Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Is Night Vision / Thermal Legal?
A: Yes, here in the United States, U.S. Persons (Citizens, or Permanent U.S. Residents) may own and use Night Vision and Thermal Optics. However, it is against the law to take these devices out of the country, unless specifically approved by the U.S. State Department with proper licensing. Night Vision and Thermal devices fall under the International Traffic in Arms Regulations, or ITAR for short. To make a long story short, the goal here is we don’t want these powerful devices to fall into the hands of our enemies. If you have questions on any of this information, we will be happy to discuss and clarify.
Q: What is Night Vision?
A: Traditional Night Vision, also known as Image Intensification Technology or I2, has been around for a long time and has progressed over several generations. The basic process is a special device inside of an optic, called an image intensifier tube, gathers ambient light through the lens of the optic and passes it through other electronics within the device onto a screen within the eyepiece. There’s obviously more to it than that but that’s basically the process. Night vision comes in several generations, but most commonly today we use some variations of Generation 3. Generally speaking, the higher the generation and higher the specs (more on that later) the better the image through the unit will look. Night vision is commonly presented to the user in either a green or white image. If you would like to discuss in more technical detail please let us know.
Q: What is Thermal Imaging and how does it differ from Night Vision?
A: Thermal hasn’t been around for as long NV but over the last few years has seen a tremendous increase in the performance and in the amount of users. To keep this in fairly basic terms, thermal sees heat, and night vision sees amplified light. A thermal imaging unit uses a special lens, usually made from germanium, which focuses infrared energy onto a detector. The detector then passes the information it collects through other electronics and ultimately onto a screen. The user sees an image based on temperature variations within the field of view. Most thermals allow the user to control many aspects of the image including color pallet, contrast, digital zoom, etc.
Q: What are the generations of Night Vision available today?
A: Today’s night vision units broadly fit into generation 1 through generation 3. There are variations within each. Gen 1 was the first that was widely used starting around the Vietnam War. It is still available today but it pales greatly in performance to gen 2 and 3. Generation 2 night vision is very useable for hunting purposes and is more economical but it doesn’t compare to the performance of gen 3 in most cases. Also, if you decide to sell your gear at some point, gen 3 will hold its value considerably better than gen 2 will. The highest level of night vision available today is generation 3 and Gen 3+, also known as Auto-gated Gen 3. Not only do these units produce the best image but the auto-gating feature protects the unit in the event it’s exposed to a bright light source, such as a muzzle blast or a flashlight. These units will last the longest, produce the best image but will also be the most expensive. All of the technical specifications of each generation are widely available online, so we won’t go into much more detail here. Feel free to contact us with any technical questions that you may have.
Q: Do you ship out of the United States?
A: The majority of night vision and thermal units are regulated under ITAR and thus, by law, cannot be exported. Even though there are some items that are exportable, our policy is that we will only ship our products within the United States without exception. This is for the protection of our men and women in uniform.
Q: What’s is an IR Laser?
A: An infrared laser is a device that focuses an intense beam of light that isn’t visible to the naked eye. It can, however be seen with night vision. There are many difference types and uses but most commonly they are used to aim a weapon while using a night vision device. Class 1 IR lasers emit a less powerful beam than their more powerful, military counterparts and are available to the public. IR lasers are regulated by the United States Food and Drug Administration, or the FDA. While we only sale civilian legal IR lasers on our website, we can source full power, military grade units for our Law Enforcement or Federal Agency customers.
Q: What about IR Illuminators?
A: An IR illuminator is an invisible "flashlight" for lack of a better term. When using a night vision device in an extremely dark environment, there may not be enough ambient light to allow the unit to perform adequately. An IR illuminator will produce a beam that can only be seen through night vision and not by the naked eye. Many night vision devices have an illuminator built in but most users prefer a more powerful, stand-alone illuminator to accompany their devices. This is particular crucial with gen 1 and 2 devices. Many IR lasers also incorporate a built in IR Illuminator.
Q: Do you accept trade-in equipment?
A: We accept trade-in night vision and thermal devices under certain conditions. The owner must be able to prove that they are in fact the rightful owner and acquired the unit by lawful means. It must also be a unit of recent production and in good working order. The unit must also still be under factory warranty by the manufacturer. If we agree to consider your trade, it will be subject to inspection and valuation period by our staff. Once your trade is accepted and a valuation agreed upon, store credit to be used at Night Vision Outfitters, LLC will be issued. The owner will be responsible for all shipping expenses, if applicable. This includes instances where Night Vision Outfitters declines to accept the unit and it is to be returned to the owner.
Q: Do you do Police Department or Government Agency Sales?
Yes! We maintain a close relationship with our friends in local and federal law enforcement and provide many of our products to those who protect and serve our nation and our communities. We work with many departments and agencies on grant allocation programs for equipment and we're happy to help if your department or agency office is in the market for Night Vision or Thermal products. Please reach out to us via email at sales@nightvisionoutfitters.com and we can help.
Q: Do you sell pre-owned equipment?
A: Yes we do! We often carefully accept quality, lightly-used night vision and thermal units and in turn pass those savings onto our customers. We only accept good condition, pre-owned units that are still within the manufacturers original warranty period.
Q: Do you have a retail storefront?
A: No, due to the high value of our items and niche market we operate in, we do not offer a public storefront. However, we are based in McKinney, Texas and if you are local to this area and wish to purchase from us in person, please send us a message. We also have a shooting range near Sherman, Texas where we occasionally put on night shoots and demonstrations of our equipment.
Q: What is ITAR?
A: ITAR is short for “International Traffic in Arms Regulations”, under which night vision and thermal devices are regulated. The majority of NV and thermal devices cannot leave the United States without a special export permit. We will not ship our products outside of the United States, nor will we sell any items to anyone we believe may intend to do so.
Q: Do you keep everything you sell in stock?
A: We try our best to keep all items in stock. Some items though are subject to high demand and limited supply and thus involve some lead time. When a thermal or night vision units that falls into this category, we can set up the order with a minimal deposit and then settle the balance only once it's ready to ship. If an order is placed for an item that is out of stock, the customer will be notified via email right away.
Q: Do you offer guided Night Vision and/or Thermal Hunting Trips?
A: Not directly but we have partners who provide high quality, guided thermal hunts and we would be glad to put you in touch with them.
Q: What do you charge for shipping?
A: Most orders ship free but smaller items are usually subject to a nominal shipping charge to cover the cost. Most shipments of products over $500.00 do require a signature. Smaller items usually ship via the United States Postal Service and larger, or more valuable items will ship through UPS. All thermal and night vision optics will require a signature upon delivery. Some items ship from a distributor and shipping method in those cases is at the distributor's discretion. All items are shipped with a trackable method and the customer will receive an email with that tracking number upon shipment. Customers can expect to receive their order within 3-5 days once it is in transit and depending on their location.
Q: Do you offer financing?
A: Absolutely! We have short-term, interest-free options on smaller purchases. We also have traditional financing for larger purchase, up to $10,000.00, at very competitive interest rates. This program is integrated into our checkout process and you never have to leave our site. It only takes a couple of minutes to complete the order. Once completed, the order will ship as soon as possible. The financing term doesn't begin until the order ships. We can also do interest-free layaway. This would mean the customer sends us monthly payments and then once paid for in full, then the order will ship. Please reach out to us if you have any questions on these programs.
Q: What is your return policy?
A: Returns may be initiated by the purchaser within 15 (calendar) days of delivery and upon approval by Night Vision Outfitters. Unapproved returns will not be accepted. If approved, returns are subject to a 15% restocking fee, which will be deducted from the refund to the original payment method. Damaged items will not be accepted. Please notify us immediately if you received a defective item. We will exchange it, if possible, or work with the manufacturer for replacement. Please note: Batteries are not returnable. Additionally, shipping charges (if applicable) are non-refundable.
Return Shipping Address
Night Vision Outfitters
4100 Eldorado Parkway
Suite 100-233
McKinney, Texas 75070
Q: Can I reserve a backordered Thermal or NV unit with a deposit?
A: Yes you can. The demand for thermal and night vision products is at an extreme level and most manufacturers cannot produce enough inventory to meet demand. This means many of the more popular thermal and night vision products have lead time. We can put you in line for any thermal or night vision unit with a small deposit. Depending on which unit, the deposit is typically either $50.00 or $95.00. We then invoice the balance to the customer once we have their order ready to ship. Deposits are non-refundable but do not expire and can be applied another thermal or night vision optic in the future if the customer were to need to cancel the order. They cannot be applied to accessories. Please contact us at sales@nightvisionoutfitters.com if you would like to reserve a thermal or night vision unit for a future delivery.
NV & Thermal Terminology
Autogating
When a night vision device is said to be “auto-gated”, that means it has the ability to quickly dim itself by rapidly shutting the unit on and off in order to protect the image intensifier tube in the event that a bright light is inadvertently encountered. A second feature of an auto-gated unit is it will reduce the “bloom” or "halo" seen around lights. When autogating is active, the user typically will hear a faint whine type noise coming from the unit. This is completely normal.
Blemishes or "Blems"
All night vision tubes are slightly different from each and this is normal. No two are exactly alike. Most have some sort of blemishes in the form of small black spots, usually on the edge of the display. As long as they aren’t directly in the center of the field of view, or unusually large then there is no issue. We strive to provide the best units with the least blemishes and best specs. Blems don’t affect the performance or reliability of a tube and are purely cosmetic.
Blooming
This is the washout a night vision device experiences when exposed to light. Also, it is common to see a “halo” around lights. High quality, auto-gated gen 3 tubes limit this effect but it’s normal to experience it to some extent.
Chicken Wire
A somewhat common, hexagon shaped arrangement of lines faintly seen through a night vision device in certain conditions. It isn't unusual and unless very pronounced, is not considered a defect.
Diopter
The lens of an optic that is closest to your eye. Most optics, including night vision and thermal, usually have a diopter adjust to adjust the lens to your particular eyesight for the best image.
Eye Relief
How far away from the diopter lens a person’s eye must be to get the best image.
FOM
Short for, “Field of Merit”, which is the measure of line pair per millimeter times the signal to noise ratio. It’s a common line item on a data sheet for a night vision unit and is a measure of that units performance from the data.
FOV
This stands for, “Field of View”. This is similar to any typical day optic. The larger the magnification, the narrower of a field it will see. Typically in thermal units, 6-30mm lens are wide and meant for close range viewing, 30-50mm for mid range and above 50mm for longer ranges. Similar to a regular rifle scope. There’s other factors other than lens, but it’s the main part. FOV is measured in degrees.
Gain
This is typically the brightness adjustment on a night vision unit, or on some thermal units adjusts the sensitivity of the sensor.
Halo
This is the effect of a circle seen around lights as viewed through night vision. Typically, if you see much of a halo around a light, chances are you’re looking at something that’s a little too bright.
LP/MM
This is another common measure found on night vision data sheets. This stands for “line pairs per millimeter”, it’s also referred to as resolution. Only thing important to remember is the higher the better. Gen 3 is typically at least 64, with high grade units exceeding 70.
Photocathode Sensitivity
This is a measure of how well the night vision unit can convert light into an electrical signal. Good gen 3 units should have at least 1800 or so.
Resolution (Night Vision)
See LP/MM, they are one in the same. The higher the better.
Resolution (Thermal)
Thermal units process their data through a “core” which consists of a pixel array. Thermals available to the public usually have resolutions of 160, 320, 384 or 640. 640 is the highest grade of thermal sensor commercially available today. To highlight the difference, a 320x280 core has 89,600 pixels while a 640x512 core has 327,680 pixels. The long and the short is the better the resolution of the core, the better the image will be. It also allows for more usable zoom since there are more pixels to start with in the image. For example, when a 640 resolution units is zoomed halfway through its range, then the user will see an image consistent with a 320 resolution unit. The quality of the display plays a part as does the lens and firmware, but the core is the most important component in determining how good of an image the thermal will produce.
SNR
This stands for “Signal to Noise Ratio” and is one of the main line items in a night vision data sheet. The higher the SNR, the better the tube will perform in poor lighting conditions. Usually this is the main indicator of how good a tube will perform. Good gen 3 units usually have an SNR of at least 24, with high spec units even over 30.
Scintillation
This occurs in low light conditions using night vision and presents itself similar to static on an old television with a bad signal. It’s a sparkling effect and can sometimes be remedied by reducing the gain.