Atn pvs7 About to throw down some cash. $2500. Does anyone have good info, pros cons or just gripes I should be aware of??.. thanks

1) Why do you want a 7?

2) Is it BRAND NEW from an ATN reseller?

3) Is it a "real" PVS-7, and not a clone -- i.e. it *looks* similar, but it's not a *genuine* PVS-7?

4) Is it Gen 3 autogated "Pinnacle" or better?

1 pvs7 cause of price and I think Im getting allot of optic for my money... im open to wise suggestions from people with more experience than I
2 brand new from Amazon. So who really know without calling them.
3 I hadn't thought about a clone situation. How does one tell?
4 all it says is gen 3

This is my first night vision. Im a prepper and hunter im gunna use them a good bit for training and such

Lay it on me.

At $2500 you're only about $100-$300 away from the brand new price on a Gen 3 Autogated PVS-14. A PVS-14 will be more versatile than a PVS-7 and will have better resale value if you ever want to unload it. Unless you have a specific reason for wanting a 7, you'd probably be better off getting a 14.

Besides price. What's the Difference between atn and armsight grade a and b sold on the 14

+1 on the 14 vs the 7 ! I've got both, and use the 14 way more than the 7  ! It will fit in your coat pocket, and can be weapon mounted as well as head mounted. The 14 is way more versatile, by far!

It's hard to tell because they don't supply the datasheets with the tubes, so you won't ever know what you actually got. I have owned ATN gear and I have nothing to complain quality wise, but today I would look for the datasheet too. It will help when selling the unit.

+1 on a PVS-14 / other good monoculars. If you have to go with ATN they have PVS-14's also. Their best ATN-made monocular NVM14 is not a bad product either (pretty nice optics, only the FOV is slightly smaller, I'd say around ~35 degrees compared to the 40 it should be).

I'm not one tell others what to do, but here's what I'm telling you to do...

Don't play that game with those kind of people. That "A" and "B" crap is fucking asshattery. That allows them to stick you with dogmeat and you'll never be the wiser. It's bullshit, to put it in scientific terms.

Refocus your eyes on TNVC, and get their TNV-14 Omni VIII L3 model. It's the benchmark that all other units aspire to be, but never will because TNVC won't shit on your cake and call if frosting.

DoubleStuff out!

I don't know about ATN, but I have an Armasight Gen 3 Bravo PVS-14 and the tube is an L3 module and power supply (autogated) assembled by AEO. While not a factory L3 tube, it's very nice and compares favorably to my other Gen 3 tubes.

I posted some through-the-tube pictures in this thread: (scroll down to the second set of pics)
http://www.ar15.com/forums/t_6_18/428588_Gen_2_vs__Gen_3_Comparison_Photos__Updated_with_new_pictures_and_Gen_3_thin_film_vs__filmless_.html

If I had to guess, I'd say that the A grade tubes are probably of the same origin as the B tubes, but will have fewer blemishes and possibly slightly higher specs.

That is a colorful way to explain it !! Damn accurate too.


B grade tubes usually have large blems or very low specs. The problem with B grade is you never know who sets the bar. Different dealers set the bar where they choose. A "B" grade to Frank might be "A" grade to Bill. Asshattery is rampant in NV. Read, learn and call TNVC is my best advice. They don't partake in the A or B asshattery.

The 14's are 10000 times better than the 7.

The PVS-14s make it easier to walk at night

the PVS7s have their place, they are really good for viewing for
extended periods of time from a static position.
the small ocular lenses don't bother you when you're not moving,
the ability to use both eyes means less strain, more "perceived"
detail...
also, there are some affordable 3x / 5x / ... objective lenses on
the market for really nice medium-long distance spotting.
7s are THE best deal out there for static night time observation
while giving you the option to head mount as well, although that's
not where they shine.

HOWEVER

the PVS14 is, in fact, much more versatile with all its mounting
options, accesories and whatnot...especially for head-/helmet
mounting they can't be beat.

so, if you're getting only a single one device to do it all, including
lots of walking around w/ the device head mounted, maybe a weapon
mount... the 14 is definitely what you want, the 7 would be an excellent
2nd purchase to complement the 14 later on.

regarding ATN: too many variables here, if you're set on the PVS7 I
suggest ebay. there are dozens of PVS7s out there for araound 1500
bucks, it'll be the same crabshoot in regards to quality as if you buy
from ATN but you'll save 1k and are halfway there to buy the next NVD

+1. Myself and several others took advantage of a Independence day sale TNVC had on these units, and high spec tubes were the norm not exception.

My ATN opinions are well known (sorry Satchal). As far as the PVS-7 is concerned it is a very good scope. I score great deals on them. I have many scopes and can choose what I want. I love my PVS-7 for general viewing. I use it more than any other scope. The haters have no clue. I know a 14 is more versatile and I love 14's. I still like my PVS-7 and I can use whatever I want. If you are a guy who justs wants to see in the dark ? The PVS-7 used can be a bargain. Be careful of what tube it has though.

On that note Dino, what tubes would you look for in particular in the 7 bravo? I think I already know, but I have a few sets of 14's and I've never owned 7's, and I gotta be honest curiosity is getting to me.

Not Dino but will chime in (Dino and I seem to agree on many things)
Gen3, of course...as clean as poss, of course.
Again omni7 has best specifications although I find autogated to be less
important in a 7 as compared  to scopes used for head mounting/walking
around.
The Tube format is called MX10130, suffix "D" will most likely get you a
newer, autogated tube...
I love my 7 with an omni7 10130D, low halo and no noticable specs...
I will either use an omni7 PVS14 or a BNVD to get where I want to go,
there I will break out the '7 and the real fun begin

The PVS-7 is one of the few scopes that can contain any tube. Unlike the PVS-14 they can contain Gen 2 and lower performing early Gen 3. The tube is so easy to swap out you never know what it contains. My scope is a autogated Gen 3 Omni VII. Most B scopes have a MX-101030C non gated Omni III tube. Still a good tube ! The PVS-7 was a war between L3 and ITT early on. They used proprietary tubes with different tube contacts so tubes could not be used with a competitors housing.

The MX-10130C was the first tube that could be used in any housing. Steer clear of the early tubes and you are fine.

In the past 4 months, i've likely gone through a couple dozen pvs-7's & pvs-14's until i settled on the keepers. A PVS-7D with an omni vii tube actually had the best visual quality out of anything i've ever owned and it really hurt when i sold it. Lol. However, as others have mentioned, for real world usage, the pvs-14 really has the upper hand.

The 7 makes for an amazing spotting, and stargazing setup, but walking around with pvs-7's is about as easy as walking around while holding a pair of binoculars - it sucks, even at low speed.

I currently run a pvs-14 omni viii binoc setup. I really am not using it as much as i thought i would, and i tend to run just one monocular, most of the time. I almost think having a pair of adjustable gain tubes on a binocular setup is kind of a waste, and a dual mum setup would have been cheaper.

I think $2500 is high on a pvs-7 - especially if you dont know if it is autogated, or what the specs are. When i was selling nearly new pvs-7d's on ebay with autogated pinnacle tubes, they were going for 1,800-2,000. You can do better. If worse comes to worse, PM me. I am debating on selling my nearly unused 2nd PVS-14 anyhow, and i opened the tube brand new sealed from the anti-static wrapper.

If the $ isnt a big deal and you want a longer warranty, and before and after the sale customer service, check in with some of the vendors in this forum. Lay out a budget and see what they can do for you. Or, look up Ed Wilcox's company info and see if he can work with you around your budget.

As a prepper, do you see yourself using these frequently, or are they more of a backup should you need them? Because if that is the case, gen 2+ Might also be an option, so you can put your $ back into other preps.