Fast Eddie XL Review

Here is the down and dirty on the Fast Eddie XL (you can find info on the new 2017 line up here)

Spot Hogg

As I have said before Spot Hogg is known for bombproof archery gear. And having almost 30 years in the industry they know what works and what doesn't. Some of the things you can count on across their entire line of sights are:

• Pins. Spot Hogg pins are some of the industry's strongest.
• Adjustments. Probably the best engineered adjustments of any sight on the market.
• Durability. In my opinion they are the toughest sights you can buy.

Fast Eddie

The Fast Eddie showed up last year (2015), mostly I think to address that although all Spot Hogg sights are bombproof, they are also on the heavy side. Also the rest of the Hogg Mob series (Spot Hogg adjustable sights) make some kind of noise on adjustment. For the hunter, any kind of “click” or noise of any kind is not welcome. For 2016 the Fast Eddie XL includes a lightweight 6” dovetail to address the original Fast Eddie only having one mount point. If this proves anything it's that Spot Hogg listens to its customers.

Double Pin Scope

One of the other great features available on the Fast Eddie was introduced in 2015 called the Double Pin Scope. This is a single up pin housing with another fiber aiming point about halfway up the post. This second pin is not adjustable but seems to end up being around 35 yards if the top pin is set to 20. As you can imagine this will change with each individual's bow setup, but if you practice enough, you will learn what each pin will be at different yardages. I like this. This setup has been controversial, but if you think about it you could set your top pin to say 25, and that would make your bottom pin around 40. (with practice you should be able to pinpoint these yardages) I think you could be very accurate gapping these pins if you didn't have time to adjust the top pin. As a western hunter and occasional 3D shooter, I’m more fond of a 3 or 5 pin slider, but i can see how this would work well.

Double and Triple Ring

WTH is this? Well, it comes with the Double Pin Scope. It is removable, but it is probably the most underrated feature in the history of...well, a really long time. Have you ever noticed that when you look through your peep indoors or in low light, you see more area around your sight housing? (the peep is actually fuzzier) And when its bright out, you see less area around your sight housing? The double and triple ring ensures that you’re perfectly lined up no matter what situation you’re in because in low light you’ll be lined up with the outer ring, and in bright light you’ll be lined up with the inner ring. Brilliant.

Dovetail

The Fast Eddie XL added a 6” dovetail. I like that they included both the easy remove knob, and the standard screw with the sight. The dovetail integrates into the adjustable rack assembly giving this sight a rock solid base. The one thing I don't like is that the mounting divots are not staggered between the top of the rail and the bottom like some of the other dovetails i have seen. This would add a little bit of fine tuning when setting your sight housing distance. It is nice that you can use the quick release knob on either the top or the bottom depending on your preference. However if you do want use the quick release knob on the bottom, you'll have to turn the mount upside down making it impossible to mount your quiver.

Adjustability

One of the nice things about Spot Hogg sights is that they are all very adjustable. The Fast Eddie XL includes 2nd and 3rd axis adjustments. Spot Hogg has easy to follow tutorials on youtube to assist in making these changes. Unlike the rest of the sights in the Hog Mob series the Fast Eddie does not have a micro elevation adjustment. Honestly tho, i dont think its necessary as the course elevation wheel is large enough to allow for minor adjustments. The wheel has a lockable lever as well, however if you are not careful when unlocking the wheel you can tap the lever against the wheel making a hollow click. The coarse horizontal adjustment can be made by sliding the entire scope arm and moving it left or right. Micro windage adjustments are tool less however when you make a change you will get a click. (being picky here, I think most windage adjustments are made at the range, and not in the woods.) The yardage adjustment bar is HUGE. I think it could be shortened up by about an inch or more as most setups will not allow the sight housing to go down so far. However the sight housing can be attached anywhere on the bar so again, its very adjustable.

Things I don't like

• The gears are visible. I know this is probably not something i should be worried about, but i am concerned that a small rock, or twig could get caught in the gears and gum it up somehow.
• The yardage adjustment is not easy to change. The sight has been made to have a very low profile. The trade off is that you can only turn the yardage wheel about an inch at a time before running into the windage knob or the yardage indicator pin.
• The yardage indicator pin. This is probably the only thing that i think could be detrimental to a hunt. The pin is vulnerable and can easily be bent or maybe even broken off.

Things that I like

• Weight. Although it is heavier than most of it's single pin competition, compared to the Hogg Father or Boss Hogg, it's very light. 13.8 oz
• Low profile. I know that most of you will love that this sight has a low profile.
• Double pin. If i were to switch to a single pin setup, I would use the double pin scope. I think it's a great compromise!
• Double and triple ring on the double pin. This will make you a more accurate shooter. IF you can get past the dayglo colors.
• Cost. Right around $260 for a fully loaded double pin sight.

Summary

The Spot Hogg Fast Eddie XL is a good sight. The double pin with the triple ring setup is a home run, however you can get that scope on any of the other Spot Hogg sights. One last note. A lot of our customers have asked about using a multi pin housing with the Fast Eddie base. It's not something that Spot Hogg offers at the moment. But they will not void your warranty if you want to run this kind of setup. And of course S&S Archery can help you set something like that ordered. As always you can give me a call if you have any questions. Rob 208-495-4222