With the C&H Precision EDC red dot starting at $250, it is one of the lowest prices to enter into the ever-growing market of compact red dots.
C&H brings some attractive features to the market at this price point, too. We will get into them in the review below.
First Impressions
After opening the box and holding the EDC in hand I was immediately taken back at the quality of the overall product.
Keep spare optic batteries organized with the Battery Vault, sized for CR123A and other common cells.
I like this dot more in-hand than it initially appears on C&H’s website. The anodizing is smooth and deep. It looks very attractive and the markings are all clearly marked in white
Materials & Design
The aluminum is one piece that has been CNC machined out of aircraft grade aluminum.
After checking a few websites, we were unable to confirm whether this would be 7075 or another type suited for this application.
If we are able to ascertain this information in the future we will be sure to update this review.
Whatever aluminum C&H chose to use it appears to be applied correctly in the design. The EDC does not have any sharp corners.
This helps to conceal the dot/pistol and makes it comfortable to carry every day, hence the name EDC.
Weight
C&H advertises the weight of the EDC at 17g.
This is heavier than that of the SIG Romeo0 but on par with other micro pistol dots that are constructed out of aluminum.
While any added weight to a concealed carry rig adds up, I would rather have a dot that could take a little abuse and keep going than have the lightest weight option available that might not be able to withstand a little dust-up.
Reticle & Lens clarity
The EDC that I have in front of me at the moment is the standard red single-dot version. The dot is crisp, even with my slight astigmatism.
Currently, C&H is accepting pre-orders for green dot and red and green multi-reticle designs.
The width of the lens is 16mm. It is crystal clear, with no tent from the shooter's perspective. This is impressive, most other lower-cost optics have a bluish hue to the lens.
The lens does have a slight distortion when moving it back and forth over an object. The only reason I noticed this was because I was marveling at the clarity of the lens, as stated previously.
The distortion is so slight and unnoticeable I hesitated to mention it, but felt it would be disingenuous if I did not.
Dot Adjustment
Dot adjustment on the EDC from C&H is made by rotating one of two dials that are clearly marked in white.
The elevation adjustment is on the top of the dot located at the rear. It has an arrow and the word UP to guide the end user.
The windage adjustment is located on the right side of the dot, also to the rear. It also is clearly marked with an arrow and a R to indicate direction of travel to the right.
To adjust brightness of the EDC, there are rubberized buttons located on the left side of the dot. There are two adjustments available. Each is an arrow, one pointing down to dim the brightness and one pointing up to raise the brightness.
The EDC has two-night vision settings built into the brightness choices.
Power Source
The power for the C&H EDC comes from a CR 1632 3V Lithium battery.
To load the CR 1632 there is a tray that slides out from the right side of the dot located on the right side. A small flat head screwdriver is needed to access this tray.
I have found this style of battery load is much more preferable than having to remove the dot and load from the bottom. It is much more convenient and user friendly.
Battery life is advertised at 50,000 of constant operation at a mid-level.
Durability
Speaking to the durability of the EDC, just by looking at the materials used in construction, I can attest that it will be much more durable than the SIG Romeo0 and other similarly constructed dots out of plastic alone.
C&H advertises the EDC as 100% shockproof and has it rated for +P and +P+ ammo.
A +P+ rating made my eyebrow rise as most pistol manufacturers will not guarantee their firearms for operation with this ammo, so the fact that the optic is rated for it speaks volumes to its ruggedness.
Sight Picture
The sight picture looking through the EDC is nice, in fact it's very nice.
Outside of the aluminum housing framing, what you're pointing it at and, of course, the dot itself, it looks like there's nothing in front of your face.
The window-like picture is hard to describe because it is so minimal, and in this situation, less to say is definitely a great thing.
Operation of the C&H EDC
To operate the C&H EDC all you have to do is install the battery, then pick up the firearm it's attached to. The EDC does all the work from there. The shake awake feature activates and turns the dot on for you.
After the dot is on, it will stay illuminated constantly while in use. After five minutes of inactivity the dot will automatically shut off until it detects motion again.
This feature seems a little silly and a bit redundant when your battery will run for a full 50,000 hours though.
Mounting of Optic
When purchasing the EDC from C&H you have two choices. The choices break down to what firearm you are mounting the EDC to.
If you are mounting to a Glock with the Glock MOS system, then you must choose the GLX-RMSc. It should be noted that this will only fit on the Glock 43, as noted on the C&H website.
The other option is the RMSc footprint. This is the industry standard for compact pistol mounted red dots.
Also, if you buy the optic with your slide milling they will install the optic at no charge.
Final Thoughts on the C&H EDC
My final thoughts for this review after having hands on this red dot is this dot offers a value not commonly seen at this price point.
In hand this dot feels high quality and solid. When compared to other dots at this price point, specifically the SIG offering, this dot is miles ahead in terms of build quality, lens clarity and dot crispness.
After having both the Sig and the C&H EDC both mounted on personal handguns, I would definitely recommend the EDC over the SIG Romeo Zero.
