Hikmicro Cheetah Review

[Devon Stalker]

Hi All

Would anyone recommend this as a spotter and add on for bunnies, fox and last light deer, or is there a better product for a similar price tag? I’ve given up waiting for Pard007 to be back in circulation.

Cheers

 

[mealiejimmy]

As a spotter - get a thermal
As a front add-on it's terrible - by far the worst front add-on I've tried - a really dim image and narrow field of view
The new 007s (with an LED IR) will here soon - and a lot cheaper than a Cheetah

Cheers

Bruce

 

[Old Codger]

If it is of any interest to you, I have a new/unused 007 Pard sat on the shelf.
I did mount it on one of my Rimfires, but, having no neck, I could not get my head behind it to see through it, without the rifle dropping out of shoulder pocket. So off it came, and has sat on the shelf since.
PM me if interested.
Cheers.

 

[Devon Stalker]

As a spotter - get a thermal
As a front add-on it's terrible - by far the worst front add-on I've tried - a really dim image and narrow field of view
The new 007s (with an LED IR) will here soon - and a lot cheaper than a Cheetah

Cheers

Bruce

What would you recommend instead, that can switch between .22lr and .308?

 

[Devon Stalker]

If it is of any interest to you, I have a new/unused 007 Pard sat on the shelf.
I did mount it on one of my Rimfires, but, having no neck, I could not get my head behind it to see through it, without the rifle dropping out of shoulder pocket. So off it came, and has sat on the shelf since.
PM me if interested.
Cheers.

Thanks for the offer. I’m waiting for them to come back in circulation so I can try before I buy.
Cheers though

 

[mealiejimmy]

What would you recommend instead, that can switch between .22lr and .308?

An 007 - as long as the scopes on both rifles work OK with a rear add-on

Cheers

Bruce

 

[Fowler1990]

Agree about front add on. Garbage.

As a Dedicated scope - on par with alpex.

 

[MagicLantern]

As a spotter - get a thermal
As a front add-on it's terrible - by far the worst front add-on I've tried - a really dim image and narrow field of view
The new 007s (with an LED IR) will here soon - and a lot cheaper than a Cheetah

Cheers

Bruce

My 22lr used to have an N450 but now has a Hawke 4x16 Sidewinder for day use and I was thinking of the cheetah front mount for when the nights draw in. Is it really that bad out to 100m with a separate IR?

The alternative is to go for the Element 2x16. Any thoughts on how that would be with the cheetah front mount.

 

[Fowler1990]

My 22lr used to have an N450 but now has a Hawke 4x16 Sidewinder for day use and I was thinking of the cheetah front mount for when the nights draw in. Is it really that bad out to 100m with a separate IR?

The alternative is to go for the Element 2x16. Any thoughts on how that would be with the cheetah front mount.

Not used on the 22lr but the mount it attaches to the objective with shifts under recoil from anything over 223 I found.

No issues whatsoever with it on a rail and used as a dedicated scope.

 

[MagicLantern]

Not used on the 22lr but the mount it attaches to the objective with shifts under recoil from anything over 223 I found.

No issues whatsoever with it on a rail and used as a dedicated scope.

I think I may give it a go as it would only be for rimfire up to 100m.

 

[mealiejimmy]

My 22lr used to have an N450 but now has a Hawke 4x16 Sidewinder for day use and I was thinking of the cheetah front mount for when the nights draw in. Is it really that bad out to 100m with a separate IR?

The alternative is to go for the Element 2x16. Any thoughts on how that would be with the cheetah front mount.

Yes, it's that bad
Frankly - just forget NV front add-ons
Rear add-ons work much better.
They do compromise head position, but that situation can be much improved with the new shorter PARD 007S and a butt extender.

Cheers

Bruce

 

[MagicLantern]

Yes, it's that bad
Frankly - just forget NV front add-ons
Rear add-ons work much better.
They do compromise head position, but that situation can be much improved with the new shorter PARD 007S and a butt extender.

Cheers

Bruce

In your opinion, how does the cheetah compare to the F450? Not the F450s.

 

[Devon Stalker]

Yes, it's that bad
Frankly - just forget NV front add-ons
Rear add-ons work much better.
They do compromise head position, but that situation can be much improved with the new shorter PARD 007S and a butt extender.

Cheers

Bruce

Thanks Bruce for your helpful comments. Do you put front thermal in the same boat, the Thunder for instance?
Cheers

 

[Blackwood Outdoors]

Yes, it's that bad
Frankly - just forget NV front add-ons
Rear add-ons work much better.
They do compromise head position, but that situation can be much improved with the new shorter PARD 007S and a butt extender.

Cheers

Bruce

Totally agree, rear night vision add ons are much better than front mounted night vision options.. Three main benefits of front mounted NV over rear mounted being better IR transmission to sensor, non parallax scopes can be used ok, keeps similar eye relied to standard scope, other than that, rear mounted trumps them on retained resolution when magnified and for ease of fitment and use.

 

[mealiejimmy]

Thanks Bruce for your helpful comments. Do you put front thermal in the same boat, the Thunder for instance?
Cheers

Yes, front add-on thermal has the same limitations as front add-on NV.
The one thing that front add-on thermal has going over it is that rear add-on thermal is not possible while rear add-on NV is well developed and very cost effective making front add-on NV even less attractive
I had a Pulsar Krypton FXG50 thermal front add-on and I still have a HIK thunder TQ50C which can be used as a spotter, scope or front add-on.
I have used it in all 3 modes and as a spotter and scope it is excellent.
As a front add-on I found the image a better than on the Krypton a low magnification (x2-4) but it rapidly pixellated above that and became worse then the Krypton
The mounting system for the Thunder in add-on mode is clumsy and time consuming to set up and unless the scope adaptor is permanently attached to the scope (reducing the amount of light getting into the scope when the add-on is not in use) the add-on will not retain zero

It's worth bearing in mind that, other than front add-ons designed for military use, the add-ons we see in the commercial market only exist to get around laws in certain countries where NV and/or thermal targetting devices are not permitted, but NV/and or thermal observation devices are permitted
Since add-ons use the riflescope reticle for aiming, they can be sold in such countries
For example, if you buy a HIK Thunder TQ50C in Germany, it can be used as a spotter or font add-on. It does not come with a scope mount and there are no reticles - and upgrading the firmware doesn't give it reticles

Cheers

Bruce