newbie questions

I'm (very) interested in buying a night vision device.

Europe and legal impediments
I'm european though, so I guess night vision of third generation from the States are off limits for legal reasons, right? that's such a shame .

uses:
not really a particular use for me, juts like to have a device with which I can fend the night Very Happy. in the future, when I'll have the time to take a license to bear arms (yeah, europe is kinda strict when it comes to arm possession Sad) and I might want to use it as a scope. but since for the first times I'd just hold it with my arms I'd like something handy and comfortable to hold.

and then: couldn't you aim a gun even with a goggle, you know, just lining up the foresight and the target? or it's not just like the human sight and you'll find some problems focusing on both close and far targets?


markets for buying and selling used NV
do you have any idea where could I find some good site where to look for some used NV devices?

a couple of general question for the experts to help me understand:
-with and IR flashlight, can I use my night visor even in the complete darkness? even with a 1st generation product?

-a 1st generation with A LOT of IR light, could get anywhere near a 2nd or a 3rd generation os it's not just a matter of how many light you can dispose of but also of inner quality related to the generation standards?

-so in the end for the first generation it all revolves around how many IR you can give him or no matter the IR light you can't never get to have a very clear vision?

-do you think the quality of the device could be as much important as its generation?

and then the 1 million dollars question: -
given that 3rd generation maybe too hard to get for me, would you go for a high quality 1st generation or for a cheap 2nd generation? and the same question just one level higher: a high end 2nd generation or a cheap 3rd generation?




sorry for the poor english and thank you to anybody is going to answer.

We don't export any second gen units, or anything that is weapons mountable.

You can shoot a handgun or rifle with goggles, but it's hard to focus on both sights and a target, and night sights give a bloom to destroy your picture. Long guns need some kind of red dot sight that is night vision capable.

Can't help with used units except to say stay away, you never know how many hours are on the tubes or how much abuse they've been through.

You can use gen one in complete darkness with an IR, but more IR won't turn it into a gen two. It has to do with resolution and clarity.

For simple viewing I would rather have a good digital like the Bushnell Stealthview rather than a gen two, and save the money for something else.