Helmet mount thermal

J

jc11

New member
I looking for a dedicated helmet mount thermal for predator hunting next year.
I'm torn between the Nox18mm and the Iray mh25.
The Nox is nice it can be weapon mounted if need be, but I'll be using it more for a helmet mounted. The iray mh25 looks amazing but.... how will it hold up? Does it like cold weather? How is the image at greater distances? The mh25 looks amazing. Features like PIP,built in compass seem awesome, as well as ditection distance.
Mh25 is cheaper which is always nice but price isn't a concern.

I was thinking of renting these units before making a decision. Does anyone have any experience with these units? Please help me decide.
 
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You want the NOX18 and you know it. Why are you trying to talk yourself in to the MH25?

I know the MH25 is less money, but your already spending thousands and thousands of dollars. Buy the best unit you can afford and you wont be sorry.

If you think I'm wrong flip the prices around on each unit and which one would you buy?
 
I can only speak to the NOX18 as I ran it for the last month of our season helmet mounted. I don’t regret the purchase at all. I can say my detection time to on rifle target time was greatly improved on hard chargers. Simply flip it out of the way on the way to getting my eye behind the scope. I never liked scanning arm up all night then having a unit on a lanyard or in and out of the pocket while scanning on the walk in to a stand. There were nights I could walk with the thermal on my right eye while seeing to walk comfortably with my left eye. Very nice for clearing a rise in the terrain

I had never experienced clarity in thermal like this unit produces to the point I sold my other brand scope the day the season ended. The settings really allow you to dial it in to the weather to get the best results. Example being very heavy fog I was actually able to hunt in but the settings and adjustments allowed for that. We had other branded thermal scanners that night that were very close to unusable. We had some very cold nights and had no problems besides the battery’s burning quicker. I used the battery extender with 18650’s.

The only negative I could give would be that the unit is heavy mainly because of how solid built these units are. As you said it could be weapon mounted which is a nice feature if ever needed. I had to upgrade my helmet pads and up the counterweight to get the correct balance.

I’m also extremely interested in what Iray has brought to the market but you voiced the concerns and every couple weeks I search the forums and YouTube for more information. The promotional videos are impressive. I’m in the market for a new scope but I’m hoping more information is shared before I make my final decision on what rides my gun this season
 
Thank you for the insight. I pretty much narrowed it down to the Nox18mm. I know I will be happy. I'm now just trying to decide on a helmet mount, along with a bridge? My plans are to bridge it with a l3 harris white phosphorus pvs14.
 
I've ran the Patrol M300, M250, Skeetir and the MH-25, and without a doubt, can tell you, if you did not know which one was which, (never looked through any of them prior) you would not be able to tell which one was better regarding image quality.

I will be honest in saying the MH25 hands down blows the BAE cores out of the water in humid conditions, not even a contest. This year we went out in 80+ humidity and the BAE cores were terrible, literally zero effect on the MH25.

I will also be honest in saying the display of the MH25 is not rated for some of the conditions we run in, -30 or so was the coldest. We had the MH25's display get dark when we exposed the unit to temps -10 with wind. Usually took about 15 minutes and the unit would go noticeably darker. However if there was no wind, we would get by for 45 min to an hour in those temps.

I would look into the Wilcox G24 or G22, bridged up with the Wilcox Dual Bridge or the KVC dual bridge... If you need any help on riggin your helmet up you can PM or call anytime, I help a lot of fellas out with info regarding this, I also run a Gen 3 filmless WP tube with my MH25 at the same time.
 
You better be a hedge fund manager if you want to play around with some of this stuff! Geezz Louise!
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Originally Posted By: YellowhammerYou better be a hedge fund manager if you want to play around with some of this stuff! Geezz Louise!
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That's no kidding!
 
Yeah, almost $500 just for a mounting bracket.
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I guess if you can afford a Porshe or a Lamborghini you can afford the tires.
 
Originally Posted By: YellowhammerYeah, almost $500 just for a mounting bracket.
ohmy.gif


I guess if you can afford a Porshe or a Lamborghini you can afford the tires.

That's actually a great way to look at it... Same with Rifles and Day optics, man it gets expensive.
 
Originally Posted By: skinneyI also run a Gen 3 filmless WP tube with my MH25 at the same time.

So you're running a 14 with a thermal at the same time on your helmet rig? That should cover all the bases.

Curious how you come off scanning and engaging with your rifle. Do you laser them or go with a thermal on the gun?
 
Originally Posted By: Burnsome...Originally Posted By: skinneyI also run a Gen 3 filmless WP tube with my MH25 at the same time.

So you're running a 14 with a thermal at the same time on your helmet rig? That should cover all the bases.

Curious how you come off scanning and engaging with your rifle. Do you laser them or go with a thermal on the gun?


Yes sir!

Usually when I get out of my truck the NV gets killed, rolled up (via articulating bridge) and out of the way.

I'm constantly using thermal to scan, and navigate, once the target is within my range, I fold the system up (with the G24 or G22 mount) and out of the way, while transitioning to my long gun and thermal weapon sight.

I am working on a video of how I use this set up in more detail on my YouTube Channel.
 
Outstanding way to get it done Skinney. Thanks for the info

I sometimes hunt with a buddy with a helmet mounted 14 while I use a hand held thermal for scanning.

There's been a time or two when I detect before he even sees anything with his 14
 
Skip the IRay MH-25, it is great, but the Patrol is about 20% better in my experience.

I've owned the Patrol since they first came out and sold the MH-25 after just a month of use.
 
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