Night Vision Lens Protection for NVGs

rlsmith1

Legalize Freedom
Supporter
Full Member
Minuteman
  • May 1, 2019
    2,251
    2,093
    Midwest
    Do you guys run clear protectors for the front and rear of your NV / thermals? Asking about monos and binoculars in particular. My only hesitation is that it may degrade clarity and gain but the protection is pretty cost effective too. Thoughts?
     
    Depends upon what you use for a sac lens. LIFs will reduce performance a noticeable amount, but not drastically. Sac shields are generally of little impact on optical performance, but they scratch easily. Demist lenses/shields are the same, and will smear if you use lens cleaning fluid on them. Just use a microfiber cleaning cloth.
     
    I find that the Wilcox protective covers when used on the objectives will cause pretty noticeable glare from light sources, which is annoying in urban environs, and potentially distracting/causes a loss in SA. I personally don't run with them unless I see a need for them, e.g., force on force.
     
    • Like
    Reactions: rlsmith1
    These work very well with no noticeable reduction in image quality and protect your lens very well. Additionally you can easily still slip a 3x or 5x Magnifier on your objective.

    Front Objective Lens

    Rear Ocular Lens


    However, I prefer to run Jays SNB filter on the rear ocular myself.