night sites at all I probably didn’t have my up-close glasses on. Plus factor in that my presumption of night sights were that they would be super bright and the size of the tubes themselves.


Now that I’ve learned more on just how they (night sights) are supposed to be and work I wish I never started this thread with such negativism. I also hope I didn’t influence anyone reading my complaints from purchasing the TFX sights.
 
#29 ·
Thanks. Yeah it seems to be my bad eyesight that was/is causing all the trouble in the first place. I have diabetes which is playing havoc with my eyes. One day my glasses seem to work OK and the next day they are all out of whack. I long for my younger years when there was no need for glasses and my hearing was top notch and my...:lol:
 
#32 ·
I agree with Low. It kinda seemed like he was expecting "full illumination" and just wasn't familiar with night sights. Like I said the TFOs are hands down the brightest night sights made period (because they own, and hold the patent to the fiber optic/tritium vials.) but they are what they are...
 
#33 ·
Are the TFO an d TFX as bright as or brighter than the XS Big Dot's?? I was impressed with how bright those sights were when I had my 24/7 Big DOts' on my Glock. If the TFO/TFX are brighter than THAT.... wow!!! ....
 
#36 ·
Can't really review sights if your eyes aren't seeing them :p
...
I’m not really sure how you meant that statement to be but in my case it is very true. I was expecting something way different when the lights went out (first experience with night sights) so I was assuming that the TFXs were nothing but crap.


My eyes are messed up and take more than normal time to adjust to sudden light changes. My rush to judgment was a mistake on my part. I have come to terms with my limitations and have since learned to like the TFXs. Live and learn.
 
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