Night Vision Armasight Spark : CORE review

[Travis S]

Overall does anyone running one of these units believe it is money well spent or to save up for a better one?

I bought mine used for quite a bit less than retail. To me it's money very well spent. Yes I would buy it new as well. Would I get a gen 2 + if given the means? Yup. For the price of these things you can get 2 for the price of a gen2 monocular. Mount them both on a helmet and have the ultimate nocturnal walleye vision! So how the hell do I post pics?

 

[LRB45]

I found a decent deal on one of these on Optics Planet and was wondering if anyone has had any experience with them.

Are there any other decent companies selling these?

 

[Travis S]

Lets see if these work

 

[Travis S]

Ok so those were taken inside during day with cover on. The camera on my phone won't cooperate with me for night pics. I can Deedee great with the nod to my eye but cam won't pick it up worth a crap. Getting new phone soon though. I can honestly say that it is worth having in the bug out bag along with a good ir light. That is my plan. Tried it out behind a vortex spark and it is less than stellar. The fov is really small and cuts out too much light. An eotech should work much better.

 

[Delta4-3]

An EOtech is 24* FOV I believe, and the spark is 30*, so you will loose a little FOV using the EOtech, and some light transmission, but it works.

 

[Delta4-3]

I thought this one was kind of cool. I took it through the Spark, The IR illuminator on one of my security cameras is lighting up the flag from behind.

Poor IR discipline....

Good IR discipline...

 

[Delta4-3]

Helpful tips for getting pics through your NV.
1) Don't drag your wife out at 2300 hours to take a NV pic.
2) Don't use a Nikon Coolpix
Neither works out well

 

[Delta4-3]

Picture of a map in the house with the lights on and the day cap on. I didn't even think about turning the lights out and removing the cap for a better pic. Ill redo it and see how it turns out.

 

[Delta4-3]

Most of these are iPhone 4 pics, except one. I have a Cannon 7D, which should take great pics through the tube, but for the life of me, I cannot figure out what settings to use.

 

[thelordofruins]

Thanks for the pictures. Actually, looks pretty good.

 

[Travis S]

Very good indeed. That one of the map shows a good example of the fish eye.

 

[Digilife]

Hi,
New to the site. I have a ATN Aries Series that I am sending back and wanted to purchase the SPARK. First off thanks for all the great/reliable info! Does anyone have the exact model number or the higher res 60-70lp SPARK? I want to make sure I am purchasing the latest and greatest. Also the SHOT 2014 show will be starting soon so I would definitely be interested if they have anything newer. I love the concept/versatility of the SPARK and considering I will be throwing on an AR rail w/ an EOTECH EXPS3-0 the size is a factor as well. My ATN is pretty clear and well lit but I've only been able to really test it in the burbs (unmounted of course). I just want to make sure the SPARK will suit my needs....in Home close range visibility and 100 yd range.

Any advise greatly appreciated!
Thanks
p.s. I think we should all drag our wives out at 23:00, take some NV pics & post them...lol - Delta she's a good sport!

 

[m4envy]

ordered me a spark last night with a rail mount cant wait to play with it.

 

[cssnider1]

Any updates on the Spark??? I'm looking into getting one right now. debating on if I should get this one or cough up the money and get the pvs-14

 

[Delta4-3]

Any updates on the Spark??? I'm looking into getting one right now. debating on if I should get this one or cough up the money and get the pvs-14

Well, Gen 3 is always going to trump the Spark performance wise, so if you can afford it, get gen 3. It doesn't necessarily have to be a 14. You may find a good deal out there on different units. If you are on a budget that wont allow gen3, the Spark is still pretty much impossible to beat for the money.

 

[Rover31]

the Spark is still pretty much impossible to beat for the money.

Yes X 100 and 10!

 

[Delta4-3]

There have been people other places bash the unit on the premise that it doesn't use the $35 pull switch of a PVS14, and because it wont perform the same as a 14. But guess what, you can make the Spark just as good as a 14 by changing the housing, tube, and glass, it will just cost $3,000. People forget that it is a $500 unit that can be used head/helmet mounted, with magnifiers, on a weapon, etc.
If you have a gen3 unit laying next to it, are you going to take the better one out? Of course. But, not everyone has that chunk of cash laying around, or a wife that is cool with them dropping $3k that took a couple years to save up on a little invisible flashlight thingy. But, if there is a guy that started with the Spark and ended up getting a gen3 unit later, you can bet his night visionless buddies will be thrilled to use it so they can hunt together.

 

[teddy12b]

I know I'm getting on this a little late, but I'm looking at buying one of these Armasight Sparks and it's tough to find decent reviews on this particular unit.

Delta, I'm a former 12B and we only had PVS-7's. I've been out for a decade now so just about any night vision seems high speed to me. I remember the Gen 3 quality, but I don't want to pay the Gen 3 price. My biggest question is just how far can you see and identify objects. For example, with or without the IR illuminator do you think you could see a rabbit in a garden at 100 yards? I'm really struggling to get a gage on what kind of distance this particular unit would be good for. I'm assuming identifying a coyote at 150 yards, or 200 yards would probably be out of the question, but would a rabbit at 100 yards be within reason?

I'm also in the same boat as far as saving up for a PVS-14. Ultimately buying a TNVC/PVS-14 mil-spec is my goal, but until I either have the cash or they start to offer financing I'm going to be at the lower end of the night vision market. I figure I could train with the spark until the $$ for 14's ever shows up. Also, thank you for your service!

 

[Delta4-3]

Im not going to lie, a rabbit would be tough at 100 due to it's size, but with an illuminator you would easily see it's eyes and any movement. But static, it would be a challenge. I am building a new range with steel targets, tons of them, at various ranges. Ill try to get pics through several different units and label them for distance.

I can help you out on a PVS-14 as well. I'm out of town at the moment, but give me a call tomorrow if you aren't busy and we can chat about it.

I know I'm getting on this a little late, but I'm looking at buying one of these Armasight Sparks and it's tough to find decent reviews on this particular unit.

Delta, I'm a former 12B and we only had PVS-7's. I've been out for a decade now so just about any night vision seems high speed to me. I remember the Gen 3 quality, but I don't want to pay the Gen 3 price. My biggest question is just how far can you see and identify objects. For example, with or without the IR illuminator do you think you could see a rabbit in a garden at 100 yards? I'm really struggling to get a gage on what kind of distance this particular unit would be good for. I'm assuming identifying a coyote at 150 yards, or 200 yards would probably be out of the question, but would a rabbit at 100 yards be within reason?

I'm also in the same boat as far as saving up for a PVS-14. Ultimately buying a TNVC/PVS-14 mil-spec is my goal, but until I either have the cash or they start to offer financing I'm going to be at the lower end of the night vision market. I figure I could train with the spark until the $$ for 14's ever shows up. Also, thank you for your service!

 

[Travis S]

Wasn't there supposed to be a new improved version of this? I let mine go quote a while ago and kind of miss having it...

 

[teddy12b]

Im not going to lie, a rabbit would be tough at 100 due to it's size, but with an illuminator you would easily see it's eyes and any movement. But static, it would be a challenge. I am building a new range with steel targets, tons of them, at various ranges. Ill try to get pics through several different units and label them for distance.

I can help you out on a PVS-14 as well. I'm out of town at the moment, but give me a call tomorrow if you aren't busy and we can chat about it.

You brought up a good point about the illuminator. I know absolutely nothing about those, and to be perfectly honest, I think I'd be happy with the IR equivalent of one of those cheap $50 flood lights you see on the shelves at big box stores. I don't think I'd need anything high speed as far as an IR illuminator goes. I was surprised last night when I started googling "financing for night vision".

 

[Delta4-3]

Wasn't there supposed to be a new improved version of this? I let mine go quote a while ago and kind of miss having it...

Yes, it is shipping. It replaced the old one.

 

[Delta4-3]

You brought up a good point about the illuminator. I know absolutely nothing about those, and to be perfectly honest, I think I'd be happy with the IR equivalent of one of those cheap $50 flood lights you see on the shelves at big box stores. I don't think I'd need anything high speed as far as an IR illuminator goes. I was surprised last night when I started googling "financing for night vision".

Oh yea, for what you would do with the spark, there is no need to spend tons of money on an illuminator. As far as PVS-14's, it depends on what you are going to do with it and how you plan to utilize it, but there are a lot of good illuminators out there that are a great value. I am testing one now for a company that is awesome, and will be cheaper than the competition supposedly.

 

[Travis S]

How long ago was the new one released?

 

[Delta4-3]

How long ago was the new one released?

It was released several months ago, but just recently replaced the original.

 

[teddy12b]

Was there a big improvement with the new one?

 

[Delta4-3]

Was there a big improvement with the new one?

If you have them side by side you will notice a difference immediately, if you looked through the old spark a few months ago, then look through the updated one, you probably wouldn't know the difference.

 

[teddy12b]

When I first started looking into a Gen 1 device I was nearly sold on the Armasight OPMOD Gen 1 monocular because it seemed like a solid package with the headmount for the price. I'm not sure if you're familiar with that armasight model but this was the video I found that made me lean that direction: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YIFOR032Lk8 When reading more into that particular model I came across the spark core gen1+ and that's when I started to research it.

If neither of the monoculars can identify something at 100 yards then is there any reason to spend twice as much on the spark core? That thing is $550 plus the additional cost of the headmount.

 

[aleksfoxtrot]

Sorry my first post, and I'm posting on an older thread. But I've never had any night vision whatsoever. Based on this review and a couple of others I decided to buy the SPARK. I bought it from night vision guys. I'm glad it's been upgraded and is a better unit than it used to be. I'll be getting it in from FedEx tomorrow. I hope it lives up to the hype. Thanks for the review. Happy Independence day folks. And to all of you who have served an fought for this still great nation, Thank you!!!