LAST UPDATED: May 1st, 2015
I love single-pin adjustable sights. In my opinion, why complicate an already chaotic situation by adding 3-4 brightly colored aiming points of varying color and or shape. In my humble opinion, simplicity during the moment of truth only leads to more filled tags. Personally, I have stuck to that mantra nearly my entire bowhunting career and I can only think of perhaps 2 times that I failed to adjust my sight to the correct shooting distance. The rest of the time the single-pin sight has been money in the bank for me. So, when I was given the chance to test one of the top bow sights in the industry, which also happened to be a single-pin sight, I was pumped.
ULTRA LITE The HHA Ultra Lite single-pin adjustable sight might just be one of the best sights on the market thanks to the many features it offers today’s bowhunter.
History Of Performance
Most bowhunters are familiar with the HHA name or perhaps have even used one of their sights. If not, then you’re missing out on some really great products. Case in point….the Optimizer Lite Ultra bow sight. This sight is full of features that demanding bowhunters expect out of their equipment.
The Basics
For starters, the Ultra Lite is just that….lightweight. Coming in at 10 oz. this sight isn’t going to add a great deal of unwanted “side-weight” to your finely balanced bow. The Ultra Lite also comes with 2 sight housing dimensions; 2 inch and the 1 5/8″ sight housing on the model I tested. Each sight is also equipped with up to 6 Feet of Fiber Optic to ensure that when you raise your bowstring on that buck of a life time you can see your pin.
Speaking of pin brightness, the Ultra Lite comes with a very cool (and exclusive) Mechanical Rheostat Feature that adjusts pin brightness in a matter of seconds. I think this is a great feature to have because mature whitetail bucks usually don’t follow the script and tend to show up at crazy times. This includes very early in the morning, mid-day or late evening; each of which can present a variety of lighting conditions. To expect that your standard sight pin will look the same or be adequate in each scenario is asking a little much. The Ultra Lite takes care of that problem by allowing shooters to adjust the brightness of their sight pin with the simple turn of a dial. And, trust me when I say this sight is bright. With 6 feet of fiber optic in my model, I have no problem seeing the bright green dot no matter what the background is.
Out of the box, the Ultra Lite comes with a set of instructions, a quiver adapter and a plethora of pre-cut sighting tapes that range 20-80 yards (in 1 yard increments).
In addition, the housing also accepts the companies lens kits as well as all HHA Blue Burst Lights. Also, the sight is totally tool less which means you don’t have to carry a set of Allen wrenches with you to the target range (or the field) in order to make micro windage adjustments. On top of that, the Ultra Lite comes with A.R.M.O.R. Sight Pin Technology which is great for protecting your pin against errant branches and twigs that always seem to find their way into your housing. In my opinion, it would take a pretty substantial hit in order to break the sight pin off of this sight. However, the features don’t stop there.
Ultra Characteristics
To me, one of the best available features of this sight is the Patented DS-TAPES that come standard with each sight. In a nutshell, the system works by simply sighting in your bow at 20 and 60 yards and then determining your customized, pre-cut, pre-labeled yardage tape; numbered in one yard increments from 20 to 80!
I found the system pretty simple to use; the instructions are clearly laid out and after following a few short steps you simply find the corresponding tape (each is numbered) and your bow is ready to shoot. With 52 different computer generated yardage tapes you’re bound to find the one that matches your bows particular speed. I’ve sighted in other single-pin sights out to 80 yards and it can be a time consuming process. However, the HHA Ultra Lite was ultra-quick, saved me a ton of time and is most likely more accurate than me.
The sight tapes that come with the HHA Ultra Lite are very detailed and color coded to make choosing the right yardage a breeze. They even come with a clear protective tape to protect your yardage tape from the outside elements.
Smooth Operator
The gear system on the HHA Ultra Lite is very smooth and easy to operate. By simply turning the dial, the pin housing moves up or down in a crisp, quick manner. The best part is that when the housing comes to rest there is no “play” or sloppiness in the gears. Other single-pin adjustable sights I’ve tested had noticeable play in the gears which wreaked havoc with my confidence and shooting accuracy. The sight dial also comes with a lock-down knob which allows shooters to “freeze” the sight in a certain position. In order to adjust the sight the lock-down knob must be turned back. The laser cuts on the outer rim of the dial also help bowhunters make adjustments without fear of their glove covered hand slipping off.
Adjacent to the gears on the HHA Ultra Lite shooters will find the Mathews Harmonic Damper which kills vibration and post-shot noise within the sight.
The ability to make micro-windage adjustments without tools is pretty nice. In order to adjust the HHA Ultra Lite, shooters simply loosen the lock-down wing-nut on the front of the sight and then rotate the adjustment knob on the side of the sight. Each turn results in a click and shooters can see how far they are moving the sight thanks to increment marks on the housing post.
Windage adjustments are quick, easy and require no tools; everything a bowhunter wants in a sight.
Overall Thoughts
Honestly I really like this sight. It is built tank-tough, has one of the brightest pins on the market, is light-weight, quiet, very crisp, and user friendly. What more would a guy need? The sighting-in process isn’t over complicated and really saves time while adding a touch of precision. However, users need to be as precise as possible during the sighting-in phase. Otherwise, the sight-tape technology will not be as effective as it was intended to be.
If I had my druthers, I would equip the Ultra Lite with some sort of extension to get it further away from the bow riser in an effort to complement its ability to range from 20-80 yards.
If I have any qualms with the sight it would be that it doesn’t come with an extension bar option. I’m a big believer in the notion that the further away I can get my front sight from my peep sight the more accurate I will be. Think of it in terms of shooting a pistol and a rifle. In almost all circumstances the rifle, with its longer barrel (and sights) is more accurate and easier to aim.
In closing, I’m sure anyone who tries this American made sight for themselves will be pleased with its performance and craftsmanship. I know I was. Now, if this snow would just melt maybe spring can show up. And you know what that means…
