Looking to upgrade from my old ATN Thor thermal scope I believe it's a 326 19mm lens...any suggestions as I hog hunt and shoot no further than 100 yds. I have a ATN thermal monocular for scanning...Anybody got any smoking hot deals on thermal scopes...thinking about Pulsar...would stay with ATN, but seems to many problems and not sure about customer service. Happy with what I got I just need to upgrade, and use the ATN as a backup.
thermal scopes
- Thread starter larryb
- Start date
Redneckbmxer24
New member
Trijicon. The Pulsars honestly aren’t much better than the ATN’s.
rustybucket
Member
I have a pts233 and enjoy it immensely. No problems at all with it.
The XQ38 and the pts233 would be good options. Didn't say how much you wanted to spend. Both lines have good options. Have an XP50 myself and have been very happy after they got the POI shift fixed. Trijicon is excellent but at another level of coin. Have not anyone say till now that Pulsar is not better much than ATN, just the opposite.
Last edited:
appreciate the input guys, guess what I'm after is a scope that has the internal recording. My current scope uses the mini dvr, which works great, but I'm not wanting the cords and the additional battery pack strapped to the stock...also want to get away from the cr123 batteries, they just cost to much (around here they round around 2.50 per battery and on average they will power my handheld about 2 1/2 hrs on one battery and about 6 hours on 3 in my Thor scope. I'm looking at around 3 to 3500.00 range....thinking seriously about the Plusar. While I have been happy with my ATN, it just seems that now days they rush a product into production and then worry about the bugs later. I've always had good costumer service from ATN and really can't complain and I know there will always be problems with new products, but sometimes the rush to hit the market and make a profit gets in the way of quality, and when you have to send something back its expensive. when I broke a wire on my Thor it cost me 150.00 dollars to insure it to ship it back then 350.00 for the repair, plus the 4 week wait time for the repair and shipping back.....thanks again for the input, I appreciate it...
DoubleUp
Well-known member
Personally, I would not call those results "good CS". I recently had to send in my Apex XD50A because apparently the NUC shutter stuck closed. Sellmark sent me a prepaid shipping label. I shipped it on a Thursday, and even though it went through two weekends, I had a new Apex XQ50 in my hands in under two weeks on the second Wed. I also had to send in a Quantum HD19A this summer. While they did not provide a shipping label for the Quantum, they did have a new one back in my hands in 10 days.
It seems you need a Trail to get rid of those things you don't like. Since you're in Georgia, where hogs are prevalent as well, you can probably do okay with the Trail XQ38 in the price range you stated.
It seems you need a Trail to get rid of those things you don't like. Since you're in Georgia, where hogs are prevalent as well, you can probably do okay with the Trail XQ38 in the price range you stated.
Originally Posted By: Redneckbmxer24The Pulsars honestly aren’t much better than the ATN’s.
Respectfully disagree. The Pulsar's have a failure rate of .5% and the ATN's have been as high as 20%. Not even close...
Pulsar is a great optic with fantastic customer service, albeit I doubt you'll ever need it.
OP, happy to quote you pricing or answer any questions you have. PM or call anytime. Thanks!
Respectfully disagree. The Pulsar's have a failure rate of .5% and the ATN's have been as high as 20%. Not even close...
Pulsar is a great optic with fantastic customer service, albeit I doubt you'll ever need it.
OP, happy to quote you pricing or answer any questions you have. PM or call anytime. Thanks!
Kevinfarmer3456
New member
Originally Posted By: Redneckbmxer24Trijicon. The Pulsars honestly aren’t much better than the ATN’s. respectfully this couldnt be farther from the truth. Ive had ATN THOR, ATN THOR HD, Pulsar Apex XQ38. And i can 100% guarantee you the Pulsar has a way better image than the ATN
Kirsch
Active member
Originally Posted By: Kevinfarmer3456Originally Posted By: Redneckbmxer24Trijicon. The Pulsars honestly aren’t much better than the ATN’s. respectfully this couldnt be farther from the truth. Ive had ATN THOR, ATN THOR HD, Pulsar Apex XQ38. And i can 100% guarantee you the Pulsar has a way better image than the ATN
Not to beat this to death but I also agree with statement that Pulsar is typically a much better option. I will say the Thor4 seemingly has a few improvements but it is hard to trust a company with a poor track record.
Not to beat this to death but I also agree with statement that Pulsar is typically a much better option. I will say the Thor4 seemingly has a few improvements but it is hard to trust a company with a poor track record.
Zen Archery
New member
Running with Pulsar for almost a decade from digital to thermal.
0 issues 3 different units digital and thermal.
Certain I dropped a few generations of hogs and coyotes.
0 issues 3 different units digital and thermal.
Certain I dropped a few generations of hogs and coyotes.
Redneckbmxer24
New member
Originally Posted By: Kevinfarmer3456Originally Posted By: Redneckbmxer24Trijicon. The Pulsars honestly aren’t much better than the ATN’s. respectfully this couldnt be farther from the truth. Ive had ATN THOR, ATN THOR HD, Pulsar Apex XQ38. And i can 100% guarantee you the Pulsar has a way better image than the ATN
I said they aren't much better than ATN's. Are they better, sure, but not by a whole lot and that is 100% accurate.
None of them compare to true high end units from companies like L3, Trijicon, BAE, or the higher end FLIR stuff. IMO even the lower end FLIR stuff is better than ATN, Pulsar, or Armasight (yes I know FLIR owns Armasight but they are not the same).
Plenty of people have issues from Pulsars and they have to go back for replacement which is another red flag to me that they just replace the unit in most circumstances instead of repairing it unless it's just a programming issue. That tells just how cheap they are. Is the CS better than ATN? Absolutely because their CS couldn't be any worse. Personally I like not having to use CS in the first place which is why I buy higher quality gear. The only Trijicons I've seen have issues are the REAP's which they now have gotten resolved, but all the others have a phenomenal track record of trouble free use and the BAE cores they use are simply the best performance on the market.
I said they aren't much better than ATN's. Are they better, sure, but not by a whole lot and that is 100% accurate.
None of them compare to true high end units from companies like L3, Trijicon, BAE, or the higher end FLIR stuff. IMO even the lower end FLIR stuff is better than ATN, Pulsar, or Armasight (yes I know FLIR owns Armasight but they are not the same).
Plenty of people have issues from Pulsars and they have to go back for replacement which is another red flag to me that they just replace the unit in most circumstances instead of repairing it unless it's just a programming issue. That tells just how cheap they are. Is the CS better than ATN? Absolutely because their CS couldn't be any worse. Personally I like not having to use CS in the first place which is why I buy higher quality gear. The only Trijicons I've seen have issues are the REAP's which they now have gotten resolved, but all the others have a phenomenal track record of trouble free use and the BAE cores they use are simply the best performance on the market.
Kevinfarmer3456
New member
Originally Posted By: Redneckbmxer24Originally Posted By: Kevinfarmer3456Originally Posted By: Redneckbmxer24Trijicon. The Pulsars honestly aren’t much better than the ATN’s. respectfully this couldnt be farther from the truth. Ive had ATN THOR, ATN THOR HD, Pulsar Apex XQ38. And i can 100% guarantee you the Pulsar has a way better image than the ATN
I said they aren't much better than ATN's. Are they better, sure, but not by a whole lot and that is 100% accurate.
None of them compare to true high end units from companies like L3, Trijicon, BAE, or the higher end FLIR stuff. IMO even the lower end FLIR stuff is better than ATN, Pulsar, or Armasight (yes I know FLIR owns Armasight but they are not the same).
Plenty of people have issues from Pulsars and they have to go back for replacement which is another red flag to me that they just replace the unit in most circumstances instead of repairing it unless it's just a programming issue. That tells just how cheap they are. Is the CS better than ATN? Absolutely because their CS couldn't be any worse. Personally I like not having to use CS in the first place which is why I buy higher quality gear. The only Trijicons I've seen have issues are the REAP's which they now have gotten resolved, but all the others have a phenomenal track record of trouble free use and the BAE cores they use are simply the best performance on the market. hahaha, I really laughed on this one I know of guys that have got Trijicon that have gone back multiple times for problems a simple search on Facebook will reveal that Trijicon scopes go back just as much if not more than pulsar. Heck a quick search on this site will prove that. One of the reasons that you may not hear about it as much is because not many people buy Trijicon. In the world of thermal scopes price will not mitigate whether or not you will have any problems. Heck, my ATN Thor HD has never been back. It has been flawless so price really doesn't have much to do with it
I said they aren't much better than ATN's. Are they better, sure, but not by a whole lot and that is 100% accurate.
None of them compare to true high end units from companies like L3, Trijicon, BAE, or the higher end FLIR stuff. IMO even the lower end FLIR stuff is better than ATN, Pulsar, or Armasight (yes I know FLIR owns Armasight but they are not the same).
Plenty of people have issues from Pulsars and they have to go back for replacement which is another red flag to me that they just replace the unit in most circumstances instead of repairing it unless it's just a programming issue. That tells just how cheap they are. Is the CS better than ATN? Absolutely because their CS couldn't be any worse. Personally I like not having to use CS in the first place which is why I buy higher quality gear. The only Trijicons I've seen have issues are the REAP's which they now have gotten resolved, but all the others have a phenomenal track record of trouble free use and the BAE cores they use are simply the best performance on the market. hahaha, I really laughed on this one I know of guys that have got Trijicon that have gone back multiple times for problems a simple search on Facebook will reveal that Trijicon scopes go back just as much if not more than pulsar. Heck a quick search on this site will prove that. One of the reasons that you may not hear about it as much is because not many people buy Trijicon. In the world of thermal scopes price will not mitigate whether or not you will have any problems. Heck, my ATN Thor HD has never been back. It has been flawless so price really doesn't have much to do with it
Last edited:
Kirsch
Active member
We can all speculate and provide opinions on topics like this. Most people have experience with a few thermals. Talk to a dealer like Tom at Night Goggles who carries Flir, Pulsar, Trijicon and all the brands and they have the real stats on how many units go back and what the failure rates are. Also, they have used virtually every thermal and can give a lot better feedback on for specific situations which thermal may be best suited for a hunter. There is typically no debate that Trijicon thermals with the BAE core are top of the line. They are also more expensive and lack many features of other commercial thermal brands. Just because certain Trijicon models may currently have the best image doesn't mean everything else is junk.
my 2 cents. 1 pulsar trail xp50 poi problems twice and just use it for scanning now, has great image, as good as my trijicons. 3 trijicons every 3 or four months might have to adjust a click and never sent one back except to upgrade and the upgrade was prompt with great results.
Last edited:
skinney
Director
Originally Posted By: igor 1 pulsar trail xp50 poi problems twice and just use it for scanning now, has great image, as good as my trijicons.
Yep, and our F150 handles the roads as well as my Raptor. Nothing against Pulsar at all, but I can look at a bait pile 2500 yards away and count Coyotes with my Trijicon, With Pulsar at that range, I can't even detect them.
Yep, and our F150 handles the roads as well as my Raptor. Nothing against Pulsar at all, but I can look at a bait pile 2500 yards away and count Coyotes with my Trijicon, With Pulsar at that range, I can't even detect them.
Cowboy43
New member
Originally Posted By: skinneyOriginally Posted By: igor 1 pulsar trail xp50 poi problems twice and just use it for scanning now, has great image, as good as my trijicons.
Yep, and our F150 handles the roads as well as my Raptor. Nothing against Pulsar at all, but I can look at a bait pile 2500 yards away and count Coyotes with my Trijicon, With Pulsar at that range, I can't even detect them. rightly so. At almost $10,000 it should record that for you also.
Yep, and our F150 handles the roads as well as my Raptor. Nothing against Pulsar at all, but I can look at a bait pile 2500 yards away and count Coyotes with my Trijicon, With Pulsar at that range, I can't even detect them. rightly so. At almost $10,000 it should record that for you also.
Kirsch
Active member
Let's bring this back to what the original post was asking for a thermal for $3000 to $3500 which hopefully has onboard video and doesn't require CR123s. Bottom line is Trijicon makes great thermal scopes. Worth every penny to some, and not to others but does not meet the criteria.
In this price range, you are most likely looking at the Trail XQ38. For a few hundred more the Trail XQ50. These scopes get you all of the required elements mentioned. The other alternative in current production scopes would be the Flir PTS536 for about the same cost as the Trail XQ50. The Flir records video but not audio. Companies like Night Goggles provide a battery pack system so you don't need to use CR123s but it isn't as sleek as the integrated battery pack of the Pulsars. I've owned both the Trail XQ38 and the Flir PTS536 so PM if you have any addition questions on either scope.
In this price range, you are most likely looking at the Trail XQ38. For a few hundred more the Trail XQ50. These scopes get you all of the required elements mentioned. The other alternative in current production scopes would be the Flir PTS536 for about the same cost as the Trail XQ50. The Flir records video but not audio. Companies like Night Goggles provide a battery pack system so you don't need to use CR123s but it isn't as sleek as the integrated battery pack of the Pulsars. I've owned both the Trail XQ38 and the Flir PTS536 so PM if you have any addition questions on either scope.