@@drewskizloty9068 never underestimate a flashlight. i walk around with rally lights on my helmet. who needs night vision when you can illuminate a 180 degree arc at 400 yards
My favorite thing about my PVS14 is how easy it is to take places because of its small footprint. Outer coat pocket, sunglasses pouch on most backpacks, etc. For that reason alone I know I've gotten more use out of it than I would from a bigger dual tube setup.
Chapters: 0:00 Pollen hate 1:12 Disclaimer 2:10 Dual Tube in short 3:43 Rough specifications and function 8:12 Night vision is a skill 9:14 Weight 10:05 Monocular benefits 12:08 Stigma and cost 12:54 What to consider 14:14 Outro / Doggo
Quick anecdote on why I prefer monocular over DT: force on force night training, I use my unaided eye to see colors of lights that only show as green in the aided eye. See a couple lights from houses, cars in the distance, towers and one light that I can't see with my unaided eye, even tried to look through my 6X scope but still couldn't see the light source that I could see through the NOD, guess it's somebody using IR. Show my PL (who was running DT), we maneuver to the area and sure enough it's opfor team and their point man has his built in IR illuminator on so he can see what's in front of him. We set up a hasty ambush and lit them up. Not saying I wouldn't have seen that with DT but seeing what color of lights I can see through the NOD with my other eye helped me identify a potential adversary.
@@HaloDude557 essentially what he is saying is that it's good to run both in a squad. one person with a pvs14 can quickly identify enemy IR light easier than a person with DTs mainly because his eye without nods can see that is in fact dark over there. where a person running DTs would have to peek under or flip up to confirm whether it is a natural light source or IR illumination. Small difference but can be big when it counts ya dig?
@@battletank21 it doesn't really matter lol. Any light you can see is already enough to tell someone has poor discipline and now you have a general idea of their area. Why would white light vs IR light be any different when trying to search for hostiles?
@@HaloDude557 Not everyone using white light or white light in general(static) is up to no good. People using IR light are def something to be much more aware of.
@@bodega87 your use case is so ridiculously fringe that it is irrelevant to general tactics. In what instance are you going to be searching for hostiles at night, while civilians are roaming around with flashlights? It's pure larp.
This seems like a good example of the 80/20 rule. You'll get at least 80% of the effectiveness of a dual or more tube setup with just a single in a simple mount vs that getting the last 20% that costs double or more not counting the different mounts or battery setups.
Same, in my opinion straight up night vision will go the way of the dodo vs all these fancy new thermal overlays and hybrid sights, not much reason to get more than a pvs 14 since you're investing in yesterday's tech
@@LordPerique bc eventually even that will be antiquated. It kind of already is with stuff like the ENVG around. We're getting close to high enough digital refresh rate to where everyone will be running around with a tiny screen over their eye amd you will look like a dinosaur with your heav analog glass tube on your face. I guess we will see how long the aftermarket sustains legacy devices. It will likely stop when it becomes no longer financially viable to do so. The fact that you're clipping on a coti is already a bandaid modernization that is indicative of the tech being on its way out.
Since getting out of service, I've always stayed with DTs because of the rule "two is one and one is none". I ran double PVS14s for a long time before upgrading to PVS31s. I still prefer the dual 14s though, because I can operate each independently. I cherish my natural night vision over amplified NV, simply because I never trust machines completely (Murphy's Law and whatnot). Running DTs (especially the dual 14s) means i can have one on and in active use, and if it goes down I still have another that operates independently, effectively doubling the run time and reliability of the system (if you've ever been caught pants down on a night op in combat with only one NV device that fails catastrophically, you'll understand immediately why this is a huge benefit... mine literally took a bullet through the housing firing a breach, and I wasn't even using them at the time). Yeah, it weighs more, yeah it's possibly an unnecessary redundancy, but it's worked for me and now that I'm a civilian, there is no SOP to shit on my parade. In the end, use what works and train with what you've got. There is no substitute for actual experience and training. Train in your kit, understand your capabilities realistically, and be honest about your shortcomings. You don't survive decades in war by being stupid... you get there by learning from the mistakes you survive, acknowledging you limitations, always working to improve, and developing your team's cohesion. If you want to fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go with a team.
@@Flemdragon where did you serve that you DIDN'T hear that? That shit has been Grunt scripture since forever... and it's not meant to be taken literally ALL the time. Of course you're not always going to have multiples of everything. Ounces equal pounds, and you're not Superman. That's why kit selection is so goddamn important. Exercise what control you can over it. Me? I'm a civilian now, I have complete control over what I put in my kit, limited only by my budget. That's why I run DTs. My choice doesn't have to be your choice, especially if you're still active. You have company and battalion standards to meet... I don't.
@@lincolnpascual I was airborne infantry and was in Benning for a while and then anchorage. Never heard that shit. Sounds dumb as hell. Never carried more than I needed cause I had to jump with it all.
@@Flemdragon well, that sounds like a failure on your leadership's part. I'm not saying anything that hasn't been said for DECADES, dude. I know for a fact that anyone in a combat role practices this, even if they don't realize it. You trying to tell me you only roll out with the one mag in the rifle? No extras? What about your IFAK? You only got chest seal in there? One tourniquet? You go out with only the socks you're wearing? No extras? Is that what you're saying? You realize how stupid YOU sound? You don't have to agree with. I don't fucking care if you do or don't. It's YOUR ass in the line, not mine.
@@Flemdragon Then it doesn't apply to you. It's definitely a very common saying in the infantry in the Corps. That would mostly pertain to more batteries, more medgear, more ammo, an extra camelbak bladder that's empty, an extra light, extra comm gear etcetcetc. Heavy but lifesaving. We aren't using obsolete entry methods round here so we good.
Interesting thinking. Buying a mono now rather than a dual in 18 months and getting 18 months of practise on the mono seems a good idea. Many people did some crazy stuff with just a mono and some of us remember a time when your shared a mono between 5 or 10 of you.
One other advantage to single is, quickly seeing if that bright light source you saw on your night vision is vis or IR. This is important because, if it's a IR light, that tells you that something is there that can see IR light, so don't use your own illuminator. and if it's a vis light, that tells you that likely whoever it is, probably doesn't have night vision.
I know this is a year late, but I'm definitely on team monocular. For me its about the weight savings,battery usage, and situational awareness with my naked eye.
I stooped low this week and pulled a poors move. I bought a WP PVS-14. I took it out last night to give it a little test run and I was pleasantly surprised by just how superior it is to even the best GP tube I used in the Marine Corps 7 years ago. The clarity, color and how much light it gathered on an overcast pitch black night was almost mind blowing. Yeah, it's not a high speed gucci dual tube but for less than half the price I have a really high quality night vision capability in my hand right now that I can begin training on right now. The other $5-6k that I didn't have to spend? That can go to ammo, mags, kit, lights, lasers, comms and a myriad of other preps while still having 80% of the "capability" of a dual tube.
I dream about going shooting once a month let alone night shooting 😹 most folks barely go once a year I’m trying to up my practice times but with ammo and everything skyrocketing it’s difficult to budget in the time & funds for ammo and gas, here’s hoping I can figure something out Great vid Brass Facts
especially with nods. most of nv shooting is just getting comfortable doing things blind. That's one of the easiest things to dry fire actually. Add in blacking out the house, and being muzzle aware without seeing it. and you're most of the way there.
Thanks , both of you! I’m making it a point to “unfuck” my training and instead of buying stacks of 300BLK, i’ve been stacking 9mm & will get a g48 & requisite fashion accessories soon. Besides a holster , a laser dry fire training tool & blindfolded skills are both great methods to improve on the cheap! It shall be done
Dry fire. Seriously, I slept on dry fire for so long. I could be John Wick by now if I just spent 15-30 minutes dry firing every other night. You can get a shot timer app on your phone that is sensitive enough to pick up the dry fire hammer drop, so you can work drills and stuff under the clock too. Baer Solutions has a packet of free dry fire targets I printed out and plastered all over my computer room walls. static1.squarespace.com/static/584a1850440243178f980240/t/5e8cc65105bb9a1eed6dc119/1586284131190/Dry+Fire+TGTs.pdf
I work on a regional swat Team, have been doing so since 2014. I’m a tactics instructor and also teach woodland tracking. Duals are always going to better (articulating) for a host of reasons. Chief among those are the depth perception, ability to have the Pros of mono, and dual. Also, at the end of the day it all comes down to what you can afford and IF you’ll train with the systems.
I made a prediction about the video's content before watching, and I was pretty on the money. I agree with most all of what you said. The distinction between no NODs, single tubes, and multiple tubes is a curve of diminishing returns because, as you stated, cost is a very real factor. I'd love to run 31s and have a set of panos for shits 'n giggles, but I won't be making the most of their capability 99% of the time, and in my current and estimated situation, that 1% I may use them will not be at the stakes that others using them will be at. I like to compare it to a stock Glock vs Roland Special. Besides the fact that the Roland was started as a joke, the marginal performance gain I get from the upgrades that cost as much as the gun itself, will not be used to the fullest potential because I'm not that good of a shot. I can't outshoot my Glock to the point of seeing benefits from an RS, like how my finances can't justify the marginal benefits that multi-tubes get me.
I largely agree if budget is a concern. I tell my friends who claim they're saving for duals that a mono now is better than duals later. However, I would never trade my duals for a mono. I've run every setup from gen 2 7b's to my wp rnvg's and I just couldn't conceive of having something of lesser capability at this point. I would do it if I had to. But begrudgingly.
Mono tube is my preference. Got used to it over a decade ago. When I finally got my own personal PVS-14 a year ago, I found navigating with it was like riding a bike. Having that single night adjusted eye is invaluable..... especially in situations that aren't total darkness.
Seems like dual tubes are like dessert and monoculars are the main course. You may want to just skip to dessert, but the meal itself is better for your (e.g. not getting clapped because you're aware of normal lighting conditions with your unaided eye).
I'm about to purchase a mono PVS14 and I specifically want a mono because it's much smaller. I want something very portable first and foremost as I intend to use it for scanning sketchy areas. Having duals on my head only increases the size by a factor of 5, helmet included and makes me a target for getting mugged.
90% of the time there’s enough ambient light to use the unaided eye for checking on your feet without moving ur head. Also can use thermal with free eye. Plus what you said. Love my 2700 dollar PVS14. 34 SNR
I agree with akot of what you said. My philosophy is a pvs-14 is good for individuals who are most likely to work by themselves. The ability to use your non dominant eye under NODS while maintaining your natural night vision with your dominant eye is critical. Specially when you'd most likely be moving from and indoor setting to an outdoor where you'd have more ambient light and now you have to transition quickly to non NV shooting. Theres also the weight considerations and the ability to easily stow them when they're not needed because of its smaller footprint. DT's are great when working in a team environment and you don't have to worry about field of view with each of your teammates covering sectors of fire. Also better perceived depth perception. It's easy to get fixated or tunnel vision under DT's and forget about how narrow your field of view is.
I would just like to add. Dual tube nvds don’t really add any “depth perception” or enough for it to be very meaningful. Though you will gain stereopsis with a dual tube set up it is very limited. You’re subconsciously relying a lot on monocular cues. For example, relative size and height, overlapping contours, texture gradients, convergence of parallel lines and, perhaps most importantly, motion parallax. Another thing, depth perception is not hard to pick up on nvds, it’s actually distance estimation.
You have missed two of the major advantages of using a binocular, which are visual acuity and perceived signal to noise ratio. There is also a trick about low light performance that benefits the binocular. The first is the improvement in visual acuity, which is to say that you get a very meaningful improvement in recognition range. The brian performs a function called binocular summation and the improves your visual acuity. Imagine you are at the eye doctor and they ask you to cover one eye and read the smallest line you can see. Then they have you cover the other eye and do the same. For the vast majority of people, when you use BOTH eyes, you are able to read the next lowest line (assuming your vision is more or less the same in both eyes). This works with a NV Binocular as well. Try it some time using a test chart with your binocular vs your monocular. My bet is that you will see finer detail on your chart using the full binocular. As the old saying goes, two eyes are better than one. When using the binocular, you will also perceive that the signal to noise ratio is higher. Because the random speckles in each tube never appear in the same exact place in both tubes at one time, once again, your brain tries to process out some of this noise and the end result is that the perceived signal to noise ratio will be about 1.2x to 1.3x better in the binocular. (Two tubes of SN 30 would give the perception of maybe SNR 35) Those are the major benefits, but the last benefit is kind of off a trick that you can do with binocular that you can't do with a monocular. Binocular summation will make it appear that the image (when using both eyes) is about 30% brighter than you would see with the same output luminance. The way this trick works is that as compared to a monocular, in a very dim scene, you can turn the gain down more in the binocular than in the monocular to lower the noise in the scene. If you turn the brightness down too much on the monocular you reduce the noise, but you lower the image brightness to the point where the eye has trouble seeing low light detail. If you use the same output brightness on the binocular, you can lower the gain even more and because your brain is stacking the image together, you will still be able to see more detail even though the image each eye sees is dimmer than the single eye sees in the monocular. All of these things mean that the binocular enjoys a significant advantage in low light situations (assuming you are working with enough light to be above the EBI threshold of the tube). Now the question of whether it is worth the extra cost depends on your need to work in the lowest light conditions and maintain the maximum recognition capability. If you know how to properly compare them, the binocular enjoys a clear superiority in seeing into the night. In suburban conditions the binocular advantage is not going to be enough for most people to justify the cost, but if you work in dark environments and need the ability to see the most detail at the greatest distance, the binocular cost may seem well worth it.
You get 80% of use out of a monocular PEROID Everything else is just moving at night and in cars Now I see what they mean when they say don’t fall down the “rabbit hole of hype” on the Internet
@@mrgrump2534 Better is better, and to some, 20% better is a very big deal. I think the difference is more than 20%, and people that have looked though my binoculars have been astounded at the views.
Picked up my first pvs-14 this year. Absolutely love it! Gen 3, white phosphorus trybe defense with the elbit tube 👌🏻 zero blems. I would love to have a pair of dual tubes but between the cost and having an open eye for relief and peripheral vision I really like and prefer the pvs-14.
Dont bother unless you want a backup. I have 2 monos with a bridge. Went back to a single. Lighter weight, needs less (2lb with dual, 1/2lb or even nothing with mono), no real increase in vision. Nicer knowing I have a backup or something to hand off to a buddy than having a tube on both eyes.
I started out with a PVS-7 and then bought a PVS-14.WP and love it. I always thought I would keep the PVS-7 as backup but thinking of selling and getting another PVS-14.
@@AlexS-zr2nb I am mostly just envious that you can drink at all. My medications preclude it. Also I never liked sugar in alcoholic drinks so I also bitch about drinks with sugar or really any sweetener in them. Churchill liking a drink is as good a reason as any for also liking it, IMO:-)
Everyone should own a pvs14 before they buy duals, even if its well within your budget. I've attended nv training events and ran circles around guys using my old 14, because I had spent so long under nods in the military (using a 14) You develop the fundamental skills of dealing with limited focal planes, depth perception, skillful navigation, etc. By buying duals outright, you're effectively ensuring you never fully develop those core competencies. I love my dtnvgs, but I would not appreciate them nearly as much if I hadn't developed the skills with a 14 to fully exploit those quality of life improvements as you put it. Plus, having a spare nod is being able to equip someone else with nightvision, and if you think one person with nods is cool, they really shine when you can use them as a team. Buy a 14 first. Even if you intend to buy duals too. Hell, buy them both and keep the duals locked up after you've used your 14 for a year. Trust me. You blow people's fucking minds when you walk a railroad tie like its nothing under a 14, or you're catching a tennis ball, etc. Being good with a 14 is just fucking sexy. And then, after all that, when you put on your duals, you feel like a fucking god.
I'm ex military and I also prefer a mono PVS14 . I use mine for hunting. Do a lot of walking at night and shooting at night on a flat range. Imo natural night vision is so important.
Yup. I have 14s and 31s. I still prefer the 14s, and actually ended up getting a second 14, putting it on a dual bridge, and getting the best of both worlds. Plus the added benefit of being able to run them independently, swap one with a thermal monocular (ATN Odin LT), and cover all bases when desired. It works for me, and it's my preferred method, even over 31s.
@@techti8792 honestly, a pvs 14 and surplus ach with shitty j arm used to be the meta for budget but functional. Surplus ach's have dried up though so now I would say look for a used ballistic hi cut or just go bump, 4d pads, team wendy suspension system, and go wilcox for the mounts. You can use surplus rhinos and j arms, but you're gonna fight wobble and end up using rubber bands a lot. Thats what we did in the army. But, a bump or hi cut, plus wilcox mounts and good helmet pads, suspension straps, and a pair of howard leights hooked up to a trucker mic on a baofeng with an aux cable, man, now thats some serious capability without breaking the bank. The bad thing about it is that it works so well you're going to have a hard time justifying gucci gear.
I have L3 tubes in a DTNVS housing. I borrowed a friend's spare L3 14 unit for close to a year while he was deployed to shoot, hike, and drive under. I know I would've bought a dual tube system eventually, but I have some regrets of not buying my own 14 before a DT system.
I feel like this was a super practical take on things. Honestly it seems Like a good PVS-14 and good Thermal might actually make more sense as an over all value then a dual set up.
In all honesty. I watch all of your videos, I comment on a bunch, mostly simping for Nova. This video, it’s at the right time that I watch it again, as I am finally about to pull the trigger on my first PVS-14. In some strange way I don’t feel like I’m such a poor and will be under matched at all now. And as usual…. Nova footage at the end! Gold! She is, and always will be, the star of this channel. Aloha 🤙🏽
You can also buy a pvs 14 and then save up and get a second one and bridge and culminate them together. Then you have two devices that can act as one but still become two if needed
I just got into night vision picked up two gen 3 green phosphorus pvs14’s with purple filters. With the bridge I got I can flip a monocular out of the way if needed. Set up my scar16 and mk18 as goonin guns and I’m so stoked super power unlocked. Met some local homies with nods and have been doing night shoots at least once and sometimes twice a month.
"Night vision is a skill rather than a gear capability." Annnnnd this is what most people glass over when talking NVGs, the training time. It isn't just *click whirrr* and now you're Sam Fisher. As Garand Thumb says, "if you don't train, you're just an expensive loot drop." I'm partial to mono-tubes, but that's probably because it's what I was issued and trained with.
If you can afford dual tube NVGs you can also afford a single tube NVG + a 3-4000 buck thermal scope which gives you *much* greater capability* than dual tube NVGs and it's not even close. *Ask the 2017-2021 ANA.
I’ve been preaching this to anybody who asks and people just talk to me like I don’t know anything about night vision. Nice to know I’m not completely insane
I know this sounds like some serious backyard engineering...but... I just made my own... 10 years ago, they were selling these kids spy gadget night vision setup. My friend got it for me as a joke, thinking they would not be real night vision, but they were... Granted, the field of vision for distance was not stellar and you were limited in that capacity, but they were fully functional night vision. I took them apart, upgraded everything (the parts were cheap) and 3D printed a new shell for them. For kicks, I mounted them on one of my old hockey helmets to see if it would work and it does! I know it sounds sad since I had to make my own, but I wanted to see if it could be done and I'm that kind of poor when I have to DiY it. That helmet now looks like it came from some sci-fi FPS shooter lol.
Ill get a pvs14 one of these days right now not a super big priority trying to get a better car / apartment/ better helmet /plate carrier are first. I appreciate the video regardless as i was unsure as to the differences between the two setups.
I still prefer my rnvgs over my pvs14 I used in the Marines. Everything I buy now is for quality and quality of life on top. I still agree with your points on why the pvs14 has its pros over DT tho. I still plan on getting a pvs14.
I truly enjoyed the 14s back in the day. I like having a eye that is adapted to the dark and let’s you know when you’re. Not actually owning the night and you’re lit up.
I use night vision very often and have hundreds of hours on both a pvs14 and DTNVS, here's my autistic word dump. Overall I agree with the main points. An MNVD will give you basically all of the capabilities and the advantages of a BNVD will not let you run circles around the pvs14 users. I would rather fight along the guy who trains with his MNVD regularly than the guy who takes his BNVD out of the safe once per quarter. And BNVD users treating their NOD/S as an invisibility cloak because they never learned to actually read lighting conditions is one of my biggest pet peeves, thank you for touching on that. It is worth starting out on a pvs14 first just to learn this IMO. On cost: This is all assuming that night vision is entirely a sunk cost. It actually holds its value quite well, especially if you buy used, on sale, or snag a desirable tube. So while the 10k pricetag of an 18um L3 DTNVS seems unjustifiable compared to a 4k PVS14, even if you buy poorly you're only gonna lose at most 1k on the resale. And at best you'll make money on the sale, as I did on my last PVS14. So if you cant afford to have that much of your money tied up onto a single item, that's entirely reasonable. But if your long term cash reserves would be that large anyways, I think it's entirely reasonable to treat night vision as a pseudo long term cash reserve, especially with the availability of cheap insurance which will cover theft and accidental damage. Also a note on BNVD advatages not touched on in the video: -being able to set two focuses is valuable for moving around close quarters and cover. Even more so if you have an iris. And for non-shooting tasks, being able to have that close depth of field while moving through the woods off trail is very nice so that you dont get hit in the head by as many branches. -long term comfort, it is much more comfortable to use a BNVD vs MNVD for more than a few hours. -increased perceived SNR, through a BNVD your eyes will correct for noise and some blind spots(like what it does so you dont notice your nose) automatically, which creates a clearer image through a BNVD. This isnt as much of an advantage for someone in the desert where conditions are much better for NV use, but those of us in the foggy, heavily wooded mountains of the PNW et al. can see a noticable advantage in near threshold usability. In threshold enviornments while moving on rough/no trail, having that second image to recognize and maneuver around obstacles becomes a much greater advantage.
I left out the variable focus thing, as it's a fairly advanced technique. But you are correct. There are times were that comes in handy The cost thing is weird, because there's very much a assumption of keeping these for practically forever. Resell only is relevant if you plan to sell.
@@BrassFacts well for me my DTNVS is very similar to a collectible. If i owned a Monet, i probably wouldnt want to sell it either but that doesnt mean i wouldnt consider it an investment.
I wore PVS-14s in Iraq back in 06-07. I was a 11B in 1-325 AIR. 75% of our missions were night ops. I got accustomed to them rather quickly. I damned made sure my PEQ-2 was always bore sighted lol.
I'd love to hear what you think about AGM night vision. Price is always a factor and $2600 is a lot easier to save up for than $4000. Hop had a generally positive review of them, understanding there are some limitations to them.
Not sure about AGM, I have tried thin film Elbit WP back to back with unfilmed L3Harris WP. Close to identical specs. Couldn't really tell the difference. Paid 1/3 less for the Elbit.
This is excellent analysis. I learned this firsthand by using a work PVS14 on my non-dom eye, both eyes open. Passive aiming is possible with RDS dialed all the way down (not NV). Mono is the way to go for me.
My personal opinion: get a squared away mono setup and even thermal and then invest into another mono to bridge together with the other one. Gives you the option to separate the two when with a friend and have 2 people under nods
Did thousand of hours under duals. I prefer mono myself. For those having a hard time getting vise to either. Where them around your house at night, and do whatever laundry, dishes, garbage, whatever. You'll learn and acclimate quickly.
Dropped $600 on a used MX-1 thermal eye and use it as a standalone monocular for static thermal observation in tandem with a PVS-14. A better thermal would be ideal but it still gets the job done. One eye seeing light, the other IR and then tossing it into a pocket for movement. Very good at spotting critters out to 100-200m.
Thank you sir. I've watched several of your videos (among many of your cohorts and the like) and have decided you are super duper. Much information. Much learning.
My kid is currently assigned to a line platoon in the 173d Airborne, and he is still just issued a PVS-14. As a matter of fact, per his own words, my backup set of nods (AGM Gen2+ WP PVS-14s with a FOM of 2048) are much higher in quality than his current issues PVS-14s. Literally the majority people in the Army running binos or really high spec -14s are in USASOC or Aviation. There are a few other, but it’s still mostly high speed dudes like the 173d’s Ranger Company and a few similar units in the 82d, 101st, etc.
Ignoring cost entirely, maintaining good natural night vision on one eye is much more valuable than 99% of people know or acknowledge. Very few people have ever spent several hours outside at night without looking at a single artificial light source. It takes at least half an hour without looking at so much as a candle for your natural night vision to really kick in. When you run a mono, your natural night vision gets good enough after a while that the images between your aided and unaided eyes blend together to basically feel like binocular vision. The fov limitation goes away and your off eye fills in the peripheral as it would with a red dot sight. White phos makes a big difference because the color pallete matches starlight, and running the gain as low as possible while still seeing detail helps the images collimate eithout having a 3d glasses effect. If i was a spec ops guy planning to run from a mid day city into a dark tunnel and take a fight without time to sit around and get adjusted id take duals. But if i was planning to go on a long hike in the woods at night, but didnt want to light the whole place up with flashlights, id take a mono set up every time.
I was just talking about this exact thing. I have a PVS 14. I want duals for the quality of life. So much of gear-queerness is pushing through the point of diminishing return for “higher quality” stuff that doesn’t necessarily change capability. The jump from natural night vision to night vision aided by a monocular tube is massive, that near double price tag for duals doesn’t add double in terms of added functionality. As dudes, we waste much on little gain. We could be well served with a dose of just making it work and training with our current stuff until you plateau.
Glad this helps reinforce my reasoning to not get a 2nd tube… Been enjoying my PVS-14 and definitely want to invest into a COTI thermal clip on in the near future… If I can ever afford it 😂
I started out with a 14 and it was great, neatest thing I had ever used at the time. I moved to dual tubes and it's definitely no comparison. Driving with a 14 was doable but not fun. Driving with duals is a Cakewalk. Sure the fov doesn't change but man it feels like it does.
I have a monocular, the reason is size. I can pack it into a very small case that takes up almost no space. Couple that with a knockoff night cap (I refuse to shell out the cost for a real nightcap I can't even get in the color I want) and a good quality rhino arm and you have a setup that takes up almost no pack space.
@SnarkyPosters Emerson made the one I have, I think. A whole bunch of companies made them a few years ago, including a company out of Russia that you could order in a bunch of different colors. Rit dye makes a dye for synthetics that I used on mine. Also, mine has a real norotos universal shroud because I picked it up for $30 on ebay
I run exclusively a single tube. Mostly because having one eye night adjusted, once you get used to it, is invaluable. I like having more than a 30° field of view lol
Duels might be the thing if your driving a truck full time in the dark. I would rather keep 1 eye tuned for darkness and be able to still function under all conditions. PVS-14 allows more flexibility. Same tactics on why pirates wear an eye patch when they go topside of the boat, when they go back inside they still can see with the eye under the patch.
I've always thought of NV as a 3 step, maybe 4 step, process. First, you get a good pvs 14. Use it, get comfy with it. Second, get a thermal monocular. Could be a rifle mounted scope in front of your day optic. It could be a handheld or helmet mounted unit. Third, after you have used the above for a while, then you get a nice set of 31s. Keep the 14 as a backup/ loaner. Fourth, if you have the extra dough laying around, then get quads. Sell the 31s and spend pretty much double(or mouse) on the quads. Are they crazy pricey? Yeah, but if you can comfortably afford to drop 12-20k on duals, then you should be able to afford 40k on GPNVGs. If you can't comfortably afford duals, then don't buy them and don't even consider quads. I personally don't mind using one tube. I currently use one L3 14 on a dual bridge with a trijicon thermal. It was more than even the best 31s. So personally, I'm just gonna skip duals and go straight to quads in a couple years.
I'll take dual monos with a pano bridge. The weight isn't that bad and the benefits are amazing.... they did just come out with the RPNVG and those are bad ass
Great vid. When I served I went for the duals once, hated it, and went back to the mono. I’d actually wear it on my left eye. Use my IR laser at night in low light, but if I went into an environment whether it became bright enough outside our we went in to a light building. My right eye didn’t have that nvg fatigue
Dual tubes can be nice, but I'd really would focus on the counterweight and just making sure I've got a good kit to work with whatever night vision I have. Been a while since I've actually used helmet mounted night vision, but I do distinctly remember the literal headaches. Personally the most important part of any night vision kit would be the counterweight.
look, ive had a pvs 14 monocular for 2 years, and the one thing ive always had trouble with is depth perception and the 2 different light levels in my eyes has always been difficult. I purchased a second tube a month ago and its so much more comfortable for me to wear/walk. shooting with single tube was fine. it was always maneuvering that gave me trouble. just my logic for buying dual.
15 11B YRs AN/PVS 14… the civi set I paid the iron price for exceed expectations. Your mileage may vary, but you get what you pay for. L3 phos tube. Depth set and optic set is key. QOL depends on mission set
Me over here with 2800 fom L3 WP DTNVSs. Bought once and cried once. While these are 🔥. I wish I had got a PVS14 3 years ago. I would highly recommend on investing in a quality helmet, high quality helmet mounted eyepro, and a plan of how you are going to use it, before you even bother with buying the NV unit itself. That being said I would still keep my dual tubes. No ragrets.
yep that basically sums up most people's experience. Once you have them, you can't really go back. But it's hard to justify them. A good helmet does a lot more to improve the experience.
@@BrassFacts I will say I have worked night for the past 8 years and have a ton of nights off. For me it was pretty easy to get use out of them. Most ppl have to stay up late on the weekend yo use them
When you go shooting in the mountains in your videos do you have to tell the local authorities etc or you just go and shoot? Also is it public land or private? Does it change if it's yours? Like can you just in your land with no restrictions?
Public land you can just go shoot 95% of the time. On your private land you can basically do whatever you want given you aren’t too close to a public roadway or someone else’s private residence
So I figured I’d ask while watching in case you can answer, what eye do you use your monocular on? Your shooting side? Is there any issue with cost/availability with mount types that help wrong handers?
My decision making process is a lot simpler. By the time I ever scrape enough together to get into the NV game a 14 will probably be around 900-1000 because everything will be like "Gen 6" or something.
I like having one eye night adapted at all times. I used light as a weapon against guys in training who were over-relying on their NVGs, and it worked. Could wipe out a whole squad just by manipulating light, and giving me the advantage even if for just a few seconds. Seconds enough to wipe them out.
@@scottzagger it goes far beyond just NVG sensitivity. My unit changed the way many other units used NVGs in Iraq, and pretty much the whole battlespace started using our methods after that. NVGs can give a false sense of security and stealth, and people fail to learn about natural night adaptation. And some people like myself have unusually good night vison. But I also used the time it takes to adapt to darkness as a weapon, not just sensitivity, or their overconfidence in thinking they were being stealthy becasue they didn't know I could see them just fine.
I’ve found wearing 2 tubes higher on your face and looking under your nods for close work gives you the same functionality as having one eye available. Example:Shooting a 50 under nods then using my lower peripherals to reload
Thanks for the video and tips! I'd like to invest in some night vision in the near future and I'd like to know where you got your PVS-14s. I just don't feel secure buying random PVS-14s on amazon when there isn't much reviews to prove they work like the specific ones you got. If you got a link to the ones you got I'd appreciate it a LOT.
I think an extra 14 and a GoPro, all mounted on an fpv drone would be money well spent vs DTs but that’s just me. Buy a drone before you buy dual tubes though that’s for sure. It does more for situational awareness than nods in a lot of cases and is a second super power we can now have for a reasonable price: the ability to fly and see like a bird!
Drones are indeed incredibly powerful tools, however it's very important to take into account the following. Although not needing any runway and being able to take off literally anywhere, Quad/Octacopters are very inefficient because they produce zero lift and thus depend entirely on their propellers to keep them airborne, which is why on average they have a mere 30-60 minutes flying capability before their battery pack is drained. Fixed wing drones on the other hand are very efficient because their wing produces lift, keeping them airborne with a relatively small amount of battery power or fuel, and they also have a much bigger payload capability. But depending on their size, weight and payload they usually need an (improvised) runway, which isn't always that easy. And of course unlike a Quad/Octacopter they can't stay in place to keep a specific spot in view of their camera's from a specific and most ideal angle. They can be programmed to fly in circles around a specific coordinate and keep it's camera('s) fixed on a target, but it won't be from the same angle and if there are trees or buildings close to said target then it's likely they will obscure the target part of the time as the drone circles around the target. So some food for thought.
Late, but one overlooked advantage of mono-tubes is when driving or trying to write in the dark. Your uncovered eye's natural nightvision and ability to focus automatically means you can more easily see and interact with close distance objects (granted, variable focus between the tubes on a dual setup can come close to this, but then you lose all natural nightvision).
True, but something to try to get your brain to adapt to either scenario with either Dual PVS-14's on a Pano or a more expensive dual tube setup is to focus one near and one further out , that will solve reading/writing issues while still allowing you to see at distance. Like anything it takes practice, but the initial adjustment for your brain will usually be within 10-20 mins.
"Look at the poors, fighting over mono- vs dual-tubes."
- Quad-tube owner, probably.
"Owe my neck! I need a nap." -Also quad-tube owner, probably.
*crying noises* - flashlight owner, probably.
@@drewskizloty9068 never underestimate a flashlight. i walk around with rally lights on my helmet. who needs night vision when you can illuminate a 180 degree arc at 400 yards
a true poor can only afford carrots
I have dual toilet paper rolls and a flashlight
it’s too late ive already adopted rnvgs as my personality
Yupppp, what tubes you rockin?
🤣
Should’ve waited for the RPNVG
Based RNVG enjoyer
Virgin multituber vs CHAD Carrot eater
My favorite thing about my PVS14 is how easy it is to take places because of its small footprint. Outer coat pocket, sunglasses pouch on most backpacks, etc. For that reason alone I know I've gotten more use out of it than I would from a bigger dual tube setup.
yep, even with a DT on hand. Practically speaking. The PVS14 gets more usage outside of range sessions for me
This video is like an intervention for pvs-14 owners with their eye on a dual tube setup. Thank you.
Chapters:
0:00 Pollen hate
1:12 Disclaimer
2:10 Dual Tube in short
3:43 Rough specifications and function
8:12 Night vision is a skill
9:14 Weight
10:05 Monocular benefits
12:08 Stigma and cost
12:54 What to consider
14:14 Outro / Doggo
Thanks
@@BrassFacts Thanks for the content!
Quick anecdote on why I prefer monocular over DT: force on force night training, I use my unaided eye to see colors of lights that only show as green in the aided eye. See a couple lights from houses, cars in the distance, towers and one light that I can't see with my unaided eye, even tried to look through my 6X scope but still couldn't see the light source that I could see through the NOD, guess it's somebody using IR. Show my PL (who was running DT), we maneuver to the area and sure enough it's opfor team and their point man has his built in IR illuminator on so he can see what's in front of him. We set up a hasty ambush and lit them up. Not saying I wouldn't have seen that with DT but seeing what color of lights I can see through the NOD with my other eye helped me identify a potential adversary.
force on force actually requires ambi use and passive aiming lol. Dual quite obviously superior for this.
@@HaloDude557 essentially what he is saying is that it's good to run both in a squad. one person with a pvs14 can quickly identify enemy IR light easier than a person with DTs mainly because his eye without nods can see that is in fact dark over there. where a person running DTs would have to peek under or flip up to confirm whether it is a natural light source or IR illumination. Small difference but can be big when it counts ya dig?
@@battletank21 it doesn't really matter lol. Any light you can see is already enough to tell someone has poor discipline and now you have a general idea of their area. Why would white light vs IR light be any different when trying to search for hostiles?
@@HaloDude557 Not everyone using white light or white light in general(static) is up to no good. People using IR light are def something to be much more aware of.
@@bodega87 your use case is so ridiculously fringe that it is irrelevant to general tactics. In what instance are you going to be searching for hostiles at night, while civilians are roaming around with flashlights? It's pure larp.
This seems like a good example of the 80/20 rule.
You'll get at least 80% of the effectiveness of a dual or more tube setup with just a single in a simple mount vs that getting the last 20% that costs double or more not counting the different mounts or battery setups.
20% chance of death not bad
This is about right
Appreciate the shoutout! Fun fact: nearly all of the white phosphor footage on Brass Facts was shot through an Elbit YH tube PVS-14
Agreed, save the money and buy a thermal optic clip-on for your rifle. Between the NVG and the Thermal, you can see just about anything.
This!!! i have a pvs 14 on a crye nightcap and a bering optics super yoter-c clip on thermal and it is an awesome combo.
Same, in my opinion straight up night vision will go the way of the dodo vs all these fancy new thermal overlays and hybrid sights, not much reason to get more than a pvs 14 since you're investing in yesterday's tech
Or buy an AN/PAS-29B ECOTI for your PVS-14 and have the best of both worlds.
@@rodiculous9464 how so? It's quite easy to put an (E)COTI infront of the NVD thus retrofitting fusion onto your existing NVD. Thats what I do.
@@LordPerique bc eventually even that will be antiquated. It kind of already is with stuff like the ENVG around. We're getting close to high enough digital refresh rate to where everyone will be running around with a tiny screen over their eye amd you will look like a dinosaur with your heav analog glass tube on your face. I guess we will see how long the aftermarket sustains legacy devices. It will likely stop when it becomes no longer financially viable to do so. The fact that you're clipping on a coti is already a bandaid modernization that is indicative of the tech being on its way out.
Since getting out of service, I've always stayed with DTs because of the rule "two is one and one is none". I ran double PVS14s for a long time before upgrading to PVS31s. I still prefer the dual 14s though, because I can operate each independently. I cherish my natural night vision over amplified NV, simply because I never trust machines completely (Murphy's Law and whatnot). Running DTs (especially the dual 14s) means i can have one on and in active use, and if it goes down I still have another that operates independently, effectively doubling the run time and reliability of the system (if you've ever been caught pants down on a night op in combat with only one NV device that fails catastrophically, you'll understand immediately why this is a huge benefit... mine literally took a bullet through the housing firing a breach, and I wasn't even using them at the time). Yeah, it weighs more, yeah it's possibly an unnecessary redundancy, but it's worked for me and now that I'm a civilian, there is no SOP to shit on my parade.
In the end, use what works and train with what you've got. There is no substitute for actual experience and training. Train in your kit, understand your capabilities realistically, and be honest about your shortcomings. You don't survive decades in war by being stupid... you get there by learning from the mistakes you survive, acknowledging you limitations, always working to improve, and developing your team's cohesion. If you want to fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go with a team.
Where did you serve to hear the one is none? So you carried 2 weapons? 2 knives, flashlights, double mags, double water?
@@Flemdragon where did you serve that you DIDN'T hear that? That shit has been Grunt scripture since forever... and it's not meant to be taken literally ALL the time. Of course you're not always going to have multiples of everything. Ounces equal pounds, and you're not Superman. That's why kit selection is so goddamn important. Exercise what control you can over it. Me? I'm a civilian now, I have complete control over what I put in my kit, limited only by my budget. That's why I run DTs. My choice doesn't have to be your choice, especially if you're still active. You have company and battalion standards to meet... I don't.
@@lincolnpascual I was airborne infantry and was in Benning for a while and then anchorage. Never heard that shit. Sounds dumb as hell. Never carried more than I needed cause I had to jump with it all.
@@Flemdragon well, that sounds like a failure on your leadership's part. I'm not saying anything that hasn't been said for DECADES, dude. I know for a fact that anyone in a combat role practices this, even if they don't realize it. You trying to tell me you only roll out with the one mag in the rifle? No extras? What about your IFAK? You only got chest seal in there? One tourniquet? You go out with only the socks you're wearing? No extras? Is that what you're saying?
You realize how stupid YOU sound? You don't have to agree with. I don't fucking care if you do or don't. It's YOUR ass in the line, not mine.
@@Flemdragon Then it doesn't apply to you. It's definitely a very common saying in the infantry in the Corps. That would mostly pertain to more batteries, more medgear, more ammo, an extra camelbak bladder that's empty, an extra light, extra comm gear etcetcetc. Heavy but lifesaving. We aren't using obsolete entry methods round here so we good.
Interesting thinking. Buying a mono now rather than a dual in 18 months and getting 18 months of practise on the mono seems a good idea. Many people did some crazy stuff with just a mono and some of us remember a time when your shared a mono between 5 or 10 of you.
One other advantage to single is, quickly seeing if that bright light source you saw on your night vision is vis or IR. This is important because, if it's a IR light, that tells you that something is there that can see IR light, so don't use your own illuminator. and if it's a vis light, that tells you that likely whoever it is, probably doesn't have night vision.
I know this is a year late, but I'm definitely on team monocular. For me its about the weight savings,battery usage, and situational awareness with my naked eye.
I stooped low this week and pulled a poors move. I bought a WP PVS-14. I took it out last night to give it a little test run and I was pleasantly surprised by just how superior it is to even the best GP tube I used in the Marine Corps 7 years ago. The clarity, color and how much light it gathered on an overcast pitch black night was almost mind blowing. Yeah, it's not a high speed gucci dual tube but for less than half the price I have a really high quality night vision capability in my hand right now that I can begin training on right now. The other $5-6k that I didn't have to spend? That can go to ammo, mags, kit, lights, lasers, comms and a myriad of other preps while still having 80% of the "capability" of a dual tube.
buying NV is never a poors move, despite what instagram tells you.
Good stuff!
@@BrassFacts lol yeah I was just being sarcastic there. Best purchase I've made in a long time!
I dream about going shooting once a month let alone night shooting 😹 most folks barely go once a year
I’m trying to up my practice times but with ammo and everything skyrocketing it’s difficult to budget in the time & funds for ammo and gas, here’s hoping I can figure something out
Great vid Brass Facts
Dry fire. Most "good" shooters will dry fire 5, or even 10 times the amount of live rounds they fire.
especially with nods. most of nv shooting is just getting comfortable doing things blind.
That's one of the easiest things to dry fire actually.
Add in blacking out the house, and being muzzle aware without seeing it. and you're most of the way there.
Thanks , both of you!
I’m making it a point to “unfuck” my training and instead of buying stacks of 300BLK, i’ve been stacking 9mm & will get a g48 & requisite fashion accessories soon. Besides a holster , a laser dry fire training tool & blindfolded skills are both great methods to improve on the cheap!
It shall be done
Dry fire. Seriously, I slept on dry fire for so long. I could be John Wick by now if I just spent 15-30 minutes dry firing every other night. You can get a shot timer app on your phone that is sensitive enough to pick up the dry fire hammer drop, so you can work drills and stuff under the clock too. Baer Solutions has a packet of free dry fire targets I printed out and plastered all over my computer room walls.
static1.squarespace.com/static/584a1850440243178f980240/t/5e8cc65105bb9a1eed6dc119/1586284131190/Dry+Fire+TGTs.pdf
@@Logan-mr4xg i think you missed one or two zeros there
I work on a regional swat Team, have been doing so since 2014. I’m a tactics instructor and also teach woodland tracking. Duals are always going to better (articulating) for a host of reasons. Chief among those are the depth perception, ability to have the Pros of mono, and dual. Also, at the end of the day it all comes down to what you can afford and IF you’ll train with the systems.
don't disagree, there's a reason why I have duals.
Quads are always going to be better for a host of reasons.
I made a prediction about the video's content before watching, and I was pretty on the money. I agree with most all of what you said. The distinction between no NODs, single tubes, and multiple tubes is a curve of diminishing returns because, as you stated, cost is a very real factor. I'd love to run 31s and have a set of panos for shits 'n giggles, but I won't be making the most of their capability 99% of the time, and in my current and estimated situation, that 1% I may use them will not be at the stakes that others using them will be at. I like to compare it to a stock Glock vs Roland Special. Besides the fact that the Roland was started as a joke, the marginal performance gain I get from the upgrades that cost as much as the gun itself, will not be used to the fullest potential because I'm not that good of a shot. I can't outshoot my Glock to the point of seeing benefits from an RS, like how my finances can't justify the marginal benefits that multi-tubes get me.
I largely agree if budget is a concern. I tell my friends who claim they're saving for duals that a mono now is better than duals later. However, I would never trade my duals for a mono. I've run every setup from gen 2 7b's to my wp rnvg's and I just couldn't conceive of having something of lesser capability at this point. I would do it if I had to. But begrudgingly.
Mono tube is my preference. Got used to it over a decade ago. When I finally got my own personal PVS-14 a year ago, I found navigating with it was like riding a bike. Having that single night adjusted eye is invaluable..... especially in situations that aren't total darkness.
Seems like dual tubes are like dessert and monoculars are the main course. You may want to just skip to dessert, but the meal itself is better for your (e.g. not getting clapped because you're aware of normal lighting conditions with your unaided eye).
@@musicman1eanda great analogy
I'm about to purchase a mono PVS14 and I specifically want a mono because it's much smaller. I want something very portable first and foremost as I intend to use it for scanning sketchy areas. Having duals on my head only increases the size by a factor of 5, helmet included and makes me a target for getting mugged.
I'm blind in one eye I use to think it sucked UNTIL I looked at night vision 😀 for price of 2 ok tubes I can get 1 really good one 👍🏻
gamer move!
90% of the time there’s enough ambient light to use the unaided eye for checking on your feet without moving ur head. Also can use thermal with free eye. Plus what you said. Love my 2700 dollar PVS14. 34 SNR
I agree with akot of what you said. My philosophy is a pvs-14 is good for individuals who are most likely to work by themselves. The ability to use your non dominant eye under NODS while maintaining your natural night vision with your dominant eye is critical. Specially when you'd most likely be moving from and indoor setting to an outdoor where you'd have more ambient light and now you have to transition quickly to non NV shooting. Theres also the weight considerations and the ability to easily stow them when they're not needed because of its smaller footprint. DT's are great when working in a team environment and you don't have to worry about field of view with each of your teammates covering sectors of fire. Also better perceived depth perception. It's easy to get fixated or tunnel vision under DT's and forget about how narrow your field of view is.
Thank you very much for this video. Very good information for those of us looking at getting into night vision for as little as possible.
I would just like to add. Dual tube nvds don’t really add any “depth perception” or enough for it to be very meaningful. Though you will gain stereopsis with a dual tube set up it is very limited. You’re subconsciously relying a lot on monocular cues. For example, relative size and height, overlapping contours, texture gradients, convergence of parallel lines and, perhaps most importantly, motion parallax. Another thing, depth perception is not hard to pick up on nvds, it’s actually distance estimation.
You have missed two of the major advantages of using a binocular, which are visual acuity and perceived signal to noise ratio. There is also a trick about low light performance that benefits the binocular. The first is the improvement in visual acuity, which is to say that you get a very meaningful improvement in recognition range. The brian performs a function called binocular summation and the improves your visual acuity. Imagine you are at the eye doctor and they ask you to cover one eye and read the smallest line you can see. Then they have you cover the other eye and do the same. For the vast majority of people, when you use BOTH eyes, you are able to read the next lowest line (assuming your vision is more or less the same in both eyes). This works with a NV Binocular as well. Try it some time using a test chart with your binocular vs your monocular. My bet is that you will see finer detail on your chart using the full binocular. As the old saying goes, two eyes are better than one.
When using the binocular, you will also perceive that the signal to noise ratio is higher. Because the random speckles in each tube never appear in the same exact place in both tubes at one time, once again, your brain tries to process out some of this noise and the end result is that the perceived signal to noise ratio will be about 1.2x to 1.3x better in the binocular. (Two tubes of SN 30 would give the perception of maybe SNR 35)
Those are the major benefits, but the last benefit is kind of off a trick that you can do with binocular that you can't do with a monocular. Binocular summation will make it appear that the image (when using both eyes) is about 30% brighter than you would see with the same output luminance. The way this trick works is that as compared to a monocular, in a very dim scene, you can turn the gain down more in the binocular than in the monocular to lower the noise in the scene. If you turn the brightness down too much on the monocular you reduce the noise, but you lower the image brightness to the point where the eye has trouble seeing low light detail. If you use the same output brightness on the binocular, you can lower the gain even more and because your brain is stacking the image together, you will still be able to see more detail even though the image each eye sees is dimmer than the single eye sees in the monocular.
All of these things mean that the binocular enjoys a significant advantage in low light situations (assuming you are working with enough light to be above the EBI threshold of the tube).
Now the question of whether it is worth the extra cost depends on your need to work in the lowest light conditions and maintain the maximum recognition capability.
If you know how to properly compare them, the binocular enjoys a clear superiority in seeing into the night. In suburban conditions the binocular advantage is not going to be enough for most people to justify the cost, but if you work in dark environments and need the ability to see the most detail at the greatest distance, the binocular cost may seem well worth it.
Thanks. I was about to complain but you've left nothing out.
Appreciate the info
You get 80% of use out of a monocular PEROID
Everything else is just moving at night and in cars
Now I see what they mean when they say don’t fall down the “rabbit hole of hype” on the Internet
@@mrgrump2534 Better is better, and to some, 20% better is a very big deal. I think the difference is more than 20%, and people that have looked though my binoculars have been astounded at the views.
Wow this is some information that is hard to come by thank you
Picked up my first pvs-14 this year. Absolutely love it! Gen 3, white phosphorus trybe defense with the elbit tube 👌🏻 zero blems. I would love to have a pair of dual tubes but between the cost and having an open eye for relief and peripheral vision I really like and prefer the pvs-14.
Chin up and tadah peripheral is back.
Dont bother unless you want a backup. I have 2 monos with a bridge. Went back to a single. Lighter weight, needs less (2lb with dual, 1/2lb or even nothing with mono), no real increase in vision. Nicer knowing I have a backup or something to hand off to a buddy than having a tube on both eyes.
I started out with a PVS-7 and then bought a PVS-14.WP and love it. I always thought I would keep the PVS-7 as backup but thinking of selling and getting another PVS-14.
I'm a simple man; I see a new Brass Facts video and click on it. Wish I could enjoy an old fashioned while watching it at work lol
That's what a thermos is for!
@@innercityprepperits company policy no Alcohol. But that's machine shops for you lol
Goddamnit, Don Draper poisoned the minds of American youth. The Old Fashioned had almost been eradicated at incredible cost in the '70s.
@@vicnighthorse oh I also like scotch high balls from reading about Churchill too, and then theirs my "Angry Quaker" drink I semi-invented lol
@@AlexS-zr2nb I am mostly just envious that you can drink at all. My medications preclude it. Also I never liked sugar in alcoholic drinks so I also bitch about drinks with sugar or really any sweetener in them. Churchill liking a drink is as good a reason as any for also liking it, IMO:-)
Everyone should own a pvs14 before they buy duals, even if its well within your budget. I've attended nv training events and ran circles around guys using my old 14, because I had spent so long under nods in the military (using a 14) You develop the fundamental skills of dealing with limited focal planes, depth perception, skillful navigation, etc. By buying duals outright, you're effectively ensuring you never fully develop those core competencies. I love my dtnvgs, but I would not appreciate them nearly as much if I hadn't developed the skills with a 14 to fully exploit those quality of life improvements as you put it. Plus, having a spare nod is being able to equip someone else with nightvision, and if you think one person with nods is cool, they really shine when you can use them as a team. Buy a 14 first. Even if you intend to buy duals too. Hell, buy them both and keep the duals locked up after you've used your 14 for a year. Trust me. You blow people's fucking minds when you walk a railroad tie like its nothing under a 14, or you're catching a tennis ball, etc. Being good with a 14 is just fucking sexy. And then, after all that, when you put on your duals, you feel like a fucking god.
I'm ex military and I also prefer a mono PVS14 . I use mine for hunting. Do a lot of walking at night and shooting at night on a flat range. Imo natural night vision is so important.
Yup. I have 14s and 31s. I still prefer the 14s, and actually ended up getting a second 14, putting it on a dual bridge, and getting the best of both worlds. Plus the added benefit of being able to run them independently, swap one with a thermal monocular (ATN Odin LT), and cover all bases when desired. It works for me, and it's my preferred method, even over 31s.
To get in the nite game, what do you recommend? Helmet, tool, etc.
@@techti8792 honestly, a pvs 14 and surplus ach with shitty j arm used to be the meta for budget but functional. Surplus ach's have dried up though so now I would say look for a used ballistic hi cut or just go bump, 4d pads, team wendy suspension system, and go wilcox for the mounts. You can use surplus rhinos and j arms, but you're gonna fight wobble and end up using rubber bands a lot. Thats what we did in the army. But, a bump or hi cut, plus wilcox mounts and good helmet pads, suspension straps, and a pair of howard leights hooked up to a trucker mic on a baofeng with an aux cable, man, now thats some serious capability without breaking the bank. The bad thing about it is that it works so well you're going to have a hard time justifying gucci gear.
@@techti8792 heh, a second job???
I have L3 tubes in a DTNVS housing. I borrowed a friend's spare L3 14 unit for close to a year while he was deployed to shoot, hike, and drive under. I know I would've bought a dual tube system eventually, but I have some regrets of not buying my own 14 before a DT system.
I feel like this was a super practical take on things. Honestly it seems Like a good PVS-14 and good Thermal might actually make more sense as an over all value then a dual set up.
In all honesty. I watch all of your videos, I comment on a bunch, mostly simping for Nova. This video, it’s at the right time that I watch it again, as I am finally about to pull the trigger on my first PVS-14. In some strange way I don’t feel like I’m such a poor and will be under matched at all now. And as usual…. Nova footage at the end! Gold! She is, and always will be, the star of this channel. Aloha 🤙🏽
You can also buy a pvs 14 and then save up and get a second one and bridge and culminate them together. Then you have two devices that can act as one but still become two if needed
I had the $$ for Duals but bought 2 14's so I can split them for a cohort if needed. Pano bridge works great too.
I love mine!! 2 eyes better then 1!!
I just got into night vision picked up two gen 3 green phosphorus pvs14’s with purple filters. With the bridge I got I can flip a monocular out of the way if needed. Set up my scar16 and mk18 as goonin guns and I’m so stoked super power unlocked. Met some local homies with nods and have been doing night shoots at least once and sometimes twice a month.
"Night vision is a skill rather than a gear capability."
Annnnnd this is what most people glass over when talking NVGs, the training time. It isn't just *click whirrr* and now you're Sam Fisher. As Garand Thumb says, "if you don't train, you're just an expensive loot drop."
I'm partial to mono-tubes, but that's probably because it's what I was issued and trained with.
Spent my entire career with googles. Just used to running them from my job. Love your videos.
Thank you. This video made it crystal clear that I don’t need dual tubes.
Given I am too poor to afford even a single tube, I can't agree more!
If you can afford dual tube NVGs you can also afford a single tube NVG + a 3-4000 buck thermal scope which gives you *much* greater capability* than dual tube NVGs and it's not even close.
*Ask the 2017-2021 ANA.
I’ve been preaching this to anybody who asks and people just talk to me like I don’t know anything about night vision. Nice to know I’m not completely insane
I know this sounds like some serious backyard engineering...but... I just made my own... 10 years ago, they were selling these kids spy gadget night vision setup. My friend got it for me as a joke, thinking they would not be real night vision, but they were... Granted, the field of vision for distance was not stellar and you were limited in that capacity, but they were fully functional night vision. I took them apart, upgraded everything (the parts were cheap) and 3D printed a new shell for them. For kicks, I mounted them on one of my old hockey helmets to see if it would work and it does! I know it sounds sad since I had to make my own, but I wanted to see if it could be done and I'm that kind of poor when I have to DiY it. That helmet now looks like it came from some sci-fi FPS shooter lol.
Ill get a pvs14 one of these days right now not a super big priority trying to get a better car / apartment/ better helmet /plate carrier are first. I appreciate the video regardless as i was unsure as to the differences between the two setups.
I still prefer my rnvgs over my pvs14 I used in the Marines. Everything I buy now is for quality and quality of life on top. I still agree with your points on why the pvs14 has its pros over DT tho. I still plan on getting a pvs14.
I truly enjoyed the 14s back in the day. I like having a eye that is adapted to the dark and let’s you know when you’re. Not actually owning the night and you’re lit up.
Oh typed before the watching the video addressed the benefit about ten minutes in.
I use night vision very often and have hundreds of hours on both a pvs14 and DTNVS, here's my autistic word dump.
Overall I agree with the main points. An MNVD will give you basically all of the capabilities and the advantages of a BNVD will not let you run circles around the pvs14 users. I would rather fight along the guy who trains with his MNVD regularly than the guy who takes his BNVD out of the safe once per quarter.
And BNVD users treating their NOD/S as an invisibility cloak because they never learned to actually read lighting conditions is one of my biggest pet peeves, thank you for touching on that. It is worth starting out on a pvs14 first just to learn this IMO.
On cost: This is all assuming that night vision is entirely a sunk cost. It actually holds its value quite well, especially if you buy used, on sale, or snag a desirable tube. So while the 10k pricetag of an 18um L3 DTNVS seems unjustifiable compared to a 4k PVS14, even if you buy poorly you're only gonna lose at most 1k on the resale. And at best you'll make money on the sale, as I did on my last PVS14. So if you cant afford to have that much of your money tied up onto a single item, that's entirely reasonable. But if your long term cash reserves would be that large anyways, I think it's entirely reasonable to treat night vision as a pseudo long term cash reserve, especially with the availability of cheap insurance which will cover theft and accidental damage.
Also a note on BNVD advatages not touched on in the video:
-being able to set two focuses is valuable for moving around close quarters and cover. Even more so if you have an iris. And for non-shooting tasks, being able to have that close depth of field while moving through the woods off trail is very nice so that you dont get hit in the head by as many branches.
-long term comfort, it is much more comfortable to use a BNVD vs MNVD for more than a few hours.
-increased perceived SNR, through a BNVD your eyes will correct for noise and some blind spots(like what it does so you dont notice your nose) automatically, which creates a clearer image through a BNVD. This isnt as much of an advantage for someone in the desert where conditions are much better for NV use, but those of us in the foggy, heavily wooded mountains of the PNW et al. can see a noticable advantage in near threshold usability.
In threshold enviornments while moving on rough/no trail, having that second image to recognize and maneuver around obstacles becomes a much greater advantage.
I left out the variable focus thing, as it's a fairly advanced technique. But you are correct. There are times were that comes in handy
The cost thing is weird, because there's very much a assumption of keeping these for practically forever. Resell only is relevant if you plan to sell.
@@BrassFacts do you ever plan on upgrading?
I plan on upgrading which means I’ll probably sell my current setup to roll into the next one.
@@jerichorosas I already run duals.
But no. Like I said, I think there's a lot of value in holding onto a pvs14
@@BrassFacts well for me my DTNVS is very similar to a collectible. If i owned a Monet, i probably wouldnt want to sell it either but that doesnt mean i wouldnt consider it an investment.
I wore PVS-14s in Iraq back in 06-07. I was a 11B in 1-325 AIR. 75% of our missions were night ops. I got accustomed to them rather quickly. I damned made sure my PEQ-2 was always bore sighted lol.
I'd love to hear what you think about AGM night vision. Price is always a factor and $2600 is a lot easier to save up for than $4000. Hop had a generally positive review of them, understanding there are some limitations to them.
AGM uses garbage Lenses, they have horrid fishbowl effect.
Not sure about AGM, I have tried thin film Elbit WP back to back with unfilmed L3Harris WP. Close to identical specs. Couldn't really tell the difference. Paid 1/3 less for the Elbit.
What I’m hearing in this video is that you should have one of each. I also appreciated the Palpatine reference.
I really enjoyed the dog bit at the end. Very relaxing to see a good girl getting a good pet by the fire.
This is excellent analysis. I learned this firsthand by using a work PVS14 on my non-dom eye, both eyes open. Passive aiming is possible with RDS dialed all the way down (not NV). Mono is the way to go for me.
This was absolute the greatest video. Thank you for this!
My personal opinion: get a squared away mono setup and even thermal and then invest into another mono to bridge together with the other one. Gives you the option to separate the two when with a friend and have 2 people under nods
This was unbelievably helpful. Thank you!
Did thousand of hours under duals. I prefer mono myself. For those having a hard time getting vise to either. Where them around your house at night, and do whatever laundry, dishes, garbage, whatever. You'll learn and acclimate quickly.
Dropped $600 on a used MX-1 thermal eye and use it as a standalone monocular for static thermal observation in tandem with a PVS-14. A better thermal would be ideal but it still gets the job done. One eye seeing light, the other IR and then tossing it into a pocket for movement. Very good at spotting critters out to 100-200m.
Ah Yes! Brass Facts, the Hoplopheil's long lost calm and polite cousin, and we all love him.
Thank you sir. I've watched several of your videos (among many of your cohorts and the like) and have decided you are super duper. Much information. Much learning.
My kid is currently assigned to a line platoon in the 173d Airborne, and he is still just issued a PVS-14.
As a matter of fact, per his own words, my backup set of nods (AGM Gen2+ WP PVS-14s with a FOM of 2048) are much higher in quality than his current issues PVS-14s. Literally the majority people in the Army running binos or really high spec -14s are in USASOC or Aviation. There are a few other, but it’s still mostly high speed dudes like the 173d’s Ranger Company and a few similar units in the 82d, 101st, etc.
Ignoring cost entirely, maintaining good natural night vision on one eye is much more valuable than 99% of people know or acknowledge.
Very few people have ever spent several hours outside at night without looking at a single artificial light source. It takes at least half an hour without looking at so much as a candle for your natural night vision to really kick in.
When you run a mono, your natural night vision gets good enough after a while that the images between your aided and unaided eyes blend together to basically feel like binocular vision. The fov limitation goes away and your off eye fills in the peripheral as it would with a red dot sight.
White phos makes a big difference because the color pallete matches starlight, and running the gain as low as possible while still seeing detail helps the images collimate eithout having a 3d glasses effect.
If i was a spec ops guy planning to run from a mid day city into a dark tunnel and take a fight without time to sit around and get adjusted id take duals. But if i was planning to go on a long hike in the woods at night, but didnt want to light the whole place up with flashlights, id take a mono set up every time.
I was just talking about this exact thing. I have a PVS 14. I want duals for the quality of life.
So much of gear-queerness is pushing through the point of diminishing return for “higher quality” stuff that doesn’t necessarily change capability. The jump from natural night vision to night vision aided by a monocular tube is massive, that near double price tag for duals doesn’t add double in terms of added functionality. As dudes, we waste much on little gain. We could be well served with a dose of just making it work and training with our current stuff until you plateau.
Glad this helps reinforce my reasoning to not get a 2nd tube… Been enjoying my PVS-14 and definitely want to invest into a COTI thermal clip on in the near future… If I can ever afford it 😂
Any thoughts on bridging a PVS-14 with a thermal monocular? A homie of mine does it and he likes it.
Being able to see how dark something is to the human eye is a great consideration, thank you for this video
Great points! Great video. Thx for taking the time to make this.
I started out with a 14 and it was great, neatest thing I had ever used at the time. I moved to dual tubes and it's definitely no comparison. Driving with a 14 was doable but not fun. Driving with duals is a Cakewalk. Sure the fov doesn't change but man it feels like it does.
I have a monocular, the reason is size. I can pack it into a very small case that takes up almost no space. Couple that with a knockoff night cap (I refuse to shell out the cost for a real nightcap I can't even get in the color I want) and a good quality rhino arm and you have a setup that takes up almost no pack space.
Great, now I'm looking for a Nightcap clone.
Suggestions would be helpful, thanks.
@SnarkyPosters Emerson made the one I have, I think. A whole bunch of companies made them a few years ago, including a company out of Russia that you could order in a bunch of different colors. Rit dye makes a dye for synthetics that I used on mine. Also, mine has a real norotos universal shroud because I picked it up for $30 on ebay
Me, thoughtfully pondering the pros and cons of two things I cannot afford
I run exclusively a single tube. Mostly because having one eye night adjusted, once you get used to it, is invaluable. I like having more than a 30° field of view lol
Duels might be the thing if your driving a truck full time in the dark. I would rather keep 1 eye tuned for darkness and be able to still function under all conditions. PVS-14 allows more flexibility. Same tactics on why pirates wear an eye patch when they go topside of the boat, when they go back inside they still can see with the eye under the patch.
I've always thought of NV as a 3 step, maybe 4 step, process.
First, you get a good pvs 14. Use it, get comfy with it.
Second, get a thermal monocular. Could be a rifle mounted scope in front of your day optic. It could be a handheld or helmet mounted unit.
Third, after you have used the above for a while, then you get a nice set of 31s. Keep the 14 as a backup/ loaner.
Fourth, if you have the extra dough laying around, then get quads. Sell the 31s and spend pretty much double(or mouse) on the quads. Are they crazy pricey? Yeah, but if you can comfortably afford to drop 12-20k on duals, then you should be able to afford 40k on GPNVGs. If you can't comfortably afford duals, then don't buy them and don't even consider quads.
I personally don't mind using one tube. I currently use one L3 14 on a dual bridge with a trijicon thermal. It was more than even the best 31s. So personally, I'm just gonna skip duals and go straight to quads in a couple years.
Awesome content bro. You cleared up a lot of my mis conceptions.👍
I'll take dual monos with a pano bridge. The weight isn't that bad and the benefits are amazing.... they did just come out with the RPNVG and those are bad ass
It's individual preference. With my eyes and brain, duals are the way.
Great vid. When I served I went for the duals once, hated it, and went back to the mono. I’d actually wear it on my left eye. Use my IR laser at night in low light, but if I went into an environment whether it became bright enough outside our we went in to a light building. My right eye didn’t have that nvg fatigue
I’m saving for a pvs14 right now. I can’t wait to get one.
Did u get it ?
Dual tubes can be nice, but I'd really would focus on the counterweight and just making sure I've got a good kit to work with whatever night vision I have. Been a while since I've actually used helmet mounted night vision, but I do distinctly remember the literal headaches. Personally the most important part of any night vision kit would be the counterweight.
Thank you Brass!
look, ive had a pvs 14 monocular for 2 years, and the one thing ive always had trouble with is depth perception and the 2 different light levels in my eyes has always been difficult. I purchased a second tube a month ago and its so much more comfortable for me to wear/walk. shooting with single tube was fine. it was always maneuvering that gave me trouble. just my logic for buying dual.
that's 100% fair
10:58 that's a critical note... thanks for that.
Great video brother. Well said too I definitely agree. personally going to work myself into a PVS-14 once I get my other bases covered. 👍
15 11B YRs AN/PVS 14… the civi set I paid the iron price for exceed expectations. Your mileage may vary, but you get what you pay for. L3 phos tube. Depth set and optic set is key. QOL depends on mission set
Me over here with 2800 fom L3 WP DTNVSs. Bought once and cried once. While these are 🔥. I wish I had got a PVS14 3 years ago. I would highly recommend on investing in a quality helmet, high quality helmet mounted eyepro, and a plan of how you are going to use it, before you even bother with buying the NV unit itself.
That being said I would still keep my dual tubes. No ragrets.
yep that basically sums up most people's experience. Once you have them, you can't really go back. But it's hard to justify them. A good helmet does a lot more to improve the experience.
@@BrassFacts I will say I have worked night for the past 8 years and have a ton of nights off. For me it was pretty easy to get use out of them. Most ppl have to stay up late on the weekend yo use them
When you go shooting in the mountains in your videos do you have to tell the local authorities etc or you just go and shoot?
Also is it public land or private? Does it change if it's yours?
Like can you just in your land with no restrictions?
Public land you can just go shoot 95% of the time. On your private land you can basically do whatever you want given you aren’t too close to a public roadway or someone else’s private residence
So I figured I’d ask while watching in case you can answer, what eye do you use your monocular on? Your shooting side? Is there any issue with cost/availability with mount types that help wrong handers?
My decision making process is a lot simpler. By the time I ever scrape enough together to get into the NV game a 14 will probably be around 900-1000 because everything will be like "Gen 6" or something.
Hop is such a giving lover
Getting a PVS-14 and a Jerry C5 to clip onto it, gonna rock.
Great video. Still need to ask though- would you rather get dual Omni 7/8 or mono L3 18U? If that’s all you can afford.
if it's a simple choice (and cost doesn't matter)
duals.
15:24 you can tell your dog really loves you by that look she gives.
Awesome information man, thanks a bunch.
There is this contraption that allows one to mount two monos in a dual configuration, and in some use cases, this is better than a fixed DT setup.
So what about something like the Jerry 31 binos vs a PVS14. Low spec bino vs high spec mono for the same price. Which is best?
I like having one eye night adapted at all times. I used light as a weapon against guys in training who were over-relying on their NVGs, and it worked. Could wipe out a whole squad just by manipulating light, and giving me the advantage even if for just a few seconds. Seconds enough to wipe them out.
Eh. I use white light with nods or shoot by looking under nods as needed. They aren’t very sensitive these days.
@@scottzagger it goes far beyond just NVG sensitivity. My unit changed the way many other units used NVGs in Iraq, and pretty much the whole battlespace started using our methods after that. NVGs can give a false sense of security and stealth, and people fail to learn about natural night adaptation. And some people like myself have unusually good night vison. But I also used the time it takes to adapt to darkness as a weapon, not just sensitivity, or their overconfidence in thinking they were being stealthy becasue they didn't know I could see them just fine.
I’ve found wearing 2 tubes higher on your face and looking under your nods for close work gives you the same functionality as having one eye available. Example:Shooting a 50 under nods then using my lower peripherals to reload
Thanks for the video and tips! I'd like to invest in some night vision in the near future and I'd like to know where you got your PVS-14s. I just don't feel secure buying random PVS-14s on amazon when there isn't much reviews to prove they work like the specific ones you got. If you got a link to the ones you got I'd appreciate it a LOT.
I think an extra 14 and a GoPro, all mounted on an fpv drone would be money well spent vs DTs but that’s just me. Buy a drone before you buy dual tubes though that’s for sure. It does more for situational awareness than nods in a lot of cases and is a second super power we can now have for a reasonable price: the ability to fly and see like a bird!
Drones are indeed incredibly powerful tools, however it's very important to take into account the following. Although not needing any runway and being able to take off literally anywhere, Quad/Octacopters are very inefficient because they produce zero lift and thus depend entirely on their propellers to keep them airborne, which is why on average they have a mere 30-60 minutes flying capability before their battery pack is drained. Fixed wing drones on the other hand are very efficient because their wing produces lift, keeping them airborne with a relatively small amount of battery power or fuel, and they also have a much bigger payload capability. But depending on their size, weight and payload they usually need an (improvised) runway, which isn't always that easy. And of course unlike a Quad/Octacopter they can't stay in place to keep a specific spot in view of their camera's from a specific and most ideal angle. They can be programmed to fly in circles around a specific coordinate and keep it's camera('s) fixed on a target, but it won't be from the same angle and if there are trees or buildings close to said target then it's likely they will obscure the target part of the time as the drone circles around the target. So some food for thought.
The pollen gang has some real shooters this year, they out here gettin everybody
Late, but one overlooked advantage of mono-tubes is when driving or trying to write in the dark. Your uncovered eye's natural nightvision and ability to focus automatically means you can more easily see and interact with close distance objects (granted, variable focus between the tubes on a dual setup can come close to this, but then you lose all natural nightvision).
True, but something to try to get your brain to adapt to either scenario with either Dual PVS-14's on a Pano or a more expensive dual tube setup is to focus one near and one further out , that will solve reading/writing issues while still allowing you to see at distance. Like anything it takes practice, but the initial adjustment for your brain will usually be within 10-20 mins.
Both hop and brass facts uploading night vision videos…nice 😎