I've been looking at thermal and preferring a weapon mounted option.  I've been behind the Pulsar but really like Triji's brand.  Are they worth it?  Is there a better budget option?

Opinions wanted

If the flir 536 was available, it still wouldn’t compare to image quality of ird/trijicon.  The operating systems trijicon uses are less complex format.

When it was IRD, they could be a bit difficult to get on the phone.  Since trijicon took over, that has changed , at least in my personal experience.

All of the above is obviously my personal opinion.  But spending 2-4 night a week using this stuff all night helps a guy form opinions based on experience in the field, under realistic conditions, good and bad

Thanks for the comments thus far. The REAP is looking interesting and some side channel comms has me believing the 300W does not excel at either weapon mount or handheld options at that price range.

The weight is what was initially very attractive.

It’s 1x native right?  You don’t want that.   The Reap is an amazing optic.  There are crazy good deals out there on used ones.  There are crazy good deals on many used thermals out there.

Just under 1x, will not match up perfectly with pvs14 view, but close.

The REAP is bad to the bone. Such a compact package that delivers an excellent image.

I will say what I said before about the difference between Trijicon and Pulsar:  Pulsar is made with consumer-grade materials, but offers far more features and conveniences; Trijicon is military tough, military reliable, and military simplistic.  Expensive CR123s don't last long in the REAP, and it has no onboard recording.  Honestly I've learned so much from watching Pulsar film after my hunts.  It has significantly improved my shooting.

Either one is a great choice.

I have had an M300 since IRD first began selling them.
It works fine rifle mounted for vermin and mid-sized animals like raccoons, coyotes, and deer out to perhaps 100yards (with the usual identification considerations requiring great care). At 1X I shoot field mice at 80 yards-and-in all the time (Mice are about the only animal I shoot, but the M300 crosshair is unrefined, and it's too  thick for this. There is only one crosshair setting is provided for, so it's a one gun scope unless you have time to zero with every gun change)

I chose this model precisely because it IS about 1X magnification. There is a different set of requirements, finding things vs shooting things. I mostly use mine hand held to see if someone or some animal is around. I don't hunt animals but do shoot thermal targets often enough that I could .

I do have a TPL 3X magnifier for observation, and shoot with it on a 22lr rifle. But it introduces a small error in the optical axis, so it shifts POI a bit for me and is not suggested for use when shooting. I'm sure the shift varies scope-to-scope, but as I said, I don't much hunt anyway. The 3X makes is a wonderful addition for observation, but makes scanning around very difficult and slow, and it's not inexpensive.

The M300 wide field of view and the excellent thermal core and great display and tough construction is what I wanted and what I got.

OP - IMHO if you are shooting with it (vs scanning spotting) and get a 300w you will always wish you got the REAP.  If you are the point you can drop the coin on a 300w...then the extra for the reap is worth it.  The guys at Ultimate Night Vision include all the extras you would ever want with the reap...DVR, external battery kit, sega eye ring, even a thermal target.

Also when conditions are shit like high humidity, the reap really shines.