Flir monocular

Looking at the ps24 & ps32. Anybody care to share some insights on these units or others I should be looking at?

The screen is small and the refresh rates are low.

Give Bearclaw a holler, the Pulsar Quantum monoculars with "s" model numbers are where the gettin is good right now.

I have a HD38s and love it.

Thanks for the info. I'll look into it.

Absolute no on the PS24. THE 32 is workable. The Pulsar HD 38S is the ticket.

I have the PS32. The refresh rate is 7.5 hz and so the image can be a little jerky, but then again, if using it to navigate, can give the perspective of being stabilized.

For the money, it is a good scope. For more money, you can get a better scope, NO DOUBT. However, the scope is rugged, with a 4-5 hour battery life, that if you space it out can mean multiple hunts without recharging. It is a fairly compact scope as well.

The downsides are that you cannot change batteries (but you can jack in external power). There is no video out for recording (but there is a hack for it on Youtube). It is fixed focus which means that nothing is ever absolutely crisp, but it can be used from very close to very far with no problems. The controls are minimal, options minimal, basically, it is a simple to use scope, but plenty rugged.

The biggest downside compared to the HD38s is the magnification and lens size. The FLIR is 1x (optical) and the HD38s is 2x (optical). Both will double zoom digitally. 2x digital isn't the same as 2x optical on scopes with similar resolution. True 2x is better, no doubt.

The HD38s runs on 4 expensive lithium ion AA batteries that will get you a few hours of use, and then you buy another set.

The HD38s is larger, has a lens you can focus, is 30hz (30 times a second refresh rate) and overall has a much better image. I would not say that the build is as rugged as the FLIR. For some folks, this won't matter. For some it will.

You could also look at the Eotech X320, priced (on sale, anyways) between the FLIR and Pulsar HD38s. It is fairly simple to use, rugged, uses 2 (not 4 as with the Pulsar) lithium ion AA bateries and gets a better battery life out of them. It does have a smaller lens than the HD38s and a smaller display.

So the question is, what is it that you want to be doing with the thermal spotter? That may be more helpful for getting suggestions.

If you are only wanting to drive around to each field and scan them for hogs, it can't be beat for the price. You can get the ps24 for about $1600 (factory refurb). I tested the 24 and 32 for several hunts. The cheap ps24 thermal was 100 times faster detecting hogs eating in wheat fields compared to even gen2 and 3 night vision. It was also very good at finding coyotes at night. I would spend a little bit more money on a thermal scope for your gun, but I really like my Flir for finding hogs at night eating in the fields.

If you are wanting to use thermal in the trees, I would rent a unit before buying because they are very limited in their ability to detect game in the woods. I am still learning how to effectively use my units in the trees.

I'm mainly hitting my fields looking for hogs. I plan to then have a NV scope on my rifle to fine tune the shot. I'm looking for most bang for my buck under 2500. I don't mind buying used either and will shop around for the best deal.

I also like that fact that I don't have to buy those darn expensive CR123A batteries for my Flir either. I just plug it into the truck when not using it and I have an external battery pack (usb) that can be used to extend battery life while in the field. I have never had to use it. I have purposely ran down the battery to test the external pack and it worked just fine. Last thing about Flir, their customer service is great (and so is their warranty).

Here is a video for the HD19s to give you an idea of it's capabilities

Pretty slick

Comparing the flir to the pulsar is like comparing a tasco to a schmidt and bender....

I had the FLIR now have the Pulsar from Bearclaw... the pulsar is awesome!!!!!