Originally Posted By Emoto:
I don't own any NV yet, but wanted to ask about this seemingly simple topic. Please feel free to state the obvious as I am new to all of this. Want to make sure I understand what is needed before I pull the trigger on anything. I'll be making incremental purchases, so won't have a helmet right away. I just don't want to buy NV that cannot be used on a helmet rig.

You get a helmet or skull crusher or whatever with a mount that holds your NV in front of your eye(s). With it flipped down, how much getting used to does it take?

In my reading, one of the sites made me think that only zero, i.e., 1x magnification is suitable for wearing NV while walking. Is that correct?

Do people like having one eye looking through NV and the other through thermal or is that a terrible idea?

Originally Posted By TNVC_Will:


If you're not familiar with (and can't afford to spend the time researching it yourself) the different housings, tubes, lenses, etc. then I recommend buying from a reputable vendor who specializes in high quality night vision and is available to answer any of your questions to make sure you order the right stuff. Obviously, I am going to plug TNVC but there are other great vendors out there too.

Yes, a proper head mounted NVG system will have a 1x optical magnification. How it long it takes to get used to varies per the individual. The best thing you can do is use it as much as possible even if that's just walking around the house at night. A monocular with manual gain control such as the PVS-14 will let you adjust the brightness level to the ambient lighting conditions which helps tremendously.

The "go-to" monocular housing that the majority of folks start out with is the PVS-14 and this is what I recommend. Where some folks get jammed up is not realizing that PVS-14s are not created equal. There are mil-spec and non-mil-spec housings & optics, tube mfg and performance varies tremendously, and warranties also vary. Picking a lower priced unit may not mean you're getting a deal and likewise a higher priced unit may not mean you're getting the "best".

There are a gazillion accessories for the PVS-14 and resale is better compared to a different housing. Trust me, if you end up bit by the NVG bug, it won't take you long to start shopping for a dual tube system, and you may end up selling it to help fund your new addiction. A PVS-14 from a reputable vendor with a long transferrable warranty, mfg tube spec sheet, etc. will have better resale compared to one without. Another option is to have the vendor convert your PVS-14 into a dual tube system.  We offer that service and will transfer any remaining TNVC warranty from the PVS-14 to the other system. We have a Lifetime Limited Warranty on all TNVC built systems, which breaks down as the housing components including lenses are covered for lifetime, and the image intensifier is covered for 10 years. Please know that having someone else do this with a TNVC system will void all warranties and this is the same with other vendors.

You will need some form of headgear with an NVG shroud (bump helmet, soft harness, ballistic helmet), an NVG helmet mount, and depending on which mount you get, you may also need a different j-arm then what is included with the PVS-14.

Headgear-wise, a quality bump helmet is ideal as it is more stable, allows future expansion, and offers protection from falls/impacts which is an increased risk when tromping around at night under nods. Make sure to use the specific helmet mfg's sizing guide and measure your head circumference & chinstrap accordingly in order to get the right size. We have some great deals right now on Ops-Core helmets!

Regarding the helmet mount and  j-arm, if budget allows, I recommend getting a dovetail helmet mount such as the Wilcox G24, Nocturn Alpha, or the Norotos Dovetail Rhino2, and the Noisefighters MAX14 dovetail j-arm. By starting with one of these helmet mounts, you will not be limited to what you can mount to it (bridges, binos, etc.). The MAX14 is a fantastic all metal j-arm with a dovetail interface that can switch eyes and articulates. The articulation feature is very nice. The standard USGI j-arm that is included with PVS-14s is flimsy, lacks articulation, and uses the inferior bayonet horn interface which limits your helmet mount options as you need a bayonet specific mount which can only be used with this interface. If budget doesn't allow, I recommend buying a Norotos Rhino2 with bayonet horn interface. This will work with the included j-arm and down the road you can swap out the interface socket to dovetail. Make sure it is indeed a Rhino2 as the original legacy Rhino mount is not compatible with that upgrade.

Regarding a dual band setup (NVG & thermal monoculars bridged together), IMHO, you need a job for the thermal in order to get the most value out of it. What I mean by that, is if you don't have a reason to be looking through it for longer periods necessitating head mounting such as varmint/predator/hog hunting, you likely won't get much use from it, and you will be carrying extra weight on your head for no practical reason. Myself, I prefer to make myself more comfortable by using a handheld thermal if I'm just taking peeks here and there.

Feel free to reach out or call!

Originally Posted By Emoto:


Thank you so much for the detailed response! Very helpful. Your firm was highly recommended to me by one of your customers who I know.

About this:
"Regarding a dual band setup (NVG & thermal monoculars bridged together), IMHO, you need a job for the thermal in order to get the most value out of it. What I mean by that, is if you don't have a reason to be looking through it for longer periods necessitating head mounting such as varmint/predator/hog hunting, you likely won't get much use from it, and you will be carrying extra weight on your head for no practical reason. Myself, I prefer to make myself more comfortable by using a handheld thermal if I'm just taking peeks here and there."

Is it difficult or somehow a bad idea to have a dual/bridged setup and remove one of the two on the fly? Alternately, is there some kind of a mount that allows one tube to swing out of the way without having to flip both units up?

Originally Posted By TNVC_Will:


All of the modern bridges will have articulation meaning you will be able to swing them out of the way individually without having to flip the whole deal up altogether.

Some bridges have true QD functionality while others don't and generally they all make compromises to some extent. The best place to start is first determine which thermal monocular you want as that will decide which bridges to choose from.

With the true QD bridges, it takes practice to be able to remove/attach the devices in the dark while being worn but typically the process rarely goes smoothly just due to the nature of doing it in the dark