Kirsch
Active member
The Stimulus is Bering's answer for consumers with a more restrictive budget but still wish to enjoy thermal hunting. The Stimulus is a great alternative for consumers looking at lower cost thermals such as the ATN Thor LT. The MAP pricing on a Stimulus is an incredibly low $1,495. Both Tom Austin and I spent time with the Stimulus determining the viability of this low-cost thermal option. Here are the results of our testing:
Image: The image is decent. Tom Austin and I both felt the image was a little better than we were expecting. Boris from Bering has told me they haven’t received negative feedback from any Stimulus Prototype testers with the caveat this is an entry-level thermal being categorized as a competitor to the ATN LT line.
Detection: Detecting a heat source is better than I was expecting. I could see vehicles at over 1-mile driving on highways. I could make out a weak heat signature of a rabbit at about 1000 yards once I knew it was there after seeing it with the Super Hogster first.
PID: Positive Identification is the biggest issue with most entry-level thermals and the stimulus is no exception. A great example is I was scanning one evening at 70% humidity. I had a rabbit at 75 yards. With the Stimulus, I could easily see the heat signature of the rabbit. With the 2.3x optical magnification, I could have easily made the shot. However, I could not 100% say this was a rabbit. I pulled up my Phenom and Super Hogster, and I could make out the ears, facial features, etc and could make a Positive ID. With less resolution, it lacks the finer details of the object making PID difficult on smaller targets.
Features: Besides the attractive price, many of the great features of the Hogsters are present with the Stimulus.
Positives:[*]Display: The Stimulus includes the 1280 x 960 display of the Hogsters which is lacking on many entry level thermals.[*]Adjustable Focus: This is a feature absent on many entry-level thermals. [*]Mount: Bering uses their standard QD mount which is the same as the R25.[*]UI: Same user interface and controls as all of the Hogsters.[*]Warranty: The Stimulus includes the 4-year transferrable warranty which is fantastic.[/list]
Negatives:[*]PIP: Due to the rapid decline of image quality with digital zoom, there is no PIP option.[*]Digital Zoom: 2x digital zoom so a range of 2.3 to 4.6x.[*]Recording: No internal or video out option.[*]Refresh Rate: The 30Hz refresh rate is noticeable with some jerkiness with movement. [*]End Cap: It is very flimsy and would bind when I tried to close. [/list]
Specifications:
Overall Thoughts: If a person is using a Stimulus in an environment where the target animals are very unique in characteristics such as size or the way they move, the Stimulus could be an option out to about 150 yards. However, if there are other target animals with similar characteristics, Tom and I would highly recommend spending additional money to move up to a higher resolution thermal.
