# TAS SABO sight Evaluation



## gnat7 (Dec 20, 2008)

OK when I first saw this sight I thought that's pretty cool if you want to have a sight similar to the red dot sight but just thought it was more for the cool looks than it was for the practicality.

It seems the archery community is a little slow to accept new things and this sight might get overlooked by some just because of its advanced features. I'll tell you why I think it would be a mistake to overlook this sight.

I just picked one up this week and I can tell you first hand this is the best sight I have ever owned. In fact since I have got the SABO sight I have had a hard time stopping shooting my bow. It has made it fun and it has improved my consistency dramatically.

The reason I like it more than any other sight I have tried is two fold I'll start with the easy part to explain first.

The way the sight works is that it projects a red dot from a housing in the back onto a lens where your pins would normally be. This is done with fiber optics and uses natural light to achieve this no batteries which in my state is huge because you can't use anything with a battery on your bow. So in other words if it is legal to use pins it is legal to use the SABO sight. Most people think that it is electronic because it appears to be projecting the dot down on the target. If you look around the the lens though there is no dot. It is just the way the lens projects the dot that makes it appear to be down field. This is one of the things I love most about the sight nothing is blocking your field of view and it seems very easy to hold the dot on the target. When I am using normal pins one of the issues I have always had, is putting the pin on what I am aiming at and feeling like I can't quite see what I am trying to hit at least not a small enough area and so I move a little to see if I am really over what I want to be and this seems to be where I induce some float in my pins. 
The SABO sight is the best sight I have used as far as ease of use keeping the dot on the target it just seems effortless. Not only that it is crazy fun to use.


The second reason I love the SABO sight is the way it incorporates showing you whether your in your anchor or even if you are torquing your grip and it does it easier than any other sight system that I have seen and I have tried them all.
It does this naturally because of how it is designed to work. The red dot is projected from a housing behind your grip onto the lens that is in the same place that your sights would normally be. There is a green triangle on the lens and the point is facing down you first just sight that triangle to 20 yrds and then you move the dot to the bottom of the triangle. Once set up correctly if you move at all out of your anchor position you know it because the red dot moves away from the point of the triangle. There are other systems that do this same thing but all of them seem to be add on's and require more thinking during the shot. The beauty of the SABO sight is that it accomplishes this as a natural bi-product of the design and uses the very dot your using to aim so it does not require any thinking I found it extremely easy to use. 

The other thing the SABO does from the same concept is show you if your torquing your bow or even if you are using your back tension wrong to execute the shot.
This was HUGE!!!!!!!!!! I have tried other devices that show hand torque but again they were an add on and they didn't hold a candle to how the SABO preformed. Again the SABO does not use anything extra it is just the nature of how it works. If i began to torque my hand at all the SABO immediately let me know I was screwing up. But the best part was the consistency it gave me executing back tension. One of the things I have been working on with my RIP Shot is executing the shot with a consistent back tension. Being busy as a manufacture myself and a father of to many kids to mention i don't get a lot of time to practice. I found myself being very inconsistent because I was thinking about to much at the point of release and I had not attained the muscle memory needed to squeeze the shot off equally every time. Now I'm not saying the SABO sight totally fixed all my problems due to lack of practice because there is no substitute for that but it has seemed to make my practice pay off big time.If I begin to push into my back tension wrong I immediately know it because the dot starts dancing all over the lens this was so cool. When I was pushing into my shot evenly the dot stayed steady and the shot went off perfectly!!


I have never seen any other sight system that was such a joy to use and does so much!!
Not only that it is simple all you have to focus on is that dot and it tells the story of your form every time and it is a dot that is very easy to hold on what I am aiming at.


All I can say is this gets my vote for product of the year if there was such a thing.

To the guys at Tactical Archery Systems great job designing an Awesome product.

You can check it out at tacticalarcherysystems.com I believe 

By the way I do not work for these guys I am just really impressed with their sight. I can't wait till tomorrow to shoot again.


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## Natedawg4081 (Dec 24, 2010)

I totally agree. I recently bought one and once you get used to it, it eliminates bow torque and tightened my patterns.


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## shagvirus (Apr 17, 2010)

Interested in this design. Question, how would this sight perform in say freezing temps? Lens fogging? Frosting? Anyone care to test in a freezer?


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## MontanaBound (Jan 2, 2011)

great questions on the last post, im curious on same things.


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## Mach102 (Aug 29, 2009)

Can someone tell me if the dot is focused at target distance like a battery operated red dot?

My near vision sucks these days and I can't focus on the pins. A rifle red dot is focused at infinity. Is it the same?


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## gnat7 (Dec 20, 2008)

It feels like to me that you are focusing on the target with the dot not on the lense seems to be projected down field even though it is projected onto the lense. I don't have eye issues so I couldnt tell you for shure.


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## NYBOWHUNTER.COM (Mar 20, 2008)

If anyone wants to give one a try I have one for sale: http://www.archerytalk.com/vb/showthread.php?t=1455280


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## Natedawg4081 (Dec 24, 2010)

I used mine in a 3d shhot where it ended up snowing. It did fog a little, but an anti fog solution (like for paintball goggles) took care of that. I was able to still see the dots thru the water spots on the lens. The dots are the same focused size from 10 yards as they are for 50 yards. The only down side so far is that the red dots aren't as bright inside as they are outside. Even with a sight light.


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## YetAnotherCoach (Jan 20, 2011)

Mach102 said:


> Can someone tell me if the dot is focused at target distance like a battery operated red dot?
> 
> My near vision sucks these days and I can't focus on the pins. A rifle red dot is focused at infinity. Is it the same?


This is like 1X magnification lens, it allows the shooter to focus on one focal plane (ie the lens) instead having to focus either on the target or on the pin.

BTW, the sight really helps the archer to correct the form, and you don't need the peep sight anymore.


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## Ghost69 (Apr 17, 2012)

Hi Sir,
So how to u adjust the sight to different distance? how does it works?
i know some are 3 and 4 dots so it only allow 4 different distance? ..can u tell me more about the sights ,, and sorry for my bad english 

thank you


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## wy_will (Mar 14, 2013)

I'm curious about this also. I want to go peepless and am split between this one and the IQ Retina Lock. Do you feel like the dots are too large for you to be able to be accurate?


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## shot thru (Nov 18, 2012)

I had one of these sights with the 4 dots. All the dots are adjustable for elevation and the lower three are also adjustable for windage. The dots are small enough for any hunting or 3D shooting. I have not done any formal target shooting so can't say. It was very accurate but a little tricky to sight in. It did not fit well on my bow so I ended up with a Perry's No Peep. Both are great sights but the PnP fit me better.


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## albertabowhntr (Nov 26, 2013)

Can anyone tell me the approximate size of the dots??? .1? .19? Just curious


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## SquirrelStalker (Mar 2, 2014)

*good & bad on my Gen 2 Sabo 4 pin sight*



albertabowhntr said:


> Can anyone tell me the approximate size of the dots??? .1? .19? Just curious


Nice and small... 

My humble eyeball measured about 1/16 of an inch diameter...

but the real beauty of the dots are:

1) they dots are semi-transparent: the target is centered on the center of the dot... that's accurate
2) the dot's appear at target distance focus: I'm nearsighted (see near, far fuzzy) so wear glasses to sharpen distant vision... the dot's are sharp when my eye's are focused at target distance... conventional sight pins are fuzzy when I'm focused 20 yds distant.
3) bow torque is drastically reduced: after dialed in...my groups were tennis balls size at 30 yds... they were grapefruit size with a pin sight. (Not tired, using entry level single cam 50# compound hunting bow, cheap carbon arrows, field points)

What I don't like about the sight is 1)delicacy...2)light gathering...3)size....4)versatility

1)Delicacy: Sure you can shoot tight groups...but haul it up&down a tree a few times, across snowy thorny fields, and generally bang the bow around from normal hunting ventures and those tennis ball size groups wander off... mine went 8" high, and 8" left at 30 yds after 4 hunting ventures. The attachment points are strong but the windage and elevation adjustment clamp are a bit weak if you ask me... and the long lever arm on the projection unit can allow bending if banged around. Dot's are projected from a plastic housing which I fear of cracking from bumping over torquing of the adjustment screws and pin screws.
2)Light gathering: Shooting from Dark into Light, ie. ground blind, or in low low light conditions... expect to need added light, a rheostat/adjustable sight light is fixes that problem but adds even more overall bow width.(sticks out the side, the light's removable so no biggie there...)
3)Size: The lens is big (nice) with a projection unit that extends around and behind(not so nice)... had to file some of my bow down to accommodate it... the frame is cast aluminum that doesn't bend but with such a *long arm for the projection unit*, accidental bending seems inevitable...
4)Versatility:
Don't get the lens wet, drops of water are visible and could distort the target so rain and water is a consideration... I like to hunt deer from a tree stand, squirrels from the weeds, geese from a canoe, groundhogs on foot... just a lot of chances that debris can get stuck in and on the Sabo sight...

So I'm torn, 
it is a most sweet targeting sight... but everyday bumps from everyday hunting can change the aiming point... 

I'm now looking to find a case or sling with super sight protection to keep from banging it out of alignment, it's not fair to the deer to hit it 8" high and 8" left... and the squirrels, geese and groundhogs would just laugh


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## toomag (Mar 15, 2014)

Hi all
I bought the Sabo Gen 2 sight as the reviews seemed quite amazing. I have been very disappointed in t so far. The machined pins on the side are a very weak grade metal. As even on the slightest tightening it buries itself into the fibre optic housing. So now when I look through it the top red dot is fine and sighted on the triangle but the rest of the dots are off to the left hand side quite a bit and I cant seem to fix it!!!! does anyone use this and have had the same problem? The first red dot sighted in is good, and yes it takes 100% torque out of the release, but so far I have found it a waste of money and frustrating. ANy help/advice would be appreciated.

Cheers
Mat


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## skypeople (Mar 26, 2013)

Tactial Archery systems Have you gone out of business ? I have called got through and last week I was told the left hand sites we in and shipped out the night before 2 day priority that was last week. I have called and left messages trying to get a tracking number no response. The charge for the site was processed on my credit card on the 17 th thats monday of this week. I have left messages on your answering system and not received the courtesy of a response, whats up ? I can now say I paid for a LH sabo II site but have not received it nor have I been able to get any kind of response from your company. Its friday the 21 of march the mail came and nothing ! Holy lack of customer service.


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## skypeople (Mar 26, 2013)

I received a call from TAS while on the range today, They explained the problem with Fed x destroying the Label and creating the "shipping exception problem". The call was a sincere effort on Chris's part to correct the communication problems. I greatly appreciate the effort to correct the communication problem. I hope to be able to use the sight to some day harvest the above mentioned sheep and have a barbecue with TAS staff. Thanks for correcting the communication error. I look forwarding to using the LH SABO II sight.


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## BrokenLimbs (Nov 25, 2008)

> the dot's appear at target distance focus: I'm nearsighted (see near, far fuzzy) so wear glasses to sharpen distant vision... the dot's are sharp when my eye's are focused at target distance... conventional sight pins are fuzzy when I'm focused 20 yds distant.


Confused by this statement as it seems to contradict itself... ~ So what's the verdict on this sight if pins are fuzzy up close, but a target is clear? (I wear reading glasses, and std sight pins are a little fuzzy.)

Also, what's the difference between the Gen1 and Gen2. (I prefer shooting "single pin", but I'm a leftie and don't see an option for that.)


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