Looking for the best budget red dot?
Well…we’ve been testing the Sig Sauer Romeo 5 for over 4 years and we still whole-heartedly agree that it is still the best red dot under $200.
We’ll cover specs and then dive into our real-world torture and hard-use tests. By the end you’ll know if it’s the right red dot for you.
Prices accurate at time of writing
Prices accurate at time of writing
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Table of Contents
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Sig Romeo 5 Pros & Cons
Pros
- 40,000-hour battery run time
- Shake-awake function
- 10 illumination settings
Cons
- Blue tint
- Mediocre mount
The Bottom Line
This is the best red dot under $200 right now.
Sig Romeo5 Specs & Features
Specs
- Weight: 5.1 oz
- Battery Life: 40,000 Hours (4.5 Years)
- Illumination Settings: 8 Daytime & 2 Night Vision
- Dot Size: 2 MOA
- Objective Lens: 20mm
- Waterproof: IPX 7
- Footprint: Aimpoint T2
- Battery: CR2032
- Price: $120
Features
- Daylight and night vision settings
- Solid battery life
- Shake-awake
Street price is under $120 and for that price you expect a no-frills red dot.
But the Romeo5 surprises you with an awesome 40,000 hour battery life off of one common CR2023 battery.
Plus…it has a shake-awake function that Sig is calling Motac (motion activated illumination) that increases it even more by shutting it off after 2 minutes of being idle. And turns on again with any motion.
This was normally something only found in higher-end optics but now you get it with the Romeo5.
Once the firearm is stored, the optic can be left on, but will not use battery power unless picked up and moved.
On top of the Motac motion activation system the Romeo5 also has a specialized Spectracoat lens coating.
This coating helps increase battery life by allowing a shooter to keep the brightness level on a lower setting but still allowing maximum visibility of the 2 MOA dot.
Fit & Feel
Over the years we’ve used our stable of several units on AR15s, PCCs, lever guns, shotguns, and even full-autos.
The Romeo5 has an included “high” mount that provides for an absolute co-witness with AR-15 iron sights that keeps the irons centered within the field of view.
It is lightweight but is rather basic. While this will work for a lot of people, some people prefer a better mount using a QD lever, or a skeletonized mount to shave off weight.
You can also remove that for a lower-profile mount depending on your gun or use its Aimpoint T2 footprint to directly mount to something else.
Aesthetically, the Romeo5 is a typical 20mm tube-style red dot with adjustable brightness settings using a push-button system, instead of a rotating knob located at the battery compartment.
Turn it on by holding either button for a few seconds. If you want to take advantage of the shake-awake function…you’re done!
Just leave it alone for around 2 minutes and the dot will automatically turn off. With some motion it will turn back on.
However, you can also manually turn it off by pressing and holding either button for a few seconds again. Note that this turns off shake-awake (lesson learned the hard way).
View Through
Ok, we get that it’s affordable, comes with a decent mount, and has shake-awake. But how does it look through the glass?
Check it out indoors…pretty clear lens with only a slight tinge of blue. Once you’re using it you’ll hardly be able to tell.
And outdoors…bright enough for almost everything you’re going to face. I’ve used it in the scorching desert and at the highest illumination you’re still good to go.
No glue clump at the bottom like in other affordable optics like the TRS-25 nor halo-ing effect.
And the 2 MOA dot? Perfect for both quick acquisition and more precise shots.
Illumination settings are plenty bright for any purpose from indoors to the blazing summer sun.
Adjustment is also easy with two protective caps that come off and tactile enough clicks.
We also used it with a 3x Juliet Magnifier which greatly increases the range of the red dot from about 100-200 yards to 300+ yards.
Prices accurate at time of writing
Prices accurate at time of writing
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Torture Testing
Besides years of testing with shotguns and full-autos…we decided to submerge, drop, and chill down the optics.
They were submerged for 10 minutes, and once pulled out and the exterior dried off, no water or fogging was visible within the tube of the Romeo5.
Dropping the optics while mounted showed no signs of zero being disturbed. Dropping was done at knee to shoulder height on different types of terrain including dirt, grass, and rocky terrain.
No damage besides minor scuff marks appeared.
Finally, after being left in the freezer at -5 degrees Fahrenheit for 3 hours, both optics showed no overall dimness with their red dot brightness.
After doing testing with imported red dots of lesser quality, usually with extreme cold, the electronics could not perform at subzero temperatures. Usually, the dot will go very dim and choke itself out until it gets warmer.
Both Sigs proved to handle the cold perfectly fine…great news for those of you in colder states.
Who Is It For?
Anyone looking for a red dot that’s affordable and still has some nice features like shake-awake…excuse me, Motac.
Plus an included high-mount for ARs that’s ready out of the box. And also an industry-standard footprint for other mounts.
We’ve been stressing out one unit on a full-auto MP5K and it’s held up great.
This is good enough for a duty weapon if you can’t go up to a Holosun or Aimpoint. And the battery life is very good at 40,000 hours combined with shake-awake.
I’d still change out batteries every year but it’s nice knowing that you can leave it completely on for 4 years.
By The Numbers
Affordability: 5/5
Durable, clear dot & glass, 40K hours, and shake-awake. All with a street price around $120…you can’t beat it right now.
Looks: 4/5
The Romeo5 is a solid looking red dot. Much like the higher priced Aimpoints, the smaller tube style red dots offer a lot of strength in a relatively small package. The mount is a little too plain for my liking, but it does offer a solid attachment point.
Reliability: 5/5
We’ve tested several Romeo5s through the years and none failed me or any of our writers. The “Motac” system worked every single time and I left the optic constantly on. Even after multiple drops on varying terrain, the optic refused to quit.
Overall: 5/5
Prices accurate at time of writing
Prices accurate at time of writing
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Upgrades
There’s not too many upgrades for a red dot but you can get a nicer quick-disconnect mount.
Prices accurate at time of writing
Prices accurate at time of writing
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Or add on a 3x magnifier to reach out further.
Prices accurate at time of writing
Prices accurate at time of writing
-
25% off all OAKLEY products - OAKLEY25
Copied! Visit Merchant
Final Verdict
I would highly recommend the Romeo5 for someone on a smaller budget but wants to maximize their purchase.
Battery life is fantastic.
The “Motac” system should be an industry standard, and the 2 MOA dot is precise enough to stretch out to extended ranges when properly zeroed.
That said, for the price – the Romeo5 might be the best red dot on the market right now.
Do you run the Romeo5? How do you like it? For some more awesome optics, take a look at the Best AR-15 Scopes & Optics!
28 Leave a Reply
Where can I find the high mount that came with the optic? Sig discontinued it and I lost mine. I just want that simple, no frills mount to put on my MCK 2.0
Apologies for the typos in my post. Still made sense though, I think.
Jeff
First reply or question ever. Not a fan of social media at all but it seems there is a lot of honesty here so here goes. I have become a big fan of Henry lever action guns. I purchased the big boy x series in 45 LC and looking for optics. I have considered the combo discussed here but not terribly familiar with much beyond the army's cco red dot which is similar to Inbeliev the Aimpoint version of it. Regardless, I can shoot anything with excellence but understanding how to fix, modify, upgrade Is something I have to ask about since I can,t put two stcks together. Plus, Inhave seen a million different serious of what people have done with the Henry but not sure where to land. I have used the Juliette 3 but nothing else from sig.
Any guidance/idea on close in to moderate range thick brush/pine tickets etc fast acquisition, reliable, durable, and practical? Is this it or something else. Ideas without dings would be appreciated. Thanks ahead of time
Why not just get a Holosun?
I purchased 2 Romeo 5’s, both for AR15’s. Neither one would hold a zero. I had them both set for
a perfect zero, after 3-4 shots the zero was gone on both.
I went from having a .50” group to over 4”!! Rezero, and the same issue
On a side note, I bought a Romeo 1 Pro for my Sig Legion, the red dot would not move.
Aiming on the bull, the bullet impacted 7.5” high, and 3-1/4” to the right.
The adjustment screws moved, but not the dot.
Needless to say, I’m very disappointed. I should have known better, they are made in china
I just put a Romeo5 through an entire day of shotgun training on a 1301 and it performed flawlessly. Zero issues. I even hit a target at 50 yards with a slug. Best deal around. I also run one on my 9mm Cx4 Storm. And I have a T2 on my AR, fwiw.
I know this is a very old article, but I’m interested in why the dot in the backyard video doesn’t always follow the sweep motion of the tube. Sometimes it seemed to be stationary while the tube is moving.
Good Q...it's because we had a free-floating phone take the video.
I'd be interested in a romeo5 vs romeo7 comparison.
Opinions on either optic on the AK platform?
I really have enjoyed many of your reviews since finding your website - thank you guys!
How would you rate and compare the Romeo 3/5 against the Sig Romeo MSR.
Have you rated this red dot (MSR) at all?
We haven't gotten to look at the MSR directly yet, but I've heard good reports on it. It's not as good as the Romeo5 but for the price, it's still a solid unit.
In your opinion how does this compare to the Holosun Red Dot you recommend in "Red Dots Inder $200"?
Any recommendations on a QD riser mount for the Romeo5?
Anybody else has the problem that the dot on the Romeo5 is not really round and sharp? Mine looks more like a comet coming from lower right to upper left.
Sounds like you have astigmatism and should see a doctor. If you look through the sight while rotating it, you will probably notice that the "comet" always comes from lower right to upper left, despite you rotating it.
Would you provide me with a link to your "budget" RDS for 4" pistols.
Palmetto State Armory has the Vortex Venom 3 MOA for $180 w/ code "VENOM". That is the best budget pistol red dot you can get right now, awesome red dot on a huge sale. Here is our article on the Best Pistol Red Dots!
Anyone else cringe at thje video of the guy muzzle sweeping a house with a pistol?
I mean I'm sure the gun was unloaded but goddamn man that's still a bad move.
I'm a HUGE fan of Sig optics and have both these models as well as a Romeo4, and two Tango6 scopes. I have the Romeo5 low mounted on my Galil ACE and the Romeo3 mounted on my .300BLK HD gun. I have zero complaints about the 5, it punches WAYYYY above its price point. The Romeo3 is excellent in its own right, extremely fast to get on target which is why I have it set up for HD duty, but unfortunately you're correct about fragility concerns. My HD gun was leaning against the wall when I bumped it and it fell to the hardwood floor. Even with the rubber guard on it the fall cracked the lens in half, although the dot still worked and appeared to hold its zero. Sig's warranty replaced it no questions asked, but in the future I may put it on a competition gun and get another Romeo4.
I have used Eotech, Aimpoint and Trijicon to name a few and they all performed as designed. When I purchased the Sig Romeo 5 with 2 MOA which is the same with all Aimpoints and ran it through my own torture testing they all came out banged up but the only one that failed was the Eotech. Having said this and sent into battle with the Sig Romeo 5 sitting on top my HK416/417 I wouldn't have any reservations. It's a solid CQB red dot scope with the ability to take out targets beyond 300 meters just like it's "much" higher priced competitors. I am not saying the Aimpoint Trijicon scopes are not exceptional gear but for hundreds less you get the same quality with the Romeo 5 or Romeo 3.
I'm running a Romeo 5 on an ArmaLite M-15 LTC and I love it. Initially I had an issue with the dot not reaching maximum brightness but Sig's customer service was great and they replaced the entire optic at no charge. It's worked flawlessly since.
I currently run the Romeo 5 on my Ruger PCC, I bought a QD mount for roughly $80 on Amazon and it works great. Amazing quality for the price point and would've got the Romeo 5/Juliet 3 combo if I could've found one on sale.
Is there any way y’all could take these red dots and the budget magnifiers from a previous article and try them together and write up a review. Should be hard or take long and would make good content.
I have a romeo5 on a ar, it was so cheap (psa) n its great for whatever.
You may want to state that these are Holosun models with a Sig badge!
Sorry but they are not the same optics. The Romeo 5 looks similar to the Holosun but it’s not a “rebadge”.
That’s gossip passed around in online forums. Even from pictures if you closely look you can see differences in the mounts and optics.
The Romeo 3 is not even Chinese.
Holosun is pretty decent and you get more options red/green dot and some models have a 65MOA reticle.
I won't entertain a red dot now days if it doesn't have an option to show a circle.
So much easier/faster to acquire the dot.
I'm now up to 5 Holosun H03GU 's at $130 each plus one with the ACS reticle.