NVG Q&A

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The 6 is bright, I have seen many of them under NVG. The 6 is what is in high use in MIL/LE world. The 5 isn't bad but its not just about spread, the 6 has improvements. Honestly depending on what you are doing you could get away with a Unity Spark if not high use.

Some of the Cejay products are also a decent economical option. The Phoenix Jr. and the Flexlights are both non-disposable, so you can swap out batteries before a big event or something.

[El Cid]

The 6 is bright, I have seen many of them under NVG. The 6 is what is in high use in MIL/LE world. The 5 isn't bad but its not just about spread, the 6 has improvements. Honestly depending on what you are doing you could get away with a Unity Spark if not high use.

Thanks! I have a couple sparks but don’t like that you can’t tell if it’s on or off without using nods. And when it dies I’m not sure the battery can be replaced without damaging it. I’ll probably get the 6 first. Just have to decipher the multitude of options. And I can’t find pics or references to “dim” vs “bright” IR. Lol!

Some of the Cejay products are also a decent economical option. The Phoenix Jr. and the Flexlights are both non-disposable, so you can swap out batteries before a big event or something.

Good point. I used them when I was in the Air Force. Great little lights and I considered this option:
https://ownthenight.com/new-products...ry_pathway-129

But it doesn’t appear very water resistant and I’d still need another light for times when visible marking is needed.

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But it doesn’t appear very water resistant and I’d still need another light for times when visible marking is needed.

My friend gave me a Phoenix, and I got one of these for the water resistance: https://www.cejayengineering.com/mil...nt-sand-detail

That doesn't solve the issue of vis marking, but it looks like Cejay just came out with these (as I didn't seem them when I bought a bunch of FlexLight-Sticks just a month or so back): https://www.cejayengineering.com/dis...itter-1-detail

Not sure if they're just flashing or constant on, and nor is there necessarily a good mounting method, since the FlexLight-Stick mount looks like it won't work for the dual emitter; Cejay has told me that they are reasonably water resistant, and can be dropped in water and used in rain with zero issue. My normal FlexLight-Sticks when flashing seems noticeably brighter than my HEL-STAR on dim mode, but not close to the bright+ mode. I have the HS-620-03; takes a little finagling with a bare hand, haven't tried it with gloves, but I can swap between IR and vis without just one hand if the helmet is on my head; I do mildly wish that I had gone with a 640 variant at this point, but not enough to make the return or pay CORE to swap it.

[TOTS]

Hmmmm. I think this may get expensive.....

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RNVG with 22UA tubes (FOM: 2318/2326, SNR: 32.2/32.3, center resolution: 72 lp/mm, EBI: 0.1/0.2, no blems other than very slight peppering)
Vectronix COTI
Dark Focus Concepts FRS
Wilcox G24
Ops-Core FAST SF
Ops-Core FAST SF Helmet Cover
Ops-Core AMP
Ops-Core AMP Arms
4D Tactical Zero G DELUXE Retrofit Combat Liner
TNVC Mohawk MK2 Gen 2
Spiritus System Lid Snake
NVI Battery Battle Pack
CORE Survival HEL-STAR 6 HS-620-03
Team Wendy large lead weight
Aneco tungsten weights
Thyrm VariArc
SureFire M340V
Princeton Tec Charge Pro

Without the 4D Pads, I was definitely getting a bit of a hot spot at the very top of my head, albeit a mild one that didn't get worse once it started.

I'm not sure about the large TW lead weight; I had pulled it from the TW counterweight kit (so leaving 1 lb in the rest of the kit, put it on my Exfil SAR Tactical), and it's a mild improvement for when the NODs are on, but when they're off, it's definitely wonky weight distribution. The suspension on the FAST SF is good enough that I might just take the weight back out.

Note that the newest generation of the caps my friend makes is a swivel design rather than a flip design; this is due to the fact that the flip designs will wear out eventually and come open by themselves when there's overpressure, such as when doing explosive breaching.

[theJanitor]

RNVG with 22UA tubes (FOM: 2318/2326, SNR: 32.2/32.3, center resolution: 72 lp/mm, EBI: 0.1/0.2, no blems other than very slight peppering)

Wow at that ebi rating

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Wow at that ebi rating

Yeah, low EBI was something I was specifically looking for, as it can get quite dark out here, as Tucson is one of the cities with less light pollution due to the observatories around.

Forgot to add, halo is 0.7/0.7.

[theJanitor]

So I guess I should have asked this BEFORE I ordered a Raptor tactical skullcrusher, but does anyone have a favorite type of similar headgear?

I didn't order the Crye Nightcap, because my head is too big. Even with the buckles max'd out, I can barely get it buckled. My need for NV is almost purely for observation and I wanted something that would let me discreetly observe what's happening around me, not so much to fight under NV. A nightcap would have been the ideal "helmet" for me. Since it didn't fit, I built out a bump cap, and while it's great, and comfy, and stable, it's pretty far from discreet. Otherwise, I just hang the PVS14 off my neck on a lanyard and use it as a monocular.



OPSCORE FAST bump helmet
PVS14 ELBIT 2304FOM, .75 HALO, .53 EBI, 72LPI, 32SNR, blem free
Wilcox G22
Wilcox Jarm
Peltor Comtac on Unity MARK adapters
TNVC Mohawk with batteries as weights
4D tactical Deluxe pads

The rifle is fitted with the SF XVL2 Illum/Laser with the tape switch, set to IR. It has a very even flood for room environments and doesn't wash out the EXPS reticle or the laser. The 600V is set to white, and if I need to see more than the XVL@ can illuminate, I can turn it to IR.

I've got the Glocks fitted with RMR and X300V, so I'm OK there. I am looking for a nice dual spectrum handheld light suited for pocket carry. I tried to mate the 600v head with an E2E body, and it doesn't work. That would be the ideal solution for me, but if anyone has ideas for that, I'm all ears. It would be nice to use the PVS on a neck lanyard and have handheld white/IR illum capability

I'm paying attention to the marker discussion above, as that's the next things I need. I do have a couple of the Phoenix JR units for my pack and general emergency stuff, but something helmet specific would be nice

[TOTS]

@theJanitor
I’m sure you are spun up on this, but I’ll still say it for those new to the night as I had never thought about it until I was told. Make sure you get some good training on properly zeroing a rifle wrt lazers. I.e. an offset parallel zero is different than the normal convergent zero like we use with our eyes. I only have enough experience to know it’s outside of my lane, so I’ll refrain from saying more to limit the amount of ignorance I advertise!

[theJanitor]

I'm running a parallel zero. On another note, I have a rifle with a x400v at the 12:00 rail. normally, the laser housing would block your optic window, but with an EXPS and a Unity Riser, it's not an issue. and the laser is directly above the barrel, so there's only a vertical offset.

If the experienced guys would like to put up some of the zeroing tips it would be great.