A good pair of thermal binoculars like Nocpix QUEST binoculars can be really beneficial backups to your thermal rifle scope, but binoculars offer relatively different advantages. If you’re confident you want another supporting thermal optic but still aren’t familiar with all of the relative virtues of a pair of binoculars, here are some things you should know.
Thermal Binoculars: Advantages
While they are larger and tend to be (only slightly) more expensive than comparable monoculars, a pair of thermal binoculars will offer the following relative advantages.
- The form factor is familiar and actually allows for single-handed use. Here’s what some night hunters might not realize about thermal binoculars, especially as compared to monoculars. With a monocular, you need one hand to hold it to your eye, and the other hand to manipulate the controls. This effectively makes them obligatorily two-handed optics. You might look at a pair of binoculars and think they require two hands (and you certainly can use both hands with them) but the truth is they actually only require one hand to operate. With one hand on one side of the binoculars, you can still access the controls on the bridge. This actually makes binoculars true one-handed optics, even though that might not be apparent. They’re actually easier to use, all things considered.
- It’s sometimes said that binoculars require you to view with both eyes, but this is not necessarily the case. For one thing, night hunters sometimes get fatigued when using a monocular, switching from one arm and eye to the other, effectively eliminating that relative advantage of monoculars. More importantly, you can drop one lens/side of the binoculars and use them vertically, still with one hand. This lets you view with one eye, should you so choose, but it also delivers greater flexibility since you can in essence use the binoculars either as binoculars or as a monocular.
- Since they are larger and have two screens, binoculars offer a larger viewing surface and therefore greater comfort. Also, as indicated, they also give you the flexibility to view the sight picture with one or both eyes.
- Binoculars are more modular and versatile with respect to the power source. They come not just with an internal battery, but with a removable, rechargeable 18650 battery. This offers a redundant backup, not to mention, potentially longer battery life to support longer night hunts.
- On thermal binoculars like the Nocpix QUEST, there is a separate screen for each eye, which can be adjusted independently. So, if you have 20/20 vision in one eye, and 20/10 vision in the other, you can adjust each screen as needed. This makes them highly versatile and conformable to your needs as well as to your viewing comfort.
- Thermal binoculars also have a proximity sensor. This sensor switches the unit on when you bring them to your face and puts the unit into standby mode, increasing ease of use while also extending the battery life of the optic.
- All of our binoculars come with both a bino harness and a lanyard, so while they might not technically be as easy to pack and carry as a smaller, lighter monocular, they still come with the essentials you need to easily tote them.
- All in all, thermal binoculars generally deliver more value than monoculars, simply because comparable units are comparable in price. The difference in price is almost negligible, and as we have demonstrated in this article, most binoculars are considerably more versatile (and comfortable to use) than most thermal monoculars. Yes, technically a thermal monocular will likely be more affordable, and it’ll likely be smaller and lighter, but unless you really need a small, light thermal optic, most of the time binoculars carry more value.
Why Either Can Serve As a Solid Complement to Your Thermal Rifle Scope
At the end of the day, either a pair of thermal binoculars or a monocular can potentially be a good choice if you need a backup to your thermal scope, and either can help preserve the battery of your scope and reserve it till you need it most, the point at which you need to execute a shot. Having a backup thermal optic will give you the flexibility to scan and scout as needed, only having to power on your rifle’s scope right at the point that you need to commit to taking a shot.
Shop Thermal Binoculars and Monoculars Here
At Dark Night Outdoors, we represent the best brands in thermal monoculars and binoculars, including but not limited to Nocpix, iRay, DNT Optics, and others. Check out our collection and get in touch with us if you have any questions or if you need a personalized recommendation.
