Mice! Posted June 17, 2021 Report Share Posted June 17, 2021 So I bought my Pulsar XQ23V around xmas time and it's been used every week since, 2/3 days a week and has been great. I read up a lot on them before I took the plunge, I bought an older model yes, but it still wasn't cheap. Now I was expecting to only be able to use it properly until the leaves came on, expecting the warmer days and air temperature to reduce its effectiveness but I have to say I'm still being pleasantly surprised. I'm still managing to pick out squirrels in the woods, watch the birds, voles mice and deer, even insects glow up, bird boxes being used glow and I can pick up the residual heat on my feeders from where a squirrel has been sat before I arrive. I went out Tuesday afternoon and still found the sheep in the field glowed despite the warm afternoon and full sunshine. Is this what others find with their units? I'd expected it to have been put away in the gun cabinet by now waiting for winter but it's still a case of gun, thermal and should I take anything else. Very happy indeed. 😁😁 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldypigeonpopper Posted June 17, 2021 Report Share Posted June 17, 2021 (edited) Hello, well done, did you buy new or second hand, I do see quite a few makes bring out these thermal units and then upgrade it after a year or 2 , leaving rise to buy the latest model, I keep looking at these 🙄, Edited June 17, 2021 by oldypigeonpopper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rewulf Posted June 17, 2021 Report Share Posted June 17, 2021 7 hours ago, Mice! said: I read up a lot on them before I took the plunge, I bought an older model yes, but it still wasn't cheap You would probably find the newer types are even better at performing on warm days. Once you have used thermal, it's very difficult to NOT use thermal, it just makes life so much easier. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zetter Posted June 17, 2021 Report Share Posted June 17, 2021 I have an XQ30 and use it all year round. Even on really hot days in the evening its amazing how fast the ground cools and you get really good pickup on Rabbits and foxes. Sometimes to be fair better than in winter cold weather as they have their winter coats on so tend to be better insulated a certain angles Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
7daysinaweek Posted June 17, 2021 Report Share Posted June 17, 2021 Glad you're getting on well with it and it appears to be exceeding your expectations, will take a look. 2 hours ago, Rewulf said: You would probably find the newer types are even better at performing on warm days. Once you have used thermal, it's very difficult to NOT use thermal, it just makes life so much easier. Rewulf. I remember reading one of your posts, and you mentioned a thermal imager that you had purchased for around the 8-£900 mark and gave excellent value for the money. If I recall correctly you had had 2 or 3 units, I think they were chinese origin, Alibaba p2p platform spring to mind ?? They were not a brand that most would be familiar with and I did make a mental note of the model but for the life of me I cannot remember. I am also looking again at a handheld thermal with a budget of around the 1k mark in the next few months. Would be used mostly with my pard on a dedicated .22 rimmy. atb 7diaw Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rewulf Posted June 17, 2021 Report Share Posted June 17, 2021 23 minutes ago, 7daysinaweek said: Rewulf. I remember reading one of your posts, and you mentioned a thermal imager that you had purchased for around the 8-£900 mark and gave excellent value for the money. Hi , yes they were Hti A 3 s , they discontinued them and replaced them with the A 4 , exactly the same but in a different , lighter body. The price I believe is the same, but there is no official retailer for them in the UK , probably for reasons of competition ? There is certainly no 35 mm lens thermal that can compete with them for price. There is a group on facebook that buys them in to order called N8 vision , I can put you in contact with them if you like, or you can direct import yourself using Alibaba, N8 charge £820 delivered, if you did it yourself you might save £60- 80 on that though, depends on a number of factors. They also do an extension screen and grip for £55 which is excellent value if you prefer remote viewing. Let me know if you need any more info Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
7daysinaweek Posted June 17, 2021 Report Share Posted June 17, 2021 @Rewulf That was them, I do recall now. Excellent stuff! I will have a look and will get back to you if I need anything. I may order through Alibaba, as I have ordered bits before and not had any issues. Many thanks for the information, especially on the extension screen and grip, as I like the sound of them. Will have to weigh up after market purchase and what warranty and service applies/restrictions. Once again, many thanks and I will shout up if I need anything. atb 7diaw Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rewulf Posted June 17, 2021 Report Share Posted June 17, 2021 5 minutes ago, 7daysinaweek said: I will have a look and will get back to you if I need anything. I may order through Alibaba, as I have ordered bits before and not had any issues. Many thanks for the information, especially on the extension screen and grip, as I like the sound of them. Will have to weigh up after market purchase and what warranty and service applies/restrictions. No problem , if you do order through Alibaba, use Donggun Xintai instrument Co , who are the manufacturers , I did send one back for warranty , and it wasnt a problem at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
7daysinaweek Posted June 17, 2021 Report Share Posted June 17, 2021 1 hour ago, Rewulf said: No problem , if you do order through Alibaba, use Donggun Xintai instrument Co , who are the manufacturers , I did send one back for warranty , and it wasnt a problem at all. Fantastic! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldypigeonpopper Posted June 17, 2021 Report Share Posted June 17, 2021 Hello, I will look at that thermal on Alibaba to ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldypigeonpopper Posted June 17, 2021 Report Share Posted June 17, 2021 1 hour ago, oldypigeonpopper said: Hello, I will look at that thermal on Alibaba to ? I do like the look more on the pulsar, I shall start looking out for one second hand in good condition Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rewulf Posted June 17, 2021 Report Share Posted June 17, 2021 Keep your eyes peeled for these new Infiray entry level thermals too , should be just over a grand. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GpiQ5HLlvvo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mice! Posted June 17, 2021 Author Report Share Posted June 17, 2021 9 hours ago, oldypigeonpopper said: Hello, well done, did you buy new or second hand, I do see quite a few makes bring out these thermal units and then upgrade it after a year or 2 , leaving rise to buy the latest model, I keep looking at these 🙄, I bought second hand after borrowing the same unit for a week and being seriously impressed. I took some pictures today, managed to hold my camera against the eye piece, far from great but it gives an idea. View by eye, you can just make out the squirrel. And they glow, times wrong by an hour, hard to miss when they look like that. Blackbird, it was just moving as I took the picture, I shot one at 645 and after an hour and a quarter nothing else was seen, but a quick scan before I came out in the open showed the second coming in along the floor. 8 hours ago, Rewulf said: You would probably find the newer types are even better at performing on warm days. But way more money, although the other unit price you have mentioned above sounds like good value, probably because it doesn't say Pulsar. The other thing is the magnification on the newer units is higher, that would take some getting used to. 7 hours ago, Zetter said: I have an XQ30 and use it all year round. Even on really hot days in the evening its amazing how fast the ground cools and you get really good pickup on Rabbits and foxes. Sometimes to be fair better than in winter cold weather as they have their winter coats on so tend to be better insulated a certain angles I still haven't used it at night, just morning and evenings. 6 hours ago, 7daysinaweek said: Glad you're getting on well with it and it appears to be exceeding your expectations, will take a look. Give us a bell at the weekend mate, it's good to have a look through one properly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rewulf Posted June 17, 2021 Report Share Posted June 17, 2021 11 minutes ago, Mice! said: But way more money, although the other unit price you have mentioned above sounds like good value, probably because it doesn't say Pulsar. The other thing is the magnification on the newer units is higher, that would take some getting used to. The newer pulsars like the XM 30 (S) always look really grainy to me , the 3 or 4 x mag is too much and erodes the image, I know some swear by them , but its usually because they havent really tried any others. The HTI ones are just over 1 x and very clear compared to pulsar stuff. Im a big fan of Infiray stuff, its no cheaper than Pulsar , but streets ahead performance wise. Iray have just announced the worlds first 8 micron 1080 x 1900 thermal sensor , thats serious performance, likely with a serious price !! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mice! Posted June 17, 2021 Author Report Share Posted June 17, 2021 8 minutes ago, Rewulf said: The newer pulsars like the XM 30 (S) always look really grainy to me , the 3 or 4 x mag is too much and erodes the image, I know some swear by them , but its usually because they havent really tried any others. The HTI ones are just over 1 x and very clear compared to pulsar stuff. Im a big fan of Infiray stuff, its no cheaper than Pulsar , but streets ahead performance wise. Iray have just announced the worlds first 8 micron 1080 x 1900 thermal sensor , thats serious performance, likely with a serious price !! I saw a clip of something a while back that was really clear, wide angle and like you say not too much mag, but was probably expensive. I'll try and find it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rewulf Posted June 17, 2021 Report Share Posted June 17, 2021 (edited) Admittedly the FH25 is around £600 more , but the clarity is awesome. Ive been using one for around a year now, and extremely pleased with it , its actually smaller than the Pulsar, has a 600m rangefinder, and lasts 6 hours + on its battery. Edit, just realised this video is the FL 25 R , which is cheaper as it has the smaller res sensor, the FH 25 R has the 640 X 500 sensor , and is even more clear. Edited June 17, 2021 by Rewulf Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
7daysinaweek Posted June 17, 2021 Report Share Posted June 17, 2021 @Mice! you have a PM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldypigeonpopper Posted June 17, 2021 Report Share Posted June 17, 2021 (edited) 2 hours ago, Mice! said: I bought second hand after borrowing the same unit for a week and being seriously impressed. I took some pictures today, managed to hold my camera against the eye piece, far from great but it gives an idea. View by eye, you can just make out the squirrel. And they glow, times wrong by an hour, hard to miss when they look like that. Blackbird, it was just moving as I took the picture, I shot one at 645 and after an hour and a quarter nothing else was seen, but a quick scan before I came out in the open showed the second coming in along the floor. But way more money, although the other unit price you have mentioned above sounds like good value, probably because it doesn't say Pulsar. The other thing is the magnification on the newer units is higher, that would take some getting used to. I still haven't used it at night, just morning and evenings. Give us a bell at the weekend mate, it's good to have a look through one properly. Hello, thanks for that, don't look to bad even using your phone, going to look out for a XQ 23 V , it won't get used that much so don't want over spend, what range will they do, only shoot the fields for rabbits and fox, very few Squirrels about, lots of RATS 🙄 Edited June 17, 2021 by oldypigeonpopper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
villaman Posted June 17, 2021 Report Share Posted June 17, 2021 So who sells the iray ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldypigeonpopper Posted June 17, 2021 Report Share Posted June 17, 2021 1 hour ago, villaman said: So who sells the iray ? Hello, Optics Warehouse ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rewulf Posted June 17, 2021 Report Share Posted June 17, 2021 3 hours ago, villaman said: So who sells the iray ? Highland outdoors, Blackwoods, plenty of others now, they are becoming a recognised brand. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
villaman Posted June 18, 2021 Report Share Posted June 18, 2021 10 hours ago, Rewulf said: Highland outdoors, Blackwoods, plenty of others now, they are becoming a recognised brand. So you say these are better than pulsar xm30 xm30s Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rewulf Posted June 18, 2021 Report Share Posted June 18, 2021 14 minutes ago, villaman said: So you say these are better than pulsar xm30 xm30s Without a doubt. XM series Pulsars magnification is too high , the sensors resolution is lower, the unit itself is robust , but I was very disappointed when I went from my old cheap HTI to an XM30S that cost twice as much. I actually bought another HTI A3 to use , then looked through some Infiray (Xeye) thermals, ended up spending £2k on an FH25R , which has stunning clarity. I looked through a friends £4 grand accolade , and didnt rate it in comparison. They also do the RICO range of riflescopes, 260 Rips recently tested the RH50 and declared it the best thermal rifle scope he had ever used. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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