Axion QX38 vs Axion XM30S vs Axion Key XM30

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s1mon

Active Member
Afternoon all,

Looking for a bit of guidance from any thermal guru's please.

I am entirely new to the world of thermal and in the market for my first monocular. Will be used mainly for deer counts, recce's over the ground which I have permission (in particular one new permission to understand numbers, movements etc), the odd bit of foxing albeit infrequent.

The question is what to go for; I have been pointed towards the Axion QX38, Axion XM30S and Axion Key XM30 but would really like to hear from anyone who has some real hands on experience with any of these in the field. I don't want to spend more than I have to, but likewise don't want to regret not spending enough.....

I know they aren't to everyone's taste and generate some controversy but I really feel it could be very beneficial at my latest permission in particular, which has a real issue with deer numbers and where the landowner needs and is expecting to see results.

Cheers,

Simon
 
Borrowed XM32s from a friend at it very good. Small display and not as crisp as mates XQ version but still managed to spot a fox hiding in a ditch and call it out. That’s all you can expect really. If money wasn’t a factor I would choose the XQ though. Battery isn’t great on the XM compared to XQ as well.
 
s1mon said:
Afternoon all,

Looking for a bit of guidance from any thermal guru's please.

I am entirely new to the world of thermal and in the market for my first monocular. Will be used mainly for deer counts, recce's over the ground which I have permission (in particular one new permission to understand numbers, movements etc), the odd bit of foxing albeit infrequent.

The question is what to go for; I have been pointed towards the Axion QX38, Axion XM30S and Axion Key XM30 but would really like to hear from anyone who has some real hands on experience with any of these in the field. I don't want to spend more than I have to, but likewise don't want to regret not spending enough.....

I know they aren't to everyone's taste and generate some controversy but I really feel it could be very beneficial at my latest permission in particular, which has a real issue with deer numbers and where the landowner needs and is expecting to see results.

Cheers,

Simon
Click to expand...
Have you decided? Did you also check the Hikvision 35mm?
 
I have the QX 38 and its a great bit of kit. The new thermal sensor (which is also in the Helion 2) make the performance in wet weather outstanding.

This may not look that sensational but deer at 170 m in torrential rain. Deer - YouTube

I upgraded from a Quantum 30 lite and found the base 3.5x zoom took a bit of getting used to. The 30s has a base of 4.4x and will be far to much for woodland stalking.
 
slider said:
I upgraded from a Quantum 30 lite and found the base 3.5x zoom took a bit of getting used to. The 30s has a base of 4.4x and will be far to much for woodland stalking.
Click to expand...

I agree here, the 30s may be a bit much for woodland, I've only used the 30s once in the field and it will take some getting used to, the quantum lite base mag of 2.5 was great for wide view scanning.
 
The xm30s is actually just fine for woodlands. XQ38 is a bit better, but enough for me to splash the cash. I wouldn’t bother with the Key.
 
I have a keys which is great for what i need. It finds a heat source, then use the NV to get recognition it a fox. I can see sheep over 900 yards away. I would like a higher resolution spotter but not for finding a heat source. If you enjoy looking at the wild life its a bit low. yes I can see its an owl, but get a better watching view with my NV.
so to answer your question the key is fine, and as money was tight I think its great at doing what I need for spotting foxes.
 
For the middle one - the Pulsar Axion XM30s, Hikvision just launched a direct competitor. The HIKMICRO LYNX Pro LH25.
It would be great to have a side-by-side comparison between HIKMICRO LYNX Pro LH25 and Pulsar Axion XM30s.
These two are very similar: price, specs... And both are new on the market - released in 2020.
I couldn't find any source with a "VS.".
 
I had a XM30 key before getting the XM30S. The key was ok but only really for spotting a heat source before getting the binos out to make the id. The XM30 S has more mag, which I am not that bothered about but I prefer the greatly improved image quality. The “white hot blob” that the key used to show me is now easier to id at longer ranges. With the key on a damp morning I was constantly looking at hares, pheasants etc trying to decide if they were bits of hidden deer or the later. The S gives me enough detail to scan id and move on or get the binos out.

Pretty sure the sensor is the same so the £400 price difference is purely the screen resolution and the additional features like image enhancement and recording. The recording I don’t tend to use that much but the image enhancement seems to be quite useful.

I don’t think there is a perfect answer to everyone’s needs but I am debating selling the XM30S and getting something in the £2k + market range.
 
There’s many factors for choosing any of the units , but I would say Pulsar have raised the bar over there previous model Helion , with perfomance upgrades and now the magnesium alloy shell , it’s a premium product amongst competitors and definitely worth a look if your not looking for something as compact as an Axion..

Axions are also very well built units and offer great value for money , but if it was me , I’d probably save the extra for the new Helion model as I like the layout and extra battery life as well.
 
I was interested in the specs of the Hikvision units but I am skeptical about the resale value on the secondhand units. The internal battery is a real disadvantage on long nights out and after a couple of years the battery will be degraded.

Strong resale value and removable battery units swayed me to pulsar.
 
The Pigeon Man said:
I was interested in the specs of the Hikvision units but I am skeptical about the resale value on the secondhand units. The internal battery is a real disadvantage on long nights out and after a couple of years the battery will be degraded.

Strong resale value and removable battery units swayed me to pulsar.
Click to expand...
Talk about resale value, I just sold a 3 year old Pulsar Quantum 30 Lite on ebay for £1170!!! I was only £1300 new.......

Stick to tried and tested!!
 
The Pigeon Man said:
I was interested in the specs of the Hikvision units but I am skeptical about the resale value on the secondhand units. The internal battery is a real disadvantage on long nights out and after a couple of years the battery will be degraded.

Strong resale value and removable battery units swayed me to pulsar.
Click to expand...

Sensible choice seriously . Without being biased with it , it’s a fair chunk to outlay , so the points you state are very valid ..
 
Well I can comment on the helion 38 and the xm30s. I have the 30s and my mate has the helion. Base mag is 3.1x on the helion and 4.5x on the 30s. The high mag takes some getting used to but bear in mind the base mag is optical so it will be a good picture. The helion is sharper round the edges at distance but very comparable at say 200yds. For me the pulsars have the edge over hikvision too in the sense that the batteries are removable to carry a spare with you, and the resale value should you wish to upgrade is up there for it to not lose much money at all.
The 30s has the amoled big screen on it whereas the 30 key model doesn't. The helion is a much bigger heavier unit than the 30s but battery life in the helion is excellent where you will require a spare in the 30s.
Personally if it was down to money you can't beat the 30s if you can get your eye around the 4.5x zoom.
If you do a lot of woodland stalks I would go for a smaller base mag like the helion as it will give you a bigger field of view but 50yd+ have a 30s.

Overall "ANYTHING" that moves out to a sensible distance is going to be spottable with either unit and either unit will let you identify out to 'in range' shots.
 
Manuel said:
For the middle one - the Pulsar Axion XM30s, Hikvision just launched a direct competitor. The HIKMICRO LYNX Pro LH25.
It would be great to have a side-by-side comparison between HIKMICRO LYNX Pro LH25 and Pulsar Axion XM30s.
These two are very similar: price, specs... And both are new on the market - released in 2020.
I couldn't find any source with a "VS.".
Click to expand...

I wouldn’t get too exited, I’ve seen a few videos and noticed something, all the footage is on X1 magnification, there’s one with donkeys and horses comparing 2 35mm HIKs and a Pard 008 all on the same screen moving together.
I’ve been using a 008 pretty much since they landed over here and I can tell you in one of the scenes the footage of the donkeys looks awesome through both thermals BUT if you concentrate on the Pard footage it’s clear to see that the donkey is no more than 40yds away, you don’t need a thermal for that, you could bloody smell it! It’s very telling and the videos we see are very often tee’d up in the most perfect conditions for thermal and give false impressions, I’ve seen other vids and again at X1 and they look impressive but the quarry isn’t as far away as you think and once they flick to x2 or x4 the wheels fall off.
A Fox at 100 yds is no test for any thermal, it’s further out and being able to distinguish between him and a badger at distance is the test.
I’ve upgraded from the Key 30 to the XQ38LRF and I know for a fact in the short time I’ve used it and ranging stuff most of what you see in the vids pushing cheaper gear is not as it seems.
 
slider said:
Talk about resale value, I just sold a 3 year old Pulsar Quantum 30 Lite on ebay for £1170!!! I was only £1300 new.......

Stick to tried and tested!!
Click to expand...
That's amazing! Your old unit cost you £43.33 per year to own. That's a very low cost of ownership for a £1300 piece of kit.
 
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