Originally Posted By Optimal:
I noticed some companies have come put with some new manual gain housing. I'm interest in the new manticores and the drnvs mg. Does anyone have some hands on experience and input on these 2. Looking for some pro vs cons.
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Yessir
Between the two I preferred the Manticore. I'm not personally a fan of the push buttons on the front (they're okay) but the DTNVS knob is worse, lol.
Also, there is the Manticore-R which is going to be tougher/more rugged.
Feel free to shoot me a PM or give me a ring next week if you want to go into more details about them.
ETA: I should give you more info sir.
I sampled the Manticore-R and the DTNVS-MG. Both have excellent build quality and won't do you wrong.
Spec-wise
The Manticore-R is CNC machined 7075-T6 & 6061-T6 aerospace grade aluminum, aerospace Grade 4 Titanium., includes IPD stops, on-board IR, auto off/on pods, as stated uses push buttons, IP-68 (submerged in water 1m for 30 minutes)., MIL-STD-810H, lifetime housing warranty by Nocturn, and 19.79 oz with Carson optics.
DTNVS is injection molded, does not include IPD but can be added, on-board IR, auto off/on pods, uses one knob for all functions), waterproof to 20m for 2 hours, MIL-STD-810G, 1 year warranty (but lifetime housing warranty if a TNVC system), and 17.9 oz with Carson optics.
Handling-wise, the pods on both have great feel/smoothness, and are solid.
The Manticore's buttons feel great. I don't personally don't like side by side buttons but the power button being on the end is easy to use. The side by side gain buttons aren't a big deal if you're setting it at the onset but if you need to make a quick change it's not as quick as a knob.
The DTNVS' power switch isn't terrible. It just doesn't have as much tension as I'd prefer for small changes. It's a push and hold on/off and rotate for gain.
Myself, I'm the type of user who just turns it on and leaves it at max gain and if you're the same type then buttons or knob it's not a big difference in use.
The last thing is the Manticore has a port for a remote battery pack but uses a 2-pin connector so you're married to their battery pack. The DTNVS does not have a remote battery pack port so if you want use a pack you have to additionally buy the Executive Arms TSC but it gives you the option to run a standard LEMO or L3 style fischer pack.
They're both great systems so if none of that above rings your bell one way or the other well than it may boil down to looks. I think the DTNVS wins there.
Hope that helps