• Watch Out for Scammers!

    We've now added a color code for all accounts. Orange accounts are new members, Blue are full members, and Green are Supporters. If you get a message about a sale from an orange account, make sure you pay attention before sending any money!

Night Vision Pulsar Issues

Swo190

Private
Supporter
Full Member
Minuteman
Apr 3, 2017
45
12
38
Maryland
Anyone ever deal with pulsar warranty?

I have thermal which is 4yrs old and they won’t replace since manufacturer only covers 3yr. They offered 30% off a new unit but that’s off MAP and only saves about $300.

Has anyone ever had luck getting them to help replace and not just sell you a new unit. The customer service has been terrible and if it’s like this I don’t wanna own another pulsar.

Units is a Apex XD75
 
I ran an Apex XQ38 in 2018, and I think the XQ’s replaced the XD models but I could be wrong. I would say there’s a chance that they just don’t have the parts anymore for those scopes. Which pulsar thermal unit are you looking at that 30% off is only $300?
 
The Apex XD75 was discontinued in 2017.
Time to get a newer scope that's under warranty, has better sensors and alien technology.

SJC
 
Anyone ever deal with pulsar warranty?

I have thermal which is 4yrs old and they won’t replace since manufacturer only covers 3yr. They offered 30% off a new unit but that’s off MAP and only saves about $300.

Has anyone ever had luck getting them to help replace and not just sell you a new unit. The customer service has been terrible and if it’s like this I don’t wanna own another pulsar.

Units is a Apex XD75
I got one of these a couple weeks ago, and am extremely impressed with it, for what I've messed with it at night after work, and sighting it in all afternoon this past Sunday. Also, AGM is made in the USA (Arizona), and has a 5 year warranty on their 384 & 640 thermals.



Screenshot 2023-12-21 at 6.27.30 PM.png
 
That's a little misleading. "Assembled" in the USA. I believe most parts (including the sensor) are from China.
Name 1 item that is made entirely in America from 100% American parts…

Also, if you don’t like their wording, why don’t you call AGM and find out, and take it up with them. They’re the ones who said that it’s proudly made in Arizona. I’m just repeating what they state on their website. 🤷🏼
 
Name 1 item that is made entirely in America from 100% American parts…

Also, if you don’t like their wording, why don’t you call AGM and find out, and take it up with them. They’re the ones who said that it’s proudly made in Arizona. I’m just repeating what they state on their website. 🤷🏼

I hope that you get many fine years from your AGM. It is an entry-level option however.

This is not a dig, but I know how fiercely loyal you are to everything you purchase. On some things like the XTR II for the price we will agree. Others we will not.
 
  • Like
Reactions: dirtytough
Anyone ever deal with pulsar warranty?

I have thermal which is 4yrs old and they won’t replace since manufacturer only covers 3yr. They offered 30% off a new unit but that’s off MAP and only saves about $300.

Has anyone ever had luck getting them to help replace and not just sell you a new unit. The customer service has been terrible and if it’s like this I don’t wanna own another pulsar.

Units is a Apex XD75

I did have a brand new Thermion XP50 come to me dead on arrival about 3.5 years ago.

Sellmark (handled my warranty) was extremely polite and helpful. Unfortunately it took them 7 weeks to get me a replacement. The real pisser was having to mail in my old unit (insured) on my dime. I was never reimbursed for it either.

When my current Thermion XP50 finally dies, I will most likely be looking elsewhere. However I have thousands of hours on this unit.
 
A few years ago I had a Helion develop an issue while under warranty. Emailing back and forth with Pulsar was easy. They requested pictures and eventually had me send it in to them on my dime. Once they checked out the thermal they decided it needed to be replaced and sent me a new unit with a new warranty at no cost.
 

I saw that and I call BS. It's a very vague statement on the front of their webpage, and the thermal product pages have no mention of USA.

Not trying to hump Armasight's leg since i own them their thermals, but the reason i bought their thermals is that i could find specifics like this:

Every thermal spec has:
1703265511151.png


I emailed them too:

1703265538729.png


So other brands are playing the "made in USA" game but at least we can find specifics and they aren't totally lying.
 
I hope that you get many fine years from your AGM. It is an entry-level option however.

This is not a dig, but I know how fiercely loyal you are to everything you purchase. On some things like the XTR II for the price we will agree. Others we will not.
I’m not fiercely loyal to everything I buy, only the things that I find to have good quality. I’ve bought plenty of duds and garbage over the years that I will never recommend to anyone.

Also, I could drop $15,000-20,000 on a new 1024 or 1280 thermal scope, or a Rico 75…But I’m not going to. Night hunting is tons of fun, and I did it for years before owning my own NV, but it’s not my entire existence. Nor do I feel the need for the phallic extension or internet bragging rights (not saying you do, just saying some folks only buy expensive things to impress others). I buy things I want, whether it impresses anyone, or not. If I think something is a good buy, or worth the money, I post about it and recommend it. Isn’t that what forums are for?

I’d argue that no thermal scopes on the market in the 640+ range are an “entry-level” optic, but range from low-to-upper mid level.

Sure, they’re 256 models, and smaller 384’s I would certainly agree are entry level. I would consider the 640’s mid-range based on performance, not on price alone. A guy I know has a new Trijicon IR-HUNTER MKII 60mm ($9,500 MSRP) that are normally sold in the $6,500-7,500 range, and the performance is neck and neck with my Rattler TS50-640. They’re also spec’d very similarly, too. After looking through both, I honestly don’t think I could justify spending double the price on the Trijicon. Just me though. Everyone has their own opinions and reasonings, and to each, his own. 🤷🏼
 
Last edited:
I saw that and I call BS. It's a very vague statement on the front of their webpage, and the thermal product pages have no mention of USA.

Not trying to hump Armasight's leg since i own them their thermals, but the reason i bought their thermals is that i could find specifics like this:

Every thermal spec has:
View attachment 8303243

I emailed them too:

View attachment 8303244

So other brands are playing the "made in USA" game but at least we can find specifics and they aren't totally lying.
But did he say AGM specifically? I mean, Sightmark. Arken, and plenty of others, of course they source from China…That’s reflected in their pricing. Call them and ask. I’m curious to know, as well. But AGM’s prices are right there beside InfiRay. Don’t people typically regard those as high quality thermal units? 🤷🏼
 
But did he say AGM specifically? I mean, Sightmark. Arken, and plenty of others, of course they source from China…That’s reflected in their pricing. Call them and ask. I’m curious to know, as well. But AGM’s prices are right there beside InfiRay. Don’t people typically regard those as high quality thermal units? 🤷🏼
I'll email AGM since you don't want to. InfiRay is well known for decent thermals made in china.
 
Back to the OP’s question. I had a unit develop issues but it was still under warranty. They sent me a new one with no hassle.

As mentioned above if the unit is older I wouldn’t be surprised if they don’t have the parts. Pulsar changes their scopes faster than anyone I’ve seen in the thermal game. Seems like they have about a 2 year life before being discontinued and a new model comes out.
 
I'll email AGM since you don't want to.
Since I don’t want to? I simply take them at their word, and just don’t give as much of a shit about it, and accept the reality that most everything has parts made in China in it. Like the phone or computer we’re both typing this on was either made or has parts made in China, and the internet modems and routers are made in China, the Ethernet cables, etc… etc…

I love how other people make this into a big deal, but I’m universally the bad guy, because I simply don’t care as much as other people do. 😂
 
Back to the OP’s question. I had a unit develop issues but it was still under warranty. They sent me a new one with no hassle.

As mentioned above if the unit is older I wouldn’t be surprised if they don’t have the parts. Pulsar changes their scopes faster than anyone I’ve seen in the thermal game. Seems like they have about a 2 year life before being discontinued and a new model comes out.
I sent it in. They won’t repair it. Only offered to sell me a new unit. They did discontinue it in 2017 and I purchased it in 2018 brand new. I should have done more research on my end when purchasing. The customer support has been horrible. I have asked for details and they won’t answer a single question straight up without poor short answer to buy a new unit. I won’t purchase from pulsar again.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Bevo
I got one of these a couple weeks ago, and am extremely impressed with it, for what I've messed with it at night after work, and sighting it in all afternoon this past Sunday. Also, AGM is made in the USA (Arizona), and has a 5 year warranty on their 384 & 640 thermals.

Made in china


1703275945207.png
 
I bought an xp50 (I think that's the correct model) last year, took it out of the box and it worked fine, put it on my rifle and the first time I touched the trigger it went black and wouldn't power back up. I sent it back in, they kept in a few months and sent it back "repaired". I took it back out of the packaging and everything worked great, mounted it on my rifle and the first time I touched the trigger...... yeah, you guessed it, black again and wouldn't power up anymore. I sent it back and a few months later they sent me a replacement. I haven't spent an hour playing with it total, but given I bought a new model and it took them 6-8 months to get me a functional scope, I'll probably look elsewhere in the future.
 
I bought an xp50 (I think that's the correct model) last year, took it out of the box and it worked fine, put it on my rifle and the first time I touched the trigger it went black and wouldn't power back up. I sent it back in, they kept in a few months and sent it back "repaired". I took it back out of the packaging and everything worked great, mounted it on my rifle and the first time I touched the trigger...... yeah, you guessed it, black again and wouldn't power up anymore. I sent it back and a few months later they sent me a replacement. I haven't spent an hour playing with it total, but given I bought a new model and it took them 6-8 months to get me a functional scope, I'll probably look elsewhere in the future.
I’ve owned a few pulsars and haven’t had issues, but I’ve always wondered why they have so many refurbished units for sale on various sites, including newer released models.
 
The Apex XD75 was discontinued in 2017.
Time to get a newer scope that's under warranty, has better sensors and alien technology.

SJC
I agreed. I purchased mine in 2018 from a pulsar dealer not knowing it was discontinued. My mistake for not doing my homework. But I’m kinda disappointed that I buy a 6k thermal it last 4yrs and they offer to only give me $200 off a new unit. So in 4yrs I would have 12k invested in one thermal. Maybe I’m bad at math and doing my homework but I figured they could at least swap me for a cheaper unit or maybe an old unit if they had one on the shelf. And on top that not having working thermal after only 4yrs, I asked what the technician did during the inspection and the exact reply was “I’m guessing it’s discontinued ” which doesn’t answer my question.
 
I bought an xp50 (I think that's the correct model) last year, took it out of the box and it worked fine, put it on my rifle and the first time I touched the trigger it went black and wouldn't power back up. I sent it back in, they kept in a few months and sent it back "repaired". I took it back out of the packaging and everything worked great, mounted it on my rifle and the first time I touched the trigger...... yeah, you guessed it, black again and wouldn't power up anymore. I sent it back and a few months later they sent me a replacement. I haven't spent an hour playing with it total, but given I bought a new model and it took them 6-8 months to get me a functional scope, I'll probably look elsewhere in the future.

I ran an Apex XQ38 in 2018, and I think the XQ’s replaced the XD models but I could be wrong. I would say there’s a chance that they just don’t have the parts anymore for those scopes. Which pulsar thermal unit are you looking at that 30% off is only $300?
They offered 30% off any unit. I figured I’d purchase whatever could get me back in the field the quickest and cheapest. So the talion xq35 pro. The price they gave me was just a tad lower the. What was listed on retailers websites.
 
  • Like
Reactions: joe777
Yeah, it’s a game. If it doesn’t explicitly say made in USA, it’s made in China (or in the case of Pulsar, Eastern EU))

Like this Bering optics company in Irving Texas, that makes the Hogster and the Yoter, the sensor, the important part, is made in China, which is why they’re half the cost of N-vision, which is made in the USA and has superior optics

Why don’t we just be honest with the facts and let people judge them. You are either made in USA or you are not. You’re either $5000 or $9000. At least they don’t mess with your mind on the price.
 
  • Like
Reactions: FuhQ
Yeah, it’s a game. If it doesn’t explicitly say made in USA, it’s made in China (or in the case of Pulsar, Eastern EU))

Like this Bering optics company in Irving Texas, that makes the Hogster and the Yoter, the sensor, the important part, is made in China, which is why they’re half the cost of N-vision, which is made in the USA and has superior optics

Why don’t we just be honest with the facts and let people judge them. You are either made in USA or you are not. You’re either $5000 or $9000. At least they don’t mess with your mind on the price.
I mean, I'm happy with my AGM scopes, and they're really nice for the money, and I honestly don't give a shit about the sensor being made in China, since just about every other electrical component in EVERYTHING we own is... But it would have been nice if they were upfront about where the things are made, since their website says otherwise. Especially since it specifically states all there products are MADE IN ARIZONA.
 
  • Like
Reactions: secondofangle2