Hi All

I'd be grateful for input on my final decisions for my night vision choices:

Pvs14 Hd w 10 yr warranty - $3,099
http://www.jrhenterprises.com/PVS14-High-Performance-HP-Pinnacle-Autogated-Night-Vision-PVS14.htm

Dbal A3 - $1,100 w coupon
http://www.opticsplanet.com/laser-devices-civilian-dual-beam-aiming-laser-dbal-a.html?_iv_code=LD-LS-CDBALA-9008

My total budget is $5k.

Thoughts on this setup?
Helmet - ops core bump?
Which mount should I get?
Any opinions from anyone running this exact setup?

Thx in advance!

JP

Helmet for sure.  The standard issue rhino mount and jarm, while not ideal, are functional and can be had cheap.

I got a full cut ACH for a great price and put in an ops core dial liner and 4d pads and its comfy AND cheap and no need for a counterweight for just 1 pvs14.

Might want to wait for the dbal a4.

Also might want a low power illuminator for helmet.

I have a pvs 14 and an ops core bump. In fact I have a tw and a mtek as well. Although I love my mtek the most, for the the money you can't beat the opscore.

I was advised to purchase a Wilcox g24 and I am glad I did. Eventually I upgraded to a bnvd, like many on here and didn't have to invest in a new mount. I purchased the j arm with the auto shut off, nice feature. You can get by with a rhino, but the adjustments on the better units are nice.

When buying any nvg remember that specs are one thing, image can be another. I received a unit which had a  "wood grain" pattern to the image. That unit was quickly  returned.

As for the laser, I don't have the A3. I have several, but not that one. Stated with an ITAL and worked great for my needs. Eventually upgraded. Decide your priorities and buy the best you can afford.

Jus remeber to think ahead. Night vision can be adicting, I know 25 years using it.

The A4 is going to be quite a bit more than the A3, and I'm not too sold on it being better. The dual illuminator thing is interesting, but I think they missed the boat with their switchology. IE, which fire buttons do which functions. Three fire buttons and they all do the exact same thing. Fail.

I think it also would be worth a wait to see how good the white light is. I'd throw out a guess and say its not going to be M600 good.

Look at BH Photo and click the "ask for a lower price" option for the A3 laser. I think it was a hair lower.

You won't go wrong with JRH for the PVS-14 - that is the only ten year warranty I have seen from someone that I expect to be around in ten years.

+1 for JRH.  Good folks who sell solid kit.  They also USE this stuff quite extensively as well.  Ask them about it, they'll be glad to help.

Man this is so easy to go down the rabbit hole.  It is so tempting to get all the latest and greatest stuff versus finding a level of acceptable performance, and maybe a little bit to grow into.

I think your biggest purchase is the device itself, which you are making a good choice on.  A really good gen III -14.  You could get gen II+ or you could get the newer WP tubes.  This is a solid middle ground.  

Next would be your helmet set up.  At a minimum, you can get a good bump helmet, which allows you to mount the device and accessories you probably want.  I'd go Ops Core here.  If you want to go ballistic, then the choice is weight versus price.  You can get 3-4 lb helmets (Revision A3) in the 500.- range, or 1-2 lb helmets (Crye, Ops Core) in the 1K range.  If you have the budget this does make a huge difference in comfort.

Helmet accessories.  Hoo boy.  You get a lot of different advice here.  For a good -14 set up, my opinion is an Ops Core VAS shroud, Rhino II, and J-arm (modified ball detent) is a solid choice.  

IR illum and laser.  Lots of choices here as well.  A good DBAL gives you both pointer and illum.  Add in a good switch and you're GTG.  

So with your budget, what to do.  A good PVS14-17.  Crye helmet, VAS shroud, Rhino II, J-arm.  DBAL A3 with TAPS prog switch.  This will just squeak you in around 5K.  If you needed to trim that a little, I'd go with an OTAL and TORCH (or SF Vampire) with TAPS, but keep the lighter helmet.

I have been developing a set up on less than half of your budget, and I am quite happy so far and have actually tested my kit. With those options you've selected you pretty much can't go wrong (though it can be done cheaper).

I am one of the NightCap users around here and don't have any experience with a helmet. You might honestly spend $100 on a NightCap in addition to an Ops Core bump as an option for something lighter weight. They can handle a PVS-14 with no counterweight necessary in my experience.

As for the mount with your budget the recommendations posted here like the stuff from Wilcox are great options. I use a Rhino 2 which can be had for less than $100 and are pretty great for the cost and compared to the original Rhino

Thanks for all of the great feedback.

Which vendor do you recommend to purchase the helmet, shroud and mount?


Thx again!

TNVC

I'm in the same boat. Looking at TNVC.

TNVC. Their guys there have a no BS approach to everything they do and their prices are more than fair. I recently called TNVC looking for a high dollar part, although they didnt sell it seperately he directed me to another vendor that had the part and it was 600 cheaper than anywhere else I looked.

While you're waiting for your stuff to get in, give some thought to how you're going to set up some sort of retention for the PVS-14


Also might be good to look into what you're going to transport/store it in; most of the "soft cases" are really more like a nylon sack.  I'd suggest something with foam or padding.

1) NARP lanyard $13.
2) Tactical Tailor MNVD case $15.

Thx for all of the advice.

Which Wilcox mount, g24 or g70?... and arm would you all recommend for a  PVS 14?

The G70 is a G24 plus three hole shroud. So if your helmet already has a shroud, just get the G24, and pick up either of their arms (with or without auto off feature). That's what I did and I couldn't be happier.