As you've said...easy to demonstrate in person, kind of difficult to describe...but here goes...

This way works for me:

Hold the mirror in your right (or left...whichever you like) hand.

Make a "V" with your other hand.

Bring the mirror up to your eye, and look through the hole.

Catch the reflection of the sun on your "V".

Look for a 'ball' of light on the grid, or star, or cross...whichever aiming device your mirror has.

This ball of light is your aim point.

Put down your other arm...you don't need it anymore.

Aim the ball on target, and hope they see it. If you can see the ball through your twists to keep the target in site, they'll see the flash.

Now, you don't have to go through the "make the 'V'" bit, but I find it works for me in that some mirrors I've used...well...they don't provide a crisp 'ball', and doing the 'make the V' bit makes it easier to find the aim point in the first place. Maybe my brain is hardwired to look for an aiming point with 3 reference points...who knows...but if it works, it ain't dumb!

You can use the grid-type mirror to teach yourself how to use the reflective-on-both-sides-with-just-a-hole mirror... The glass on the back of the grid-type mirror (Coghlan's model) is just reflective enough to view a dim reflection of your hand and the spot of sunlight that shines through the hole. Comparing the reflection with the location of the bright spot provided by the grid yielded an "aha" moment, at least for me.

BTW can anyone explain the optics that creates the bright spot in grid-type mirrors?

Thanks!
Steve

From the above posts I gather the following is correct.

You can use the grid type mirrors when the sun and target are 180 degrees apart.

The grid type of mirror is as easy to use (or easier) as the double sided mirror.

I can give up trying to find a polycarbonate double sided mirror and get a starflash or similar mirror without sacrificing any functionality.

True???

I figured out how the bright spot works by building a Star Flash type mirror in my shop... but that doesn't mean I can explain it!

I took a Lexan mirror and drilled a 1/2" hole in the center; then I taped a piece of retro-reflective tape with a 1/4" hole in the center to the back of the mirror, ensuring the reflective part of the tape is facing forward. Then I covered the front of the mirror with a clear piece of Lexan. The mirror I came up with seems to work as well as any aim-point mirror I've used and it is less than an 1/8th of an inch thick.

The way the aim point works is that the sunlight enters through the center hole, reflects forward off of the reflective tape, then reflects rearward off of the clear outer cover, back to your eye.

I don't have the time now to build and market my version of the mirror, but I might sometime down the road. Until then, anyone on this forum should be able to make their own using the instructions above. A good place to find the mirror material is at an auto parts place in the mirror section. They sell 7"X10" sheets of mirror that can be cut with scissors or a paper cutter for about $6.00.

Hope this helps.

Semper Fi, George

You know what they say about opinions, but...

Sure. You can safely replace the 2-sided mirror with a grid/star/cross 1-sided one...as long as you practice and can use it if you need it. Muscle memory can be a pain as well as a benefit...I've caught myself using outdated techniques on modern equipment because I trained on the old stuff to the point where I didn't have to think. Guess I'm getting lazy in 'old age' and don't invest the time on new gear the way I used to on old stuff!