What is the hive's opinion of the L3 ThermalEye X50 as a spotter ICW Gen 2 and Gen 3 PVS-4s and Gen 2 and Gen 3 PVS-14s? I recognize that it has very few features. I am mainly interested in the raw spotting capability. Durability is high in the requirements list.

I'd wait for the newer boson cored flir offerings if it were me.

I was looking at the eotech branded ones for my dept but we're holding off for 640 boson devices to come to fruition before moving towards it.

I recognize I could pay more and get more. I have a line on a brand new unit for $1,000 and I am wondering about performance of this particular unit and whether or not it will perform to the $1,000 mark.

Ive got an older x100xp. Probably pretty comperable. It works, its small and pretty durable. Resolution however isnt great. Under ideal conditions I have "detected" deer (probably 2 deer really)  at 600yd with it as a single shiny pixel... more realistic performance might be 1-200 yds for deer sized targets in more challenging situations. ID ranges are significantly less.

My pulsar hd38 is a much better unit fwiw.

Honestly I'd think real hard about the X50 at that price point. You can get a FLIR scout unit for less with a better sensor, but the X50 optics are significantly better so there is that. The X320 is a way better unit than the X50. And yeah it does take AA batteries but it absolutely eats them (use lithiums). In terms of durability I'm way more worried about breaking my pulsar unit so there is that. The view window does suck however as does the one knob does everything for you (which doesn't always work too well).

I've been thinking hard enough about it that I came looking for help. You're confirming what I already thought. I'm going to hold out for less money. I cannot bring myself to go with the Scout on account of the internal battery. I don't mind stuffing copious amounts of AA's into a unit.

Thanks for the confirmation, guys.

You can get a brand new Pulsar LD19s for like 1600.  No reason to buy that old POS in my opinion.

I have an X320 and I like it as a spotter.
Which is all it ever can be, because the design incorporates packaging features that render it very difficult to use otherwise.

Things I really like:
A child can learn to run it in two minutes. This is a unit you can hand off to anyone, and he will be able to use it.

The close focus range is about 2 or 3 feet. That makes the device useful for many tasks unrelated to spotting critters. This is a valuable thing.

The device runs on cheap batteries but can be loaded with lithium when desireable.

Things to plan for:

The waterproofing relies upon an O ring on the battery door, and the thumbscrew engages an insert that is molded into plastic. Get a spare door and pin and be prepared to use it.
Same for the control side cover.
If either gets damaged, stay out of the rain.

It is hard to find a dealer who can alter the standard on screen symbology. This symbology includes a worthless battery meter, an IRP logo, and maybe other stuff in the 50. They take up valuable pixels, and, in the case of the battery meter, can change and trigger offboard video processing software (seems like motion) if you try to use the device for fixed surveillance.

The LCD display is tough to see on bright days. You will dang near need a hood over your head on some days.

I kept my X320 after getting far better gear. The thing is perfect for loaning and for keeping in the car at all times.
It works.

On the kids with thermals theme. When I first got my Flir ls-xr I was trying it out and handed it to my 8 yr old daughter. I told her to look at her foot prints as she walked backwards. She began to RUN backwards in the house while laughing insanely. While a bit frightening to me as she sprinted with 3600 worth of thermal I was comforted by the ruggedness of the unit. She loves the Flir and is always eager to look through it. And she has never dropped it. her favorite moment was seeing a bunny in absolute darkness.

She likes seeing the cat through it too. I can't wait to show her the milkyway through a WP filmless tube.

That should be epic.

...so let's drop the X50. Most of the guys seem to be happy with the  X320s? All I need it to do is spot. What is a decent price for a decent one in today's time frame?

I think Arms Unlimited had a sale going on those for a while.  Thought I saw something about that on here maybe.

What do you want to spot and how far? And do you understand the difference between detection and identification?

When thinking of the resolving power of a thermal these 2 things matter the most.

Big lens=better
Better sensor = better