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Night Vision PVS-7 worth it?

aslrookie

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Minuteman
Mar 19, 2017
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My wife and I each tried using a single PVS-14 on a coyote hunt. Although both of us are new to NV, it was hard to imagine using this setup full time.

Instead of sharing 2 PVS-14’s, I thought maybe getting two PVS-7’s might be a better option? She said looking through a single 14 gave her a headache.

I don’t have 8-10k for two sets of used PVS-15’s, but you can find used 7’s for around $1800 each which is a lot more affordable for us.

They would be used for hobby use such as shooting/hunting. I’ve read that 7’s are junk, but the pictures people post seem like the quality isn’t far off from a 14.

Thoughts?
 
It takes time to get used to NODs. Put 'em on, wear 'em around, go for a walk at night. Get used to 'em. The headaches go away (make sure they're focused right for her, her focus and yours may not be identical). With 14's you look with both eyes open, one through the NODs the other not. Ideally, at least for me, I put monocular over the left eye so I can shoulder and aim easy with the right (if I need to look through the scope).

7's are more difficult to navigate in because it feels like your eyes are 3 feet in front of the rest of your body. You really have no depth perception in those at all. They tended to trip over more shit in the woods. All the guys that I knew when I was in the army where everybody had 'em all wanted the 14's. The only guys that got issued the 7's in early 2000's were grenadiers and riflemen (most SDM's still got the 14's though, if not all).

I'd at least try 'em before buying 'em. They're not the same thing.

As for the image itself, they look as good as any other gen. 3. I've got a nice 14, and if I had it to do over I'd either get the same thing in WP or a set of 15's if I could afford it. Those go over both eyes but you still have some depth perception.

I have the Crye soft cap, that's a lot cheaper than a helmet and IMO it's way more comfortable. It's like wearing a ballcap with a chin strap where the bill is a set of NODs. 14's are pretty light, 7's are too. I'd get one first and try it out before dropping money on a helmet. My helmet hasn't been out of the safe in years. The old "skullcrushers" sucked and earned that name for a reason; that Crye soft cap is just awesome. Really wish it had been around when I was in the army and didn't need the helmet.

Most of the "legacy" shit is just that, shit, so I'd get NODs that come with a soft case and the minimum of extras. Pick your mounts and shrouds on your own, pretty much all the Wilcox and Norotos dovetail stuff is GTG.
 
A co-worker of mine had two 14’s he let me borrow for a weekend. Those were the ones we used on our night yote hunt. We didn’t have helmets or anything so we were just scanning the area holding it to our eyes.

I couldn’t keep my left eye open because it seemed pointless. I think she felt the same way. I showed her how to focus it and she was still struggling a little bit.

Maybe because we had to hold them to our eyes that it exaggerated the eye strain? I remember briefly using 7’s in the military on a field exercise for our convoy. I was the gunner and it was very tricky to judge how close or far things were while shaking around in a gun turret.
 
Used both since 2000, it's easier to get used to with the 7's for a new user due to the two eye/same image similarity to normal human eyesight. There are tactical benefits to a single 14, and more for dual 14's, but unless you are putting your life on the line, I couldn't justify the money.
 
They aren't junk, they are obsolete though. I used to have a lot of them in my arms room when I was still with Uncle Sam and got my turn to attend armorer school as another school for advancement. Driving hummers with them was a bear at night, especially in an unfamiliar rocky desert because you had no depth perception. Had plenty of times when something that looked like it might be ditch turned out to be a definite ditch after careful inspection upon stopping and getting out. I would not use them for hunting, if you want to see at night just mount a rifle night sight but at the price PVS-7s are still going for you can get much better options.
 
Make sure that the objective focus and diopter focus are correctly set. On most units, one is on the objective end, and one is on the viewer's end.

Use them with both eyes open. You'll get used to it so that your brain meshes the details from each image together well.
 
Used both since 2000, it's easier to get used to with the 7's for a new user due to the two eye/same image similarity to normal human eyesight. There are tactical benefits to a single 14, and more for dual 14's, but unless you are putting your life on the line, I couldn't justify the money.

This is good advice. But I highly recommend trying 7's before investing in them.

Make sure that the objective focus and diopter focus are correctly set. On most units, one is on the objective end, and one is on the viewer's end.

Use them with both eyes open. You'll get used to it so that your brain meshes the details from each image together well.

Yep, that's what I said. It gets better over time, trust me. You just need to practice with them, they take getting used to. Both eyes open for sure, and put it over your non-dominant eye. You need to mount them to your head and stop holding it. Get used to walking like normal. Don't look down, look straight ahead.

TNVC can square you away on gear and they're reputable and will go over options and keep you in your budget if need be. It's who I go through when possible. Stellar CS too.



The below is just extra ideas:

You can get the dual 14 setup but I think a set of 15's w/matched WP tubes would better. You keep some depth perception and this is how to go with binocular NODs. More expensive for sure, but that's one of the pairs I'd like someday, an aviation grade set in a tougher housing. Unless you've got the cash to burn on that, I think a pair of 14's, one for you and one for her, along with the soft caps and mounts, would be a great start (figure $150ish for the cap and shroud and $400ish for the mount, each). Really ought to at least try a soft cover given the price before buying a helmet, I swear it'll always be useful even if you do get a helmet. If not and you get a black one, I'll buy it off you.

You can always pair up the 14's if you get 'em with matching tubes later on if you wish (say she's not with you) or later on you decide on another set like those 15's.

You also probably need to invest in an IR light of some sort. Surefire V series lights light up a wide area close in really well but you'll need something more focused for longer range. Also need to consider IR lasers, maybe a PEQ. I have a Mepro Mor and it has a tri-power dot sight (battery, tritium, fiber optic) and it has a 5mW red laser and 5mW IR laser slaved to it, so zero one, zero 'em all. It's a bit tall so irons won't co-witness if that matters, it was originally designed for the Tavor (so if you have one of those it'd be the bees knees --the switch fits in the handguard and the cable routes inside the rifle I think). Works fine on AR's though and the 5mW IR laser is much better than the civilian power ones, especially in fog, etc. It's not TOO powerful, but still gotta treat it like it's 1000mW. Be safe.

If you get a 14 and want to weapon mount it, which would be cheaper early on and give you time to recover and save for lasers and such, PM me before you buy anything, I've got this low profile Larue QD mount and QD optics mount that goes with it and I'll let it go for a lot less than new. It basically is new, bought it for my wife who didn't use it and got a divorce so I don't need it. If you're gonna put it behind a red dot or EoTech it's the way to go, just get a sight with NV setting so you don't burn a spot in your tube.
 
I used PVS 7 day in day out in Iraq and Afghanistan .. so no they are not junk.. lol BUT make sure you don't Buy junky ones.. lol

I can give another big thumbs up to TNVC !

As a civilian I have a PVS 14. It is lighter on your head and get some depth perception back But using NVG's takes some getting used to for it to become second nature.. I have no idea how many times I busted my ass as a Joe in the 82nd Airborne my first trip to the field training with nods lol



Remember the nods you have are better than the ones you don't have.. and as soon as you get them you will say .. "man i should have got these sooner "
 
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ive killed alot of shit with a set of 7's on my noggin' so id have to disagree there. 14 has obvious versatility to weapon mount but most dont for a myriad of reasons. so back to if the op wants a set of nods on the cheap 7's are a great way to get it.
 
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ive killed alot of shit with a set of 7's on my noggin' so id have to disagree there. 14 has obvious versatility to weapon mount but most dont for a myriad of reasons. so back to if the op wants a set of nods on the cheap 7's are a great way to get it.
I've killed rabbits with a slingshot but I much prefer using my shotgun.
 
My wife and I each tried using a single PVS-14 on a coyote hunt. Although both of us are new to NV, it was hard to imagine using this setup full time.

Instead of sharing 2 PVS-14’s, I thought maybe getting two PVS-7’s might be a better option? She said looking through a single 14 gave her a headache.

I don’t have 8-10k for two sets of used PVS-15’s, but you can find used 7’s for around $1800 each which is a lot more affordable for us.

They would be used for hobby use such as shooting/hunting. I’ve read that 7’s are junk, but the pictures people post seem like the quality isn’t far off from a 14.

Thoughts?
Do you have your 14's set up to wear an adjusted properly? Because if you don't that is the problem. The head dress an eye adjustments have to be for you, if your wearing/using it for extended periods.

There is a lot of hype about what you need but, look where that's coming from. A single 14 will get the job done if you set it up properly an your tactics are correct for the target. Throwing money at an issue works, if you want to be a slave to gear or a job.
 
I used PVS 7 day in day out in Iraq and Afghanistan .. so no they are not junk.. lol BUT make sure you don't Buy junky ones.. lol

I can give another big thumbs up to TNVC !

As a civilian I have a PVS 14. It is lighter on your head and get some depth perception back But using NVG's takes some getting used to for it to become second nature.. I have no idea how many times I busted my ass as a Joe in the 82nd Airborne my first trip to the field training with nods lol



Remember the nods you have are better than the ones you don't have.. and as soon as you get them you will say .. "man i should have got these sooner "

Yeah, this is where I am at. Something is better than nothing. If I use it a lot more than I forsee, then it changes things. I would love to have a set of DTNVG, but it’s hard to imagine myself spending that kind of money unless I absolutely needed it. The 14 route is quite cheaper, but two of those is still expensive and that leads me to the 7.
 
Yeah, this is where I am at. Something is better than nothing. If I use it a lot more than I forsee, then it changes things. I would love to have a set of DTNVG, but it’s hard to imagine myself spending that kind of money unless I absolutely needed it. The 14 route is quite cheaper, but two of those is still expensive and that leads me to the 7.
So just buy one 14 now and another later maybe? There is nothing that 7 is going to do better than a single 14 and the 14 will have loads more versatility.
 
So just buy one 14 now and another later maybe? There is nothing that 7 is going to do better than a single 14 and the 14 will have loads more versatility.

My NV knowledge is limited. If I were to use 2 14's connected with a bridge mount, wouldn't they need to be collimated? I have read that doing this with 2 14's isn't easy and usually still isn't perfectly done. It would be nice to have the versatility to pop a 14 off the helmet and let the wife use one so we both have it, and then I can run dual 14's when she's not with me.
 
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I have used a 3rd gen pvs7 and IR laser for predator hunting the last fews years and its not bad if you have a good helmet/ counterbalance weight. I did just upgrade to a pvs14 because its a lighter, smaller unit with the same field of view.
 
Ive found a set of 7b's work just fine when I'm clearing my mom's basement, just a word of advice though, make sure she knows what your doing cause she came with a try of pizza pockets and flipped the lights on and damn near blinded me and almost ruined my stuff
 

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