Tell that to my payroll department when they hand out bonus checks whilst I'm sitting in front of an internet connection!!!
Definitely a "want" vs. a "need", but the itch needed scratched.
Tell that to my payroll department when they hand out bonus checks whilst I'm sitting in front of an internet connection!!!
Definitely a "want" vs. a "need", but the itch needed scratched.
Time flies when you throw your watch.
I'm probably just a NVG snob......but they are way expensive for 20 year old technology and capability. I couldn't do it. But I buy all kinds of shit other people couldn't justify either..........I actually buy a lot of shit I have to think long and hard about how to justify when the wife asks what I needed it for..........
That is understandable, but...
I don't have ten thousand (or more) to throw at any of the "newer" or "better" stuff, and I'm not going to be issued any NV equipment, so wouldn't the PVS-14 - even if it is overpriced for what it is - be a better option than *no* NV equipment....??
I've used NV (PVS-14 at that) just enough to know that it would fill a pretty big gap in my current personal inventory, and the most affordable option for me was a 14 through TNVC. If there's a better option out there, I'm all ears...
Hah that is awesome
I'm in my 30's and I've had eye surgery in the past. I didn't think about retinal recovery, to be honest.
I think no matter how old you are, smashing your rods and cones with 350 lumens in a mirror is definitely going to bring on some fade vs. the splash from the light going the other way!
You're trying to have your cake and eat it too. If you are searching for a threat, once you find one you are going to need to effectively evaluate it and ensure it is a threat... or at least one you are willing to engage. If you need to eval the threat, you are going to need to illuminate it. If you illuminate it, you will then experience whatever negative effects you get from using said light.
You can play the 'what if' game with light all you want, I think. Honestly, my sentiments echo those of DocGKR's ... the more lumens I get in this world, the more I want. This comes from conducting numerous missions in the dark, in the day, going from light to dark and going from dark to light - all in locations I've never been in before and have to navigate. I've even done training in pitch black basements. If it's so dark that when you touch off 100 lumens you can't see crap ... it probably is a place where you can't see anyway!
Or ..... as a compromise to your position - put your finger over the bezel if you're going to nav with it. That will reduce its output and save your vision. Yes, I'm playing with big boy rules here.. You must be very aware of where your hand is relative to the bangy end. Then again, if you're using the light to nav you probably aren't pointing it at a threat.
I've found now that I have the 300U on my pistol and a scout on my rifle ... that I am anxiously awaiting the scout bezel upgrade on my rifle.
A PVS-14? Yes. But not all night vision equipment is better than none at all under every circumstance...
True story:
Many moons ago, back in '02 or so, I picked up a set of crappy Russkie Gen 1 NODs on a lark. I guess they're better than nothing, provided that it's pretty dark, but not too dark, and you're not trying to run around too much. You could maybe use them if you were sitting still watching a game trail or something.
One night a few years later a friend brought home a PVS-7 from work to play with in the back forty. I dragged my old Russkie NODs out for a side-by-side comparison. Of course there wasn't any comparison at all...
Anyhow, it was a pretty dark night that night, and as we got down under the cover of some trees near the lake, the "Gen 1" Russian gear started having a hard time with the deeper shadows under the pines. I turned on the "IR illuminator" on my goggles...
"Uh, I don't think you would ever want to do that in real life," said my friend.
"Why not?"
"Because there's a really bright light between your eyes and... whoa!"
"What?"
"Well, I flipped up my goggles and that light? It's not just in IR. There's a dim red LED right in the middle of your forehead."
For those of you who are concerned about too many lumens affecting your eyesight, something you may want to look into is using lights with a lower color temperature. FourSevens (and probably other boutique light makers) has some lights with "Neutral White" and "High CRI" emitters, which give you a color closer to actual sunlight. It's less harsh on the eyes than the higher color temperature bluish tint most common with bright-ass freakin LEDs.
"Are you ready? Okay. Let's roll."- Last words of Todd Beamer