Capitol Armory ad

New Pulsar Thermion XP - thoughts?

The #1 community for Gun Owners in Texas

Member Benefits:

  • Fewer Ads!
  • Discuss all aspects of firearm ownership
  • Discuss anti-gun legislation
  • Buy, sell, and trade in the classified section
  • Chat with Local gun shops, ranges, trainers & other businesses
  • Discover free outdoor shooting areas
  • View up to date on firearm-related events
  • Share photos & video with other members
  • ...and so much more!
  • Sam Colt

    Well-Known
    Rating - 0%
    0   0   0
    Feb 22, 2012
    2,245
    96
    Austin
    I tried the ATN Thor 640 and it was a disaster. Poorly designed, crappy thermal resolution, buggy software. On the bright side it only took the recoil of a handful of .300BLK shots to kill it so the suffering wasn't prolonged.

    Now looking at a Pulsar. The Trail series was highly regarded. It looks like the Thermion carries the features forward and adds some nice upgrades. Any thoughts?
    Hurley's Gold
     

    kittyhawk

    Active Member
    Rating - 100%
    4   0   0
    May 12, 2009
    799
    26
    NE Houston
    Check out The Late Night Vision Show podcast or on YouTube. They have reviewed the Thermion on several shows. Seems to be a huge success. I'm defentaly going to get one, the XM30 most likely.
     

    roygarcia54

    New Member
    Rating - 0%
    0   0   0
    Jan 29, 2020
    24
    11
    Alice
    Pulsar has some awesome products I have a trail xq50 and it is amazing technology


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
     

    Mad John

    Active Member
    Rating - 0%
    0   0   0
    Jan 15, 2019
    746
    76
    Rural Illinois
    Check out... Night Vision Universe web site, They carry all brands but their AGM Global products are second to none.
    They also entertain "offers" on their pricing. Great people to work with and very helpful... videos too!
     

    Double Naught Spy

    Well-Known
    Rating - 0%
    0   0   0
    Mar 4, 2008
    1,043
    96
    North Texas
    I like Pulsars, but the Thermion line has been a challenge for them. The XP50 or XQ50 are the way to go, but the controls are wonky. By that I mean that you have to move your had from the eye piece controls several inches to the turret to make some changes. The buttons on the eye piece can be very difficult to depress correctly.

    Do not get the XG. Still too many problems with it.

    As for the guys on the Late Night Vision show, have you ever heard them give a bad review of any product they sell? That is the nature of trusting the people who stand to profit from that which they are reviewing. Bad reviews hurt sales.

    EZ-E suggested Hogsters. Do not buy the 25mm. The Hogster-R 35mm is pretty good, but the Super Hogster 35mm is worth the extra money.

    Friends don't let friends buy ATN.

    -------------------

    Pulsar does have the best customer service. Unfortunately with the Thermion line, a lot more people than usually seem to have needed it. ATN customer service is sometimes okay and a fight to get service the other times. No word on Bering Optics customer service. I don't know of any units that anyone has sent back.

    Do note that all brands of thermal electro optics are apt to have issues sooner or later, regardless of what you pay for them. What sets most companies apart are how they treat their customers after the sale. Note that you aren't likely to be able to get your thermal device serviced by anyone other than the manufacturer, so it is critical that the manufacturer be one with good customer service. ATN ain't it.
     

    Rookietjx2

    New Member
    Rating - 0%
    0   0   0
    Apr 5, 2021
    3
    11
    Kokomo indiana
    I own a few thermals and Bering Optics is the best bang for the buck.

    My first thermal was a Trijicon IR Hunter MK3 35mm which I upgraded to 60mm. Great scope with arguably the best controls. The downside is that it's heavy. I bought a Pulsar Axion xm30 and have never been impressed with it. With a 320 core and small lense, it doesn't handle humidity well. My next purchase was a Bering Optics Hogster-r 35mm. I was so impressed with it that I bought one of the first Super Hogsters when they were released. It is now my primary hunting scope, and my Trijicon sits in the safe as a backup.

    My hunting partner uses a Pulsar Apex. It's a pretty good scope. Unfortunately, Pulsar canceled the line and pushed the Trail which has been plagued with POI shift issues. My biggest gripe with Pulsar is the proprietary batteries which are expensive.

    In the next few days, I'll have a Bering Optics Phenom to test which, most likely, will replace the Hogster-r 35mm as my scanner. I'm looking forward to it since the reviews have been impressive.

    Bering optics customer service is amazing. The Super Hogster line had a few thermals that were released with the wrong screen which were affected by cold. In less than a week, they had it fixed, tested, and sent back.
     

    cvgunman

    Not a Leftist douchebag!
    Rating - 100%
    16   0   0
    Oct 9, 2017
    2,469
    96
    Mckinney TX
    I own a few thermals and Bering Optics is the best bang for the buck.

    My first thermal was a Trijicon IR Hunter MK3 35mm which I upgraded to 60mm. Great scope with arguably the best controls. The downside is that it's heavy. I bought a Pulsar Axion xm30 and have never been impressed with it. With a 320 core and small lense, it doesn't handle humidity well. My next purchase was a Bering Optics Hogster-r 35mm. I was so impressed with it that I bought one of the first Super Hogsters when they were released. It is now my primary hunting scope, and my Trijicon sits in the safe as a backup.

    My hunting partner uses a Pulsar Apex. It's a pretty good scope. Unfortunately, Pulsar canceled the line and pushed the Trail which has been plagued with POI shift issues. My biggest gripe with Pulsar is the proprietary batteries which are expensive.

    In the next few days, I'll have a Bering Optics Phenom to test which, most likely, will replace the Hogster-r 35mm as my scanner. I'm looking forward to it since the reviews have been impressive.

    Bering optics customer service is amazing. The Super Hogster line had a few thermals that were released with the wrong screen which were affected by cold. In less than a week, they had it fixed, tested, and sent back.
    Welcome and thanks for the insight. Will be watching this thread so looking forward to your next review.
     

    KJQ6945

    Well-Known
    Rating - 0%
    0   0   0
    Jul 31, 2020
    1,592
    96
    Ben Wheeler
    Congrats Rookie on the new gig, and welcome to TGT.

    I fired a few rounds this week through my Super Hogster, but didn’t get it zeroed. I had to read the manual to figure out how to move the reticle. :facepalm:
     

    Double Naught Spy

    Well-Known
    Rating - 0%
    0   0   0
    Mar 4, 2008
    1,043
    96
    North Texas
    Rookietjx2 brings up some interesting considerations.

    Trijicon, indeed, has been resting on its laurels when it comes to thermals and innovation. Aside from some firmware modifications and a couple minor changes to replace poorly designed battery housing for the Reap IR 2, crickets.

    Bering Optics is a newcomer to thermal sales and they make nifty units. I have used several of them including the "rumored Super Yoter" that my partner was field testing for them.

    Rookietjx2 asks if Trijicons are worth the price. That really depends on a lot of factors. Bering optics has a pretty nifty image on their Hogster series, long boot time, noticeable image lag, auto nuc ONLY on some models, and limited utility at long range. They have finer crosshairs, picture in picture, lightweight, less cost, etc. Will they work for most hunters? Sure.

    Trijicons are heavier, thicker crosshairs, maybe not as thermally sensitive, and cost a lot more. The 60mm models (which you pay through the nose for) can see and identify things at distance that the Hogster series would only hope to be able to tell what it is. Trjicons have a much more durable aluminum housing (versus the plastic housing for BO units).

    I believe Rookietjx2 is the only person I know of who has had to return a scope to Bering Optics. Excellent that they provided him good service.

    While I hate the fully manual NUC on the Trijicons, that some (most) of the Bering Optics units have gone to Automatic NUC ONLY is problematic. Their menus have the choice for semi-auto NUC (where the user just presses a button and the NUC occurs), but this feature is disabled. With fully automatic NUC, the NUC happens when the scope decides, NOT the user, and it can happen at the worst possible times, such as while you are in the middle of trying to shoot runners. There is no warning. It just happens.

    Will BO give Trijicon a run for its money? Nope. Why? Because BO is competing with the lower end of the market with the likes of ATN and Pulsar. Trijicon and N-Vision are in a class all of their own. Does Volkswagon give Lexus a run for its money? Nope. Different target markets.

    Just for the record, Rookietjx2's company (for which he is pro staff) A&A Optics only sells Bering Optics thermals. Here is their listing for all the thermals they sell.

    I noticed above that he pointed out that he didn't like the proprietary batteries of the Pulsars. I agree, that is a crappy thing to do to customers. Then he touted the BO Phenom that will likely replace his current scanner. The Phenom has something of a proprietary battery. It is a non user serviceable internal battery. In other words, it is proprietary in that you don't have a choice aside from externally powering the unit. I have hunted with the Phenom as well.
     
    Last edited:

    Rookietjx2

    New Member
    Rating - 0%
    0   0   0
    Apr 5, 2021
    3
    11
    Kokomo indiana
    Rookietjx2 brings up some interesting considerations.

    Trijicon, indeed, has been resting on its laurels when it comes to thermals and innovation. Aside from some firmware modifications and a couple minor changes to replace poorly designed battery housing for the Reap IR 2, crickets.

    Bering Optics is a newcomer to thermal sales and they make nifty units. I have used several of them including the "rumored Super Yoter" that my partner was field testing for them.

    Rookietjx2 asks if Trijicons are worth the price. That really depends on a lot of factors. Bering optics has a pretty nifty image on their Hogster series, long boot time, noticeable image lag, auto nuc ONLY on some models, and limited utility at long range. They have finer crosshairs, picture in picture, lightweight, less cost, etc. Will they work for most hunters? Sure.

    Trijicons are heavier, thicker crosshairs, maybe not as thermally sensitive, and cost a lot more. The 60mm models (which you pay through the nose for) can see and identify things at distance that the Hogster series would only hope to be able to tell what it is. Trjicons have a much more durable aluminum housing (versus the plastic housing for BO units).

    I believe Rookietjx2 is the only person I know of who has had to return a scope to Bering Optics. Excellent that they provided him good service.

    While I hate the fully manual NUC on the Trijicons, that some (most) of the Bering Optics units have gone to Automatic NUC ONLY is problematic. Their menus have the choice for semi-auto NUC (where the user just presses a button and the NUC occurs), with fully automatic NUC it happens when the scope decides, NOT the user, and it can happen at the worst possible times, such as while you are in the middle of trying to shoot runners. There is no warning. It just happens.

    Will BO give Trijicon a run for its money? Nope. Why? Because BO is competing with the lower end of the market with the likes of ATN and Pulsar. Trijicon and N-Vision are in a class all of their own. Does Volkswagon give Lexus a run for its money? Nope. Different target markets.

    Just for the record, Rookietjx2's company (for which he is pro staff) A&A Optics only sells Bering Optics thermals. Here is their listing for all the thermals they sell.

    I noticed above that he pointed out that he didn't like the proprietary batteries of the Pulsars. I agree, that is a crappy thing to do to customers. Then he touted the BO Phenom that will likely replace his current scanner. The Phenom has something of a proprietary battery. It is a non user serviceable internal battery. In other words, it is proprietary in that you don't have a choice aside from externally powering the unit. I have hunted with the Phenom as well.
    You also bring up some good points.

    Yes, the Phenom has a proprietary battery. This is something I didn't realize until yesterday when I got it out and tried to find out where to install the batteries. Personally, the whole concept of proprietary batteries annoys me, but it's not a deal breaker. Actually, between Pulsar and Bering Optics, I'd rather have the Pulsar batteries since I would be able to change or replace them. In my opinion, that's one place Bering Optics dropped the ball.

    We can also get other brands...

    Personally, I think Bering Optics will outsell Trijicon by a large margin which is why I say they can give Trijicon a run for their money. Why? Simply because they are almost 1/3 the price. While Trijicon may be better in some ways, there is no way that they are 3 times the price better. You mentioned Nvision which, I agree, is more of a direct comparison to Trijicon and they are still cheaper. I still believe Trijicon is relying on their name. Yes, some people still choose a Lexus, but mainly because they can say, "I drive a Lexus". :)

    As far as hunting and identifying, I never once thought, "man, I wish I had my Trijicon tonight instead of my super hogster". Like I said, the Trijicon has better definition, but the super hogster has better contrast. Targets stand out from the background better with the Super Hogster.

    What did you think of the super yoter? Was it significantly better than the super hogster?

    I'm not the only one to use Bering Optics customer service. Their first batch got quite a few sent out with the wrong screens that were sensitive to cold. Fortunately, they took care of everyone quickly.

    I haven't noticed an image lag on my super hogster and I hate auto nuc more than manual nuc.

    My IR Hunter MK3 60mm seems to be more thermal sensitive than my super hogster. On really cold days, I will nuc and the screen turns to white snow. Another nuc will usually fix it. It did it when it was a 35mm and still does it after upgrading to 60mm. It's never been a huge problem, but it happens at times.

    I will never argue the longer range. Personally, I prefer more magnification which is one reason my Hogster-r 35mm has never been used as a hunting scope. 2x just doesn't cut it for me. While I prefer 4.5x, the benefits of the super hogster makes it my primary hunting scope. Bering optics has a 50mm lense, I wish they would slap it on a scope and sell them. I mentioned this a few times when talking to them, but they weren't interested in my opinion.

    Anyway, my reply is not intended to be argumentative, and I hope you don't think that is the case.
     
    Top Bottom