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Night Vision Bering Optics - "Hogster"
- Thread starter wigwamitus
- Start date
The 25 will make a very good scanner. The other unit to consider is the Bering Optics Phenom. I've had it out against other Pulsar Helion XP units even with Image Boost on and in my opinion the Phenom had a better image. Night Goggles will be carrying these soon. The Pulsar Helion battery packs are nice though.
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I was looking at them earlier, and they look very nice. Tough price for me personally to swallow, when I could get either Hogster for for less and put it on a spare gun if I wanted.
I’m not saying the price is bad in comparison to what it’s competing against, it’ll be more than I really need though
Totally get it and the reason the Hogster is so popular. It is hard to beat a thermal that has a good image in all weather, compact and versatile so it can be used on a gun or a scanner, and carries a 4 year warranty and costs in the low to mid 2K range.
I was also looking into the Bering optics and AGM spotters, but it seems they also joined the club of spotters made for longer range viewing, with small field of views.
Plus, I don't like the built in battery feature on an optic, especially an optic that's not being subjected to recoil.
Maybe in a few years one of the manufacturers will offer at least one scanner made with a bigger FOV, with removable batteries.
The Phenom actually has a 17x13 FOV, so that is a nice FOV. I will have videos of this 640 res scanner soon. It does have a 5 hour internal battery pack but can be charged off a battery pack easily.
Learned quite a bit from Kirsch earlier. One thing I'm wondering about is the rail that comes w/ the 25 vs the 35. He told me the 35 comes w/ the 35QR if I'm not mistaken. Theirs the ability to upgrade the rails from what comes w/ the 25 to the 35, for maybe $75. Has anyone had experience w/ this? Worth it?
The only problem is that I'm used to the 1x base mag and 26x20 FOV of my HD19A .
Everything I've looked through and have been looking at is small in comparison.
I'm definitely interested in seeing what the Phenom has to offer and as always, appreciate your perspective .
What I would recommend is start with the standard mount that comes with the 25. If you aren't happy with it, you can always have Bering optics change it to the Tactical QR mount later on. This will also expedite your order not waiting on a custom order from Bering. I haven't heard of any complaints with either mount.
I just mentioned this to you over the phone as something to consider when a person is trying to decide between the 35 and 25. When purchased from Night Goggles, the 35 version has a lockable mount they call their Tactical QR mount and the 25 comes with the standard QR mount. They both are Quick Detach (QD)/Quick Release (QR) style mounts.
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You are right, it is what you get used to. I borrowed a 1x Trijicon scanner and it drove me crazy. The image quality was great but at distance I couldn't really make anything out as everything appeared so far away. The Phenom is a nice combination of a really good field of view but still being able to ID stuff at fairly long ranges. I didn't think I would give up my Pulsar Helion XP, but it now has a new home after I tested the Phenom. Unless something unexpected happens, the Phenom will be my scanner I plan to use this hunting season.
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What's the word on the super hogster? I'm waiting until bow season in AL before I buy so I can deer hunt during the day with my bow and hog hunt at night.
Thermion XQ38 is what I want but It looks like the hogster 35 will do fine and save 1k.
Thermion XQ38 is what I want but It looks like the hogster 35 will do fine and save 1k.
This may be a little bit of a sidetrack, but how would the FLIR T50 compare to the Hogster-C? I am trying to find something for a Barrett M82A1, so a 50bmg rating is a requirement, and I plan to put it in front of a Trijicon TA02 (4x). The FLIR retailed for a lot more, but is also a lot older, and due to its age is available for a similar price on the second hand market as the Hogster-C is at full retail. I don't have much knowledge at all in this arena, and other than knowing basic specs available on websites, I have no knowledge of the practical differences between different types of thermal optics. That 60mm lens on the T50 must be worth something in the way of performance, despite its 320 core.. right?
Thanks in advance for the help!
Thanks in advance for the help!
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I have been using a prototype for a few weeks. I liked it so much, I ordered one myself. The Super Hogsters are in production at Bering Optics right now. I just got off the phone with Bering Optics and they are anticipating shipping a large batch of Super Hogsters to Night Goggles in the next week. All of the customers who have already ordered one from Night Goggles will get their hands on one soon.
The Main Differences
1) 2.9x native magnification vs the Hogster-R 35 at 2x (35) or the 25 at 1.4x
2) 12μm vs 17μm
3) 8 reticles instead of 4
4) Has internal video (no audio) recording
5) Includes Compass and Inclinometer
The flashing reticle (only occurs in recorded video) was an issue with the prototype model and has been addressed in the final release product according to Bering Optics.
I have never heard anything about increased battery life. When I did a write up on several sites after I tested the prototype, this is what I said about Battery Life:
All Hogsters can be powered by CR123, Rechargable CR123s, and/or a 5v Battery pack. I tested the SH with the Night Goggles TRB Extended Battery Pack. It powered the SH for approximately 10.5 hours which was roughly the same as a Hogster -R 35. I also tested it with a set of rechargeable 123s and it ran the SH for 2.5 hours which is consistent with the Hogster-R 35. Bering lists the specs for standard 123s at 4 hours for all 3 models. My test results also supported the concept all Hogster models should be fairly consistent pertaining to battery life.
A difference in the SH is it can be powered down with the battery pack connected. In addition to start the SH, the power button needs to be pressed even if a battery pack is connected. The Hogster 25 and 35 automatically start when connected and must be physically disconnected to power down when using a battery pack.
With so many new thermals coming out, It must've been a different scope or spotter we had a discussion about.
You may be thinking of the Bering Optics Phenom scanner. It has a 5 hour internal battery and can also be run off a 5V battery pack. This would be a little more than the 4hr listed for the Hogsters.
