Disclaimer:
I get to test some Armasight products, but do not get paid, don't get free gear, or free anything. They have encouraged an honest review regardless of whether it is positive or negative.
Over the past month I have spent most of my nights with the Armasight Co-Mini Gen 2+ Clip on night vision sight. For most of my tests I had it mounted in front of a Trijicon ACOG TA33. My overall impression: I really like it! Armasight specifies that this particular model is designed for CQB distance engagements of 100 yards and in. It is the smallest clip on available on the market, but accomplishes that by having a pre-set focus from the factory, meaning it has no objective end focus. The Co-Mini’s optimal use is with an optic of no greater than 4x. Once you go higher than that, you begin to lose some clarity. With these limitations in mind, I’ll move on to the review.
I chose to spend the majority of my testing time with the Co-Mini mounted in front of a 4x ACOG on a 16” AR-15 chambered in .223 Wylde since it is my go-to night rig, and the low magnification and superb glass of the ACOG cater well to the Co-Mini. Even though Armasight recommends it as a 100 yard optic, I was able to clearly make out, and reliably engage silhouettes at over 200 yards consistently. I didn’t have a spec sheet for that particular tube, but it had a clean image, with no blems and seemingly very good resolution. As with any clip on, there will be some light loss when compared to a dedicated weapon sight as it is coupled with a day optic, hence more barriers for the light to pass through before reaching the user. Since the Co-mini can also be used as a stand-alone device, it allowed me evaluate the difference with and without the scope in line. The difference seemed minimal, and the quality of the day optic used made more of a difference than anything. The clip-on was still quite usable even with lower quality glass, such as a 3-9x40 Bushnell Elite, but did provide a more crisp image when used in conjunction with the ACOG, Leupold, and Vortex Razor HD Gen 1. Unfortunately, due to the eye relief of the day optics’ eye relief and my poor photography skills, through the tube pictures proved almost impossible to get, and did not provide even a close representation of what the actual image quality is. Since the eye relief on the ACOG is almost nill, I was able to get some pictures that actually showed the reticle and target, but poorly. The other scopes have enough eye relief that there was just too much black out space between the ocular lens of the scope and the lens of the camera to get a picture of anything other than a small green dot.
As a machinist, build quality and attention to detail in manufacturing of any gear I use is paramount to me. The Co-Mini’s overall build quality was great and free of tool marks or chatter. The quick detach mount provided a solid and repeatable lockup and was also precisely machined. All aluminum parts were anodized black, and appeared to be anodized well. I am not certain of the process used to blacken the steel parts, but installing and removing the night vision device a large number of times didn’t wear the finish off. The few parts that were plastic, such as knobs, seemed of equal quality and worked flawlessly without fail.
While I was technically a sniper in the Army, I have always considered myself more of a Designated Marksman, because during my time in combat with an M24, I never donned a ghillie suit, or crawled around on my stomach (or even shot from the prone for that matter). It was almost exclusively observation and performing overwatch for raids and other ground movements. Well that, and I’m not a great shot by any stretch of the imagination. Regardless, the most important aspect I took into consideration when evaluating the product was the amount of POI shift the device caused from the day optic’s zero or lack thereof, and whether or not it was repeatable. I shot the first five shot group of 55g V-Max’s during the day with only the ACOG. Between the low magnification and my less than stellar shooting, the rounds landed in a 1.7” group. The same night, on the same target, I fired another five rounds with the Co-Mini mounted. This group measured 2.2”, but was directly on top of the group from earlier that day. I removed the night vision, reinstalled it, and shot one round. I repeated this process five times. All were still centered on the original shots. This was more than I expected since the other clip-ons I have used in the past (PVS-22, PVS-24, and MUNS) had some shift, albeit the 24 and 27 had small but repeatable shift. The PVS-22 on the other hand had on average, 6 MOA of shift, and was not repeatable. I’m sure that most of it has to do with the collimination process performed at the factory, but another part of the accuracy I experienced with the Co-mini may be because it is small and light compared to the other units, and it attaches much closer to the receiver because it is much smaller. Either way, it provided satisfactory results for me.
The Co-Mini also came with a 40mm (other sizes available) scope adaptor so that it could be mounted to the objective end of a day scope in the event that a forward 12 O’clock rail is absent, as on a traditional hunting rifle. I tried it with this method on a lightweight .243 Winchester with the Leupold VX3. I expected at least some POI shift with this setup since there was extra weight hanging off the end of the scope, but it was under an inch of shift at 100 yards. Granted, I don’t mess around when it comes to bolting things together, and it doesn’t get a lot more ridged than the rings on this particular weapon. If you got your scope rings at Wal-Mart, you may experience more shift than that, but if you got your rings at Wal-Mart, you are probably not buying clip-on night vision devices anyway.
The instruction manual shows that the Co-mini is rated for up to and including .308, so naturally my next course of action was to see if the recoil of a 10lbs .308 was too much for the unit. Since M118LR is priced right there with platinum, I only shot 30 rounds. But, in those 30 rounds, the device performed without fail.
One feature I really liked about the Co-mini was that it can be used as a stand-alone device as well. When looking through the Co-Mini without a magnified optic, it looks like any other Gen 2+ NVD, except it has a small black “bar” in the edge of the image. The bar couldn’t be seen when using it in conjunction with a day optic. I was informed that the bar is actually the LED that notifies the shooter of a low battery or too much light entering the tube. Armasight sells a magnifier that screws on to the back of the Co-Mini so that it can be used as a hand held or tripod mounted spotter, but my focus was on using the device to place rounds on target, so I did not test that particular accessory. Another interesting feature that I found really useful for hunting out of a blind with the Co-Mini and a helmet mounted unit was the ability to activate the Co-mini with a remote pressure switch. This allowed me to leave the Co-Mini on “standby” to save batteries, then when I spotted something, I could activate the pressure switch, turning on the night vision to make a shot. Once the pressure switch is released, the device goes back off.
After spending some time with the Co-Mini clip-on, the uses I see as best fitted to it are hunting, short distance engagements be it combat, law enforcement, etc., or if you are wanting a device that you can use in conjunction with a day optic or as a stand alone. Where I shoot in the Ozarks, long shots on vermin are not common, so the Co-Mini fit my needs quite well. I can also think of several situations in Baghdad/Sadr City were we would provide overwatch for a raid from distances under 100m, where a large heavy weapon was not needed or desired, and where our EXFIL was on foot, through the city. No one wants to lug a large precision rifle with a PVS-27 in that situation, and a small clip-on would be an ideal addition to your helmet mounted NODS. Obviously for this scenario, Gen 3, Gen3 Pinnacle, or Filmless Autogated would be desired for the two way range, which are all available as well.
In short, if you want a versatile, short range, small, lightweight night vision unit capable of being weapons mounted or used without a day optic, the Co-Mini is ideal.
If you need something for long range to be used in conjunction with a high magnification day optic, there are other, more appropriate offerings from Armasight as well as other manufacturers.
Some may be concerned about spending cash on a newer company’s product, as would I. However, I am satisfied with the quality and attention to detail of the units I have tested.
I had a great time playing with the Co-Mini, and was reluctant to send it back home. Thanks for reading.
I get to test some Armasight products, but do not get paid, don't get free gear, or free anything. They have encouraged an honest review regardless of whether it is positive or negative.
Over the past month I have spent most of my nights with the Armasight Co-Mini Gen 2+ Clip on night vision sight. For most of my tests I had it mounted in front of a Trijicon ACOG TA33. My overall impression: I really like it! Armasight specifies that this particular model is designed for CQB distance engagements of 100 yards and in. It is the smallest clip on available on the market, but accomplishes that by having a pre-set focus from the factory, meaning it has no objective end focus. The Co-Mini’s optimal use is with an optic of no greater than 4x. Once you go higher than that, you begin to lose some clarity. With these limitations in mind, I’ll move on to the review.
I chose to spend the majority of my testing time with the Co-Mini mounted in front of a 4x ACOG on a 16” AR-15 chambered in .223 Wylde since it is my go-to night rig, and the low magnification and superb glass of the ACOG cater well to the Co-Mini. Even though Armasight recommends it as a 100 yard optic, I was able to clearly make out, and reliably engage silhouettes at over 200 yards consistently. I didn’t have a spec sheet for that particular tube, but it had a clean image, with no blems and seemingly very good resolution. As with any clip on, there will be some light loss when compared to a dedicated weapon sight as it is coupled with a day optic, hence more barriers for the light to pass through before reaching the user. Since the Co-mini can also be used as a stand-alone device, it allowed me evaluate the difference with and without the scope in line. The difference seemed minimal, and the quality of the day optic used made more of a difference than anything. The clip-on was still quite usable even with lower quality glass, such as a 3-9x40 Bushnell Elite, but did provide a more crisp image when used in conjunction with the ACOG, Leupold, and Vortex Razor HD Gen 1. Unfortunately, due to the eye relief of the day optics’ eye relief and my poor photography skills, through the tube pictures proved almost impossible to get, and did not provide even a close representation of what the actual image quality is. Since the eye relief on the ACOG is almost nill, I was able to get some pictures that actually showed the reticle and target, but poorly. The other scopes have enough eye relief that there was just too much black out space between the ocular lens of the scope and the lens of the camera to get a picture of anything other than a small green dot.
As a machinist, build quality and attention to detail in manufacturing of any gear I use is paramount to me. The Co-Mini’s overall build quality was great and free of tool marks or chatter. The quick detach mount provided a solid and repeatable lockup and was also precisely machined. All aluminum parts were anodized black, and appeared to be anodized well. I am not certain of the process used to blacken the steel parts, but installing and removing the night vision device a large number of times didn’t wear the finish off. The few parts that were plastic, such as knobs, seemed of equal quality and worked flawlessly without fail.
While I was technically a sniper in the Army, I have always considered myself more of a Designated Marksman, because during my time in combat with an M24, I never donned a ghillie suit, or crawled around on my stomach (or even shot from the prone for that matter). It was almost exclusively observation and performing overwatch for raids and other ground movements. Well that, and I’m not a great shot by any stretch of the imagination. Regardless, the most important aspect I took into consideration when evaluating the product was the amount of POI shift the device caused from the day optic’s zero or lack thereof, and whether or not it was repeatable. I shot the first five shot group of 55g V-Max’s during the day with only the ACOG. Between the low magnification and my less than stellar shooting, the rounds landed in a 1.7” group. The same night, on the same target, I fired another five rounds with the Co-Mini mounted. This group measured 2.2”, but was directly on top of the group from earlier that day. I removed the night vision, reinstalled it, and shot one round. I repeated this process five times. All were still centered on the original shots. This was more than I expected since the other clip-ons I have used in the past (PVS-22, PVS-24, and MUNS) had some shift, albeit the 24 and 27 had small but repeatable shift. The PVS-22 on the other hand had on average, 6 MOA of shift, and was not repeatable. I’m sure that most of it has to do with the collimination process performed at the factory, but another part of the accuracy I experienced with the Co-mini may be because it is small and light compared to the other units, and it attaches much closer to the receiver because it is much smaller. Either way, it provided satisfactory results for me.
The Co-Mini also came with a 40mm (other sizes available) scope adaptor so that it could be mounted to the objective end of a day scope in the event that a forward 12 O’clock rail is absent, as on a traditional hunting rifle. I tried it with this method on a lightweight .243 Winchester with the Leupold VX3. I expected at least some POI shift with this setup since there was extra weight hanging off the end of the scope, but it was under an inch of shift at 100 yards. Granted, I don’t mess around when it comes to bolting things together, and it doesn’t get a lot more ridged than the rings on this particular weapon. If you got your scope rings at Wal-Mart, you may experience more shift than that, but if you got your rings at Wal-Mart, you are probably not buying clip-on night vision devices anyway.
The instruction manual shows that the Co-mini is rated for up to and including .308, so naturally my next course of action was to see if the recoil of a 10lbs .308 was too much for the unit. Since M118LR is priced right there with platinum, I only shot 30 rounds. But, in those 30 rounds, the device performed without fail.
One feature I really liked about the Co-mini was that it can be used as a stand-alone device as well. When looking through the Co-Mini without a magnified optic, it looks like any other Gen 2+ NVD, except it has a small black “bar” in the edge of the image. The bar couldn’t be seen when using it in conjunction with a day optic. I was informed that the bar is actually the LED that notifies the shooter of a low battery or too much light entering the tube. Armasight sells a magnifier that screws on to the back of the Co-Mini so that it can be used as a hand held or tripod mounted spotter, but my focus was on using the device to place rounds on target, so I did not test that particular accessory. Another interesting feature that I found really useful for hunting out of a blind with the Co-Mini and a helmet mounted unit was the ability to activate the Co-mini with a remote pressure switch. This allowed me to leave the Co-Mini on “standby” to save batteries, then when I spotted something, I could activate the pressure switch, turning on the night vision to make a shot. Once the pressure switch is released, the device goes back off.
After spending some time with the Co-Mini clip-on, the uses I see as best fitted to it are hunting, short distance engagements be it combat, law enforcement, etc., or if you are wanting a device that you can use in conjunction with a day optic or as a stand alone. Where I shoot in the Ozarks, long shots on vermin are not common, so the Co-Mini fit my needs quite well. I can also think of several situations in Baghdad/Sadr City were we would provide overwatch for a raid from distances under 100m, where a large heavy weapon was not needed or desired, and where our EXFIL was on foot, through the city. No one wants to lug a large precision rifle with a PVS-27 in that situation, and a small clip-on would be an ideal addition to your helmet mounted NODS. Obviously for this scenario, Gen 3, Gen3 Pinnacle, or Filmless Autogated would be desired for the two way range, which are all available as well.
In short, if you want a versatile, short range, small, lightweight night vision unit capable of being weapons mounted or used without a day optic, the Co-Mini is ideal.
If you need something for long range to be used in conjunction with a high magnification day optic, there are other, more appropriate offerings from Armasight as well as other manufacturers.
Some may be concerned about spending cash on a newer company’s product, as would I. However, I am satisfied with the quality and attention to detail of the units I have tested.
I had a great time playing with the Co-Mini, and was reluctant to send it back home. Thanks for reading.
