I'm getting close to pulling the trigger on a PVS-14 setup and even after reading guides, etc., I'm a little overwhelmed, especially since the top end units are north of $4,000.
My primary uses are screwing around (night hikes, etc.) and defensive/SHTF uses, my only experience using NVGs is out hunting with friends and a couple of them have 10+ year old garbage Gen-2 systems. I've taken a lot of carbine weapons classes but never taken a night class and that is something I am looking at doing sometime in the next 6-12 months. So the non-screwing around use for this expensive set up is something I can run on some kind of head gear in a defensive scenario or putting behind a compatible RDS on one of my carbines... although perhaps it makes more sense to just use my DBAL I2 as an aiming device... haven't done any training or practice so don't know what will work for me yet.
Initially I was planning on getting a white filmless gen3 Harris set up from TNVC as they have a rock solid reputation and will definitely be around for any warranty needs that come up. The 20+ week lead times though have me considering other options.
Surgeon Shooter and UNV are also on my list. In Surgeon's case he made it clear that he periodically gets access to small numbers of 20UA and 20UM tubes, however he can't guarantee anything beyond minimum specs and it's not clear if he provides any kind of long term warranty... he seems like a fantastic guy and has a lot of knowledge but always a risk of no long term support on an expensive purchase with a one man operation.
Does anyone know what kind of Gen-3 filmless tubes UNV is providing? They are only listing a 14-28 day lead time vs the 20 weeks TNVC is quoting and they are also offering some included accessories (soft case, j-arm, skull crusher, etc.). They also have Vyper builds and it seems that the Vyper housing is substantially better than the regular PVS-14 from a durability/maintenance perspective.
Any other options I should consider if I'm looking to blow a big wad on a go big or go home NV purchase?
Couple other brief (I hope) Qs.
What are my options for having a setup that allows me to switch between having the unit helmet (nightcap) mounted and putting it on a pic rail behind an RDS?
I don't really understand what the difference is on the many different flip-up mounts.... do they all shut the unit off automatically? Are the described advantages of something like a Wilcox L4 G11 for better head positioning worth the steeper asking price? I would probably start out with a Crye Nightcap as I don't anticipate normally needing a bump helmet for what I'm using it for.
Probably some other questions.... sorry as I'm sure some of this comes up from noobs repeatedly.
My primary uses are screwing around (night hikes, etc.) and defensive/SHTF uses, my only experience using NVGs is out hunting with friends and a couple of them have 10+ year old garbage Gen-2 systems. I've taken a lot of carbine weapons classes but never taken a night class and that is something I am looking at doing sometime in the next 6-12 months. So the non-screwing around use for this expensive set up is something I can run on some kind of head gear in a defensive scenario or putting behind a compatible RDS on one of my carbines... although perhaps it makes more sense to just use my DBAL I2 as an aiming device... haven't done any training or practice so don't know what will work for me yet.
Initially I was planning on getting a white filmless gen3 Harris set up from TNVC as they have a rock solid reputation and will definitely be around for any warranty needs that come up. The 20+ week lead times though have me considering other options.
Surgeon Shooter and UNV are also on my list. In Surgeon's case he made it clear that he periodically gets access to small numbers of 20UA and 20UM tubes, however he can't guarantee anything beyond minimum specs and it's not clear if he provides any kind of long term warranty... he seems like a fantastic guy and has a lot of knowledge but always a risk of no long term support on an expensive purchase with a one man operation.
Does anyone know what kind of Gen-3 filmless tubes UNV is providing? They are only listing a 14-28 day lead time vs the 20 weeks TNVC is quoting and they are also offering some included accessories (soft case, j-arm, skull crusher, etc.). They also have Vyper builds and it seems that the Vyper housing is substantially better than the regular PVS-14 from a durability/maintenance perspective.
Any other options I should consider if I'm looking to blow a big wad on a go big or go home NV purchase?
Couple other brief (I hope) Qs.
What are my options for having a setup that allows me to switch between having the unit helmet (nightcap) mounted and putting it on a pic rail behind an RDS?
I don't really understand what the difference is on the many different flip-up mounts.... do they all shut the unit off automatically? Are the described advantages of something like a Wilcox L4 G11 for better head positioning worth the steeper asking price? I would probably start out with a Crye Nightcap as I don't anticipate normally needing a bump helmet for what I'm using it for.
Probably some other questions.... sorry as I'm sure some of this comes up from noobs repeatedly.