For those of you who have tried out both, I am wonder if you can tell me the differences in Gen2 vs Gen3 in a Monocular.

I am almost ready to go for it, and I would love to have a Gen 3 but the extra money is a factor. Is the Gen3 that much better...should I hold out for the extra money or is the Gen 2 OK.

I would love to hear your input.

Thanks

gen 2 is a tube type while gen 3 is solidstate. yes it is well worth the xtra $$. through the gen 3 you will see what you expect to see, not so with 2. for instance if you are looking at a cat in a field, at say 75 yds, with 2 you may see something that looks like a cat, given an illuminator or good moolight. with 3 you will see what kind of cat in very little light. nothing will work in total dark,since nv is a magnifier not a producer. buying a 2 is like throwing money into the federal govt and expecting results

That's what I was afraid of! When I was in SWAT I used Gen 3 goggles pretty often so I guess that the Gen 2's would be a disappointment.

Damm, I just don't want to part with 3 grand!

you don't have to part with anything like 3 g's unless you want a weapons sight itt's little unit is great andabout 1500

What's the name of that one Butch??

$1500 is more like it...I just want a monocle that I can attach to a helmet mount and maybe even put an IR Laser on one of my guns if I decide to shoot at night

itt nightquest - it is a hand held unit so any kind of a mounting bracket you would have to figure out

I don't know the differences between gen 2 and gen 3 but I tried gen 1 scope about a year ago and 300 yards was about max to see anything unlighted. I shot with some law enforcement snipers a couple of days ago with a gen 3 night vision that goes in front of regular scope. I was so impressed that I want one! I was able to hit a 8 inch square target at 600 yards with no issues. We had a little bit of moonlight but it was amazing how well you could see with it. No wonder our troops own the night. I'd hate to be on the receiving end of that.

Gen3 is amazing compared with Gen2 but has the reputation of being noticeably more delicate. I'm hardly an expert since I've only owned three NV units (1 g2+, 2 g3), but the folks at Ident Markings advised me to be be very careful about what I mounted on a .308, regardless of advertising claims.

There is a noticeable difference between Gen 2 and Gen 3 and there is a concern about tube reliability. In the PVS format, both ITT and L3 tubes are available with the L3 tubes being more robust and a little brighter. Accordingly, L3 systems are more expensive. To complicate matters, some manufacturers do not disclose the type of tube they use.

Regardless of manufacturer and tube, strongly consider the product warranty. Most are one year, some are two years and I have only found one supplier with a 10 year warranty for both their ITT and L3 tubes. Even the best systems suffer film delamination and tubes are expensive to replace.

Another consideration - I have been watching thermal imaging prices drop to the point that they are now competitive with high end Gen 3 NV. Having shot with thermal imaging, there is no question that thermal is the way to go. Prices should continue to drop.