A basic red dot question

I'm new to Bullseye and I'm trying to understand the difference between "reflex" and "tube type" red dot sights.   I think I understand the optical principles of a reflex red dot sight, but I can't find a clear answer on the optical principles of the tube type sights.  Even the manufacturers' web sites don't have it.  Is there some source of a description of the differences?

FWIW, it's clear that my ability to shoot well does not depend on knowing this answer, but I still want to know.

RuckusD wrote:...optical principles of the tube type sights. 

Try this:

https://www.bullseyepistol.com/dotsight.htm

That being said, any technology sufficiently advanced (or not understood) is indistinguishable from magic. (apologies to Arthur C. Clarke)

The significant difference is that the tube type is fully enclosed.  Parallax MIGHT be better in a tube type, but that is driven by quality of the construction for either type.  I use both.

Thanks for the link.  If I understand the diagram in the article correctly, a tube type red dot scope is a reflex red dot scope with a tube on the front and back.  That's simple.  I read too many bad articles that implied that open and tube type red dots were fundamentally different. 

Now I'll get back to something useful like practicing trigger control.

If you can. try to shoot someone else's gun's with those sights and you'll see the difference.

An reflex and an Ultradot would be a good comparison.

Meanwhile, just keep dry firing!

You got it right, all mentioned are basically a diode shining light forward on tilted glass and reflecting dot back into your eye. Reflex are fully exposed. Micro are small tube. Full scope are fully enclosed.  Different diodes lend to bigger or smaller dots, varying colors and IR for night goggles, different reticle patterns such as dot only, dot within circle, triangle, etc. 
Holographic are a whole different concept and are usually physically bigger due to the way light/laser travels/reflects within them.

I would love to use a reflex sight rather than a red dot scope but I have always been under the impression that a reflex style has worse parallax than let’s say a match point or Aimpoint H1/H2.

Can someone here recommend a reflex sight that is known to have parallax settings that are as good as the two red dot scopes I listed above?

A link to a parallax comparison or test would be appreciated.
-TH

So if I understand the thread so far . . . an Ultradot or an Aimpoint is a reflex red dot sight with a tube.  They may look different from a red dot without a tube but they use the same optic principles.  I think I understand that all red dot sights (maybe not holographic) have some parallax.  It appears that most manufacturers use some kind of optical correction so that they can claim " zero parallax at 50 m" or something like that.  I would be glad to be corrected if I'm wrong. 

It would be interesting to see some data that show that one particular brand is more "accurate" or "precise" at the ranges we care about.

https://www.photoescapeinc.com/products/aperture-rings-kit.html

hengehold wrote:I would love to use a reflex sight rather than a red dot scope but I have always been under the impression that a reflex style has worse parallax than let’s say a match point or Aimpoint H1/H2.

Can someone here recommend a reflex sight that is known to have parallax settings that are as good as the two red dot scopes I listed above?  

A link to a parallax comparison or test would be appreciated.
-TH

The problem I have with reflex sights is almost none of them have click adjustments, and the two I've seen that have clicks are barely perceptible.