Technical

Always Ready: Swampfox Shake N' Wake

By Joe Kriz

01/11/2024

Firearm optics are like lamps – let us explain.

When you walk into a dark room in your home and flip the light switch, the light fixture should turn on. Likewise, when you leave and flip the switch off, so should the light. Unless you don’t care about your electric bill, turning lights off when you’re not in the room saves power and money.

The same can be said for battery-powered illuminated optics. The optic’s reticle should be illuminated when shooting so you can safely aim and be turned off when you’re done to conserve battery. But what if you added a motion sensor to your home’s light switch that would trigger the light to turn on/off anytime you walked into or out of the room?

This is the concept behind Swampfox Shake N’ Wake technology.

What is Shake N’ Wake?

Swampfox Shake N’ Wake is a power-saving function that automatically turns off optic illumination after 225 seconds – or roughly four (4) minutes – of inactivity and no movement. When movement is detected again, the optic will immediately “wake up” and return to the previously used brightness setting.

Shake N’ Wake is integrated into most Swampfox dot sights and prism scopes with red or green illumination and cannot be deactivated or used as a separate mode. No buttons need to be pressed to activate the auto on/off feature or “wake up” the optic.

Shake N’ Wake Benefits

Anytime Readiness

Whether shooting on the range, hunting in the field, or carrying on the go, Swampfox Shake N’ Wake ensures your optic will be ready when you need it most. The simple movement of grabbing your gun from off the nightstand, shouldering your rifle, or getting out of your vehicle is enough to activate Shake N’ Wake and “wake up” your optic.

No matter your firearm’s use or your target, shoot with confidence knowing your Swampfox optic will be on and illuminated when you take aim.

Brightness/Reticle Memory

The last thing you want to do every time you go shooting or holster your carry gun is to manually reset the optic to your preferred or needed brightness setting. That’s why Shake N’ Wake features brightness memory to automatically return your Swampfox optic to the setting last used prior to powering down.

If your last setting was daylight bright, your optic will power on at daylight brightness. And if you change your brightness setting between power downs, your optic will remember the new setting for next time. Multi-reticle optics, like Liberty II and Liberator II, will also remember your last used reticle in addition to its illumination setting.

Extended Battery Life

All batteries experience self-discharge, or the draining of stored charge over time regardless of use, but a device that is never turned off will have its battery drained at a much faster rate. By powering Swampfox optics off after four minutes of inactivity, Shake N’ Wake conserves the battery charge to further extend the life of the CR123A/1632/2032 battery.

However, it’s important to note that many factors can impact battery life, including brightness setting, frequency of use, and use case. The higher/brighter the brightness setting, the more power is required by the optic and faster the battery charge will be drained. Same goes for an optic used every day compared to an optic on a gun taken to the range once a month. Optics used on carry guns will also rarely experience four minutes of no movement, not allowing them to turn off.

Fewer Battery Changes

By extending the life of the battery, Shake N’ Wake-equipped optics generally require less frequent battery changes than those without auto on/off technology. Not only does this save money on batteries but saves you time changing them and having to rezero/confirm zero of your firearm afterward.

As previously noted, concealed carry optics or those kept on guns in vehicles (i.e., law enforcement) may need to change their batteries more often as the constant movement will rarely or never allow Shake N’ Wake to engage.

Swampfox Optics

Most Swampfox red dots and prism scopes are equipped with Shake N’ Wake auto on/off technology, except the first-generation Sentinel with auto/ambient brightness mode. Our Legacy Series Kingslayer and Liberator dot sights automatically shut down after four (4) hours but must be turned back on manually.

Most Swampfox LPVOs and Precision riflescopes feature illumination turrets with intermittent off positions in between brightness settings. Exceptions include Kentucky Long and our original Tomahawk.