I have a twofold theory of why many folks tend to start off with lower end I^2 devices but eventually upgrade to higher performance equipment over time.  The context of this post is civi, as I have never been .mil or LE due to PDQ 30 years ago.

The first factor is obvious… pure economics.  NV is not at all inexpensive, and it is difficult to pony up some serious coin for that which one is uncertain as to how often or even how at all they might make benefit from it.  It is also intimidating technology with lots of jargon, and each tube is unique to further complicate things, like shopping for your fiancee’s engagement ring. While some folks have more discretionary income than others, the bottom line is that the “good stuff” ain’t  cheap.

Moving to the second consideration.  

As humans we are conditioned to not being able to see as well at night as we can during the day.

When an individual initially starts using decent I^2 such as Gen2, the focus tends to be on the things that can now be seen which were previously not visible to the naked eye.  I think of this as the "ooh, aah factor".  The first time that I looked through a Gen3 years ago, my reaction was along the lines of, "I expected it to be good, but not this good!"  That sentiment has been echoed numerous times when I have demo'd gear for others having no or minimal previous experience with such devices.

The better that one becomes accustomed to the capabilities of the technology, a reasonable assumption seems to mentally evolve and the focus shifts from what can now be seen to more importantly what still cannot be seen at all or cannot be seen clearly enough to ID.   That is when the realization of the higher performance devices really making difference sets in, and the user understands the increased cost.

Over the past few months, there have been many new members posting in this forum, and that is a spectacular testament to the wealth of information being exchanged!  I suspect that a percentage who genuinely appreciate the technology will be upgrading over time as is not particularly uncommon.  

Everyone is always after a “bargain” me included, but as a cautionary note to the newer users, some information about getting reliable high performance for low cost doesn’t add up, and the buyer should always beware of any information source on the intraweb, including this post.

Some suppliers over promise and under deliver, while some others under promise and over deliver.  This is true for almost all market segments, not just NV.

Ask questions, lots and lots of questions.  If you don't receive satisfactory answers, ask someone else.

FYI, becasue of yall, I went straight to the pvs14/dbal i2 set up and skipped the cheap shit. I dont fuck around and i take my shooting shit in the dark serious!

I just wish the jump from monoculars to dual tubes wasn't so steep.

As usual, excellent advice John.  My experience is similar to yours.   In various tech areas, I've noticed the value triangle - cost, performance, ready available now - you only get to prioritize two.  I tend to gravitate towards folks who shoot straight independent of whether they make the sale at the moment.  Dealing with top level companies who really take the time to understand my needs and help me make informed choices is critical when the $$ spent is as high as NVG.  This group has been essential to shortening the learning curve and avoiding poor choices.

I've considered making the jump to duals more than once now, but I always come back to the fact that I like having one eye dark adapted.

Good post John ! I think a lot of it is price oriented. I didn't listen to anyone when I started out. I fell for the glossy ads and thought Gen 1 or low end Gen 2 would suit me fine. I even went the gen 1 cascade route. The cascade was great for gen 1 but heavy and more suited to stationary viewing. Regular gen 1 was like looking through a green bottle with Vaseline smeared on it. And low end Gen 2 seemed OK to me at first (until the housing broke in half twice) and I found Gen 3.

I lost count long ago of all my scopes but I think I moved up to a PVS-7 Omni III next. That is when the bug bit me ! Why did I waste so much money buying junk ?? I was just hard headed and thought I knew best. I am sure I pissed off some old tech guys to no end with my endless bargain shopping. I got tons of great advice but listened to little of it. In many ways that helped me though. It forced me to learn and when mistakes are made that burn your wallet you take notice quickly.

I think many will need to see Gen 1 and move up the line like most of us did. I could save them thousands in money and aggravation but I know many are hard headed like I was. Maybe it is just human nature to look for the cheapest solution. Gen 1 and cheap Gen 2 is like cutting your lawn with scissors. Gen 3 and Supergen is finally stepping up to a power mower. Just like the ATN bring back thread. You can passionately try to help someone. They will fight you to hell and back sometimes. In the end I get many PM messages saying that "you were right" and a thank you. I think sometimes you just have to let folks make mistakes but try to steer them away from big costly mistakes.

I just started at the top because that was what I wanted.  This area has such a high cost of entry that even the cheaper accessories are still pretty damn expensive.  When you are already spending thousands of dollars, buying a $800 IR laser over a $400 doesn't seem like a huge difference.  Another thing is no one wants to be disappointed by an expensive low end accessory and end up buying the more expensive one later anyways.  It's just easier to buy the top stuff to begin with and get to shooting.

I went the dual PVS-14 route because of that jump.

I'll probably break down and buy some BNVDs when I get the funds.

I was lucky enough to find this forum BEFORE buying my first NV. I took the "buy once cry once" advise and have been smiling like I am guilty of something ever since. Thank you all for your input back then.
Joe

I will keep upgrading until I they make contacts that provide both Gen 12 i^2 and 4k Thermal resolution with a detection range of 5+ miles in all conditions.

I'm still waiting on NV cost to drop.  I don't use it enough to justify the cost right now.  I expect NV costs to drop and current NV technology to be eclipsed by future lower cost alternatives, so I'm waiting to spend my money.



If I had time to do night hunts I might feel differently.  Right now I'd rather drop my money on a MAC.

       
 

No way.  I really don't see gen III becoming much cheaper than it already is.  2500 for a refurb pvs4, pvs-14's for under 3000 currently, I don't see them going in half from there.  I Think anyone in the industry will agree on that point.

(of course I would love to be proved wrong)

I think digital NV will increase in capability and provide the same or better quality while being cheaper.  That may take 15 years though.



 

The display technology is the weakest link, IMHO. The nice thing about i^2 tubes is that it's WYSIWYG and there are no response or optical overlay issues. Digital displays are very difficult to navigate by or use while walking, for instance.

No doubt digital has a long ways to go.  But it wouldn't surprise me to see digital night vision that fits like google glass and has similar size characteristics while performing at or better than current Gen3 tech.  It's just going to take time before the technology advances and makes it viable.



 

Cost was the reason I built my first unit. I did enough research to know to spring for Gen 3 right out the gate, and built a Envis/Micro hybrid for $1300. I was amazed how good it performed and that paved the way for more expensive units. Now I'm playing with dual PVS14's. That has got me starting to see the value in binocular sets, so I'm sure its only a matter of time. I'm still using the standard rhino mount and J arm, and haven't used the higher end stuff yet so I'm not sure what it has to offer, or understand why some guys spend crazy money on it. Maybe one day I'll get to use it and it'll once again blow my mind.

Your expectations on I^2 pricing have historically not been true and there is no indication that will change, since Moore's law is not applicable to this technology.  Prices had been pretty flat for a long while, with slight escalation due to inflation, but with recent reduction due to supply versus demand response to the US .mil turndown, since export is ITAR limited.  Now is actually a really good time to be buying I^2 before prices start creeping back up.

Digital on the other hand is analogous to thermal and does tend to follow Moore's law, just like PCs, smart phones, etc.  Your estimate of how long it will take for digital to catch up with I^2 in terms of performance might be slightly exaggerated, but it ain't just around the corner (where is Benny when we need him?).  Forget about time value of money considerations, I want to be able to see clearly in the dark NOW, and I want to do so without any lag, flaring, need for IR, latency, etc.  I can ride my quad at speed with Gen3 I^2, while even trying to nav on foot with digital is arguably dangerous.

 

Booger'd up lower extremities are indeed a real bummer Cy; ask me how I know.

Here is another little tidbit for digestion by the hive...

I haven't bought any day optics for a while, since there are a fair bit of good choices in the current stable.  I recently started questing a new one for a new rifle, and for F-sake, they have gone up a whole bunch!  NF, USO, S&B, Swaro, Zeiss, Leupy high end, NcStar....talk about sticker shock!  Some of these devices, and they are all very good ones, are at or above the price of Gen3 NV.  

There has been an order of magnitude higher price escalation for day optics than there has been for I^2 in recent years.

I'm digging all of my new toys, but I was also pretty content with my old gen 2+ mutton m942. This dual pinnacle tube pvs-14 and atn ots-x thermal are complete overkill. Lol.