Night Vision PVS-14 Recommendation

[GarandFan]

I want to buy a PVS-14, Gen 3, I am not yet sure of which manufacturer or whether to go with a White Phosphor or Green.

I am considering this one- https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00CDKRWD8/_encoding=UTF8?coliid=I2YMAUK2QE7465&colid=323S1KEKSK4BR
[h=1]Armasight PVS14 GEN 3 Ghost MG White Phosphor Multi-Purpose Night Vision Monocular with Manual Gain, Black[/h]


Thoughts on that?

It would primarily be for a helmet/head-mount, but I might also occasionally use it on an AR-15, possibly an AR-10.

Many thanks!

 

[sgtsmmiii]

I'd check with TNVC first - post purchase warranty considerations are important, and TNVC ( sight sponsor ) is one of the best. Bought several items from them and have always been pleased.

https://tnvc.com

 

[GarandFan]

I am also hoping to get something that it is stocked on Amazon because I have a tremendous amount of Amazon points [enough to buy a PVS-14 and an IR laser/aimer/illuminator]. I want to use my points for my NV purchase.

I don't see TNVC available on Amazon.

 

[rockwind1]

Hey, did you notice it only has three stars in the rating?
recently also went through the process of buying some nv gear I started off calling Tnvc. Then I talked to a couple guys here on the hide via p.m. they were just regular guys like me and I am glad I talk to them. I think things are a little different out there in regular guy land versus the public forums that have a lot of sponsored retail outlet posts. I bought from I squared technologies (I2) which is run by a humble genius named Peter lesbos. and then also from Cliff at third Coast thermal. I’ve spent about 20K getting kitted out And everything is exactly what I really needed and I didn’t know what I needed until I talked to these guys. Anyways, can’t help you with the Amazon thing but talk to some of the regular guys on here via p.m. or check out the stores I mentioned above, in my humble opinion.

 

[Victor-TNVC]

I'd check with TNVC first - post purchase warranty considerations are important, and TNVC ( sight sponsor ) is one of the best. Bought several items from them and have always been pleased.

https://tnvc.com

Thank you for the kind words.

To the OP, we are still a Vet owned company and not salesmen in that regard Our staff is made up of ex-Special Operation guys and we do our best to educate first as we have our own actual training staff, that trains armed professionals for a reason. We have a 10 year warranty on our TNV-14's in the L3 and Harris Tube flavors that our customers have been always very happy about. Please feel free to call or PM, be gad to talk in detail what your requirements are. Education is free for us even though you may not purchase from us. Happy ThanksGiving!

P.S. We also have a very good sale running on our TNV-14's at the moment. https://tnvc.com/shop/category/yard-sale/

 

[Victor-TNVC]

Rockwind, you have a name of the "salesmen" you talked with? Would be happy to address this and re-stocking fee? Hmmm, not sure but be happy to find out, please feel free to PM me for my cell we have thousands of happy customers. Something not right....

 

[GarandFan]

Hey, did you notice it only has three stars in the rating?
recently also went through the process of buying some nv gear I started off calling Tnvc But they did not seem very friendly or helpful to me. I talked to a couple guys here on the hide via p.m. they were just regular guys like me and I am glad I talk to them. I think things are a little different out there in regular guy land versus the public forums that have a lot of sponsored retail outlet posts. I bought from I squared technologies (I2) which is run by a humble genius named Peter lesbos. ( don’t make fun of his name because I think he’s the most dangerous guy in the room) and then also from Cliff at third Coast thermal. I’ve spent about 20K getting kitted out And everything is exactly what I really needed and I didn’t know what I needed until I talked to these guys. Recently I purchased some accessory items from tNVC after talking to some salesman to make sure what I needed. Wound up having to return it, it was a big hassle, lost money on shipping, probably get hit with a restocking fee , one item wasn’t package right from the supplier, another item didn’t fit my needs despite what the salesman told me. Anyways, can’t help you with the Amazon thing but talk to some of the regular guys on here via p.m. or check out the stores I mentioned above, in my humble opinion.

1- I believe that 1 really bad review pulls down an overall rating.
2- Why would you make fun of the guy's name? Peter Lesbos. Lesbos is an island off the coast of Greece and Peter is the name of one of the original apostles. I might assume the man is from a Christian family from Greece [or specifically the island of Lesbos] but that's no cause to mock him.

 

[domdoc]

White phosphor would be my choice. That offers the best ability to completely identify your target - IMO better than green, and definitely better than thermal for target identification. Not for finding targets - thermal wins there, but for final ID. For that reason, I would put it on the rifle, since that's where you make your final choice regarding pulling the trigger.

 

[newguy2k3v2]

I2 or mod armory are the only ones that sell pvs-14s rated for 308 use as far as I know. You're better off with an ir laser anyway if you keep it inside 150yds or so.

I'd stick with tnvc, mod armory, unv etc for purchasing. I'm not sure if the quality on armasight's pvs-14s.

If you have to use Amazon points maybe try to use them on an ir laser.

 

[FUNCTIONAL]

Not sure if you bought one or not but my father had picked up a gen2 armasight and i couldn't not recommend it. It was good for about 2 years when jyst shy of half the cells burned out. Not spots... you can see the burned out honeycomes perfectly. I had a tnv14 and it was perfect for the 3 years i owned it. If i ever need a 14 or the like again it will be through tnvc hands down.

 

[wigwamitus]

I've had two "armasight" pvs-14s for just shy of 4 years ... they are just like anyone else's pvs-14s ... standard housings ... just like any other standard housings ... the parts are interchangeable ... that's what I like about standard housings no matter who you buy them from they are all the same. Yes there are non-standard housings ... but for me I wanted standard housings and I got them ... so if you are buying standard housings then from a housing perspective ... all standard housings (that aren't bent or broke) are equal.
That said, not all tubes are equal.
In my case, I'm not reaching for the stars to get a "great" tube. I did at first, before I knew any better. But my L-3 34 s/n r tube lasted about three months before I banged it against the mount and got a spot that grew ... In almost 4 years, I've messed up 4 tubes ... and in steady state, if you use your gear every night, like I do, you will have accidents ... sh^t will happen and tubes will get messed up ... so I stick with "average" tubes ... and in the steady state they work fine. And I don't have to feel bad if I mess up a great tube
A buddy drops his on the bathroom floor testing them ... I bang mine around in the field ... but how ever you do it ... there will be attrition .. you will have to replace some tubes ... so just consider that when paying an extra $1k for a willie pete tube that probably won't really let you see any better anyway ... though it will help you think you can see better.
A great tube is a great tube whether it is green or willie pete ... and maybe the photonis willie pete tubes are special ... I might break my rule about not getting a great tube and try a photonis tube one day

 

[rockwind1]

I wasn’t making fun of pete’s last name. It was sort of fire/P.O. type humor that fell flat. will refrain from humor going forward. Vic-sent you pm

 

[GarandFan]

There are several purposes for NV, from my perspective.

1) I want NV as a "prepper" thing. [I am not very pleased with the political polarization in the USA as of the last decade or so and I see the USA as the equivalent of early 1930s Spain, that is to say I believe we are a highly polarized nation on the verge of a brutal civil war]
2) Low-light/night-time tactical shooting training. [I have been doing more and more day-time classes and I want to be able to avail myself of some of the night-time classes offered at the academies I have gone to]
3) My wife really likes to watch owls and other night-time animals.


It is not actually something that will be used on a regular let alone daily/nightly basis. Also, it won't ever be used for hunting since I don't hunt and my wife doesn't hunt.


The reason I am focused on Amazon is because I have approx $5,000 in Amazon points and it makes no sense to me to pay $5,000 out of pocket to buy from anywhere other than Amazon, when I can use Amazon points to buy it and have enough for an IR/illuminator/aimer.

 

[GarandFan]

I wasn’t making fun of pete’s last name. It was sort of fire/P.O. type humor that fell flat. will refrain from humor going forward. Vic-sent you pm

I get the humor, Lesbos, Lesbian, etc... But I figured the guy probably got enough of that growing up so I didn't bite/take the bait.

 

[Burdy]

White.

Sent from my Pixel 2 using Tapatalk

 

[wigwamitus]

There are several purposes for NV, from my perspective.

1) I want NV as a "prepper" thing. [I am not very pleased with the political polarization in the USA as of the last decade or so and I see the USA as the equivalent of early 1930s Spain, that is to say I believe we are a highly polarized nation on the verge of a brutal civil war]
2) Low-light/night-time tactical shooting training. [I have been doing more and more day-time classes and I want to be able to avail myself of some of the night-time classes offered at the academies I have gone to]
3) My wife really likes to watch owls and other night-time animals.


It is not actually something that will be used on a regular let alone daily/nightly basis. Also, it won't ever be used for hunting since I don't hunt and my wife doesn't hunt.


The reason I am focused on Amazon is because I have approx $5,000 in Amazon points and it makes no sense to me to pay $5,000 out of pocket to buy from anywhere other than Amazon, when I can use Amazon points to buy it and have enough for an IR/illuminator/aimer.

Ok, well for that use case ... I would recommend a thermal ... if you want to be able to see critters ... thermal will see the critters ... pvs-14 will have a small chance to see an owl at night ... thermal will have a chance.

And on Amazon for $5k you can get the high end, latest and greatest Pulsar Trail 50mm scope ...

https://www.amazon.com/Pulsar-Trail-...XPSMTPZDX8D7GG

And thermals can be used in the day ... not as good as day scope in the day ... but much better than pvs-14s in the day !!

 

[domdoc]

Come to think of it, my exposure to green is an earlier generation of the product. Current generations may be equivalent to white phosphor. I agree that the quality of the resolution may make that part of my comments incorrect. I can't say without looking through equivalent tubes of both types. Absolutely, if you want to pick out the animals, thermal is better. And I was not thinking about daytime, but that also favors thermal.

 

[rockwind1]

Well have fun with whatever gear you choose. Wigwam, who posted above, has a lot of real world experience with nv stuff. Along with other folks here, of course

 

[Surgeon_Shooter]

It’s cool that your defending peter but he means no harm lol. The first time I spoke with peter years ago he said “ my full name is peter lesbo. Yes lesbo like a queer woman” hahaha he’s a great dude and I’m sure the guy is just messing around by saying that.


1- I believe that 1 really bad review pulls down an overall rating.
2- Why would you make fun of the guy's name? Peter Lesbos. Lesbos is an island off the coast of Greece and Peter is the name of one of the original apostles. I might assume the man is from a Christian family from Greece [or specifically the island of Lesbos] but that's no cause to mock him.

 

[Victor-TNVC]

I am also hoping to get something that it is stocked on Amazon because I have a tremendous amount of Amazon points [enough to buy a PVS-14 and an IR laser/aimer/illuminator]. I want to use my points for my NV purchase.

I don't see TNVC available on Amazon.

Funny they have tried numerous times to get us to supply gear for their "Amazon Prime", but it's just not our style to offer our specialized products to mass non-educational establishments like this. Call us either way and we are always happy to talk NVD's.

 

[Trojan6]

Another +1 for TNVC. The warranty is what absolutely sold me, luckily haven't had to use it in over 4 years of hard use on my TNV 14.

 

[Starbuck]

+1 on TNVC. I have one of their PVS-14 units, in Multicam too! Runs great. Solid specs, etc. TNVCs prices are competative, and you get a solid warranty.