Review for Night Owl iGen Night Vision Viewer Monocular, Black - NOIGM3X-EE

Author: JustInCase from Indy Indiana on Mar 11, 2012
Pros:  Affordable, Quality night vision, Flexible
Cons:  Because of big I.R. very difficult to not be seen by a potential treat
Would recommend:  yes

JustInCase wrote:

The I.R. is about as big as nickle and in very dark situations with limited light you have to use the I.R., and it's bright! So, if you are wanting to stay 'undercover' this will definitely give your position away. However, if there is moon light even with a light to medium cloud cover you can get away without using the I.R. and it works quite well. The viewing quality is actually very good - a friend of mine is on SWAT has a $5000 night vision and he commented on the quality of this visual with the Night Owl. Also, I did a little testing to see how well the unit would work if the I.R. was restricted. So I placed a metal washer over the I.R. covering all but a little less than a pencil eraser size hole to allow the I.R. light through. Yes, the quality of the visual was lessened but only by about 10 to 15% - still making it very usable. I am going to make a cap that has a pencil size hole in it to decrease the amount of illumination the I.R. gives off thus lowering the chances of giving my position away.