Night Optics USA D-112-MG Monocular

Night Optics USA D112 MG Review

I bought this monocular for scouting and surveillance work as part of my patrol bag kit.

I recieved the item promptly and found that for a Gen 1+ monocular it gave good quality images in dark / moonlight areas. There is still considerable distortion in the image near the edges of the monocular but that is to be expected for a Gen 1 night vision. Over all the features are spartan and design simple but it is one of the only models available on the market which has built in light over exposure cut off and is weather resistant in the Gen 1 range. This feature will help protect the unit but damage still can occur as the warm down time for the intensifier tube is quite lenght (about 4 min).

The eyecup is not the best fit and when the unit is used in conjunction with the commercial head set the wearer will find the unit difficult to align with his/her eye. I also found that the adjustment on the attachment bracket does not allow the monocular to be moved close enough to the wearer's eye making the headset clumsy, awkward and difficult to use properly, limiting the field of view.

I was dissapointed with the instruction booklet that came with the unit as it was very basic and appears as if it was made in someone backyard. Printed on white standard paper with blak inkjet ink and has no real relevant information withing it other than how to turn it on and a warning about light over exposure. For people who have not had enough experience with optics there is no info on how to correctly adjust both the focus and eye relief so expect a bit of trial and error until you get used to it.

I estimate that with average light conditions the monocular can allow you to see approx 100 yards or so about what the specifications state.

Overall the unit is a good purchase in the lower end market and has some good points, if only the unit head gear was better designed and constructed the unit could be used as a night vision goggle, however with it being so awkward I say it's better for hand use. It should have the 3 x optical extended included in the package, for $130 US it's too expensive an add on too purchase later to extend range. Durable and weather resistant I still recommend this item as long as your not expecting to use it as a goggle.