Great scope - ATN ThOR-HD 1.25-5x Thermal Smart HD Rifle Scope w/WiFi, GPS

I have had the scope now purchased through Optics Planet since around July 2017. So far, I am very pleased with it. I got the base version that is 5x max. You can change the zoom to "extended" and it goes up to I believe 12x however it becomes even more grainy but can come in handy for shot placement. Most of my shots are well under 100 yards and for this the scope I got is terrific. I have had no problems identifying targets and taking shots even in dense brush. I can say the environment makes a huge difference in it's effectiveness. The colder it is outside the more contrast between the animals and the background. For example, in the summer I would say the scope was just okay to-fairly good. But in the cooler nights I can see mice running around even in tall grass at about 40 yards. You may loose it in excessively dense brush and then require it. I currently own 5 night visions (digital, analog, and thermal). The thermal is by far superior at detection and overall less hastle than any NV devices I have used. You don't need to worry about extra batteries for the IR or even the reflections you get using conventional night vision in dense brush. This past season myself and my buddies were able to see deer and pigs out to 200+ yards some of which we couldn't even see through the night vision until it was first detected with the thermal. I think it is important to note that the thor and x sight both need to be updated as soon as you get it. If you buy one go to the atn website and update the firmware immediately. It will solve a lot if the issues I have seen negative reviews about. In addition, when you sight it in, if you have problems with it holding zero the trick is to go back to base magnification before you save the changes. For some reason, there is a known issue with some scopes not saving the changes correctly when not at base (lowest) magnification. This scope is good enough that my buddies are borrowing it all the time to use instead of using thier gen 3 night vision and digital scopes. I would like to stress that the image quality is not 100% but it's acceptable and the hardest thing to remember is that if the image starts to degrade you need to put your hand over the objective lens and tap the power button to recalibrate it. Also, to identify deer, hogs, etc correctly at anything past maybe 120ish yards will take practice with the 5x model. If you are like me and most of your hog or other night hunting is inside of 100 yards then the 1.5x5 version will be plenty. In regards to the batteries, any usb battery pack will work. The only advantage I see to buying the one they offer with this scope is that it comes with a 90 degree plug to help keep you from bending the port and a small rubber gasket to help keep moisture and dirt out of the other ports. There is a company called fox optic that makes/sells them separately if you already have a usb charger. The battery holder/case they sell to attach to the stock doesn't fit well on an AR platform with an adjustable stock. I was able to get both the ones I have to mount but I had to be creative to get it to look nice and leave enough room to access the charging handle (and allow enough travel in it). Overall, I am still very happy with my purchase. I work in electronics and if I had to pick a downside it would be that there are no parts available if the unit ever fails. I have a ATN-PS 22 that I still enjoy using from time to time and it is missing a cap. I called to order a replacement and they don't carry any parts. This bothers me because of this one fails I would like to be able to diagnose and repair it myself but I doubt parts would be available unless you sent it in for repair. My advice on any high dollar electronics is to always pay with a credit card. Most credit cards will add at least a year to the manufactures warranty if you purchase it on a card. In the near future, I plan to post a video or two on YouTube so be on the lookout if you are still on the fence about it.