Telos disappointment.

[k80ush]

Hi everyone, just wondering if anyone else has experienced what we have.
My friend took delivery of his new telos this week, both very interested in how it would compare with my falcon FQ50 we have been out the last two nights.
To our amazement, it’s not even in the same league as the FQ50 in terms of target and heat detail. Past 100 yards the telos just gives you a solid block of heat no definition in the target/ heat you’re looking at and even the edges or lines of the heat aren’t crisp (tried every setting possible). A hare sat facing towards you was impossible to identify at 150 yards in the telos, yet instantly identified with the falcon. It’s certainly a real disappointment and really doesn’t seem the image we both looked through at the game fair. Have pulsar changed firmware or could this unit be faulty?

Has anyone else compared it to their helion etc? Would love to know before he sends it back.

P.s not taking away from the build quality, field of view etc etc.

Thanks

 

[Jamouk]

Been wondering about this myself

 

[One on top of two]

Yep I had a look through one last night , my first thoughts where what a let down . Stick with a Helion pro it will hammer it.

In fact my TQ50 100% nailed it , even my mate agreed .hares out too 130m showed more definition on my Thunder pro .

It’s just same **** diffent day with pulsar for a long time now imho

Even when the mergers came out I sent mine back the next day , again complete let down compared to the Helion 2 pro .

 

[Jamouk]

Helion 2 pro which I use is the evolution of the Helion range the new Telos is the first in the line of a new range that will no doubt also evolve !

 

[One on top of two]

Helion 2 pro which I use is the evolution of the Helion range the new Telos is the first in the line of a new range that will no doubt also evolve !

It a bit of a **** show when the first of the “ new range “ starts out worse than the last old range …..oh and at a higher price too .

 

[guns 6br]

I seen the video you sent Jason mate that's definitely not the quality i looked at up the game fair very disappointing I was all set to get one myself I think I'll give it a miss

 

[Sakoodin1]

That’s not good news to hear at all!,I was just about to buy one to? Looks like the hik might be the better option?

 

[homer]

@mealiejimmy, any explanation for this?

 

[finnbear270]

Yep I had a look through one last night , my first thoughts where what a let down . Stick with a Helion pro it will hammer it.

In fact my TQ50 100% nailed it , even my mate agreed .hares out too 130m showed more definition on my Thunder pro .

It’s just same **** diffent day with pulsar for a long time now imho

Even when the mergers came out I sent mine back the next day , again complete let down compared to the Helion 2 pro .

Must have been a defect in that set, I used a Helion XP for ages no trouble, & the Merger XL's are a stellar upgrade improvement.

 

[the scudd]

I

That’s not good news to hear at all!,I was just about to buy one to? Looks like the hik might be the better option?

I upgraded from a Helion xp 50 to a hik fq 50 and the difference is amazing, I was out with a friend the other evening who has just bought the new telos and I thought that the Hi k was way better in showing animals. The only thing I will say is I'm a bit disappointed in the battery life on the Hik also they don't seem as well made as the pulsar

 

[Jamouk]

Helion xp50 Pro 2 at the moment can't be beaten cost more than the telos

 

[k80ush]

That’s not good news to hear at all!,I was just about to buy one to? Looks like the hik might be the better option?

I wasn’t expecting the world from the Hik as the reviews are very mixed. Battery life isn’t the best 3.5-4 hours to a battery (they do give you two tho), and field of view is a touch narrow for close range.
However the detail it gives you of the animal is brilliant, I can scan an 50 acre field and ID everything in it straight away. I’m over the moon with my purchase and would recommend to anyone.
I’ve never looked through a helion pro so can’t compare, and I’m sure the build quality and battery is better, but for me I struggle to see where the £900 difference would be made up.

Hope this helps

 

[Acm]

Keen to hear from @Blackwood Outdoors on this, I’ve been thinking about upgrading to one before Lambing.

 

[Polar Lynx]

NETD <18, should read <28 or something

 

[Skietindiekop]

I was wondering why the Helion Pro is still £400 dearer retail price, seems the above tells why

 

[Rural Management Services]

Don’t look past the HIKFQ35 it’s the same sensor etc as the bigger brother FQ50 (FH35 is smaller sensor) and it’s pretty much the same performance as the 50 for about £300-400 less. Currently my go to thermal even though I have access to numerous more expensive others

I haven’t had it side by side with a Telos yet, but I have compared to a Pulsar XG35, Mergers, FQ50 and Infiray FH35R. All of which I have access to. All are 640 sensors as well. I have to say that it stands up there shoulder to shoulder with all the above but costs between £200 and £2500 less than them. Its closest rival the Pulsar Axion XG35 is definitely a step back/behind in performance, ergonomics and value. I used to really rate this unit and in truth it’s still good but there are better options coming to the market now. The new HIK units are definitely better performance wise

The FH35R from Infiray works very well but again a step behind and actually a little bit horrible to hold in the hand for long periods. It also struggles with summer humid or generally warm damp conditions. Trees end up being reflected warmer than they are and it makes the image confusing. There is an ID mode which solves this to a certain extent, but it isn’t perfect still. It’s also like the Axion LRF models setup for right handed use only. It always baffles me why stalkers who are obsessed by light gathering German glass put a TV screen in front of their shooting eye seconds before trying to use it.

The Mergers are obviously better quality image wise but not by much and they always pose the question for me “where the hell do my Binos go if I have to wear two sets of Binos?”. This is a question I never actually managed to answer when I owned a set myself and for stalking it leaves you in a position where you start wanting to leave the Binos and start using the rifle scope for some of the Bino duties. Probably best to avoid that rabbit hole though. I quite often find myself with a thermal in my left hand and my Binos in my right switching between the two to track a muntjac for example through thick cover. Something that as a bit of a pig with mergers. LRF is useful to allot of people but I have it in my day optics so covered for stalking. If I was doing just night shooting then I can see a place for Mergers but this is a stalking site so I have to assume more deer stalkers…… For me the weight, cost, cost of extra batteries and as mentioned above the need to work out a storage solution makes Mergers a decision people shouldn’t enter into lightly.

FYI no skin in this game we don’t sell thermals so just my own opinions based on daily use of all the above models for deer stalking.

 

[finnbear270]

I have evolved an under my left arm / armpit area carry, for either the bino's or the mergers.

 

[Gunner223]

I was just about to order the Telos LRF model, but now so which is the best spotter with LRF
at the moment ??

 

[Sakoodin1]

I was just about to order the Telos LRF model, but now so which is the best spotter with LRF
at the moment ??

I was going up order the telos without a lrf for my stalking ( I have lrf in my zeiss bins so just wanted a nice fit in the pocket thermal) I will wait a week or 2 yet before deciding I think

 

[Jeff8861]

I was just about to order the Telos LRF model, but now so which is the best spotter with LRF
at the moment ??

The raptors and the gemini look a good bet. If the raptors internals are the same as the fq models of spotters then its a winner.