The second one is who I'd go with. For one, it's TNVC. They're my goto NODs dealer. Stellar CS, they know their shit and back it up, they don't try and sell you shit you don't need or force sales on you. And unlike another dealer I know of, they sure as shit didn't try selling me "NASA" grade PVS14's. Fucking NASA. Yeah. Whatever. Vic is on here all the time too and he's usually who I go through. He's forgotten more about NODs than I'll ever know.
When I ordered mine some years ago, I went with a hand select ITT in a soft case. The military set comes with a bunch of shit you don't need and shit you'll wanna replace anyway; the soft case setup costs less and the soft case is really nice and actually gets used. I went with the ITT set at the time because it was (and may still be) the only set completely built in an ISO clean room. The rest are assembled outside the mfg. I also went ITT because at the time it was also the clearest tube with the finest film only an atom thick and they were also OMNI7. It's easily the nicest 14 I've ever used and part of my deal with them was "if I can find a better set issued to anyone on Ft. Lewis, they'd take it back" and they stood behind that too. Of course I couldn't find anyone with a better set. I did try.
Looking back, I probably could have saved some money and gotten, say, one Cerakoted multicam or FDE --and still gotten a hand select tube for the same results had I gone with TNVC's model (they JUST started making their own around then). White phosphor wasn't an option then and filmless tubes were still iffy. OMNI7's probably aren't around anymore, they're probably all OMNI8 now. But that won't matter if you get a hand select tube, it really only applies to milspec (an OMNI7 is better than an OMNI8, tighter specs --the change was because too many good tubes were being rejected and that also made 'em cost more).
So I'd call Vic at TNVC, tell him you want a hand select tube and are willing to wait for it. You want S/N maxed out and also good resolution. S/N is the most important spec, it spells the difference between indistinguishable fuzz and a clear picture in certain instances. Sometimes there's a wait to get a tube that meets your specs, it's worth the wait. Or you can tell him you want one with an FOM over 2000. You've gone this long after all. Go with the L3 filmless white phosphor and get the best tube you can.
You'll need some kind of headgear to mount it to, I'd recommend getting the Crye soft cover FIRST and a 3 hole shroud (there's a lightweight one Wilcox makes that also costs less, it's polymer with metal contact areas). The reason being that you may find you don't need a helmet. I have a Crye helmet, NOT cheap and one of, if not the, lightest helmet with ballistic protection, and I almost never use it since I got the soft cover. There are other new "skull crushers" and some are pretty nice but they cost more and for 14's they aren't necessary. The soft cap is like a baseball cap with the 14 instead of a bill and a chin strap. It's fully adj. Besides, you can always get a helmet later. You'll want a good mount, I'd go with a dovetail something, which will require a dovetail J arm or dual dovetail mount. I have the Norotos INVG and dual dovetail, a bit overkill for 14's but after the army I wanted a better setup that didn't use J arms at all and that one has full adj. across all axes and also swings to the side when up so it doesn't get beat on shit if you bump your head. A lighter set would probably be more ideal and there are a lot of choices now. Talk to Vic to figure out which one suits you best because many just look the same. I got an amber filter but you may wanna talk to Vic about their use with white phosphor --amber neutralizes green so with WP they may not be so useful. I'd also get an aftermarket replaceable sacrificial window. Basically you want sacrificial windows over both ends so the actual lenses don't get damaged; they call the one in the front a "demist shield". I also put a Butler Creek flip cap on mine with a pinhole drilled in the middle --much nicer IMO than the issue one. For tying it off, just use 550 cord and end bow line knots and small clip like what comes on Surefire lanyards (which is where I got mine). A velcro pouch can be put on the back and you can fill that up with batteries so you have spares and it also serves as a counterweight. Not really needed with 14's but it's nice.
If you're gonna be hunting or shooting with other people that have NODs, you're gonna want an IR beacon. I use the small cheap ones that plug into a 9volt and they have a plastic case that seals around it with a clear window. You can mount it on the soft cover or elsewhere. A variety of glowsticks are also nice to have, colors and IR.
You'll need an IR laser and illuminator if you plan on using it on a rifle and aiming at night. The civilian stuff is fine for out to 300m and ideal for M4's. The BE Meyers MAWL-C is the by far the best civilian model out there, but it's costly. You can score higher power models but unless you know what you're doing you can damage the NODs easier. My high power stuff really only gets used to illuminate for a PVS30. You can save money by getting a unit that doesn't have a colored laser too. I never use the colored lasers on the two units I have that can do it.
An IR light is also handy to have. Surefire makes several, they usually have "V" after the model number to indicate they are white and IR lights. Just turn the bezel to change from white to IR. I have lights like this on rifles as well as a handheld one. They don't go very far but what they do is light up the entire AO out to 100m. An IR light like this is different from the IR illuminator on a PEQ --they use a laser to do that and are a lot more narrow, even on flood.
Some of this stuff can be bought later, it's not cheap so you'll probably wanna spread it out if you can. Depending on what all you decide on that is. You NEED the NODs, (that come in the molle soft case without all the shit) shroud, mount, dovetail J arm or dual dovetail and soft cover. Pretty much everything else can be added as you go along. Although I'd probably get the sacrificial windows now and not later, and a Butler Creek cap if you wanna go that way (but it can be put off or totally ignored if you don't wanna go that way). Don't forget your tie down! They sell retractable ones that mount on your headgear but for the price I'd just go with gutted 550 with those knots and a small clip to attach to the split ring on the end of the battery compartment. Then you can throw away that shoelace they come with.
That's about it off the top of my head. I hope this helps. Basically though just call Vic at TNVC and read some of this off. You just can't go wrong with them. Tell him I sent 'ya too.
Here's some pictures of mine and you can forward these to him if you like. Picture being worth 1000 words and all.
Crye soft cover with Wilcox lightweight shroud (wanna say it's like $60?). Note the 550 tie down and clip on the end. I use the Ops Core aluminum shroud on the helmet, but if I had that to do over, I'd probably have gone with one of those more expensive large shrouds that cover half the front of the helmet.
Here is the soft case I'm talking about, it's really nice to have, the INVG mount and my 14 with the Butler Creek cap and amber filter. The black ring with the nylon screw is a coupler a guy on here made for me so I could connect it to a spotting scope, which is nice. Note the dual dovetail mount, it's between the NOD and mount and has a red screw hole in the middle --that's where the second dovetail would go if I left it on there. It allows you to switch left or right eye but I never need to do that.
Here it is mounted and tied down. Note the size of the INVG. It's nice, and it's not AS heavy as it looks being Ti, solid as hell, but it is bulky. Whenever I do get another set, I'm gonna use this for dual tubes and get something smaller and more compact for the 14. But I don't really have any complaints about it and love the INVG. It's just that there are more, newer and lighter/compact models available.
www.ultimatenightvision.com
tnvc.com
