It’s been over a year since I last reviewed a red dot. Not because new ones haven’t hit the market, but because I’ve got a few trusted go-to options I’d spend my own money on. Plus, manufacturers and retailers seem to have dialed back their review requests. Could be market conditions, or maybe it’s because I call it like I see it, not always dishing out glowing praise. Probably a mix of both, but who knows for sure? Recently, though, an email from Cyelee Optics landed in my inbox, asking if I’d be interested in becoming a dealer. I politely explained I’m a blogger and instructor, not looking to sling optics retail-style. They followed up, offering to send some optics for review. Perfect chance to get my hands on their Bull X Pro—a behemoth I’ve been curious about, and one several of you have asked me to check out. So, I did what any gun-gear blogger would do: I requested one. They sent it at no cost, and here we are.

Who is Cyelee Optics?

Let’s start with the company. Founded in 2020, Cyelee Optics is a fresh face in the red dot sight game, aiming to deliver high-performance optics without the wallet-busting price tag. Sound familiar? It’s a mission shared by other recent players in the crowded red dot market. With so many affordable options out there, the challenge is standing out while still delivering on key qualities like durability and reliability—where some budget brands fall short.

Is Cyelee succeeding? I’m no market analyst, so I’m going off what I see at matches and classes. Honestly, Cyelee optics aren’t everywhere. You’ll spot the occasional Bull series, like the Bull X Pro we’re talking about, but they haven’t cracked the competitive pistol shooter or defensive enthusiast scenes, which are still ruled by Holosun and Trijicon. That doesn’t mean they’re failing—it just means they haven’t fully broken through yet.

What is the Bull X Pro?

The Cyelee Bull X Pro is a large-windowed, pistol-mountable, multi-reticle, open-emitter reflex sight. It’s powered by a side-mounted CR1632 battery and sports an RMR mounting footprint.

Cyelee’s marketing comes on strong, hyping its “drop-proof” rating and slogans like “Built for duty. Tuned for competition” and “Made for serious use. Ready when you are.” Bold claims, but exactly what serious pistol shooters want: an optic that can take a beating, handle tough conditions, and not cost a fortune. A few years back, many would’ve said affordable durability wasn’t possible—then Holosun came along, said “hold my beer,” and proved you could have it all. That’s the recipe newcomers like Cyelee are chasing.

They also tout a 50,000-hour battery life for a crisp, clear red dot visible even in bright sunlight. I’m skeptical. A single CR1632 pulling that kind of longevity, especially with the brightness cranked for sunny days? That’s a stretch. Still, I’ll give them the benefit of the doubt—modern tech has mostly solved dim dots and short battery life, unless you’re dealing with a manufacturing dud.

The feature list checks a lot of boxes: a two-part reticle with a 2 MOA center dot and a 26 MOA circle, adjustable to run solo or together (Cyelee calls this their Variable Reticle Technology, or VRT). It offers 8 daytime and 2 night-vision brightness settings (10 total), shake-awake and motion-deactivation tech for battery savings, and a supposedly parallax-free 1.36″ x 1.02″ window. It’s also drop-proof and waterproof with an IPX7 rating.

For an MSRP of $299.99, the package includes:

• Bull X Pro optic
• A slew of mounting screws (for various optic plates)
• T-10 wrench
• Adjustment and battery tray bit wrench
• Ejection port overhang warning card
• Zero adjustment warning card
• Zero distance reference card
• Manual
• Lens cleaning cloth
• Decal
• Patch

First Impressions

I’d seen a few Bull Pro (same as the X Pro but with a 3 MOA dot) and Bull X Pro optics in the wild, but hadn’t gotten up close until this one showed up. My first thought? This thing is huge. Like, borderline absurd. It makes the Trijicon SRO and Holosun 507COMP look petite by comparison.

Comparing it to the SRO and 507COMP, the Bull X Pro feels like their lovechild—if that kid was a corn-fed linebacker. It’s got the SRO’s round window and overhang, plus the 507COMP’s left-side control buttons, right-side battery tray, and multi-reticle setup. But bigger. Much bigger.

The glass is clear, with no noticeable edge distortion—par for the course with modern optics. The brightness seems solid, definitely good enough to take for a spin. I’m thinking it might even give the 507COMP a run for its money, thanks to the larger window and lower price. But that depends on whether it can handle the abuse I put optics through, like I trust the 507COMP to do week after week.

After mounting it on my Staccato P (previously home to an SRO), the Bull X Pro’s wider housing and more pronounced overhang over the ejection port jumped out. First concern: holster compatibility. I tested it in a few holsters. Custom Kydex and race-style holsters were fine, but it wouldn’t fit my Safariland gun bucket.

Next worry: ejection port interference. From the pics I took, the Bull X Pro hangs over the ejection port more than the SRO. I haven’t run the Staccato hard with it yet, so I can’t say if it’ll cause issues. That’s next on my list to test.

Finally, I wondered if the chunky housing would block my view when shooting. Too early to say for sure, but dry-fire practice and some virtual reality sessions with Ace Virtual Shooting suggest it won’t be a problem.

Cyelee claims it’s “built for duty,” but I’ll need to beat on it more to confirm if it’s rugged enough for that. Even if it proves durable, I’m not sold on it for duty or carry. Holster compatibility will be problematic for duty and its sheer size make concealment tricky. For now, competition seems like its sweet spot.

What’s Next?

The Bull X Pro has enough promise to challenge the Holosun 507COMP—maybe even dethrone it as my big-window optic of choice, like the 507COMP once unseated the SRO. First, I’ll test if the overhang messes with the Staccato P’s reliability. If it’s all clear, I’ll likely move it to the Staccato XL and run it through a few thousand rounds in local matches.

You’ll know if it makes it to the XL when you see it in my stage videos on social media. If the overhang causes problems, I’ll update this post right here. Either way, I’ll share updates soon.

I’m pumped to see if the Bull X Pro can hang. Got any experience with it? Drop it in the comments below.