The light turns on with a simple touch that can be done on the way up. It is on by the time the pistol is in the firing position. Sights line up almost instantly. If a red dot takes even .25 seconds to acquire the red that, that is too long. Red dots are fun for the range though. They are great if your sights can co-witness.How long does it take to turn on the laser in comparison to how much the red dot slows you down? They both should be very short periods of time.