I have both ... illuminated has a dot, non-illuminated does not. The etched lines on the illuminated version are WAY thicker than on the non-illuminated version. That "line width" is actually a much bigger deal at distance, than the dot-or-no-dot feature. At long distances on small targets, I find the big lines and center dot to be a little too much reticle to easily see the target. All that said, in bright sunlight on dark targets ... I really like the illuminated version. Hope that helps.