Begadi PRO RD2 Solar: a red dot truly designed for airsoft
The red dot market has become so vast that it is now quite difficult to find something genuinely original. Between models coming directly from the shooting world, more affordable options, and the countless cheap optics more or less inspired by existing designs, we are frankly spoiled for choice when it comes to equipping our replicas.
So why take a closer look at this Begadi PRO RD2 Solar?
Because Begadi seems to have approached the problem from the opposite direction. Rather than starting with an optic designed for shooting and assuming it will also work perfectly well on a replica, the RD2’s specifications were built around airsoft.
A fairly conventional red dot… at first glance
The RD2 comes in a small rigid case that properly protects the optic and its accessories. Open it, take the red dot out and, at first glance, there is nothing particularly spectacular. We are looking at an open red dot with fairly conventional proportions.
The RD2 is compact and discreet, and it naturally fits just as well on a small replica as on an AEG or SMG. The design remains understated despite the various features built into the housing, and I actually find it rather sleek.
A very small dot for reaching a little farther
Switch on the RD2 and its first real distinctive feature immediately appears: the dot measures just 1 MOA.
That is very fine for airsoft. At ten or fifteen metres, let’s be realistic, a few extra MOA probably would not make much difference. At 50 or 60 metres, however, a small dot covers less of the target and allows cleaner aiming with a replica consistent enough to make use of those distances.
That fineness simply requires adjusting the brightness accordingly. Outdoors, do not hesitate to turn the dot up so you can pick it up immediately. At low intensity, 1 MOA quickly becomes very discreet; once the brightness is properly matched to the conditions, however, you get a precise reticle that obscures very little of the target.
The controls follow the same philosophy: simple. Pressing the + button on the left switches the RD2 on and then increases the dot brightness. The – button on the right decreases it. To switch the optic off, hold both buttons simultaneously for three seconds. The operation is immediately obvious and the controls are easy to find by touch.
Two small solar panels… and a 1632 battery
Looking at the RD2 from above, it is hard to miss the two small solar panels built into the housing. They supplement the battery and, in principle, help extend its service life.
I remain much more reserved about their real usefulness. I did not try to measure their efficiency and, at this stage, I see these two small panels more as a nice gadget. Their true value will simply become apparent over time: if the battery needs replacing noticeably less often, they will have proved their usefulness.
What interests me more is access to the battery itself. The compartment is located directly on top of the housing: open it, replace the battery and close it again without removing the red dot.
After using enough optics with the battery hidden underneath the housing, I really appreciate this approach. Replacing a battery should not require removing the optic and then wondering whether the zero has shifted. Here, the mount is never touched. It is less spectacular than two solar panels, but in my view far more useful in everyday use.
And then there is that protector…
It is when looking at the front of the RD2 that its airsoft-focused design becomes truly obvious.
A red dot lens remains exposed, and a BB makes no distinction between a €30 optic and one that cost you ten times as much. The usual solution is to fit a small polycarbonate plate on the rail in front of it. It works, but it adds yet another part to the replica and the result is not always particularly elegant.
Begadi addresses the problem directly in the product. A replaceable transparent protector sits in front of the actual lens. A BB hits it? The protector takes the impact. It ends up marked or destroyed? You replace it instead of replacing the optic.
The protector is very easy to fit. Removing it is another matter: it is genuinely difficult to take off and requires some persistence to free it. Since this part is meant to stay on the optic, at least there is little risk of stupidly losing it in the middle of a game.
28 years without breaking an optic…
Is it really necessary?
I have been playing airsoft for 28 years now and, for a very long time, my answer would probably have been “not really”. I have played in the rain, in woodland, indoors, with optics ranging from cheap to expensive and not always treated gently. Yet I had never managed to lose a lens to a BB.
Then, last year, it happened.
A BB hit the lens of one of my optics directly and destroyed it. Suffice to say, it really p***es you off when it happens.
The experience also puts the risk into perspective. No, our red dots do not take a BB straight into the lens every weekend; otherwise I would not have waited almost three decades before breaking one. But it only takes once. Once the lens is shattered, it is obviously a little late to wonder whether a protector costing a few euros might have been a good investment.
Naturally, after that experience, I no longer look at the RD2’s protection system quite the same way. But I have a bit of a “seeing is believing” streak, so I still had to check that the protector actually did its job. The test is simple: 1.5 J at 5 metres, straight into the protector.
The impact point is perfectly visible: the material was crushed and cracked by the hit, showing that it absorbed the BB’s energy. Behind it, the red dot itself is completely untouched.
Bottom line: the protector does not come through the test unscathed, but it does exactly what it is supposed to do. You can use it in game with peace of mind ;).
The Picatinny mount: effective, but fiddly
The Picatinny mount is not supplied with the RD2. It is available separately from Begadi for less than ten euros. The price is therefore not really the issue; what is more annoying is discovering it is missing when the optic arrives and potentially having to place another order just to get this small part. If the RD2 is going onto a Picatinny rail, it would make sense to add the adapter directly to the basket, or perhaps offer it as a suggested purchase?
In use, this mount is probably the part that convinced me the least. On most of the replicas on which I tried the RD2, the mount has to be almost completely disassembled to fit it to the rail, then reassembled around it.
It is not complicated, but it is fiddly. You have to realign the two screws, make sure they enter their threads straight, hold the red dot and the second half of the mount together, then start tightening without everything shifting. Once installed, there is no problem: the mount does its job. But I certainly would not want to repeat the process regularly to move the RD2 from one replica to another.
For an optic installed more or less permanently on one platform, you fit it, tighten it and forget about it. If you regularly move your optics between replicas, a more straightforward system would have been much more convenient.
You also need enough rail length to engage both cross screws. On the small riser fitted to one of my replicas, it simply does not fit. My old single-screw red dot from 2004 accepts the riser without complaint; the Begadi mount does not. In this particular configuration, a more compact adapter using a single cross screw solves the problem.
Behind the lens: time for the field
Once mounted on the replica, the RD2 quickly feels at home. Its compact format and low weight do not alter the balance, and after a few minutes of play you simply forget it is there.
When shouldering the replica, the dot naturally falls into your line of sight. You shoot with both eyes open while retaining a very wide field of view, and the optic becomes almost transparent: you no longer really look for the red dot, it simply overlays whatever you are looking at. Nothing interrupts your peripheral vision or makes you feel as though you are looking through a tube; you retain the whole scene and the dot is simply there where you need it.
Its 1 MOA diameter sometimes requires turning the brightness up quite a bit outdoors to pick it up instantly. Once the intensity is adjusted, it obscures very little of the target and remains very pleasant to use, particularly as distances begin to increase.
The image remains clean and I encountered no troublesome behaviour when lighting conditions became more difficult. Even with the sun behind me, there was no “rear-view mirror” effect from the lens reflecting everything happening behind the shooter — although that could have its uses if someone sneaks up on you ;).
Windage and elevation adjustments are also pleasant to use. Adjustment is very smooth, with no stiff spots, while the clicks remain distinct enough to know exactly what you are doing.
In the end, the RD2 does not produce any particular “wow” effect on the field, but that is not what I ask of it. I shoulder the replica, the dot falls into my line of sight, I retain my peripheral vision and I play. The optic practically disappears from the equation. It is a good red dot, and that is probably the best way to sum up its behaviour in game.
What about parallax?
As for parallax, I do seem to observe a slight movement of the dot when I move my eye significantly off-centre in the window while aiming at a target 50 metres away. However, I prefer not to take the interpretation any further: I do not have sufficiently precise equipment to measure the phenomenon properly, let alone assign it a reliable value.
Begadi does not publish any specific parallax data for the RD2 either, so I prefer simply to report this observation rather than put forward a measurement whose accuracy would be questionable.
No detour to the shooting range
I preferred to ask Begadi directly. Their answer was clear: they advise against using the RD2 on a firearm, simply because this is outside the product’s design specifications.
Pros / Cons
Pros
- Very fine and precise 1 MOA dot
- Clean image, with no troublesome “rear-view mirror” effect with the sun behind you
- Integrated, replaceable and securely retained lens protector
- Top-access battery replacement without removing the optic
- Simple and intuitive controls
- Understated, sleek appearance
Cons
- Picatinny mount sold separately
- Two-screw mount is fiddly if you regularly switch platforms
- Not well suited to very short Picatinny rail sections
- 1 MOA dot requires higher brightness outdoors
- Slight visually perceptible parallax
Conclusion
After trying it on several different replicas and, above all, using it in game, the Begadi PRO RD2 leaves a fairly simple impression: first and foremost, it is an airsoft red dot. It does the job, and it does it well.
It does not try to reinvent the concept. The image is clean, the 1 MOA dot is very fine, the adjustments are pleasant and, above all, the ergonomics work. I shoulder the replica, the dot naturally falls into my line of sight and the optic disappears from awareness. That is exactly what I expect from a red dot.
The Picatinny mount is clearly the part that convinced me the least, especially for someone who regularly moves optics from one replica to another. Conversely, top access to the battery is an excellent idea: there is no need to remove the red dot, and therefore no reason to disturb the zero simply to replace a battery.
The two small solar panels remain a gadget to me until time demonstrates their real value. The lens protector seems far more relevant. It directly addresses an airsoft-specific problem and, after eventually losing an optic myself to a BB impact, I inevitably see the concept differently.
This is ultimately where the RD2 finds its personality. Begadi starts with a good red dot and adds several solutions designed around our activity. Not all of them carry the same importance in my eyes, but the overall package remains coherent, effective and pleasant to use.
The RD2 costs more than a basic airsoft red dot. In return, it also feels as though it was designed to remain on a replica for a long time. And if its small transparent protector one day sacrifices itself instead of the lens, that alone will probably have justified a good part of the price difference.