gigantor Posted July 18, 2020 Admin Posted July 18, 2020 30 minutes ago, norseman said: I want this one. https://www.trijicon.com/products/subcategory/trijicon-ir-hunter That's pricey!
VAfooter Posted July 18, 2020 Admin Posted July 18, 2020 On 7/16/2020 at 11:56 PM, norseman said: Russian ripoffs. Or CHICOM.
Arvedis Posted July 18, 2020 Posted July 18, 2020 Definitely best to go with a vendor you can work with in the event of a problem. It's true of all purchases. I have gone with some shady vendors online and it has worked out but you just never know.
BlackRockBigfoot Posted July 18, 2020 Posted July 18, 2020 When buying expensive pieces of electronics, it's always best to do a bit of research on the manufacturer and their warranty. Some will only guarantee their products when bought from authorized dealers. So, you can save a couple of hundred bucks, only to find out that the vendor was not authorized by the manufacturer.
norseman Posted July 18, 2020 Admin Posted July 18, 2020 43 minutes ago, gigantor said: That's pricey! Well worth it.
wiiawiwb Posted July 18, 2020 Posted July 18, 2020 (edited) 4 hours ago, BlackRockBigfoot said: @wiiawiwb I remember seeing you post about your Pulsar. I am thinking about eventually upgrading from the Scout TK into a Pulsar. The Scout does a great job with identifying heat signatures, but I want something with more clarity that can still record images. Which model did you go with? BRB, I bought the Helion XQ28F which is no longer made. At the time, I believe it had the widest field of view of any Pulsar Helion sold in the US. I think it is generally regarded that the Helion XQ38F is best thermal out there for the money. It's still not cheap. I haven't kept up with the Axion or Thermion lines so I can't comment on those without doing a little research. In general terms, you have to decide what features are important to you. For example, where I go the forest is thick and I'm not going to see a sasquatch 300 yards away. That means a wider field of view and lower native magnification was more important than being able to capture something a long distance away. If where you research there are vast wide open areas, then you may want a narrower FOV and higher native magnification. I'd steer you away from the Quantum line because the lens is not the same quality as the Helion line. The most expensive part of a thermal imager is the germanium lens. That's why as you step up to a larger lens the price starts to really climb. You want the larger lens if you need to see a long way away. I think the 38XQ can detect 1,500 yards away. That's crazy and can be a waste of money unless you're dealing with vast open expanse. Also, don't be lured into the 640x480 microbolometer resolution thermals unless your financial reserve is without boundary. It's a lot more expensive and you don't always get that much more. Why? Let's take two units...the Helion XQ50 and the Helion XP50. The XQ has a resolution of 384x 288 whereas the XP has a resolution of 640x480. Most people would say, "I want the one with the higher resolution!". It's more expensive BUT you may not benefit from it. The native magnification of the XQ is 4.1 whereas the XP is 2.5. So looking at the same object from the same distance the XQ shows a larger object. In order the get the same size with the XP you have to magnify it by 61% (2.5/4.1) which then pixelates it making the clarity less than 640x480 and probably close to the XQ resolution. I think it's called down rezzing. Here is a decent YT video showing the differences in FOV and native magnification: I'd be happy to take a look and comment on the Axion or Thermion lines if there are any you are interested in. You should be mindful that I think dealers are required to post MSRP on their websites. I found that if you call a dealer (or go to one) and horse trade you can get a substantial reduction off the MSRP. The best resource for thermal imagers is "nightvisionforumuk.com". It is mostly people in the UK who hunt fox or rabbits at night. These folks really know their stuff about thermal imagers and are on top of what is in the pipeline. https://nightvisionforumuk.com/ Hope that helps a little and if you want to bounce any questions around, just let me know. Wiia Edited July 18, 2020 by wiiawiwb 1 1
wiiawiwb Posted July 18, 2020 Posted July 18, 2020 Just looked at some of the newer lines offered by Pulsar. Here's what I would do were I looking right now. If I could afford the Helion XQ38F, that's the one I'd get. Absolutely an amazing unit. If that's more than you want to spend, then I would look around and see if the Helion XQ30F is still around at some dealer as it's no longer made. If so, I would then compare it to the Pulsar Axion XM30S and decide from there. Otherwise, it would be the Axion XM30S at the best price I could negotiate. Before I laid my hard-earned money down, I would spend an evening looking at the threads on nightvisionforumuk to see if there is any new units on the near horizon or any other feedback you'd want to now. One thing I've learned is if you wait for technology to bring the price down, you miss out on years of fun. 1
BlackRockBigfoot Posted July 18, 2020 Posted July 18, 2020 22 minutes ago, wiiawiwb said: Just looked at some of the newer lines offered by Pulsar. Here's what I would do were I looking right now. If I could afford the Helion XQ38F, that's the one I'd get. Absolutely an amazing unit. If that's more than you want to spend, then I would look around and see if the Helion XQ30F is still around at some dealer as it's no longer made. If so, I would then compare it to the Pulsar Axion XM30S and decide from there. Otherwise, it would be the Axion XM30S at the best price I could negotiate. Before I laid my hard-earned money down, I would spend an evening looking at the threads on nightvisionforumuk to see if there is any new units on the near horizon or any other feedback you'd want to now. One thing I've learned is if you wait for technology to bring the price down, you miss out on years of fun. Thank you so much for your response. Off to do some research on them
wiiawiwb Posted July 18, 2020 Posted July 18, 2020 You may want to check this out as it compares FOV and magnification.
hiflier Posted July 19, 2020 Posted July 19, 2020 5 hours ago, BlackRockBigfoot said: Some will only guarantee their products when bought from authorized dealers. So, you can save a couple of hundred bucks, only to find out that the vendor was not authorized by the manufacturer. That's what's cool about FLIR, I was still able to register the device on FLIR's website even though I bought it from a different vendor. After all, it was their product, and I did procure it new in the box. With computers keeping records of serial numbers a lot of companies back their products sold through other outlets. It is those other outlets that we look at when shopping for a good price and companies know that.
wiiawiwb Posted July 20, 2020 Posted July 20, 2020 (edited) Before I bought my thermal, I called Pulsar and gave them the names of several companies I was talking with to confirm they were authorized dealers. The individual at Pulsar looked up each one. It's a large investment and you don't want the rug pulled from underneath you if a warranty claim made and denied because the company is not authorized. I've called Pulsar a number of times with various questions and they were very helpful each time. Nothing but good things to say about them. Edited July 20, 2020 by wiiawiwb 1
wiiawiwb Posted July 20, 2020 Posted July 20, 2020 On 7/18/2020 at 6:39 PM, norseman said: Pretty amazing what technology, and their technology in particular, can do. You can see wrinkles and folds in their clothing. Trijicon has been an industry leader for a long time. Their red dots are amazing. Their hand-held thermals start at $5,700! Ouch... 1
NCBFr Posted July 20, 2020 Posted July 20, 2020 I bough a Barska NVX100 IR monocule 5+ years ago for under $200 that gives really good, clear results. It is not a passive FLIR but gives better pictures than provided by FLIR. Not sure what the technology costs today but it has to be less than FLIR. 1
wiiawiwb Posted July 20, 2020 Posted July 20, 2020 Correct me if I'm wrong but isn't IR is a totally different technology than thermal imaging? Night-vision equipment magnifies any amount of light that is out there no matter how tiny it seems to the naked eye. A thermal imager captures the heat signal emitted from an object. I believe the Barska technology is night vision which uses IR light to help illuminate. It's always been speculated that sasquatch can see IR and is why they can so adroitly avoid trailcams. That's one of the reasons I wanted a thermal imager for night operations. With IR, I figured it may know I'm coming a mile away. Frankly, I have no idea if there is any merit in that at all. I think night-vision equipment suffers a tad on a cloudy night where almost no light gets through from the heavens above.
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