The Truglo TFX is their new tritium night sight. They are glass capsules filled with a glowing radioactive isotope of hydrogen, and they don’t need to be charged up by a light source first. They last about 12 years before starting to dim.
TRUGLO TFX Sights
https://www.truglo.com/tfx-handgun-sights
TFX On Amazon from $127
I am not one who upgrades guns all that much. But since getting my first set of tritium night sights stock on a Springfield EMP that I reviewed back in 2013, I decided that this is the one thing that for my carry guns I must insist on adding. …if I didn’t procrastinate it forever, which I have. My main carry gun, and pretty much only carry gun these days, is another Springfield gun, the XD-S in .45ACP. It is a single stack, two finger grip that shoots like a 3 finger grip, or better. And until now, I had indeed procrastinated putting the night sights on it. But finally, when I read about the new TFX tritium sights from Truglo, I had to try them. Everything I have purchased Truglo in the past has exceeded expectations for the money, and these sights were no different.
I happened to have this DIY sight pusher on hand, but you can either buy the Jennings one we reviewed, or have your gunsmith do it.
Tritium is a radioactive isotope of hydrogen and has about a 12 year half life. During that first 12 years, it glows in the dark without needing to be charged up first in a light source. It just glows on its own. This makes it ideal for night sights, and the prices have come way down. As you can see, though Truglo sells these sights direct for $172, you can get them all over the web for much less than that, as little as $127 on Amazon Prime with free shipping.
I like these TFX sights because they are big and the tritium vials are encased in steel from which they can’t fall out. When it comes to carry guns, I believe in Murphys law. Anything can happen! I was also surprised to find that in daylight the profile of the TFX sight is more of a pleasant and natural aim than the stock Springfield sights. I don’t know if that white ring around the tritium vial has anything to do with it, but it looks cool anyway, and I like shooting with the sights.
The front replacement sight is a standard dovetail that also requires a sight pusher to install. Don’t try either of these with a punch and hammer it’ll be ugly…and void your warranty. 😉
The other thing I really like about these sights is that the rear dovetail is not a true dovetail. You don’t jam in it. The TFX dovetail floats freely in the dovetail slot of the XD-S (all XDs really) and you lock it down with an Allen screw. I happen to have a DIY sight tool that I reviewed many years ago, and you can go and buy the Jennings tool that Dave reviewed here with some other Truglo sights a while back, but if you don’t want to lay the cash on one and just hope to have a gunsmith drift the old ones out and new ones in for not a huge fee, you can then adjust the final zero at the range, without any sight tool. I put a dab of low strength thread locker on the screw for good measure as well.
As expected, I love my new TFX tritium sights and plan to keep them on the gun. I actually have a story about trying to shooting something in the dark and not being able to see my sights, and it really stinks. Fortunately, it was pigs, not anything or anyone that could shoot back, but it certainly “opened my eyes” that though I may feel that I point my gun naturally in the right direction, at more than belly gun distances, it helps to be able to aim. Because even if you feel like you could see the outline of your firearm in starlight, and yes, you can for the most part, after one blinding shot your night vision is shot too, and everything but those cool little green tritium dots goes black. It was a lesson for me anyway, and now my XD-S finally has night sights!
 One thing I love about these sights is that the rear sight floats in the dovetail with a few thousands of play, and you lock it in with a set screw. |
 I think it isa good idea to put thread locker on the screw for a carry gun. |
 Before and after sights on my XD-S .45ACP |
 Don’t worry about radioactivity carrying tritium next to your body. I also write the Prepping 101 column and my radiation meter registered no extra radiation because the sights are so small, and tritium doesn’t put out a lot of energy to begin with. |
Which model number tfx did you use Paul?
I just put the Truglo TFO sights on my xds and love them….great during the day and better at night. Yellow rear and green front, $73 on amazon! I used the sig sights #8 front and rear….they fit
I recently installed the same sights on my XDm 3.8 9mm compact which is my daily winter carry, and as much as I can the rest of the year as well. The sights are amazing, I had a hell of a time getting the front sight out of the gun with the proper tool, and had to retain the front sight with some locktite. No issues there, in fact none at all period. I mean the sights are better in the DAYTIME even.. and the night sight is very bright. They have a ring on the front blade as well which draws the eye, and my shooting has improved just because I can see the sights better now. I’m 45 and I have good vision but it’s not like I had when I was 20. I went from struggling to hit a clay in the berm at 75 yards with the original sights (white 3 dot) to hitting them consistently with the new sights. I couldn’t believe it. Before that I just figured I wasn’t as good a shot as I wished I was.. turns out it helps if you can see the sights better.
Because of the tritium, the fiber optics, and the white ring on the front sight, you pick up the sights very very fast so your target acquisition is basically immediate. I can’t say enough nice things about the sights.
I had considered the speed-sights diamond sights with tritium as well, and I had shot them on a friend’s gun, but I had also shot with the TFO sights and the TFX is an upgrade to those which makes them ME proof, a good thing. Both of those are good options as well although the gun with the TFOs on it keeps throwing the fibers out once in a while, so I wouldn’t use it for a carry piece.
I’d much rather have a laser sight such as Crimson Trace or Laserlyte but each option has its own advantages and disadvantages.
Way way back, you could buy Radium Paint as wsed on watches and compass. We drilled pockets in the sights (or sides of the sight groove and filled it with the paint. You had to expose it to light to “charge” it but it worked on handguns. Rifle front sights and front sights too thin to drill were just painted with a vertical line. These often chipped off. You can’t buy or import Radium Paint into the U.S. due potential health hazards.
Night sights on your CCW and your night stand or house gun are a must.
I lilke all gun referent. I would like be a collection men. Every thing that I can learn is great.
Carlos.