Ok, I'm new to night vision and thermal. I have always wanted it, but didn't want to spend what it cost for gear that I thought was good enough. The intended purpose would mainly be hog hunting from elevated blinds over feeders within 100 yards, so not stalking.

I recently saw the SIG Echo 1 Thermal on sale at Midway for $1000, wish I had gotten it then but I see it listed for $1,100 at other places so still not bad. I'm thinking about trading/selling a Trijicon ACOG I haven't used and getting one. The you tube videos I've seen seem to indicate it is a decent optic for the price and would fit the intended purpose I have for it.

What are the experiences here with it? Is there a shade or cover that one could get for the reflex display to both reduce backlight at night and also allow the optic to be used better during the day (I have heard glare on the display is an issue during daylight)?

Lastly, most of my AR's have A2 front sight blocks...will that interfere with the sight?

Thanks,
Earl

I have heard nothing good about them. I believe they are made for close quarters type stuff. For about $700 more you could pick up a used FLIR PTS233

I have hunted with one. It will work for hunting and probably out to 100 yards or so, no problem, but the backlighting is a pain in the butt and you aren't going to be using it in daylight. For a 1x optic, it has a very narrow FOV.

Thanks. I may give one a try. My shooting lanes at the lease are not wide, so the narrow FOV doesn't bother me. I'll look into the FLIR but that's almost twice the cost of the SIG if it will fit the bill. I noticed they are on sale under $1k at with free shipping so thinking hard about it just to get my feet wet and remove some of the hogs from the gene pool.

On the backlighting, I wonder if a small screen cover would work similar to what you use on a computer monitor?

Earl

I have one for when my boys to use for when they were younger. Liked it because I could look over their shoulder and see what they were seeing . The backsplash is a problem. Bridegot some film from hobby , and cut it to fit the screen. Helped a lot. The only negatives to it are the refresh rate. It’s pretty slow. . But if you were sitting in the stand, shooting one at a time it will work well . Inside 75 yds it’s as good as the bottom level pulsar , which I think is discontinued now. If you feel like making a drive, you can come check this one out before you drop your cash . If you can get one for a grand, it’s well worth it

Thanks Midway! Earl

just watch out as i think there is a new version...if the old one drops a bit more i may pick one up but not in rush