Gear Review: HHA Optimizer Lite Cadet

By: Gary Elliott

This light weight youth sight comes in at 4.6 ounces. Made of 100% machined aluminum and the .019 single pin is marketed as indestructible and when you put the two together you have a sight made for youth.

I have always been impressed by the craftsmanship and quality of HHA sights but, being as A.D.D. as I am, I have never been able to use their sights without forgetting to move the pin when needed at times. A problem owned by me and not the fault of these great sights.

This sight is great for teaching young archers just beginning to focus on just one pin and not confuse them with more pins. The tape on the side allows you to set your own yardage marks and label them. Also, the level is there to teach your child about how to keep the bow level up and down as well.

I put this sight on my 9 year old nephews Bear Apprentice II. It was easy to install as any other sight is. Explanation of how to use the sight went well with him and we went out to the back yard and sighted him in at 10 yds. Up and down is as easy as loosening the tension and moving the sight up and down. The sight moved smoothly but wasn’t loose where it would fall. Same with windage adjustment. Loosen the tension and slide the sight left or right. Again smooth movement and not sloppy where it would fall to one side. The quality of this sight stands out when making these adjustments.

Another use that HHA Sports suggests is bow fishing. I have not had an opportunity to use this for this particular sport but with its light weight and ease of use and view I can see where there would be no problems mounting and using for bow fishing.

When I Googled “Youth Sights” I came up with sights normally put on adult bows. Which with some sights is not an issue but, this sight is targeted for you to help them learn to use a sight and do well. Construction overall is quality as expected from HHA and for under $60.00 you can’t go wrong. In all do honesty if you are a 1 pin shooter no reason why you couldn’t use this sight if you have a tight budget as a lot of us do these days.