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Night Vision Need advice on what NOD to buy

The Durk

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Minuteman
Jun 12, 2013
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Pittsburgh PA
So I just came into ownership of a house, my first, and I want to celebrate by buying a NV monocle, especially with everything going on.

My price range is pretty set in stone due to the cost of fixing up this house etc.

I have a price range of maximum $3200 out the door. I'm not worried about low balling for a $1700 tube, and I understand like good rifle glass, the more you pay, the better you play.

I'm aware that tubes are dependent on the environment where you live. I'm moving to a rural area in thick tree cover, so dark shadows from trees above with little starlight/moonlight means most likely I'll need a good IR light, but I'm not sure what tube would be preferred for that kind of situation.

What type of monocle and tube type would you suggest and from what store? If the store thing is against forum rules you can just DM me.

I'm planning on buying one at the end of Spring.
 
I know squat about this stuff, really want to learn and get into it. You are on the same page as I am. I was just talking to a fellow who is well versed in this and he has photonis which he said is good for in town. His boss has an L3 set and he said if you live rural the L3 is the way to go. Low ambient light, he said the difference between the 2 sets was like a video in 720 to 4k. Just what I was told, again, I have the dumb. 🤪
 
You're in Pittsburgh I see. There's a great NV group near you that holds demos/shoots. @jwramp would be the man to connect with. I attended his demo here in Ohio last fall. It was badass! See if you can attend one if they have another soon. Tons of gear to try and great advice.

2021LRNightShoot-156.jpg
 
You're in Pittsburgh I see. There's a great NV group near you that holds demos/shoots. @jwramp would be the man to connect with. I attended his demo here in Ohio last fall. It was badass! See if you can attend one if they have another soon. Tons of gear to try and great advice.

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I don't want to derail this thread, if someone knows of this sort of thing near Phoenix/Scottsdale area I would be really interested. I want to learn. PM me. Thanks!
 
I don't want to derail this thread, if someone knows of this sort of thing near Phoenix/Scottsdale area I would be really interested. I want to learn. PM me. Thanks!
Or in the Northern Illinois / Southern Wisconsin area, I too would be interested.
 
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You're in Pittsburgh I see. There's a great NV group near you that holds demos/shoots. @jwramp would be the man to connect with. I attended his demo here in Ohio last fall. It was badass! See if you can attend one if they have another soon. Tons of gear to try and great advice.

View attachment 7820494
Got our last PGH shoot this winter tomorrow night if anyone’s interested. Good times, kicking off safety brief at 4pm. Will definitely be doing another long range one in the fall at TVP.
 
Lots of dude/dude butt stuff happens at those events. Felching with NODs is not to be missed.
 
Does $3200 include your budget for the mounting system and helmet as well? If it’s $3200 just for a PVS14, you can get nice quality tube for that.

If that’s your total budget, you’ll need to find the best specs for your cash.
 
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So I just came into ownership of a house, my first, and I want to celebrate by buying a NV monocle, especially with everything going on.

My price range is pretty set in stone due to the cost of fixing up this house etc.

I have a price range of maximum $3200 out the door. I'm not worried about low balling for a $1700 tube, and I understand like good rifle glass, the more you pay, the better you play.

I'm aware that tubes are dependent on the environment where you live. I'm moving to a rural area in thick tree cover, so dark shadows from trees above with little starlight/moonlight means most likely I'll need a good IR light, but I'm not sure what tube would be preferred for that kind of situation.

What type of monocle and tube type would you suggest and from what store? If the store thing is against forum rules you can just DM me.

I'm planning on buying one at the end of Spring.
Well this probably won't be the popular cool guy answer but if you want to stretch your dollars and get good capabilities "especially with everything going on" you could snag a good used Gen 3 PVS 7 with a Omni 7 Contract tube for between $1,500 and $2,000, then get some thermal like a



or


A good quality used PVS 7 with a Gen3 Omni 7 Contract tube does very well.

With both of these devices you are much further ahead than a person with just Night Vision.

With a PVS 7 you can even somewhat effectively use it without even mounting it on a helmet. Point being you can put a lanyard/neck strap on it and the snorkel works as a good place to hold it by hand up to your eyes as you walk around. As you build additional funds you can get a cheap bump helmet and Rhino 2 for head mounting later on.

This is a "poor boy" way into NV and Thermal, but in the hands of a skilled person these 2 devices can get it done on the cheap.
 
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If you haven't already, you should check the PX here and filter by night vision. I've seen a couple of nice pvs 14s for sale recently in your price range, from reputable members.

$3,200 should get you into a nice white Elbit tube with a fom somewhere in the low 2,000s, which would likely be great for what you want to do. They come and go frequently, so I'm sure something will be available when you're ready to buy.
 
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I’m certainly no guru but I have learned a lot over the last few weeks/ months about night vision… I say check these out in the PX



 
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We have New green phosphor GP3 PVS14s in stock for less than that and New WP3 White Phosphor PVS14s in stock for around that price. Shipping same day order received (Mon-Friday). Save some bucks with Hide discounts also.
[email protected]
 
You could start with a simple Crye Nightcap and a basic mount. If you live anywhere near a military installation check out the surplus stores for the J arm and mount just to get you going on a budget.

The crye nightcap is my favorite, TNVC sells them.
 
We have New green phosphor GP3 PVS14s in stock for less than that and New WP3 White Phosphor PVS14s in stock for around that price. Shipping same day order received (Mon-Friday). Save some bucks with Hide discounts also.
[email protected]

I'll save this and send an email when I'm ready to buy! Should be about April/May.

You could start with a simple Crye Nightcap and a basic mount. If you live anywhere near a military installation check out the surplus stores for the J arm and mount just to get you going on a budget.

The crye nightcap is my favorite, TNVC sells them.
I can grab those Rhino (Spelling?) mounts all day long from a local Mil Surp store. I will eventually get the cool guy integrated ballistic helmet/hearing protection/dual bridge for a thermal monocle as well, but this will get me in the game a bit faster with the nightcap.

Thanks for all the help guys!
 
I'll save this and send an email when I'm ready to buy! Should be about April/May.


I can grab those Rhino (Spelling?) mounts all day long from a local Mil Surp store. I will eventually get the cool guy integrated ballistic helmet/hearing protection/dual bridge for a thermal monocle as well, but this will get me in the game a bit faster with the nightcap.

Thanks for all the help guys!
Integrated helmet earpro is overrated. Just adds more weight to the helmet when you don’t need to wear it. Just get a nice set of ear pro and adjust your helmet pads to fit the ear pro band inside the helmet.