I am looking at getting one of Victor's D300 Gen 2+ units. Does it go bad or fade after a certain time?
Thanks

I'm the wrong person to answer any technical questions.  Just so you know.

Quoted: Does it go bad or fade after a certain time?

The tubes are rated for a certain amount of hours.  I think the unit you're looking at was either one or two thousand hours.  Even if it's only a thousand, you ain't got nothing to worry about.  Unless you leave it on 24-7, it would take years to get to that.  

When you first get your unit you do go out and play with it a lot and show it off to your freinds, etc. but once the fun of having NV starts to fade, you find yourself only using it when you hear a strange noise outside, hunt, or feel it's time to give the unit some exersize.  

Just check out the used NV for sale and you'll see a lot of the old gen 1 and gen 2 stuff still out there going strong.  If you buy the D300 from Victor, your unit could last you a lifetime but I figure you'll want to upgrade somewhere down the line.  NV seems to keep getting higher and higher tech all the time.

BTW, I had a unit identical to the one you want and it did everything I wanted it too do.  I only sold it because I got a good deal on a PVS-14 and had no need for it anymore.

When you say shelf life are you refering to how long a unit will last under operating conditions or do you mean if the unit is stored? I have seen gen 2 tubes that have been around since the early 80s fire right up after YEARS of sitting in a can, but it does depend on what it is.

What is your budget? around $1000.00 If I were you I would try and save a second thousand  and go for gen 3. There are good Gen 3 units out there in that price range.

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