I have really been wanting a handheld thermal scanner/monocular for a while...and have about 4k burning a hole in my pocket.

I was planning to wait on the Flir Q14b....but who knows when that will be....the dealers I have spoken to don't seem very optimistic that they are coming soon and didn't have any answers as to the unit specs.

So...

What's up with the Scout III 640?

1. How many cycles is the internal rechargable battery good for?

2. How hard would it be to replace the battery by myself?

3. What are some charging solutions for a unit like this? Is a solar charger a possibility?

4. Are these current prices of around $3500 good? Will the price drop with the Boson release? Is the $3500 the same price they were introduced at, or is this already a reduced MSRP from the initial release price?

5. Is the 640 worth it? Or would it be  better to own a pair of 320's at around the same price?

6. How quick are they usable if you turn it on from an off position? Is there a standby mode? Do they need to be recalibrated or anything like that when in use?

7. Is the q14b going to totally smoke these?

8. Any new news on the q14b/boson? Will the scout unit still be sold? If so, will it get the new boson core? Is the Tau II antiquated now?

.....

I guess this thread is as good a place as any to ask about Pulsar...so I dont have to start a new thread...

1. Is Pulsar on par with the Flir Scout in  build quality?

2. What would you go with...Flir Scout III or Pulsar Helion?



Thanks in advance,

You could still go with the q14, just not the b version. It is pretty tiny and still has an oled display. Get a 640 if you can afford it, but 320 isnt bad especially on a little handheld spotter.

Given all of the changes in ownership on armasight, ird, etc., my next device will likely be a pulsar. I dont appreciate the trijicon logo price increases, or some of the changes to armasights support since flir took over.

I was not super impressed with the flir scout 3 in 640.  Take a look at the new Pulsat Helion that's about to come out and the armsight prometheus in 640.  Also the Trijicon Patrol if you can add some on top of your budget.   Also the 384 core pulsar quantums are great for the money.

Also don't count on seeing the 640 Q14 (the new one) til next year.

Also agree about the changes in armasight support and the Trijicon price increase.   Pulsar is hands down best company to deal with if you need service.

Scout III 640? Hard pass, unless it's fire-saled. Either wait for Boson or get the new Pulsar 640, which my dealer tells me he will have in-hand very soon. Preorder is an option.

I was on the fence with thermal like you.

I decided to try a scout TK to get my feet wet - if nothing else I can give it to my dad or brother for night hunting.


the TK sucks compared with the scout III 640 as far as specs go, that being said im impressed as hell with the scout TK and what it can do.

I called Armasight a couple days ago to ask some questions and the guy was totally demoralized. The conversation was basically, "Don't ask me, they don't tell us anything either."
He did confirm a couple things that are coming (eventually): bluetooth, on board recording and user updatable firmware. He said there were currently NO plans for WiFi and the currently sold extended battery is all that's planned (i.e., no battery packs like Pulsar). Other than that, he had no idea. Not, he couldn't tell me because he's not able to reveal it, but he had no idea.

I see a Pulsar Helion in my future.

-Stooxie

What changes has Armasight made to CS?  To my knowledge, their support structure hasn't changed, at least as a direct result of FLIR acquiring them.


OP -

1.  Depends a lot on if they are full cycles.  If complete charge/discharge, I'd expect the battery to not last as long as if you kept it topped off.  

2. Scout batteries are not extremely difficult to replace, but you need a special tool to remove the front bezel. You also need to remove the Tau core.  Removal isn't difficult, but re-installing it can be a bit tricky.  

3.  Solar panel, external battery pack, anything that can charge a cellphone should work.

4.  Unclear what will happen to Scout once the Boson-based products are introduced.  Considering the fact that FLIR still had the RS at SHOT, it may stick around for a bit longer.  I assume Scout sales will dictate when it gets dropped from the lineup.
5. Is the 640 worth it? Or would it be better to own a pair of 320's at around the same price?  For a handheld scanner, I'd argue that 320 may be good enough.  Especially if it is a 12 micron sensor on an OLED or LCoS display.  320 Scout...I probably wouldn't go there unless the price was very attractive.

6.  The Scout starts in under 5 seconds.  

7.  Again, unclear.  Hopefully image quality will be as good initially as the Tau systems.  Over time as improvements are made to Boson, image quality and added features should blow Tau-based systems away.  

8. Hopefully the 320 Q14b should be weeks away.  No idea if Scout will continue to be sold.  I'd guess that would depend to a certain degree on how Boson is classified from an export standpoint.  Tau won't be discontinued for quite some time.  It's FLIR's bread-and-butter product until Boson takes off.  Doubt if Scout or RS will get a Boson refresh, at least from an Armasight (FLIR OTS) point of view.  Who knows what Raymarine will do with their Ocean Scout line.

OpticsPlanet has 15% off thermal devices right now, coupon code 15th. Scout III 640 is 2974 shipped. Pretty good price. I had a Scout LS-X, it was a nice unit.

Pulsar pre-orders are also 15% off!

-Stooxie

Man if you have $4k finance a Reap-ir with tnvc.   I got mine and at first questioned myself as to why do I need this expensive 640 scanner?   Then I hunted a few times with my pulsar 38 scanner and fiddle f'ed around going from scanner to 640 scope to ID calf vs hog.   So I remembered why I wanted a 640 scanner.......that's also a scope with a Dloc.  Yeah I realize this is my second post today saying go Reap, but fuck it is a great piece of kit.

I'm sure the q14 is gonna be great but as a dual purpose optic shooting at 1x 640 I just don't see it.  Maybe if you are always within 50 yards I guess.