Am I missing something, or are these simply the PVS-31 unit? Wondering if it's possible to pick up a L3 WP unit on the civ market.
Night Vision BNVD UL WP
- Thread starter SkyScrapin
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Similar functionality but different. The Night Vision Devices BNVD-UL's housing doesn't have IP adjustment like the -31. The UL stands for Ultra Light and the only difference between a BNVD-UL and a regular BNVD are the optics. They're lighter weight than the PVS-14 optics that come with the regular BNVD models. The UL optics can still be adjusted for individual eyesight unlike the -31's that have fixed diopters. The Mini-B is the version that has a different housing using push buttons vs knobs for power/gain, and it also uses the same UL optics. There are different Mini-B versions for AA & AAA removable battery compartments for use with a remote batter pack.
@Will-1 Good info. So what you're saying is, the UL's IP function similar to that of the PVS15, there is no "hard stop" or "set screw" type setting.
Also, I read the UL/Mini-B doesn't have the PVS14 optic like you mentioned, rather it's a hybrid type (whatever that means). Safe to say there is some clarity degradation because of this, or is it the opposite of what I'm thinking?
Correct, you rotate the pods to your eyes and use the mount’s vertical/horizontal.
Supposedly the UL optics are optimized for white phosphor. I asked UL users on ARF to compare them to -14 optics but no ones replied back. Maybe someone here?
Supposedly the UL optics are optimized for white phosphor. I asked UL users on ARF to compare them to -14 optics but no ones replied back. Maybe someone here?
@Will-1 Saw your post on Arfcom thanks to the googs. Not a sole that I fully trust has confirmed if the UL is optimized for the WP, though I read the same post you did.
@TNVC_Augee @Victor-TNVC Either of you guys familiar with the BNVD-UL or MINI-B line up? I like the size and weight, but there doesn't seem to be many of these out in the wild with L3 WP tubes. I'm curious if the BNVD units with 'non -14 optics' (reason for reduced weight) are in fact optimized for WP in some way?? Any idea??
@TNVC_Augee @Victor-TNVC Either of you guys familiar with the BNVD-UL or MINI-B line up? I like the size and weight, but there doesn't seem to be many of these out in the wild with L3 WP tubes. I'm curious if the BNVD units with 'non -14 optics' (reason for reduced weight) are in fact optimized for WP in some way?? Any idea??
For anyone that cares, the lenses ARE optimized for WP according to Night Vision Devices. It's apparently a lens coating, but no other details were shared.
Looks like I'll be guinea pigging a set of BNVD Mini-B's in L3 filmless WP.
Looks like I'll be guinea pigging a set of BNVD Mini-B's in L3 filmless WP.
Been reading these posts and I have a little personal input.
I had the mini b aaa and it is great. Light weight, functional and the L3 WP is really darn good.
After a few months of use, the things I disliked is how slow the push button gain reacted, the spacing of the buttons and how easy it was to push an unintended button especially with gloves.
I paid to have the mini b converted to a AA UL. To me, this is as good as it gets for a civi bino. I won’t get into specs, but the Pvs 14 style setup is simple and it’s damn near impossible to be on a setting or gain level that’s unintended. Even if you were, adjusting gain is almost instant. Yes, the UL Is a slightly heavier than the mini. That said, having AA, remote battery, 14 controls with L3 WP in what is still a super light package was the way I should have gone from day 1.
Both are excellent units and you can’t go wrong with either, but if I were in any pressure situation, the UL is the way to roll.
I had the mini b aaa and it is great. Light weight, functional and the L3 WP is really darn good.
After a few months of use, the things I disliked is how slow the push button gain reacted, the spacing of the buttons and how easy it was to push an unintended button especially with gloves.
I paid to have the mini b converted to a AA UL. To me, this is as good as it gets for a civi bino. I won’t get into specs, but the Pvs 14 style setup is simple and it’s damn near impossible to be on a setting or gain level that’s unintended. Even if you were, adjusting gain is almost instant. Yes, the UL Is a slightly heavier than the mini. That said, having AA, remote battery, 14 controls with L3 WP in what is still a super light package was the way I should have gone from day 1.
Both are excellent units and you can’t go wrong with either, but if I were in any pressure situation, the UL is the way to roll.
Thanks for sharing. I have the BNVD-SG non-UL/standard -14 optics. I haven’t used the push button housing but they seem like they could be a pita compared to the old school knobs.
I am really glad that I found this thread. I can't really find anything on the NVD UL BNVDs. I am supposed to call Robert at JRH in a few minutes to talk about ordering a set of these with the L-3 tubes. DL32 do you mind the lack of IP set screws? Please bear with me because I am a complete noob to nods, but are the L-3 WP tubes automatically considered Mil-spec or do they offer commercial tubes as well?
I have PVS-15s and also the Mini-B on order.. I don't mind the non-locking IP set screws. The 15s stay put once "set", but I don't have the Mini-B yet so no input.
L3 UF WP is the way to go if you can swing it. Mil-Spec depends on what the sheet says and what branch of .gov is buying them for.. Buy a clean tube with a high FOM/SN/LP with no specs in Zone 1 or 2 and you'll be solid.
@photorestore
The NVD-BNVD’s stay where you put them so once your IP is set, if you stow them in place without rotating the tubes, and bring back down they’ll be where you left them. Unless you bump it of course.
Robert is a good dude.
I also 2nd L3 filmless WP if money is no restriction. These are usually backed up so you could have a wait. The L3 11769UW 1701 tubes I believe are the “commercial” spec. I have -14’s with 1701s and they’re 72res/34snr with zone 3 blems but there were also some in the 64/30 range. Not all L3 filmless WP or 1701s are “high” spec. It has been stated that the 1701s are 1800 FOM usual minimum (that’d be 64res 28.2snr - FOM is res x snr) but they have an unlimited maximum.
FWIW, my BNVD-SG has HP+ in it. They work great and at the time (4 years ago) I wasn’t willing to spend the $$$ for a L3 filmless WP bino rig. I fell into the trap like many of us chasing the best tube. Well, now that I have them that’s all I want to use. If I never got the 2440+ FOM L3s I’d still be perfectly happy with the HP+s like I was before.
Guess what I’m saying is, good tubes will do their job just fine whether they are filmed/green/white. Don’t get hung up on filmless super tubes for your first device unless you’re willing to pay $$$ and possibly wait a while.
The NVD-BNVD’s stay where you put them so once your IP is set, if you stow them in place without rotating the tubes, and bring back down they’ll be where you left them. Unless you bump it of course.
Robert is a good dude.
I also 2nd L3 filmless WP if money is no restriction. These are usually backed up so you could have a wait. The L3 11769UW 1701 tubes I believe are the “commercial” spec. I have -14’s with 1701s and they’re 72res/34snr with zone 3 blems but there were also some in the 64/30 range. Not all L3 filmless WP or 1701s are “high” spec. It has been stated that the 1701s are 1800 FOM usual minimum (that’d be 64res 28.2snr - FOM is res x snr) but they have an unlimited maximum.
FWIW, my BNVD-SG has HP+ in it. They work great and at the time (4 years ago) I wasn’t willing to spend the $$$ for a L3 filmless WP bino rig. I fell into the trap like many of us chasing the best tube. Well, now that I have them that’s all I want to use. If I never got the 2440+ FOM L3s I’d still be perfectly happy with the HP+s like I was before.
Guess what I’m saying is, good tubes will do their job just fine whether they are filmed/green/white. Don’t get hung up on filmless super tubes for your first device unless you’re willing to pay $$$ and possibly wait a while.
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Thanks for the input guys I appreciate all the help I can get. I spoke with Robert today and he said 60 - 90 days for the L-3s but that he doubts it would actually take that long. I'm a big believer in buy once cry once so great tubes are my main goal. I've been saving for a while, and now it's time to actually pull the trigger on a setup. It's a lot of money for me though, so I want to do my research and I'm definitely still learning. My buddy is SWAT and running 31 Alphas, so I'm already spoiled looking through those.
I’m an NV noob as well. I just decided to go with good gear from day 1. No issues with the IP with no set screw.
L3 WP Filmless is pretty amazing. It picks up the faintest amount of light. Any ambient light feels like a light show under them. BTW, my build took about 30 days. My conversion from mini to UL was about 1 week + a few days.
Whatever you get, you will enjoy. I ended up pairing the setup with MAWL and since I don’t use my gear that often, I’m still shocked at how good this gear is every time I run it.
I also really like the articulating arms. They are stiff enough and really smooth. You can use it like a pvs 14 if for some reason you only want to use one side and the auto shutoff kills the side you rotate up.
Great little system NVD made.
Just received my BNVD UL's this past weekend. I was on the border with the whole WP thing and decided to go with filmed Harris WP tubes instead of the L3s. Every time I get behind WP L3s I find them too damn bright! Unfortunately the Sentinels, RNVGs and DTNVGs dont have gain control so I could never adjust it down and see where the L3s might fit for me. Additionally the Harris WP have a lets say a "tint" to them which I liked more than the starkness of the L3s to my eyes.
You guys will love ALL the features and weight of the BNVD ULs. I have a few hours behind them currently and still sorting out just how I want them best set for overall conditions. I know buying a unit that had gain adjustment was the correct decision for me.
Three night NV class coming up this weekend so they will get put through their paces. More to follow.
You guys will love ALL the features and weight of the BNVD ULs. I have a few hours behind them currently and still sorting out just how I want them best set for overall conditions. I know buying a unit that had gain adjustment was the correct decision for me.
Three night NV class coming up this weekend so they will get put through their paces. More to follow.
BNVD Mini-B's arrived today. They balance significantly better than my -15 (also WP) and the hyper articulation allows them to stow much closer to my helmet when not in use. This feature is huge for me since we're climbing in and out of vehicles, some with roofs some without (jeep, atv, utv). The battery pack is cool, but unnecessary since these will be used for just a few hours at a time on hunts. I'm interested to see how important the gain control is to me since the -15s do not have this feature.
So, in my 5 minute experience with the Mini-B, so far so good.
So, in my 5 minute experience with the Mini-B, so far so good.
Sky looking forward to your report.
Gain was a BIG deal and must have for me coming from 14s. Ran my BNVD ULs hard over the weekend in a Nightfighter Armed Professional class. Agree with you about the articulation however I found just rolling both pods out vs up and back against the helmet to be better for getting in and out of the sling, getting in and out of vehicles and for driving,
Gain was a BIG deal and must have for me coming from 14s. Ran my BNVD ULs hard over the weekend in a Nightfighter Armed Professional class. Agree with you about the articulation however I found just rolling both pods out vs up and back against the helmet to be better for getting in and out of the sling, getting in and out of vehicles and for driving,
The MINI BNVD is currently out of production but honestly the Ultralight BNVD Single Gain is what most folks have been buying the last couple years.
We do not typically offer the NO GAIN version, just the single gain version.
Also if your asking for a diy type thing- they will not sell just the housing. You can get a conversion done by them however. I did that a few years ago just to go through the process so I could tell customers how it worked. I sent in two green HP+ PVS14s and had them converted to a BNVD Single gain.
Great setup- extremely durable, full featured not like the "brick" type old pvs5 style dual tube systems out on the market.
As far as IPD goes- just like a pair of daytime binos, you just move the pods where you need them and that's it- no calculus involved. They will NOT move until you move them. Do jumping jacks, run up and down hills, etc. No need for some big screw to get gunk in it in the field. The pods require a little bit of pull to move.
As a little aside- you hear all this about IPD having to be perfect or your head will explode like Hiroshima... Well at a 2 night class I purposely set my IPD on my Ultralights all jacked up and ran the two nights with it all jacked up. No problems and hell if anything it became a big of an advantage having them just a bit out of normal range- I got slightly more FOV that way. So I get people being concerned about having IPD set correctly but trust me, your brain will not explode if you mess it up just a little bit.
As one of the above posters mentioned, the Minis have the button controls versus the knob setup. Almost everyone I sold a Mini to complained about the buttons versus a knob setup. Most of us come from at least some experience with a PVS14 and the controls are the same here, so immediate familiarity crosses over there versus making fine motor skills control learning on a new device.
We do not typically offer the NO GAIN version, just the single gain version.
Also if your asking for a diy type thing- they will not sell just the housing. You can get a conversion done by them however. I did that a few years ago just to go through the process so I could tell customers how it worked. I sent in two green HP+ PVS14s and had them converted to a BNVD Single gain.
Great setup- extremely durable, full featured not like the "brick" type old pvs5 style dual tube systems out on the market.
As far as IPD goes- just like a pair of daytime binos, you just move the pods where you need them and that's it- no calculus involved. They will NOT move until you move them. Do jumping jacks, run up and down hills, etc. No need for some big screw to get gunk in it in the field. The pods require a little bit of pull to move.
As a little aside- you hear all this about IPD having to be perfect or your head will explode like Hiroshima... Well at a 2 night class I purposely set my IPD on my Ultralights all jacked up and ran the two nights with it all jacked up. No problems and hell if anything it became a big of an advantage having them just a bit out of normal range- I got slightly more FOV that way. So I get people being concerned about having IPD set correctly but trust me, your brain will not explode if you mess it up just a little bit.
As one of the above posters mentioned, the Minis have the button controls versus the knob setup. Almost everyone I sold a Mini to complained about the buttons versus a knob setup. Most of us come from at least some experience with a PVS14 and the controls are the same here, so immediate familiarity crosses over there versus making fine motor skills control learning on a new device.
That is some great info thanks! So they don’t seem just housings? As I have two tubes ready put into a housing, and I’ve done a decent amount of night vision modding/tinkering so I would much prefer to do it myself so it’s cheaper and less lead time
Still loving my Mini Bs. Robert and I had a short convo about the buttons verses knob. Found it interesting that most like the knob. The only challenge with buttons is that they’re close to the G24 mount and you somewhat have to smash your finger into the corner to actuate the gain of power. Really not a big deal for me since it also protects the buttons somewhat so you can’t accidentally hit them.
I’ll echo Roberts IPD post. I mess with my pods and will have them all sorts of jacked up just to see how I like it and they never cause problems for a few hour at a time.
I’ll echo Roberts IPD post. I mess with my pods and will have them all sorts of jacked up just to see how I like it and they never cause problems for a few hour at a time.
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