I am currently using an Evolva T20 with my x-sight 3-14 and am good out to about 100 yards. I took a pig at 150 but it was dark. What are the best IR lights for <$100 and <$150? 18650 battery is preferred as are adjustable beam and brightness. I would like to get good light out to 300 if possible.

I know it's more than the price you mentioned but the UNV 20IR is by far our preferred illuminator and it's one of the best selling units on the market. It's $195 and that includes the light, an offset picatinny mount, a Nitecore USB charger and a Nitecore 18650. We throw in an extra Nitecore battery for free, so you've got a spare.

The benefits of the UNV 20IR over so many other IR illuminators is the adjustable head, 3 brightness settings and it's got a high quality LED in it. So many of the less expensive units have cheap LED's that don't last or some even over heat. Plus UNV is in Texas and they offer a 2 year warranty on the unit. I've sold a ton of them over the last 4+ years and I've never had a customer return one because they didn't think it was bright enough. For the price, size, quality, features, high quality batteries/charger and warranty, I don't think you can beat it. Just my 2 cents. You should be able to see 250+ with the 3-14x and that's with the head backed off a little in more of a nicer looking flood patter. Zoom it on in and you can probably extend that range.

Good luck!

- Jason

I used the evola t20 with a photon for 3 years now works great . I friend of mine got the unv20ir for his photon and from what I can tell there is no advantage to the unv20ir .

I just placed an order with Sniper Hog Lights. The main selling point was the ability to swap the LED modules; I can use the red module for longer ranges with my rifles with standard optics. I will take it pig hunting this weekend and post the results. I ended up spending more than $150, though.

I did next day shipping and was able to test it last night. I got two lenses, the 38LRX and the 66LRX. The 38LRX starts wider and doesn't focus as tight. The 66LRX starts narrower and focuses tighter. I didn't get to test it much past 200 yards.

The 38LRX and the IR module worked great with my 3-14 X-Sight II, plenty of light and coverage out to the 200yds I was able to test. I don't trust the X-Sight past 200 so this combo is great. My Evolva T20 could not reach as far or cover the entire field of view. The red module was good at 200 as well.

I only tested the the 66LRX with the red module and it looked very promising. Very clear at 200 yards and appeared to be able to go much further.

The Streamlight TAC IR for about $90 is a nice unit in that price range. It isn't as flexible as some of the more expensive models, but it's a reasonable option if you're price constrained.

Saw the Streamlight but passed because I’m trying to stay with 18650 batteries whenever possible.

Been using an Evola T20 off ebay with Photons and Pulsar Digisights for a while.
At under 50 bux, it's the best bang for the buck and wakes them up to further than I need to shoot at night.
I also have Streamlight and Sightmark for comparison.
I use sightmark (805nm) on Gen1/2 hand scanners but also use it with Photon and Pulsar.
The Evola (850nm) is my go-to unit.
The Streamlight (850nm) is a very bright, long range illuminator that is too powerful for close use but lights up the world at 300 yards with digital sights.
I only include the torch/flashlight as it is 940nm and in invisible range but it is pretty weak and only good for about 40-50 yards.

I have seen some UniqueFire 1508 IR LED 940NM T50 illuminators just pop up on ebay in the 40.00 range that look like high power 940nm illuminators that are in the invisible range and really works well with most digital stuff.
Going to get one of those as soon as I have some disposable cash in ebay!

From left to right: Sightmark, Evola, Streamlight, Torch with 940nm pellet.


This is a picture of the UniqueFire from ebay.
It is 940nm, has 3 modes and adjustable focus - sounds like a winner to me!
It takes two 18650 batteries so it's 8-10 inches long.