Pixfra Draco 635 Vs HIK Habrok HQ35 4K Review
So, as always, no commercial skin in the game as I purchased both items with my own pennies. Nobody has paid for this review and it’s my own opinions based on using them for deer stalking many times a week with the devices in hand.
So, for starters, potentially a slightly skewed review as the Habrok has been out since last summer and uses some hardware dating back 18 months. Also, the Draco is £800-1000 cheaper than the HIK, so again, maybe not eggs for eggs!?
I have had the Draco’s now for nearly two months and used them probably 30 times for stalking in that time period, but only about 10 of those occasions have been half-decent thermal conditions. The remaining outings have been more of a swim than a stalk, quite frankly, but I feel I have a decent feel for the Draco’s now. If this changes, then I will update accordingly at a later date.
Thermal channels:
Both devices have a 35mm lens and 640 sensor that gives decent performance for nothing spotting and identification of quarry out to 200m and beyond conditions allowing. I can certainly tell the difference between a fox and a badger way past 300m and I can differentiate between a roe and a fallow somewhere between 200 and 300m. Rabbits are easily identifiable 100-200m. It is important to say this is based on stationary quarry as I can generally id stuff based on movement after so many years using thermal. On mornings like this morning, which was fairly dry and cold, the devices are neck and neck, but on damper days, the Habroks have the advantage. Quarry detail in damp conditions stays similar, but the Habroks definitely have the ability to punch through the damp air better and give you more terrain, tree, and general background detail.
Optical channels:
I believe there is very similar hardware under the “hood” of these devices as optically they give a very similar performance. I couldn’t split them side by side light gathering at dawn or dusk to be honest. Introduce the IR in NV mode and the Draco is marginally better due to its inbuilt IR being, I believe, stronger. It’s worth saying though that both devices are pretty much pants in total dark with the IR past 100m. Low light gathering wise they outperform any German glass on the planet for the first and last light periods, but if you are buying a device like this to view quarry at night past 100m in total dark then think additional IR.
Menus:-
The Draco is a new-to-market product and it is reflected in the menu setup. It’s functional and works, but the Habroks are a much more mature device and this is reflected in the menu layout and usage. Generally speaking the menus aren’t something you use all the time as you just set your settings and only dive into menus to make changes, but we are comparing so it’s worth mentioning the differences.
Ease of Use:-
Slightly hard to be objective as I have had Habroks for a lot longer and know them really well, but even taking this into account I feel they are easier to use. Rear focus will turn up on the next generation of both devices I am sure, but for the moment both devices focus on the optical lens end. The Draco has gone for a roller wheel design rather than buttons for the functions like the zoom and menu scrolling. I like the concept, but I found it a long way away from where my hand rested during single-handed use and I had to strain slightly to reach it or use my other hand as well. For the record I wear XL-sized or XXL-sized gloves so I assume my hands are slightly larger than average. The two features that the Habroks do win hands down though are the range finder functionality and switching between optical channels. The Draco’s need some work to make the range finder function a bit more user-friendly as at the moment the reticule is huge and there are limited ranging options, with 15 seconds being the minimum. You also have as a minimum of 1 thermal channel plus optical colour and optical B&W, you can restrict it to 1 thermal channel and 1 optical so you have to scroll through all three. On the Habroks you can flip between optical and thermal with one press of a button and it has to be said faster software-wise as well. Where the Draco’s do win though is that they are significantly smaller than the Habroks and a bit lighter as well. The smaller form factor is certainly welcome as they are nicer to hold, easier to stow in a Bino harness etc.
Summary:-
I guess the main question is are the Habroks worth the 33% premium, and I guess the answer is probably no for the majority of recreational deer stalkers as they will largely overlook the differences for the money saving. There is also an assumption that Pixfra will improve the menus, LRF, and optical switching over time with software updates. They have, after all, done one already, and it’s only been out six weeks or so. These software improvements will probably bring the devices to a much more level playing field and will make the Draco’s suddenly look like really, really good value. Probably just in time for Hik to launch the next version of the Habrok Pro’s, which I assume will look very much like the recently released HE25’s with the rear focus.
So, as always, no commercial skin in the game as I purchased both items with my own pennies. Nobody has paid for this review and it’s my own opinions based on using them for deer stalking many times a week with the devices in hand.
So, for starters, potentially a slightly skewed review as the Habrok has been out since last summer and uses some hardware dating back 18 months. Also, the Draco is £800-1000 cheaper than the HIK, so again, maybe not eggs for eggs!?
I have had the Draco’s now for nearly two months and used them probably 30 times for stalking in that time period, but only about 10 of those occasions have been half-decent thermal conditions. The remaining outings have been more of a swim than a stalk, quite frankly, but I feel I have a decent feel for the Draco’s now. If this changes, then I will update accordingly at a later date.
Thermal channels:
Both devices have a 35mm lens and 640 sensor that gives decent performance for nothing spotting and identification of quarry out to 200m and beyond conditions allowing. I can certainly tell the difference between a fox and a badger way past 300m and I can differentiate between a roe and a fallow somewhere between 200 and 300m. Rabbits are easily identifiable 100-200m. It is important to say this is based on stationary quarry as I can generally id stuff based on movement after so many years using thermal. On mornings like this morning, which was fairly dry and cold, the devices are neck and neck, but on damper days, the Habroks have the advantage. Quarry detail in damp conditions stays similar, but the Habroks definitely have the ability to punch through the damp air better and give you more terrain, tree, and general background detail.
Optical channels:
I believe there is very similar hardware under the “hood” of these devices as optically they give a very similar performance. I couldn’t split them side by side light gathering at dawn or dusk to be honest. Introduce the IR in NV mode and the Draco is marginally better due to its inbuilt IR being, I believe, stronger. It’s worth saying though that both devices are pretty much pants in total dark with the IR past 100m. Low light gathering wise they outperform any German glass on the planet for the first and last light periods, but if you are buying a device like this to view quarry at night past 100m in total dark then think additional IR.
Menus:-
The Draco is a new-to-market product and it is reflected in the menu setup. It’s functional and works, but the Habroks are a much more mature device and this is reflected in the menu layout and usage. Generally speaking the menus aren’t something you use all the time as you just set your settings and only dive into menus to make changes, but we are comparing so it’s worth mentioning the differences.
Ease of Use:-
Slightly hard to be objective as I have had Habroks for a lot longer and know them really well, but even taking this into account I feel they are easier to use. Rear focus will turn up on the next generation of both devices I am sure, but for the moment both devices focus on the optical lens end. The Draco has gone for a roller wheel design rather than buttons for the functions like the zoom and menu scrolling. I like the concept, but I found it a long way away from where my hand rested during single-handed use and I had to strain slightly to reach it or use my other hand as well. For the record I wear XL-sized or XXL-sized gloves so I assume my hands are slightly larger than average. The two features that the Habroks do win hands down though are the range finder functionality and switching between optical channels. The Draco’s need some work to make the range finder function a bit more user-friendly as at the moment the reticule is huge and there are limited ranging options, with 15 seconds being the minimum. You also have as a minimum of 1 thermal channel plus optical colour and optical B&W, you can restrict it to 1 thermal channel and 1 optical so you have to scroll through all three. On the Habroks you can flip between optical and thermal with one press of a button and it has to be said faster software-wise as well. Where the Draco’s do win though is that they are significantly smaller than the Habroks and a bit lighter as well. The smaller form factor is certainly welcome as they are nicer to hold, easier to stow in a Bino harness etc.
Summary:-
I guess the main question is are the Habroks worth the 33% premium, and I guess the answer is probably no for the majority of recreational deer stalkers as they will largely overlook the differences for the money saving. There is also an assumption that Pixfra will improve the menus, LRF, and optical switching over time with software updates. They have, after all, done one already, and it’s only been out six weeks or so. These software improvements will probably bring the devices to a much more level playing field and will make the Draco’s suddenly look like really, really good value. Probably just in time for Hik to launch the next version of the Habrok Pro’s, which I assume will look very much like the recently released HE25’s with the rear focus.
