Night Vision Is the PVS-10/PVS4 any good or should i get a pvs14?

[Machinist-Mills]

I have been looking for more night vision options and noticed a PVS-10 on a marketplace web site, and it got me thinking of changing my plan to buy a pvs14 for xmas to get a pvs4/pvs10? i have a gen2 pvs7 and it works for me to walk around and move if there is moon light but...

just wanted to know if anyone has used the pvs10 and liked it, i think its 8 power. there is no wiki. and i like to hear first hand anyway.

i have played with the pvs4 gen2 a long time ago and im sure it would work for me if i dont get a pvs14.

questions would be... info i have...
pvs10 cost range 5k on marketplace site and that sounds high
pvs10 magnification its 3.6x on a pvs4
pvs10 and pvs4 gen3 view range gen2 pvs4 could see people out to 500yards or so

I don't hunt but would like to have the option. I am more of a survival use type, and don't think i need the range of a pvs10 in urban Michigan, so im thinking if i had a pvs4 it would be more useful than 2 head mount only options.

or should i forget it and get the pvs14? i know if i ask my girl about it after the 556/308 debate/hassle on my last rifle. she was so tired of talking about it she sent me here... not even kidding. i only get one big toy a year and if its very big i only get one every other year so i have more time than cash, that being said im on a long list for a new rifle from a company that makes only 10-20 a year and gives you a hat...

Im in no hurry to buy anything soon other than a laser and more rechargeable batteries. but i cant watch any more video's so i thought i would get some talk going and see what others are doing and thinking.

p.s. the pictures on this site are great unless... you ask my retirement plan

 

[hermosabeach]

The PVS14 I picked up from TNVC is amazing.....

It really depends what you want and what is OK to use in your area???

For seeing at night while walking, the PVS14 is AWESOME....

If hunting, I would look at a bunch of the hunting videos as they do a great job showing you what works and why...

 

[Machinist-Mills]

thanks for info, could you tell me about your set up?

im thinking about getting tnvc also,

im not trying to bash anyone but there are too many stories about buying from ebay to risk my money.

 

[Killswitch Engage]

What you need is sheer versatility for what you want to do. That comes from a pvs-14 plain and simple. They can be head, hand, weapon mounted. They are light and compact. Chevy 350 of night vision. Once you have one of those then I would
look towards a dedicated optic. To scan and detect a 14 is probably the best option.

 

[Victor-TNVC]

thanks for info, could you tell me about your set up?

im thinking about tnvc also, im not trying to bash anyone but there are too many stories to risk my money.

Not sure what "stories" here, (I know haters will hate), but we have sold HUNDREDS of our PVS-14 units here with outstanding results. I stand by our outstanding customer service and our L3 Omni 8 TNV-14's are very good tubes to say the least. NO one has every had to risk their money with us....

 

[Delta4-3]

Any vendor on this site will do you right. TNVC, MOD, I^2, Ident, etc. I hate the PVS-10. The PVS-14 is the one to have if you are only going to have one.

 

[red6actual]

too many stories to risk your money???

TNVC is a night vision dealer, that pvs-10 your looking at is a big risk, yeah the seller says its nice but... and does not show or state the serial number, could be former US Military property that found its way off base or it could be the best legit one ever, still more of a gamble than buying from a dealer.

I have never heard anything good about the pvs-10 and if it were the optic to have the Army would still be using them.

 

[eodsix]

TNVC is a fine company, I have been a customer more than a couple of times and their products are first rate. My advice to ANYONE wanting to break into the night vision arena is to get a head mounted NOD, PVS-7 or PVS-14 and then go from there. That'll whet anyone's appetite for more.

 

[Machinist-Mills]

Sorry for the confusion but i was talking about ebay stories not tnvc. i will edit the post to reflect this.

I want to buy TNVC devices.

thanks for the replys...

as i posted else where i have "textpergers" (from urbandictionary.com) Noun. A condition wherein a social media user or person having a conversation via text is unable to determine whether a remark and set of remarks is intended to be sarcastic, or in which the context or tone may be misconstrued, without the use of aides such as "lol" or a select set of emoticons, thus rendering them socially inept with regard to such mediums.

 

[Killswitch Engage]

You definitely have talkalotbergers.... Thin your conversation out and try and focus on main points of discussion. I.e....no one gives a shit about the Detroit moving car show, twiddle d's militia or other potential thread drift comments. That's my forum pointers for today.

 

[RobertB]

I have several pieces of NV gear. I don't use the PVS 14s much anymore but I know that if I could only have 1 that just might be it. If you don't want to spend a whole lot of money but want to cover your bases then I would say a PVS 14 with a Illuminator/aiming laser. Like the DBAL-D2 and then maybe down the road a dedicated scope like a D-740 or D-760, aquilla,of the M845 or another PVS 14. That depends on your range. And as time goes on maybe a thermal monocular. The list will seem to never end. Since I don't get much home time as I'm always gone I have to choose what gear to bring with me. Used to be the PVS 14 and a D760 with one of my IR site/illum. But right now I'm using an ANVIS9 and a PVS 22 with a DBAL on my SBR and a LUNA ELIR on my 16" 308 and keep a FLIR M24 RECON (640) around my neck. I doesn't take a lot of gear to do a lot when you learn how to use it. A PVS14 is very versatile and will serve you well. Hell, we used to only have that and shoot em out to 1000yds on our bolt guns. They sucked for that lol but goes to show what all they can do. I say PVS 14 and welcome to the club

 

[Machinist-Mills]

fixed...

thanks.

 

[Strykervet]

TNVC is top notch, they've taken VERY good care of me... They took back a $900 helmet that I damaged (due to poor manufacturer instructions) and while the manufacturer left me and them holding the bag, TNVC sent me a new helmet no questions asked. This is above and beyond what most dealers will do, and this was one my first purchases with them. This "they'll squander your hard earned money" or some shit is just that: bullshit. These guys went OUT OF THEIR WAY to satisfy me, and let me tell you, I was NOT an easy customer. I read for MONTHS on what these devices were capable of, how they were built, what contracts allowed, etc. Not the surface info that's readily available, some of my info came from conversations with L3 and ITT engineers. Not to mention I grew up using 14's for over a decade. I also used the gen.2 PVS-4. It's better than nothing and probably worth the price for what you get these days, but it is NOT going to give you clarity at 500m! Not sure about gen.3, by the time they came out with those we already had clip ons and thermals. But 14's remained the mainstay until here recently when my old unit got the PSQ-20's (if you got the cash, get this or the second gen. version if you can --thermal overlay IR monocular!).

Color me stupid or misinformed, but I can't recall ever seeing a PVS-10 --I'll have to look it up. May be familiar when I see it, but obviously it wasn't too damn high speed because we never were issued one.

When buying a 14 you have LOTS of options, most are the same, but every one has different price points. Some give half the performance for twice the price and others twice the performance for half the price, so buyer beware.

I've gone into great detail so I'm hesitant to do it again, but in a nutshell, the TNVC model NODs can be ordered hand select with a factory tube but assembled by them for much less. You can actually get better specs this way if you are patient and the warranty is as good or better than the factory one is --the tube is warranted exactly the same.

ITT milspec and Night Enforcer models (I prefer the Night Enforcer because you can control the tube specs whereas you can't with milspec, making the civilian NE model actually the better one for less!). This is the one I have. ITT tubes AND sets are made by them in their ISO clean room. A big deal for me. It's the only true factory sealed model with both build sheets with both SN's by them. It's not necessarily the "best of the best" but for me it was and for the price I couldn't pass on it.

L3 has stronger but less clear tubes. Most folks won't be able to tell the difference between an ITT tube and an L3 simply because they aren't that different and the tolerance means specs overlap sometimes, and if you've never used many or this is the only one you've used, you won't be able to tell at all. But ITT can be clearer in general, L3 tougher (recoil over 5.56). Caveat is they aren't made in ISO clean rooms and L3 will contract out builds. They build, warrant and seal the tube, the important part, so it's up to you. L3 or ITT. I'd choose based on two factors: is the ISO cleanroom build that important, and do I actually plan on mounting this on a weapon, in particular a .300BLK, 6.8SPC etc.

Considering 14's are primarily head mount systems, I went ITT cleanroom and use lasers for night. Lasers work great at night with practice and it's how the 14 was designed to be used. Head mount. Speaking of which, don't skimp out on the head mount. To save money, and if ballistic protection isn't needed, the Crye soft mount is AWESOME. I love mine, never use that damn expensive helmet anymore! For $150, you can get a shroud and soft mount and all you need then is an INVG or some other quality dovetail mount and arm and you're good to go. No cheap gear (which trust me, you pay for in spades with cheap NV gear!) and you can get a helmet later if you like.

Final words, TNVC didn't try to sell me on high end shit. I was clear what I wanted and they worked with me and told me the truth about what this does vs. that, and they never tried to push me on something I didn't want. I can't say the same for other dealers, who I won't mention names, but if they try to sell you "Nasa grade" or "Special Forces grade" or any of that shit, run, run, run! Also, there is no gen. 4, .308 recoil rating is dubious at best as is filmless technology. So beware. Lots of greed in the night vision industry and they'll say anything if they think you are the least bit uninformed. Good luck.

Feel free to PM me if you like, I can go into more detail or look up another message to another fellow in the same straits. But a TNVC 14 with an ITT (or L3, your choice) tube built to hand specs worked out with you (I prefer high signal to noise vs. resolution for instance as I'm in a dark, cloudy place most of the time) a good dovetail mount like the INVG, AKA2, Wilcox, etc., a soft cover mount and a Wilcox L4 shroud and you are good to go --it'll be the best setup for the lowest price as far as I know.

There are other good dealers for sure, but TNVC stood out for me and they didn't try and bullshit me. Beware anyone that talks ill of another company as well. These are some of the scare tactics used by them to usher you away from their competition. TNVC has done well by being honest and have carved out a good portion of the industry and in doing so, they've pissed off a lot of other less than scrupulous dealers --who'll say anything to get your business and to ward you away from TNVC. Just beware and do research on whoever you go with and make sure to call and talk to them (and play less informed than you are) in order to see what they're willing to say to get your business. You might be surprised. NASA grade indeed.

 

[Delta4-3]

Color me stupid or misinformed, but I can't recall ever seeing a PVS-10 --I'll have to look it up. May be familiar when I see it, but obviously it wasn't too damn high speed because we never were issued one.

PVS-10 is a clunky day/night optic issued to snipers for the M24 (and other platforms, mainly the 24) before clip-on's were common place. You can switch between day and night. But, it's complex and good luck dialing your dope and actually being zeroed when you dial back. It is like most jack-of-all-trades devices, it performs all of them, but not as well as purpose built devices. It was considered high speed by a lot of people, mainly those that didn't have to use them. That is strictly opinion though, as I do know guys that liked them.

 

[SNIPERS4DUMMIES]

PVS4 in the Gen 3 flavor was on sale at TNVC or a PVS14 and get yourself an IR pointer/illuminator (there's over a dozen pending your needs and tax bracket)….enjoy, stay safe

 

[Machinist-Mills]

i just remember the pvs10 was talked about in 2002 and i never got to play with one. i think i will stick to the pvs14 idea and look at some other options when the time comes.

 

[Delta4-3]

i just remember the pvs10 was talked about in 2002 and i never got to play with one. i think i will stick to the pvs14 idea and look at some other options when the time comes.

Good call, you will be happier that way. The PVS-10 was a good idea in theory, but a clip on is much more practical in real life, hence the switch. A PVS-14 is the most versatile unit you can get.

 

[wigwamitus]

Trying to make an ad hoc pvs-14 use list:

01 - On helmet, on left eye for navigation (definitely the use case that gets the most hours from my use).

02 - On helmet, paired with a second 14 on left and right eyes in dual mount for navigation, particularly in buggy driving (second most hours for my use).

03 - Two 14s on two helmets one given to second team member who forgot to bring theirs (some use for me when my wife goes out at night with me, usually for star gazing).

04 - One 14 on weapons mount behind eotech with nv reticle (use for zeroing reticle or ir laser at night mostly).

05 - One 14 on left eye on helmet to see ir laser for engaging target (lots of use in this mode).

06 - One 14 on left eye on helmet while holding thermal in right hand to right eye, to produce poor man's fusion for observation (increasing use for this use case).

07 - One 14 in pocket or in hand as hand held monocular (some use for star gazing or other night walks).

08 - With 3x monocular behind eotech for longer range weapons mount NV.

09 - With 3x monocular on 14 as hand held monocular. Can see items like Andromeda or Orion Nebula when star gazing.

10 - On helmet behind other day scope for improvised NV capability.

11 - One 14 on helmet the second on weapons mount on rifle behind eotech.

12 - One 14 on helmet seeing ct ir-laser on target in grips on 45 acp.

I'm sure there are 20 other use cases, I'll let the smart people list them out. The above are the ones I've experienced in my attempts (that I can recall anyway )

 

[Proarc]

Trying to make an ad hoc pvs-14 use list:

01 - On helmet, on left eye for navigation (definitely the use case that gets the most hours from my use).

02 - On helmet, paired with a second 14 on left and right eyes in dual mount for navigation, particularly in buggy driving (second most hours for my use).

03 - Two 14s on two helmets one given to second team member who forgot to bring theirs (some use for me when my wife goes out at night with me, usually for star gazing).

04 - One 14 on weapons mount behind eotech with nv reticle (use for zeroing reticle or ir laser at night mostly).

05 - One 14 on left eye on helmet to see ir laser for engaging target (lots of use in this mode).

06 - One 14 on left eye on helmet while holding thermal in right hand to right eye, to produce poor man's fusion for observation (increasing use for this use case).

07 - One 14 in pocket or in hand as hand held monocular (some use for star gazing or other night walks).

08 - With 3x monocular behind eotech for longer range weapons mount NV.

09 - With 3x monocular on 14 as hand held monocular. Can see items like Andromeda or Orion Nebula when star gazing.

10 - On helmet behind other day scope for improvised NV capability.

11 - One 14 on helmet the second on weapons mount on rifle behind eotech.

12 - One 14 on helmet seeing ct ir-laser on target in grips on 45 acp.

I'm sure there are 20 other use cases, I'll let the smart people list them out. The above are the ones I've experienced in my attempts (that I can recall anyway )

Well done, Makes me realize I am not using my stuff to full potential!