HHA Kingpin Reviews – Optimizer King Pin and King Pin Tournament

The price of a bow sight usually helps determine whether a bow hunter will buy a brand or not. While I try to be practical when it comes to choosing my accessories, I still believe that quality trumps price and that some products are worth investing on.

The HHA Optimizer King Pin is a good example of this. It may not be the cheapest brand in the market, but I find that its quality materials and extra features justify its slightly expensive price tag.

HHA Optimizer Kingpin Review

Via hhasports.com

 

Accuracy

 

Accuracy is on point

 

Price

 

Expensive but reasonable

 

Ease of use

 

Slightly difficult than other brands

The King Pin has many high-grade features that HHA Sports are very proud of. From a wheel-forward design, interchangeable wheels, to a sight tape magnifier, this bow sight offers many neat features to help you improve your hunting game.

This model will work best if you like a steadier, lighter bow sight in your riser. If you are not particular with either but want something that is a bit farther away, you may want to check out the King Pin Tournament version instead.

 

PROS

• Wheel-forward design
• Sight tape magnifier
• Interchangeable wheels
• Blind 20 ideal for low light

 

CONS

• Sight tape magnifier doesn’t work well at full draw
• Slightly heavier than other brands
• Expensive

HHA Kingpin Tournament Review

Via hhasports.com

 

Accuracy

 

Accuracy is on point

 

Price

 

Expensive but reasonable

 

Ease of use

 

Slightly difficult than other brands

The King Pin Tournament features all the great things found in the King Pin model. The main difference is that the Tournament includes a 4 to 8-inch dovetail extension.

If you like your pin sight extended farther away from your riser, then this model may be a good choice. If you want the sight closer to your bow, then you can check out the King Pin hunter version instead.

 

PROS

• 4 to 8-inch dovetail extension
• 5 feet of fiber optic for a brighter pin
• Interchangeable yardage wheels
• Sight tape magnifier

 

CONS

• More visible pin movement
• Heavier than hunter version
• Expensive

Things to Consider Before Buying a Single Pin Sight

Sight pins come in different sizes. For new bow hunters, the .019” pin is ideal because it transmits enough light but doesn’t cause big blind spots.

If you’re more concerned about your aim, you may want to use a .010” pin. However, this transmits less light so you can’t maximize its potential in low light.

The .029” pin is useful in dark settings because it absorbs a lot of light. Be ready for bigger blind spots, though, since this pin size will cover a bigger area of your game.

READ MORE: How to Choose the Best Bow Sight to Fit Your Hunting Style

HHA Kingpin Reviews

Hunter and Tournament Versions

Via Reigstad Outdoors

You can choose from two versions of the same model, depending on how far out you want your pin sight to be.

If you want the sight closer, then the Hunter version is the right one for you. This is the more compact version of the Optimizer King Pin model, and I’ve noticed that it is more than half a pound lighter than the dovetail version. Pin movement is also less visible so you can make a steadier aim.

If you are not concerned about shakiness or weight but you do want the sight as far away as possible, then you should consider the Tournament version. It has seven dots for adjustments, so you can move your sight from 4 to 8 inches from the riser, depending on your preference.

Accurate Sight Tape System

HHA claims that its sight tape system is one of the most accurate ones in the hunting bow industry. I find that the system is not that difficult to set up, as long as you’re not against doing a bit of math. You just need to sight at 20 yards and 60 yards and it automatically dials the yardages to up to 100 yards.

If this sounds too vague, here’s a video with more detailed instructions on how to properly set up your sight tape system:

Exchangeable Yardage Wheels

When setting up your King Pin sight, you may need to change wheels depending on your bow and arrow specifications. HHA Sports make this easy with its interchangeable yardage wheels, which let you quickly change your wheels instead of re-sighting your bow entirely.

If you’re asking why you may need to re-sight your bow, then just think of it this way. The arrows you use for hunting deer are most likely different from the arrows you use for hunting elk. Different arrow weights mean different sight yardages. With the exchangeable wheels, you can simply swap one wheel with another.

Here’s a clear and easy tutorial on exchanging yardage wheels for your King Pin sight:

Sight Tape Magnifier

Via hhasports.com

I think the sight tape magnifier is one of the niftier features that HHA Sports added to their King Pin models. The idea behind this gadget is that the magnifying glass enlarges the numbers so you can easily adjust your yardage without squinting at the tape.

If you think this doesn’t amount to much, remember that sometimes it literally takes only seconds for a deer to run away from an ideal shooting position. This minute difference can spell success or failure to your hunting trip.

If you’re not convinced that the magnifier is a great add-on, I’m happy to share that it also lets you check your sight tape even in low-light conditions. How? HHA Sports offer an optional Blue Burst light kit that illuminates the tape, so you can even read it in the dark

.A caveat: The magnifier works best before the draw. Once I’m at full draw, I find it a little hard to see yardage lines if I position my bow in a slightly different angle. The magnifier may even block the line if you tilt your bow in an unideal angle.

Blind 20 Feature

Another innovation of HHA Sports for the King Pin model is the Blind 20 feature. Consider this situation: You’re sighted at 60 yards, you aim at your deer, and it quickly runs to 40 yards. What do you do? You have to recalibrate your sight to 40 yards to make an accurate shot, right?

With the Blind 20 feature, you can easily do this without looking at the yardage tape anymore. You simply turn the wheel “blindly” to your most common predetermined distance, and you’re done! This built-in feature is designed to let you spend less time changing yardages and more time shooting at your game and works great in low-light settings.

Check out this video to see more of how HHA Sports explains this feature:

Wheel-Forward Design

Via hhasports.com

What is the advantage of the wheel-forward design, you may ask? From my experience, it’s usually harder to mount quivers with the sight wheel blocking my hand or the quiver itself. I still needed to use a special bracket, set it up between the riser and my pin sight, before I can mount my quiver properly.

Because the King Pin’s wheel is set up in the front, I find myself with little to no quiver issues anymore. I can mount my quiver directly outside my pin sight without the need to use a bracket or any other mounting aid.

Strong and Durable

HHA Sports claim that their products are made from 100% brass and aluminum alloy. This makes them durable even if you happen to hunt in unfavorable weather conditions.

Because there is no plastic material in the yardage wheel, you won’t feel any slop when you turn the dial. Instead, your turns will be smooth, crisp, and very precise.

Alternatives

1. Trophy Ridge React One Pro

Via trophyridge.com

Read The Review Here

If you dislike making mathematical computations just to set up your bow sight, then you should consider the Trophy Ridge Reach One Pro. It is one of my favorite pin sights when it comes to ease of setup because of its React Technology, which only requires you to set two yardages before it automatically sets up the rest.

If you don’t want to invest on something so expensive, I’ve found that the React One Pro is cheaper compared to the HHA Sports model.

• Easier to set up and adjust
• More compact design
• Cheaper

2. Spot Hogg Fast Eddie

Via spot-hogg.com

Read The Review Here

HHA Sports’ King Pin sights tend to be heavier than other brands. If you put value on the weight of your pin sight, then you many want to check out the Spot Hogg Fast Eddie models. Its original version is only 0.8 of a pound while its dovetail version is only 1.2 pounds.

The Fast Eddie is also easy to set up and you won’t need any tools to make adjustments to the controls. Also, I think Spot Hogg’s materials are more durable than HHA Sports.

• Easier to set up and adjust
• More lightweight
• Durable and built to last
• Cheaper

Conclusion

HHA Sport’s King Pin models may not be the cheapest pin sights out in the market, but they make up for it by adding so many useful features and by using high-quality materials.

Both versions feature a wheel-forward design to make it easier to mount quivers. Re-sighting the bow will also be unnecessary because of their exchangeable yardage wheels. And don’t forget the nifty sight tape magnifier!

If you think this is the brand for you, be sure to check out its Hunter version and Tournament version.