Night Vision Help, Iray Bolt TL35 or Pulsar Thermion 2 XQ50 Pro LRF

[ephul]

So I currently have an Iray Bolt TL35. Great scope and really good image. Used it last year for some of the coyote season.

I have a friend that has asked me to get him a thermal setup. I showed him my Bolt and he really liked it, so I've been looking for a good used one before I pull the trigger and get him a new one.

I have the opportunity to purchase a refurbished Pulsar Thermion 2 XQ50 LRF.... I like the idea of LRF. Not sure if I'll end up using it a lot, but I'm curious if anyone has looked through both. Even without the LRF, how do the images compare? The Pulsar would have a 1 year warranty. The Bolt has 4 years left.

The money would be about a wash. Would the Pulsar be an upgrade even with the lesser warranty? I don't want to sacrifice much image quality just for the LRF...

 

[shoots100]

The one year warranty on a refurbished pulsar thermal isn't great.
If desired, the iRay V2 will have the capability to be upgraded with a ballistic comp LRF in the future, but both are 384 resolution, so magnifying will degrade the image and what's the use of an lrf if your looking at a blob in the distance.
Up close both scopes have great images and clarity.

SJC

 

[Night Vision Viking]

The irays usually give a decent image on the animal, but not the surroundings.

I think Pulsar have a better overall package, and usually give a better image of the back stop etc.

The LRF with ballistic software (free) is also going to give you a huge advantage.

Note: I have not used the Iray Bolt TL35, but I guess you would be taking a 35 mm lens vs 50 mm? That's also going to help.

If you can afford it, get the 640x sensor and you're all set for ages. XP or XG models.

 

[ephul]

I've been pretty impressed with the Iray Bolt; even the surrounding images.

I really like the higher base mag on both scopes; thus, I really don't mind the 384 res. I've also got a Pulsar Helion 2 XP50 Pro on the way to me, so I'll watch them in that until they get somewhat close.

Only having a 1 year warranty does worry me a bit. I've never had to deal with Pulsar's customer service; so I'm curious how much "out of warranty" repairs would cost. I've only had to deal with one night vision company's customer service. It was ATN's and they were surprisingly fantastic.

As much as I'd love to get a 640 scope; I really don't think I need to make that jump just yet.

 

[Night Vision Viking]

As much as I'd love to get a 640 scope; I really don't think I need to make that jump just yet.

Let us know when you try one...

 

[ephul]

I've tried them. Have friends that have them. They are fantastic and no doubt a step above. I just can't justify it, budget wise. With me getting a Helion 2 XP50 Pro spotter, sticking with a 384 scope is probably my best option thus far.

And I'm a huge fan of the higher base mag, so if I bought a 640 with a lower base mag, I'd be doing a little more zooming in anyway.