How to Buy Night Vision

When looking into purchasing a night vision device for yourself or for your agency, it is essential that you are properly informed. The last thing you or your fellow officers/agents want is an outdated or faulty device for obvious reasons. Ensuring you have the proper tools can ultimately increase your operational capabilities, situational awareness, and survivability. Before making any decisions regarding night vision keep in mind the following points:

Night vision devices are made up of two key parts:

       -   The image intensifier tube (and its technology)
 -   The housing unit

Tubes:

Image intensifier tubes are like diamonds or fingerprints – no two tubes are exactly the same. Creating tubes is a long, complicated process that involves using a gallium arsenide photocathode. The photocathode causes negative electron affinity which allows it to create photoelectrons out of photons resulting in a clearer, brighter image. The only US manufacturers of image intensification tubes are ITT Exelis (the #1 supplier of night vision equipment for the US Military) and L3. Photonis and ATN are examples of foreign manufacturers but predominantly produce Gen 2/Gen2+ tubes. The latest generation of tube technology is called GEN III + (or Gen 3 Plus). For a complete rundown on tube generations, refer to this post. For the most thorough and extensive comparison of images from the different generations of NVDs, refer to this comparison done by TNVC, an authorized dealer of Morovision products.

Because the process that image intensifier tubes go through is so complex, there are some blemishes and characteristics that can be expected such as spotting or honeycombing. “Clean” tubes are called “hand-select” and are available through some companies.

Housing:

The second most important piece of a night vision device is its housing unit. Housing units follow the trend of all manufactured products today: There are the durable, solid housing kits manufactured in the US, and there are cheap imitation knock-offs manufactured elsewhere. Even though they may look the same, housing units CAN have an effect on tube performance and quality.

What to look for before you buy:

Demand only US name brand, factory warranted systems direct from the primary US manufacturer and/or its authorized dealer. Also, make sure that the company you’re buying from is reputable and can be easily reached by phone or email. Name brand systems include ITT Exelis Night Enforcer NEPVS-14, and Morovision Night Vision systems including the MV-14P PINNACLE Monocular and PVS-7 Goggle Gen 3 PINNACLE. All of these U.S. Military battle proven systems utilize factory new, Generation 3, 64 lp/mm resolution (Typical) SELECT Exelis image tubes, full Mil-Spec nitrogen purged housings and optics and include a comprehensive manufacturer's warranty.

If you have any questions regarding night vision, feel free to contact Morovision by phone or email.