A great budget option - Pulsar Challenger GS 1x20 Night Vision Monocular w/ Head Mount Kit

If your like me looking for a decent nvg that will get the job done these are a great option. Out of the box I took the optic on a bike ride around my local park at night where there was no lights on the path and found the task to be difficult, but definitely doable and with a little more practice fairly easy. As a novice user with a few hours of use I have noticed the short falls of the gen 1 device compared to some of the other reviews I've read on the more expensive options out there. The device functions as it's designed, however that being said it's design is out of date. Meaning, while the device does allow you to clearly see in pitch black conditions, it requires you to constantly adjust the focus, for the distance your looking. For example if your walking down a path, you can confidently and safely walk down it, while looking between 1-10 feet in front of you. However if you want to look anywhere past the original focus point you must adjust the focal ring at the end of the device. Also if you plan on using the device for viewing anything over 50 feet a decent IR illiminator should also be purchased. The headgear they send with the unit is definitely suitable for novice users, but if you plan on doing any real training I would suggest a better mounting setup. Personally I wanted a full nvg training setup, so I also bought a norotos rhino mount, jarm pvs14 adapter, and bump helmet and have found that the setup works well. To me the quality of this device is what I would infer the 1st professional combat soldiers would have used. It's professional grade in quality, but outdated in the evolution and technology of today's cutting edge nvgs. Overall the setup is an amazing budget option and will undoubtedly give you reliable budget friendly night vision capabilities. The headgear and monocular is also a simple to use and compact option in the sense that it can easily fit everything into a molle pouch making it very applicable in grab and go scenarios. After getting a realistic experience with this budget monocular in the field of night vision, it has certainly made me do alot more research on the subject. After using this optic I would really like to invest in some nice gen 3 goggles because of the upgrade in technology and design. Realistically I could abtain any mission or task with this monocular even as far as using a IR laser sight, but the amazement in my experience with this product has really made me think about what the possibilities could be with the more expensive options. I believe I will eventually invest in some pvs7's or maybe even a pvs14, but even then I think this setup will definitely be a great backup for my survival bag.