If you're thinking you're going to buy a refurb and put a badass tube in it think again. KAC are apparently the only ones that can work on a 30 and they won't do a swap when I was looking into it.
Yeah, I looked too for shits and giggles. I had an idea and could have used the tube that came with it (which is a very nice tube). Yes, it's green, and yes, it has a fairly low FOM, but it's by far the clearest image I've ever seen and with a little illumination and mid to low gain, the image on mine is perfect. Not one spot, clear as fuck. Makes you grin clear.
Yeah, the new ones are WP and I bet they're hot shit, but it's not an "upgrade" it's an $8000 difference.
The tube is a Harris mfg. tube specifically for KAC to their specs and is similar in size to the one that goes in a PVS14 (but apparently isn't the same). The tube can only be accessed through KAC (well, they say but I've always been able to put hands on shit regardless, so....).
At any rate, I dig the shit out of this tube so much that when I get ready for a set of 15's or similar, I'm definitely going Harris if it's still an option. I know they used to make aviation NODs. I can understand why if their tubes are all like that.
Finally, even if you get hands on a tube that fits/works, you still need a collimating table (it lines up the optics in order to make it a universal clip on). Now KAC isn't the only gig in town with one, but they are expensive and rare, however, I've contacted a couple guys with 'em who are well known around here and even they won't work on one. Also just so you're clear, these are upgraded PVS26 units --the chassis for it is a PVS26 but the guts are PVS30.
The refurbished ones have an FOM rating that everyone was all pissy about last year. I was at first but if you use illumination (and you have to with these if you plan on taking advantage of what they can do) it doesn't matter too much. What does is KAC's rating --A, B, etc. I have one of the highest rated units and it shows.
KAC said that it would cost around $13,000 to upgrade one with a new tube and put it on the table and do all the work. A new WP model is just under that, so why would you want to now that you know all this?
But I still stand behind this item as one of the best deals to come along for long, long time. It's a solid device, it's not a piece of junk. You won't break it easy and while I'm wary of putting it on a DTA HTI .50 due to massive recoil (they say it's fine and it doesn't break scopes, so...) but i have zero problems mounting this to an M2HB and I wouldn't think twice about it.
Yeah, definitely one of the best deals to come along in a loooong time. It's put a lot of us into clip on night vision when it otherwise wasn't affordable, and we didn't have to skimp on the quality.
