Best compact thermal monocular?

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ca11um

ca11um

Well-Known Member
Hi everyone,

I know it's been asked alot but looking for a new thermal monocular, I had a pulsar XM30S which I sold onto a mate. Now looking to upgrade, so money's no issue and want the best. Not really that bothered about it having LRF just need it to be compact/light weight and have a decent battery life/multiple battery's. I normally just use it for deer recovery/spotting/stalking and foxing along side the lamp.

What would you go for and why? Pros/Cons?

Thanks for all the advice and opinions to come.
 
For something compact and lightweight I was quite impressed with the nocpix lumi h35r when I handled it at the BSS in February.
The new hik condor is nice too but its a bit bigger.
Pulsar also have some new compact units out but I haven't handled them yet.
 
palo said:
For something compact and lightweight I was quite impressed with the nocpix lumi h35r when I handled it at the BSS in February.
The new hik condor is nice too but its a bit bigger.
Pulsar also have some new compact units out but I haven't handled them yet.
Click to expand...
Will likely be a pulsar I go for again as I quite liked it but open to other suggestions
 
I’d be trying the Hik Condor or Falcon ( a question of ergonomics atween these twa, but the picter is superb in baith, and they offer U.K. based backup).

If you’re nae bothered about lrf then ye might nae be bothered to hae it wi’ ye on the rare occasion that ye might want to ken the distance; on sic a day the Infiray Finder 2 FH35 R has it built in and is a great unit in terms of baith features and quality at the price socht.

If it has to be a Pulsar some ither body will advise you what their best is, but for image quality as a standout feature I’d be at the very least be ‘takin’ a teet’ throu’ these aforementioned.
 
Aye I'm planning on looking between the 2 top choices like, seeing whats best to my eyes. How it feels in the hands
 
ca11um said:
Aye I'm planning on looking between the 2 top choices like, seeing whats best to my eyes. How it feels in the hands
Click to expand...
Definitely handle as many as you can before buying.
I done this at the show and ended up buying a nocpix h35r.
Its not the most compact unit but its perfect for my needs.
 
Thanks folks, definitely going to the Scottish game fair to look through a few, a few local lads also willing to let me pop round there's for a look through what they have at the moment too. Im going to go top of the range as I probably won't upgrade for another 5 or so years
 
Emilio said:
For image quality vs cost I like the Nocpix offerings. Just not much a fan of the buttons and menustructure.
Click to expand...
I changed from a hik spotter to a nocpix.
I find the menu and and buttons fine once you get used to them.
The ballistic functions are great for anyone using a scope with an adjustable elevation turret.
 
The thing to keep in mind, is that it is JUST a SPOTTER, so you know there is something there.

ID comes from recognising the general shape, long legs, short legs, how the animal moves. Seeing each hair on it's back won't improve your success rate one jot !

ID, and if you should pull the trigger should come from the sight on the rifle, be it glass, N/V, or thermal. IMHO, THAT'S the place people should spend their money on, to get the best quality picture they can afford, or justify.
 
I agree with that but nothing wrong with having the best if you can afford it. I use the vortex LRF binos as they suit my eyes very well and life time warranty is a no brainer to me. The scope on the old 6.5x55 se I use is a schmidt & bender Klassik 2.5-10x56. I had a swarovski Z6i 2.5-15x56 on it but never really got on with it and often lost the zero so I traded that in. I also use a 20-60x75 spotting scope when I can to see the deer going about whether it's roe bucks or red hinds.

now I'm after a thermal spotter so that I can use it alongside all the aforementioned tools/kit to improve my odds, help with the recovery and manage culls/vermin control by spotting them easier in thicker cover. Doesn't matter if it's a rabbit in a barley field, a fox in a sheep park or a red stag on a hill side. Id like to be able to tell roughly what it is rather than just a hot white blob on a screen, should also help save a bit of time too 👍🏻
 
Lateral said:
The thing to keep in mind, is that it is JUST a SPOTTER, so you know there is something there.

ID comes from recognising the general shape, long legs, short legs, how the animal moves. Seeing each hair on it's back won't improve your success rate one jot !

ID, and if you should pull the trigger should come from the sight on the rifle, be it glass, N/V, or thermal. IMHO, THAT'S the place people should spend their money on, to get the best quality picture they can afford, or justify.
Click to expand...
Aye, I'd agree to a point. But stalking in for 30 mins on a heat source "blob" you can't identify at range which then turns out to be a cow / sheep etc is a waste of time. I have some good bits of ground with big red deer and small highland cattle so I want to be able to ID fairly accurately before I commit to what can be a long walk / stalk to get into a shootable position.
 
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