Choosing the right night vision binocular
There are a lot of night vision binoculars on the market, and it’s easy to get confused about which one to choose. Most mainstream commercially available night vision goggles beyond 2020 use systems derived from the PVS-14. This means they often share the same image intensifier tubes and lenses, allowing many of them to be interchangeable—much like computer components from different brands that can work together to build a functional PC.
To pick the right goggle, it's important to understand the basics of how night vision works. The housing itself is just a shell that holds the lenses and image tube in place. It doesn't directly affect image quality or how well you can see in the dark. The image intensifier tube is the heart of the system—it determines how well the device can amplify light in low-light environments. Pairing it with high-quality lenses exert the tube to it's full potential, while inferior lenses will put a handicap on the image quality.
Here's the chart that shows the differences of the goggles and we will explain it in the details below.
| Model | Articulation | Weight (g) with Carson Lens/without lens | Gain | Lens System | Ingress Rating | Out-board Power | IR Illuminator | Material |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Argus 1431 | Yes | 170/567 | Auto/Manual | Pvs-14 | No official rating | Yes | Yes | Polymer |
| Argus-31A | Yes | 473 | Auto/Manual | Proprietary | No official rating | Yes | No | Polymer |
| Nocturn Industries - Katana (Rugged) | Yes | 123/505 | Auto | Pvs-14 | IP-68 | Yes | No | Aluminum |
| Nocturn Industries - Katana (Polymer) | Yes | 123/505 | Auto | Pvs-14 | IP-68 | Yes | No | Polymer |
| Nocturn Industries - Manticore (Rugged) | Yes | 175/561 | Auto/Manual | Pvs-14 | IP-68 | Yes | Yes | Aluminum |
| Nocturn Industries - Manticore (Polymer) | Yes | 125/511 | Auto/Manual | Pvs-14 | IP-68 | Yes | Yes | Polymer |
| Nocturn Industries - Samurai (Rugged) | Yes | 135/520 | Auto/Manual | Pvs-14 | IP-68 | Yes | Yes | Aluminum |
| Nocturn Industries - Samurai (Polymer) | Yes | 95/481 | Auto/Manual | Pvs-14 | IP-68 | Yes | Yes | Polymer |
| Nocturn Industries - Tano + Daisho | Yes | 176/558 | Auto | Pvs-14 | IP-68 | Optional | No | Polymer |
| Low Light Innovations - LULL-21 | Yes | 78/460 | Auto | Pvs-14 | IP-68 | Yes | No | Polymer |
| Low Light Innovations - Aeternus | No | 148/530 | Auto | Pvs-14 | IP-68 | No | No | Polymer |
| Low Light Innovations - MH-1 | Yes | 434 | Auto/Manual | Pvs-14 | IP-68 | Optional | Yes | Magnesium |
| Iray - Thermal Fusion Binocular | Yes | 487 | Auto/Manual | Proprietary | IP-67 | Yes | Yes | Polymer |
| IRAY - J31 | Yes | 481 | Auto/Manual | Proprietary | IP-67 | Yes | Yes | Polymer |
Articulation
In night vision gear, articulation refers to the ability to rotate one optical pod to the side, allowing the user to use one eye for unobstructed, natural vision. To read map, get something out of your pocket, to use your phone or to aim with open sight etc.
Weight reduction - Articulating the pods to the side while stowed brings the center of gravity closer to your head, reducing leverage and neck fatigue during extended wear.
Non-Articulated Binoculars – The optical pods on these housings cannot be rotated to the side. They are known for their ruggedness and affordability, thanks to their simple and robust design. Examples are the RNVG and Aeternus.
Weight
Every grams matters when it comes in Night Vision because you often wear night vision gear on your head or helmet for extended periods of time, which if not properly set up can cause Neck strain and fatigue. Most night vision Binocular weight average around 500 grams. A monocular such as Pvs-14 with J-arm weight almost 400gram. Anything below 450gram for a binocular is consider light weight. binocular weight more than 700 grams is considered heavy.
Weight of a the same model can be different, depend on the lenses combination. A lightweight lenses like RPO can save around 80-100grams. For example, Argus 1431 with Carson/Noctis lens weight 601grams. With lightweight lenses like RPO4.0, only 520grams.
Auto-Gain? Manual Gain?
Gain in night vision is a bit like your phone’s screen brightness—the higher the gain, the brighter the image appears. So when you see a high gain value in a spec sheet, it means the device is capable of a brighter image in complete darkness.
However, there’s a trade-off. In very low light, higher gain also introduces more noise—that grainy, static-like fuzz that can obscure detail and reduce clarity. If you're unfamiliar with noise, you can check our glossary for a deeper explanation.
This is why some users prefer manual gain control—it allows them to dial down the gain to reduce noise and improve clarity in certain conditions. In contrast, auto-gain systems will automatically increase gain to the maximum in dark environments, which can sometimes make the image overly noisy.
Compatibility Note:
To use manual gain, both the image tube and the housing must support manual gain control.
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A manual-gain-capable housing can usually work with both auto-gain (without Manual Gain) and manual-gain tubes.
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An auto-gain-only housing, can only work with 10160 3-pin style manual gain tube (without Manual Gain)
What are the different Night Vision lens systems?
Night Vision in mainly built of two lens systems, the PVS-14 system and a Proprietary system, both have their own benefits and are unique in their own ways.
The PVS-14 Lenses
The PVS-14 system is the most popular systems for civilian and law/enforcement. Image it as the Glock in Night vision.
Most mainstream commercially available night vision housings use the PVS-14 optical system. Thanks to this standardization, a wide range of accessories—such as mounts, lens covers, and helmet adapters—are designed to be fully compatible with PVS-14-style devices.
Another key advantage is ease of maintenance and customization. These systems are easy to repair or upgrade. Many of our customers choose to start with budget-friendly lenses and upgrade to premium optics later on—a flexibility that’s not possible with proprietary systems, which lock you into a specific design.
The Proprietary Lenses
These are custom or brand-specific lenses made by a particular manufacturer. They may have unique sizes, shapes, or features that don’t fit the PVS-14 standard. This can mean fewer options for accessories or mounting, and sometimes you need specialized gear to use them.
Ingress ratings?
IP or Ingress Protecting is a rating provided with the Night vision unit to determine its protection rating.
IP66 means the device is completely dust-tight and protected against powerful water jets from any direction. It’s great for rugged outdoor use where it might get sprayed with water but should never be submerged.
IP67 means the device is dust-tight and can handle temporary immersion in water up to 1 meter deep for about 30 minutes. This makes it suitable for accidental drops in water or brief underwater exposure.
IP68: Can be submerged in water deeper than 1 meter, and the exact depth and duration will be specified by the manufacturer
What is Night Vision Outboard power?
Outboard power in night vision means that the device gets its power from a separate external battery pack instead of having the battery built inside the night vision unit itself such as using batteries in the device. A Outboard battery pack usually extend the run time of binoculars from 20 hours to 45+ hours. While also giving the benefits of a counter weight.
IR Illuminator
A night vision monocular IR illuminator is a small built-in or attachable device that shines infrared (IR) light to help your night vision see better in total darkness. What it does. Night vision works by amplifying existing light, but if there’s no light at all—like a pitch-black room or deep night outdoors—there’s nothing to amplify. An IR illuminator sends out invisible infrared light (you can’t see it with your eyes). Your night vision monocular detects this IR light and uses it to create a clear image, even when no visible light is available.
The built-in IR illuminators that come with most night vision housings are generally not powerful enough to effectively illuminate hunting targets at distances of 50 meters or more. They are usually only suitable for close-up tasks like map reading or navigation in complete darkness. Because of this limited range, many in the night vision community don’t consider the onboard IR illuminator an essential feature and often prefer to use external, more powerful IR illuminators when needed.
housing material
There are four common materials used to make night vision housings: 3D printed SLS, polymer, aluminum, and magnesium. These materials strike a good balance between durability and weight, with only minor differences in weight. Depending on your budget, polymer and SLS housings are often perfectly adequate for recreational use. Metal housings, made from aluminum or magnesium, have become more popular over the last couple of years due to their superior ruggedness. We recommend choosing a metal housing if you’re on active duty or heading into combat, where extra toughness and durability are essential.
Final thought
All of the housings we offer come with unique features, reliable warranties, and have been proven in real-world conditions—including field-tested in Ukraine. We’ve carefully filtered out inferior models and only stock options that are trusted by the night vision community. Choose based on your budget and mission requirements—every option here is battle-proven and dependable.
If you are still unsure, shoot us an email or give us a call!