What thermal LRF spotter has the best LRF performance?

[tekmann2377]

So several of the consumer-grade thermal monoculars/binoculars have integrated LRF's onboard, as do several of the thermal weapon sights themselves.

The ones that come to mind for spotters are:
Pulsar Merger/Telos
AGM Voyage/Axiom
Guide IR

Things seem to spiral upwards in cost after that, to units like the Voodoo B or FLIR Recon.

As for integrated LRF's in weapon sights:
Super Yoter
Pulsar Thermion
HALO XRF
Etc.

Now short of the Voodoo/FLIR stuff or MARS weapon mount units, have any of you experienced any difference in the range finding performance between the above consumer grade units? Or are they all imported LRF's pasted on the side that come from the same factory in China with similar performance? Can they come close to matching something like a base Leica handheld RF?

The purpose I ask is I have some high grade stuff on a dedicated long range 22 CM rifle, but a lot of the night shooting I do is actually with smaller calibers at smaller targets (varmints), for which accurate ranging is very critical to making a hit. I already have 2 very good quality non-LRF thermal weapon sights for them, but I would rather have a separate spotter with LRF that putting a MARS on each of them LOL.

 

[Scopes]

The Pulsar Thermion 2 XG50 LRF will range at night to 800/900ish yards. Which is way farther then I would ever shoot at night on game. The Pulsar onboard ballistics solver works very well. Laser target, then it puts an aiming point on your reticle for the range. Super easy.

 

[gr8fuldoug]

I shared this with my AGM rep and this was his input:
"For this particular use case he is going to need consider two different points. I see his question is based on the LRF performance alone the reality is most of the units he listed have the same measurable tolerance +/- 1 meter/yard on the listed specs. A major factor he is not considering in the thread will be the clarity of the thermal unit to be able to identify that heat source which will be a major factor in him ranging the animal itself and not near the animal which will result in correct ranging.
For this use I would not suggest anything below a 640 thermal sensor, our latest release of the Reach IR unit would be our best offering for him."

The reply from my Pulsar rep was:
"I'd like to start by pointing out that, to the best of my knowledge, Pulsar LRFs are not coming out of China. Pulsar is moving towards sourcing 100% of all components from within the EU. That being said, with advancements in laser range finders, most reputable manufacturers incorporate very accurate LRF technology into their units. The LRF sensor on our Merger LRF lineup is accurate to ± 1m.

I believe the sensor resolution should be the thing to focus on to ensure good detection capabilities. Being able to properly detect and identify objects at distance with a capable sensor makes ranging much easier. Our Pulsar Merger LRF XL50 Thermal Imaging Binoculars, with its 1024x768 sensor and matching HD display would be my recommendation. We also moved towards a traditional binocular design with our Merger family after hearing complaints about the size/bulkiness of many thermal bino options on the market."