DI Optical is a South Korean optic manufacturer that have been around for 25 years. Their main products are various gunsights for auto-cannons and crew-served weapons. Those bigger DI Optical weapon sights are often re-labelled by other companies and sold to militaries and law enforcements around the world.

DI Optical only started to make smaller sights for small arms about a decade ago and some of those are in service with the South Korean military. DI Optical is very new to the US commercial market. I obtained one of their entry level sights for this write-up.

photo curtesy of Rainier Arms

The RV1 is the very first small arms red-dot sight that was developed by DI Optical. The sight is being constantly updated. My RV1 review sample is the latest generation which features a 1.5 MOA dot and a much improved battery life. The older versions uses a large dot.

photo curtesy of Rainier Arms

A noticeable feature of all DI Optical sights, which includes the RV1, is their sight housing is CNC machined from billet aluminum for absolute robustness. I also like how the RV1’s flip-up lens caps work. A small rubber tap on the sleeve holds the lens cap up a 90-degree angle with a positive click. The system prevents the opened lens cap from flapping around.

The DI Optical RV1 is in the Aimpoint CompM4 style full size body with integral mounting base. Also like the CompM4, the DI Optical RV1 is powered by a single AA size battery. Although, the RV1’s battery life is not quite as long as the Aimpoint yet, but it’s very good at up to 20,000 hours on low and 10,000 hours on level 5.

The illumination control on the RV1 is similar to the larger DI Optical weapon sights with a rotary dial that has 11 levels, 4 of which are for night vision.

There are few things that I don’t like about the DI Optical RV1. While it has a 30mm objective, the ocular is a smallish 26mm. The lens coatings have a blueish tint to it, although that’s not unusual for red-dot sights and color is not noticeable in daylight. The mounting option is also limited to just the thumb screw mount. Although, DI Optical said they are working on a QD lever design for it. That being said, I am really comparing it to the much more expensive and highly regarded Aimpoint CompM4, which the DI Optical RV1 is doing very favorably at just 1/3 the cost.

After few months of using the DI Optical RV1, I can say I like it. It feels very solid because of its billet body. The 1.5 MOA dot is sharp and works great with magnifier. It uses a common size AA battery and the battery life is more than sufficient. For just $239, it a lot of optic for the money.

DI Optical RV1 Spec:
Objective size: 30mm
Lens Conating: multi-coated on all lens surface
Reticle: 1.5 MOA dot
Power: 1x AA battery
Battery life: 10,000 to 20,000 hours
Illumination setting: 7 daylight + 3 nightvision
Length: 4-inch
Weight: 13.75 ounces
Price: $229.50

Di Optical RV1 is available from Rainier Arms and Primary Arms.