Goyojo GRL 635 thermal scope

DoubleUp

DoubleUp

Well-known member
I was recently contacted through Predator Masters personal messenger with an offer from Goyojo to test one of their thermal optics and give an honest review and assessment. I am not being paid for this review nor am I offering any percentage off by using a code from my YouTube channel. I can keep the scope if I like it well enough.

Rather than go through the usual unboxing that most reviews do, I am going to get right into what I like and dislike about the scope which is their GRL 635 model. It is a 640 core scope at 12um with a frame rate of 55 Hz and NET, mk of under 20mk and a 35mm Objective lens. Optical magnification is 4x with 3 times zoom to 16x. The scope is compact weighing 1.15 lbs. without the included 18650 battery. I must admit that I was pleasantly surprised when I looked through the scope. The picture was very good, and probably equal to my Bering Optics Super Yoter and close to my Oneleaf.ai Mars MT1000 thermal, both of which are 640 cores
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Although the button layout and menu were a bit of a struggle I attribute most of that to not being familiar with the layout and menu arrangement. Sight-in was easy and only took 3 shots. The quick release mount seemed to work well and in the limited time I’ve used the scope it has held zero perfectly.
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So, things I do like, the picture is good, very good in fact. The unit is small and doesn’t weigh much. It has a QD mount and holds zero so far. It uses an 18650 battery in either flat-top or button top. It has the usual various reticles and reticle colors as well as several color pallets to suit one’s individual taste. The scope is rated to withstand up to 308 Win. recoil and is said to have a 5 year warranty.

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This is how it looks on an AR-15 Configuration.
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And as I currently have it on my Ruger Gen2 Ranch in 5.56
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Things I don’t like and see as needing changes: (1) The Objective lens cap is pretty much useless especially in the dark for a man with large hands. (2) Focus ring on the objective lens is equally awkward and difficult to use, but doesn’t require constant changing. (3) The scope has no way of going into a standby mode so the ocular lens end will show a bright shine when the scope is on at night. (4) There is quite a bit of lag in the recording and the recorded video is noticeably degraded from the view through the scope. (5) At 4x optical magnification the FOV comes in at 42 ft. at 100 yds. which is not terrible, but I believe a 3x power native magnification would be better with more FOV. (6) As far as I can tell the PIP magnification is the same as the main screen, so that makes it useless. (7) It has no LRF and no ballistics calculator which makes it less appealing than the Oneleaf.ai Mars MT1000 at about the same price point.

Here is a little video showing the scope as I was preparing to sight in.


This video is my first opportunity to take a coyote with the Goyojo 635 and how I muffed the easy shot at 60 yds. (Stuff Happens, trying too hard), so I took it out on the skunk and checked my zero at the same time. It wasn't the scopes fault.

 

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Agree with you Infidel from the way he jumped at the shot and never quit running for over 1,200 yds. that I watched him. Best I can determine the scope objective center sits about 3 inches above bore, but I sighted in the near zero at 60 yds. and that's pretty close to the distance he was on the shot.
 
Yes, HVAC tape spit in 4 sections. Yes shows up white on black hot because it is cold. You need to tilt the target backward about 15 degrees for best effect. That was daytime, but it does even better in darkness
 
I must say it wasn't pretty, nor was it textbook fashion, but I did manage to get some redemption on the miss earlier this week. Last night's coyote was a large and healthy looking female that managed to sneak in on the downwind through some high cornstalks. When I saw her she had already winded me from my downwind side and was turning to leave. As they sometimes do, she decided to stop for one more look. Just like Lot's wife in the Bible, one look was all it took. I can't say she turned into a pillar of salt, but she was "dead as a doornail" as they say here in eastern NC. I have now realized that the reticle I was trying to use is not a good hunting choice. The dot gets lost because it is small, and so I have switched to a regular crosshair style. I have not found a way to turn off most of the clutter on the screen. The things I would like to turn off, don't seem to have an off switch. I did go back to an old work around for the GRL635 not having a standby mode. I slipped a Monstrum scope cap on the ocular end and can keep it closed until ready to shoot and then pop it open. Negative #8, when you change the battery, the scope loses the time and date and has to be reset.

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Here is the video:

 
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Hey DoubleUp, I have the Goyojo Grl335 on my CZ527 223 and I tried that circle reticle and switched to a more conventional crosshair type also. The center dot gets lost regardless of the color used. Also, you can charge the battery through that little portal on the left side that has the picture of an SD card. The charge cable is included with the other accessories so no need to remove battery for charging.
 
Thank you 22mag for the comment and glad you found the same thing I found with the circle reticle. Yes, I realize that charging with the battery in the scope is available, but I like to rotate my batteries and charge them on my Nite Core charger. Since the scope doesn't lose zero when changing batteries, it would seem they could provide a fix for date/time to remain as well. I know that lots of people don't or wouldn't care and rather have the date and time not shown on the screen, but I like to know what time I get a response to keep in my records. I also like to take the SD card out rather than download off the scope. That creates another issue because the way the slot is set up for the SD card it is very difficult to get the card out.
 
DoubleUp said:
Thank you 22mag for the comment and glad you found the same thing I found with the circle reticle. Yes, I realize that charging with the battery in the scope is available, but I like to rotate my batteries and charge them on my Nite Core charger. Since the scope doesn't lose zero when changing batteries, it would seem they could provide a fix for date/time to remain as well. I know that lots of people don't or wouldn't care and rather have the date and time not shown on the screen, but I like to know what time I get a response to keep in my records. I also like to take the SD card out rather than download off the scope. That creates another issue because the way the slot is set up for the SD card it is very difficult to get the card out.
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I don't know how long Goyojo has been on the U.S. market, but if enough users will give the company feedback maybe changes for the better will be coming. I would think that the PIP feature would be changed, otherwise it just uses up viewing space. I don't download anything and I may be saying something you already know but the SD card will pop up slightly if you push it in a tad before trying to fish it out.
Stay after them critters and keep us all up to date! :)
 
Thanks again 22mag. Your're right about the SD card popping out slightly when you press it in and let it go, but SD cards have a little ridge on one side only. The ridge side of the SD card is very close to the top of the housing making it difficult to get enough finger nail on it to pull it out. I just use my Leatherman tool's needle nose pliers to get it out after popping it loose. Hopefully Goyojo will make some changes that help it as a hunting scope..
 
I need to make an apology to Goyojo here. My lack of experience and unfamiliarity with the menu let me to the assumption that the PIP was the same as the base mag. That is incorrect. With the PIP turned on when you zoom, it zooms in the PIP window from 8x, 12x, 16x while the main screen stays at 4x.
 
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First stand didn't pan out as I heard or saw nothing except a few deer. I did change crosshairs to one that shows up better and ran through the PIP zoom and the color pallets. While transitioning to another stand, I caught one in the field and decided to see how the scope would perform on a longer shot. Range was 306 yds. The hit was good, but the coyote did manage to run a couple hundred yds. before running out of steam and crashing into a ditch. The scope has been rock solid at holding zero so far. I would suggest that Goyojo's future scopes change the way the objective lens focus ring is set up. They have the focus adjustment where you can reach the blue focus ring on each side. It needs to be retooled to have the ring access on the top and bottom. The way it is now, you have to place your hand in such a way that it blocks the objective when focusing. That means you really can't focus it correctly with your hand in the way. If on the top and bottom it could be done with either hand without blocking the objective view.

 
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