Capable but buggy - ATN BinoX THD Thermal Binocular w/Smartphone Control

I bought this wanting to try out a higher end thermal device past the lowest cost and resolution items and have enjoyed using it. There's quite a bit of capability here but for the money the ergonomics and mechanics of use leave a lot to be desired.

First off the case, the straps and the lens caps are quite flimsy and not the greatest; far less expensive optics are better in this department. This is not the kid of stuff that costs a lot so when you crest a certain price range there's no reason to be so cheap. The mechanics aren't bad either, but the buttons are hard to push. I understand there is a certain element of wanting to limit the times that the user accidentally will press something but for something advertised as having smartphone control it's not quite as quick or easy to adjust in terms of settings. You have to go into a lot of menus that are intuitive, but time consuming and compartmentalized to navigate through. It's strongly recommended that you practice extensively and have the settings you want already dialed in before going in and relying on these before a hunt or a moment where they are needed for security or monitoring.

I really like the compass, inclination and programmable rangefinder features which measure the height of a known object and use the angle created from top to bottom but at this price point I don't think an additional laser rangefinder would be a bad thing as it's much faster to give a reading. The optics themselves are amazing, truly indescribably accurate. For example I was able to easily identify a rabbit at 60 yards on lowest magnification by simply seeing its ears, how its limbs looked and its gait how it hopped around in total darkness through bushes. I could see a mouse on a tree and see where it was pointing and headed from about the same distance. I was also able to see a storm of seagulls at several hundred yards offshore and see their wings flapping and even make out their beaks as I increased magnification. The downside is that the field of view may not work in all thermal environments with background noise taking away from your periphery to a significant degree. Newer versions of the firmware have improved this only slightly but above all have greatly decreased the need to harmonize, tune or as they say NUC the device every time you change color.

One thing that I very much appreciate is in the thermal world many offerings have internal batteries so if you're going on a trip to a remote area the concern of charging the device is ever present and eventually you have to send it back and pay hundreds of dollars to get the batteries replaced like you do with a smartphone. Not here, all you do is just bring your supply of CR123 batteries and pop in another set of three. Due to the complexity and binocular nature this device is a battery hog like a huge V8 pickup might hog gas, so expect to run through these batteries quickly.

What I don't like is the lack of documentation, support or specific customer service. ATN is very nice to call, you have to hold a while but once you start one query they are friendly, happy and knowledgeable, with the employee giving you their direct line so on subsequent calls you can either reach them or leave a message for a callback directly. Unfortunately in terms of learning the overall field use or how these work best you are on your own and the learning curve is steep. Some settings don't work in some environments and there are many different factors you can combine so without rules of thumb or suggested guidelines you are on your own. It's easy to get frustrated the first month or two of ownership and just go back to your gen 1 night vision or inexpensive thermals which are far less capable, but also easier to use. The owners manual is very skimpy and doesn't really tell you more than the basics of what everything is, but not how it works or how to best use it. There is a more complete manual online than came with the optic but it's only slightly better. The online forum for other ATN products is nice but for these is almost completely devoid of posts, so you're basically on your own.

The optics are really good for the money but the ergonomics, cheap feel and buggy software take away significantly what the amazingly capable device deliver at this pricepoint. At this price range it's hard to find a pair of thermal binoculars as opposed to monoculars at the 640 resolution and speed that have external batteries, all of which are desirable features. The ATN BinoX THD deliver in spades but unfortunately in the little things like ergonomics you feel like you have a toy and not a serious, military grade, ITAR certified item which is really too bad. If they fixed the ergonomics or dropped the price to match this defect these would be spectacular.