I'm just going to go down the list, hahaha...

If you have never had a chance to use NV before, I would highly recommend that you try to find a way to at least take a look through it and give it a try before buying, regardless of what you try out at first, it will at least give you a frame of reference--with NV, sometimes it's hard to really articulate the experience to someone who has no context whatsoever.

To that end, I would recommend starting by maybe reaching out to folks in your HTF if you don't know anyone personally yet who owns NV, and see if someone might be willing to give you an opportunity to try it out--a lot of the times civilian NV owners tend to pretty widely spread out, and most us get pretty excited about the possibility of infecting someone else with the disease, and often guys will be willing to meet up with you and let you try out their gear for the cost of ammunition, and maybe a couple of beers. There are also some companies that rent night vision devices, and considering the cost of the devices, it may be a worthwhile investment to rent a set to give it a try. Since I notice you're in Virginia (or at least so says your location), you might see if you can sign up for Cola Warrior, and see if some of those guys would let you take a peep, so to speak.

If you can afford it, I would recommend just buying a set of binoculars off the bat, but I may be biased, I'm an unrepentant bino fan. That being said, I "came up," as they say, on PVS-7s then PVS-14s before getting BNVDs, so I had a fair bit of background and knew, at least to a certain extent, what I liked and wanted, and what I did and didn't. FWIW--there are definitely guys who prefer monoculars, either for specific applications, or just in general. This is, of course, one of the advantages of giving some different gear a try before committing to buy something, but I realize that it's not always easy to get access to some of this equipment just to try out.

I'm not gonna touch the "ending up with multiple units" thing...

Suffice to say, there really isn't a "do it all" unit, different devices are good for different things, and the things that try to be too much often do one job well, then doing a poor to fair job doing the other things that they claim to be able to do.

More specifically, the ability to weapon mount a monocular designed for head mounted use... is really and frankly a lot less useful than it may sound at first. Without going into too much detail, the limitations of the device are simply too great for most applications that you might think you'll want to use it for.

Re: the MAWL and its pricing

We'll put it this way, the MAWL's illuminator will more than hang (some would say exceeds) with IIIb restricted devices. If you look at it from that standpoint, consider that even if you're willing to go "gray market" for a Class IIIb unit, for a like-new condition PEQ-15, you're still looking at $1,800-$2,500. Now, if you take into consideration general "provenance," the cheaper they are, the "shadier" they seem to be. I don't mean this to be a discussion of whether or not these devices are legal, EUCs, etc. that's been hashed over many times on this forum, I'm talking real life, what's on eBay and the EE and facebook, legal or not, stolen or not--your cheaper versions are either in beat to hell condition, have serial numbers scratched off, etc.

The MAWL-C1+ is going to give you performance and capability at least equal to devices that sell for a median price of $2,000 in the real world. Regardless of where you come down on the debate, it doesn't change the fact that it will be used, and it will not ever be warrantied, repaired, or supported by the manufacturer. So, if you want or need that level of performance, IMHO, another $500 for a unit that's not "gray market," and is supported and warrantied by a manufacturer who doesn't automatically regard you as a thief whether its legal or not, is not a huge premium considering the overall costs of the equipment.

The DBAL-D2's illuminator is pretty impressive as well, but you pay the price in other ways, namely size/weight/ergonomics, and downrange visible signature from the illuminator.

The point being, depending on what you capabilities you want/need, if what the DBALs or ATPIAL-C are sufficient to the task, then that's all you need to know. However, if you're wanting IIIb-level performance without the IIIb-level headaches and uncertainty, the MAWL-C1+ is your huckleberry.

Device choice:

First of all, there are two basic types of BNVD design:

"ANVIS-style" which uses a fixed horizontal bridge where the monocular pods move in and out to set your IPD, the ANVIS, Sentinels, MOD-3s, up to and including GPNVGs and the PSQ-36 FGS, and even many of the more expensive bridge systems all function in this basic way

The other type are swiveling goggles which rotate in and out from a central locus to set your IPD, PVS-15s, BNVD-Gs, PVS-31s, and DTNVGs all use this basic architecture.

Some advantages and disadvantages to both, not mention a healthy dose of personal preference. Some things to consider: swiveling goggles will allow you rotate one monocular pod out of the way to give you something of a monocular capability. They can also be folded for a lower profile when stowed, and the monocular pods can be swiveled out of the way to allow you to use your natural vision without necessarily requiring you to flip your NVDs up into the stowed position.

At the same time, with swiveling goggles, changing the IPD also changes the elevation of the device, requiring additional adjustments in the mount when setting them. Swiveling the monocular pods also means that you've just messed up your IPD, meaning that when you bring them back into use, there's an additional step required, re-setting the IPD, before they can be used. In comparison, ANVIS-style designs are pretty much "set and forget" once you've set the IPD to the desired location.

Your preference will pretty much be determined by which of these features is important to you.

Going into specific models:

The Sentinel is pretty much going to be most durable NVD currently on the market, it's a tank. Can use both onboard, or remote power, and can use either a dovetail or ball-detent mount interface. The Sentinel is heavier than the DTNVG.

The DTNVG is lighter than the Sentinel. I wouldn't call them delicate, that the Sentinels are more durable is simply a testament to them, not a comment on anyone else's relative durability or quality. Swiveling goggle, obviously. No external battery pack capability, dovetail mounts only at this time.

Both great systems.

The AB Night Vision MOD-3s are fairly similar to the Sentinels in general construction and form factor. Their modular design makes them a little more complicated, a little less durable than the Sentinels, but not exactly fragile. External battery pack and ball-detent capability, but you have to buy everything separately. Not many folks I know of that run MOD-3s in the ball-detent configuration. The main selling point of the MOD-3s is the ability to detach the monocular pods and install independent power supply and controls so they can be split up and used as individual monoculars that are shorter and lighter than a PVS-14, and compatible with all PVS-14 accessories. They don't have manual gain controls unless you buy the specific model that has it, but beyond that, they're basically better PVS-14s.

On the flip side, when installed on the Bino bridge as a BNVD, the MOD-3s, first and foremost, are a collimated device, that means that the two tubes have been adjusted and calibrated so that they are correctly aligned with each other, not offset or shifted so that you are seeing drastically different images in both eyes, and are basically cross-eyed.

For all intents and purposes, dual PVS-14s cannot be collimated. Some will be closer than others, but this is really more luck of the draw than anything else, because they cannot be adjusted after the fact for matching images.

In the meantime, MOD-3 binos are lighter than bridged PVS-14s by a wide margin, and they are controlled by a single knob, allowing you turn both sides on and off at the same time, rather than having to shut off each monocular independently. May not sound like a big deal, and maybe to some it's not, but to me, it's almost oppressively inconvenient.

Dual PVS-14s... about the only "advantage" they have is familiarity and potentially price if you're buying used units and/or building them yourself from parts. If you're buying new, by the time you buy the two monoculars and the bridge, you could have just bought a decent bino.

Some additional thoughts--

Very few people I know, actually swivel one monocular out of the way with their swiveling goggles. Those that do do so mainly to use a handheld thermal monocular, thermal weapon sight, or some other optical aid. For most people, though, they use the swivel to get a low-profile when they stow the goggles, or to get them out of their FOV without actually stowing them, not that many people really "avail" themselves of the "monocular capability," despite it being advertised as one of the main advantages of swiveling goggles.

I've already noted--weapon mounting is just not as useful as it sounds.

To that end--being able to split your binos into monoculars, again, how useful that will be will depend a lot on your situation. Do you have a lot of friends that you want to shoot with that aren't going to be getting their own NVDs? Do you anticipate a lot of situations where you will need to loan a unit to someone? How important is the probability of SHTF where you might need to "spread the wealth" as much as possible relative to your amount of use and enjoyment?

I would be willing to bet that most people who purchase MOD-3s, myself included, end up using them as binos 95% of the time. As a matter of fact, after getting my MOD-3s and having to share my binos a couple of times, I became so distraught over having to share... that I got myself another set of binos, so that no matter whether or not I had to share my NODs with someone else, I would always have a pair to myself. Take that for what you will...

~Augee

We can convert devices with like tubes, unfortunately, most PVS-14s run MX-11769 format tubes with a manual gain pigtail, while most binos run MX-10160 tubes.

That being said, there are adjustable gain bino housings out there, and there are some builders who can convert MX-11769 tubes to MX-10160 format tubes, however we will not, as it can be tricky and involves some risk to the tube and soldering over the pigtail leads and may or may not be reversible depending on how the individual does it with what level of skill.

~Augee

Yes, most models of the MOD-3 (as well as the Sentinel and DTNVG) use standard PVS-14 objectives and eyepieces, though there are ANVIS objective models of all of them, but they tend to be much more rare. Most PVS-14 accessories will with the MOD-3 monoculars--I can't really think of one that doesn't, but I'm sure there's something somewhere out there that is specific enough, but for all intents and purposes, the MOD-3 monocular has the same interfaces as the PVS-14.

As I mentioned, the big capabilities that you're missing with the MOD-3s versus Sentinels is just some durability (again--this is not saying that the MOD-3s are not durable, just that the Sents are super-durable) and IMHO, a better ball-detent interface (only really an issue for the minority of folks who prefer a ball-detent interface on a ground goggle).

With the DTNVGs, you're missing the weight savings of the DTNVG, and the independently swiveling monoculars.

At the end of the day, the MOD-3s, Sentinels, and DTNVGs are all excellent goggles, but each has a slight edge in one way or another over the others, and the decision of which to choose really gets down to which feature(s) are more important to you and/or you like best, sadly, there's not yet a "perfect" goggle, at least not from my standpoint, but there are many excellent options to choose from.

~Augee

LoL...Sigh...Once again you go out of your way discounting our product and services and you know exactly who this customer was talking about.  Since you keep beating your chest about what you know about tubes, this is your specialty in almost every thread you write, let's set a few facts straight you mentioned to clear the air shall we.  (Btw, you mentioned awhile back you were gonna be banned with other wild accusations, etc., so glad to see that also was not true and you're still here), but I digress.

You say this,  it says your unit you purchased is "standard" implying that you didnt pay for out of this world high spec tubes. Since "tubes are your specialty" you mentioned in this thread, surely it appears you do not know what the "standard" means" with our customer who posted a screen shot of our check-out cart.  My guess you do know, but used the play on words to somehow discount.  Actually the "standard" means that his MOD-3 is a STANDARD HOUSING, not a C-MOUNT HOUSING itself. You may want to understand about comma's, and how and why they are placed in descriptions the way they are in relations to descriptions.  Just some friendly advice.

Secondly, yes at times there are wait times, it's called demand.  We do a pretty substantial amount of direct purchasing from L3, probably right up there when all tubes combined we are one of the largest commercial distributors out there. Couple that with our 10 year warranties, we pride ourselves on some of the best customer service before AND after the sale, yes there can be some wait times for some of our tubes, especially with very high specs tubes, which are NOT in any large qty's at all.  We also give WORST case scenarios on most lead times, and most times they are MUCH shorter.   But hey if your other friends have such large qty's in stock of these L3 Filmless tubes and super high spec tubes, I invite folks to look elsewhere and check out their warranties along with build quality, CS before and after the sale.

Reputation and being comfortable with ones hard earned money of 4K most times for NVD's being shelled out to a reputable company, customers don't mind waiting at times for peace of mind knowing we're going to always take care of them.  At least that is what the majority of customers tell us and we're fine with that.

You're welcome. I did not see this thread until I was alerted earlier today from a few users about a certain post.

Enjoy the unit once it arrives, if you have any questions always happy to talk through any questions 7 days a week. I give out my cell phone to many if you already don't have it.  Thank you.

Vic

More thumping of your chest...Cool.  Still does not remedy you completely did not know what the word "standard" was referring to on our customers shopping cart. As for 6 month waiting time...Flat out fabrication except for the "ultra" tubes from L3 with 2800 FOM+ and 39+ signal to noise some want and we have special orders on with L3 that can take 6 months.  Have a good day.

This thread has taken some interesting turns, hahaha...

@dts-blackout25

I appreciate you finally coming out and making accusation about the reason behind our wait times, rather than a whole lot of sideways insinuations. And while I rather doubt that you’re going to believe anything I say anyways, I’ll do you the courtesy of offering a direct response.

You are mistaken about why our units have wait times. We have tubes and parts on hand, and perpetually have more on purchase order that are being added to our inventory, however, these units still need to get built by our build team.

I have had in the past and continue to enjoy friendly and collegial relationships with many of the small, independent builders in our market, many of whom could be considered competition. The biggest difference between TNVC and many small builders as it relates to this issue is simple volume. We don’t only deal with civilian and commercial orders for a single unit, we also deal with multiple agency and organizational orders that may be for a dozen + units at a pop, and all these units need to get built, and that takes time, even with a full time build team on staff that is never not busy, and they have worked nights and weekends building units to fill orders.

While you obviously have an impressive knowledge of image intensifier tube technology, all the more impressive since you’ve said in the past that you only got interested in NV in the last five years, your assumptions about the way our business is run are totally off, and the claim that we are waiting for an order and using that money to buy parts could not be further from the truth. Are there some items that we sell that we do not necessarily stock and have drop shipped from the manufacturer when an order comes in? Sure, it’s not exactly practical to keep inventory stock of GPNVG-18s, and oh boy, you wanted ANVIS mount variants, but we only have dovetails in stock...

You put out information for potential customers to be able to use to make informed, qualified decisions about the technology, nothing wrong with that. We try to put out as much information as we can here at TNVC, full well knowing that many people will take the information we provide on the internet, through e-mail, and on the phone to turn around and make an informed purchase elsewhere, and we do so with few, if any reservations, and I’ve talked to people on the phone and told them exactly what to look for when they told me flat out that they were about to go look at a used unit. Do I hope that they might appreciate that help and maybe when it comes time for them to buy a mount, a helmet or head mount, laser, etc. to use with that unit, that they will come back and make the purchase from us? Of course, but it’s neither a requirement or expectation for us to give that support and information at no cost.

~Augee

LoL DTS, all I will say is who came into this post first and foremost to sling accuasations and the flame throwing??? Heck, the OP even mentoned I never showed up, well unti you started your usual. As for knowing me, you don't have a clue what you think you know along with our alleged 6 month lead time. You just never get it. Almost every post is about how much you know and how much Ed thinks of you etc. Funny I've known Ed a LOT longer than you and kicked the same dirt while we both were in the Mil.

You've been in this biz for a short time compared to most. Think through what you do around  here. Old saying, don't start mud slinging and accusations, but don't expect for me sit back and take it...THIS THREAD A PERFECT EXAMPLE WHAT YOU DO.

In fact your VERY first post here on the ARFCOM was your introduction how you knew tubes, what you did, how you know Ed etc. You may want to learn from Ed on a few fatcs. He does not ever start talking crap first, and is a silent professional.  Live and learn Bro, live and learn.