The only thing that I can add to it is that 1. Never pay full price for anything. and 2. NVGs are the single biggest individual force multiplier you can have but it should never come at the expense of your bullets, beans, and band aid stash.
1. Read this primer by ITS Tactical
Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark: A Comprehensive Intro to Night Vision Devices
2. Watch this podcast as it goes into the minutia of night vision devices and accessories, and answers some frequently answered questions.
4 comments:
I got a pair of the single-tube goggle type for Christmas about 2 or 3 years back and love them. I believe they're the same exact ones show in the article under the title to the paragraph written about them. They come with the ability to switch on IR beam for extra backlight to see a little further than without it, but that IR beam is visible to others who also have IR capability, so using it in a tactical situation may not be the smartest thing to do. Also, those rubber cups around the eyepiece should always fit flush to your eye sockets so as not to let any light emit from around them. Again, someone else with night vision can see that light, making you a potential target. The pair I have came with the skull-crusher headgear; and while wearing it you learn why it's called "skull-crusher". Not the most comfortable piece of headdress one can wear, but carrying heavy packs, rifles and ammo isn't comfortable either, so I'll grin and bear it. There is some slight adjustment on the two eyepieces for visual clarity and also an adjustment at the business end of the tube to adjust clarity from about 40 feet away to right in front of your own two feet. Walking around with them on does take a bit of practice, as the clarity is vastly different between right in front of you and 10 feet ahead. Also, if stealthily walking near a road, watch out for those oncoming headlights should a car approach (or any sudden bright light for that fact). You will be cursing the light. My set came with a nice should-strap bag that fits goggles and headgear, extra batteries, instruction booklet and various other nonsense. And the protective cap for the tube-end has a tiny hole in it so, when in low-light (but not dark) conditions, it filters out just enough of the extra light to make it perfect when in a house under low-light conditions...All in all I'd say that for the $3000 investment they really are nice. How convenient they are in battle I don't know, as I obviously haven't been in any battles here. But should one break out I'd rather have them than not...
I have gen 2+ NV capabilities. It is particularly effective on clear nights with 1/2 moon or more visible. Not cheap, but worth the add IMHO. I have plenty of bullets, beans and band aids.
Suck on that Hillary!!!
I drop out when they first started the comparison test. If they would have added the 3x attachment to the PVS 14 to bring the x (power) levels to the same place I might have watched farther. Having used both systems in the real world, I prefer 3rd-4th gen NV over thermal, for reasons that were never pointed out. B-4
Started playing with some cheap Gen 1 monoculars last year. Once you get used to what even the most rudimentary NV stuff can do, you'll wonder how or why you ever put off getting at least some capability. Bargains can be found on eBay, but the quality can be a crap-shoot.
For home defense or home security applications, don't overlook the potential of placing some cheap landscape style solar lights on your outer perimeter. It's pretty amazing the boost a little one or two lumen LED gives even the most basic Gen 1 consumer grade NV gear, while eliminating the need to use an IR light.
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