I don't want this to turn into a "don't waste your money on Gen 1 crap" thread.  I realize that the best Gen 1 is crap compared to the worst Gen 2 or 3.  The fact is that I'll probably never pony up the money for the better stuff.  I just want to play around with night vision.  I was looking at the D-112 from OpticsHQ.  Can anyone tell me if this is a good Gen 1 night vision device?  If there is something else out there better, please enlighten me.  This is a bit more expensive that the Night Owl that is reviewed in another thread, so I'm assuming it is a better device.

Thanks in advance for any input or guidance

I believe that all Gen 1 image intensifiers are basically the same in regards to specs and vary very little.  So if you just want to play around with one, just try to find a good deal on eBay.  And rest assured that yours is no better/worse than all of the other Gen 1 shit out there...  

Hint:  If you find two similiar Gen 1 systems made by two different companies, buy the cheaper one (taking warranties into account if thats important to you)...  

I don't specifically know about the model you ask. I have a couple (both from ATN as it happens) and have seen a few more. They are all generally about the same in terms of performance.

The two I have are the ATN M0-21 and the Viper. The M0-21 has a 3.2X lens and the Viper has a 1X, and the lenses are swappable between the two as they are both C-mount. The 1X lens does not magnify (of course) but it gives a brighter and clearer image, on both bodies. So I would advise getting a 1X. Also the depth of focus on the 3.2X lens is rather shallow--you can't really walk around while looking where you're stepping through it, for instance.

Stay Away: I had a $99 one from Harb0r Fr3ight, and it worked (barely) but was junk. I took it apart just to see what was inside. And another different H-B model I saw later on was crap too. I've bought other stuff from them and it was reasonably okay--but the NV is worthless.

Also the illuminators on the scopes don't always work real well, but there are places selling IR filters for flashlights now. For gen-1's, the IR filters on regular incandescent flashlights work the best that I've seen. The LED flashlights work well enough for gen-2 & 3, but don't put out as much IR as flashlights seem to for gen-1's.
~