ATN alternatives - Night Vision

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Mada_Flow

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Jul 29, 2023
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Orlando Fl, US
Hello all,

New member here and first post!
I currently run an ATN 3-14 4k X-Sight for night vision and it’s a decent unit. The major flaw is that it’s just bulky, especially with mounted on a bullpup pop like a Huben…
My main interest is the Pard NV008 bc of lens size. Who here has used a Wrath or mini and especially the Pard that can share insights?
 
I have barely made any shots with the wraith mini. But it is nice and compact. And a couple mount options built for it that will bring it a little further on the rail of whatever you are mounting it on. Also. I have read the IR light that came with it is trash l. But I can't judge as I use a surefire .
It is only rated to be used about 32 degrees Fahrenheit as well. Which could be a wash for some
 
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the pard is a good alternative, it works well and has fully integrated illuminator and rangefinder on some models that also work very well ... its limitations are less generous eye placement, non-linear zoom settings, fewer bell and whistle features and maybe less intuitive controls ... minor things really compared to the major size and and weight advantage .. it also boots and turns on alot faster ..
 
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I hear the Wraith is good but they eat batteries fast so you need the backup battery pack, I have both ATN and Pard myself, I prefer the Pard over the ATN, mainly due to weight, it's light weight also simple to use, it turns on when you want it to, and it doesn't eat up batteries fast, I also use the Pard NV007S and NV007V, both work great as Clip-ons or hand held, great video.
 
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I just RMA'd my Gen5 X-Sight for the 2nd time. Love the formfactor over the 4k Pro (which I use to have) but it just isn't working at a "consumer" level yet and has some basic problems that need to be remedied. They are sending me another, but I went ahead and ordered the Pard NV008S as I have an NV007S clip-on that I really like. The 007S has gotten a bit flakey with some of the menu movement and the unit going off/on on its own, but it hasn't done it enough to ruin a night hunt yet. I will mount it on a K1 as well as an EVOL and Red Wolf. I have the Gen 5 on a BRK XR Sniper (now nothing is on it!) The 007S moves from scope to scope very easily as I have the EagleVision mount on it.
 
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Pfddi said:
I just RMA'd my Gen5 X-Sight for the 2nd time. Love the formfactor over the 4k Pro (which I use to have) but it just isn't working at a "consumer" level yet and has some basic problems that need to be remedied. They are sending me another, but I went ahead and ordered the Pard NV008S as I have an NV007S clip-on that I really like. The 007S has gotten a bit flakey with some of the menu movement and the unit going off/on on its own, but it hasn't done it enough to ruin a night hunt yet. I will mount it on a K1 as well as an EVOL and Red Wolf. I have the Gen 5 on a BRK XR Sniper (now nothing is on it!) The 007S moves from scope to scope very easily as I have the EagleVision mount on it.
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I heard the gen 5 is having many problems with them, many are dissatisfied with the release feeling they are used as Bets testers for the product, I agree with them, product should not be sold unless it is ready for marketing,
 
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Pfddi said:
Mine was 4x times back with the 4th return a new scope. It never focused clear enough for me no matter what I tried. I have a PARD NV008S-LRF to compare it to and the clarity difference was a lot. Then the BC/LRF was very inconsistent with a shifting POI. I ordered an Arken Zulus-LRF.
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Can you clarify this post? How did the PARD clarity stand up compared to the ATN? Which scope had POI issues?

I have two PARD 008 LRF units. One of those is the S model with ballistic calculator. Both have functioned very well for me. They are nice and compact. Clear enough to i.d. at extended range and have had zero POI issues. The big downside to the PARD's (plural) is the limited FOV. Your FOV is about 19-20' at 100 yards which makes them difficult to use at my typical airgun ranges.

I also have a Pulsar C50. The PARD's are better at night. The Pulsar is better during the day and especially at my typical airgun ranges with a much wider FOV. The Pulsar C50 is incredibly good in low light conditions without an ir illuminator. It would be fantastic on a deer rifle but it has found a home on my Maverick.
 
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@Hal4son The PARD focus and image quality was superior to that of the ATN X-Sight 5 3-15. The PARD has stayed spot on in the BC/LRF. I had issues with the X-Sight Gen 5 POI changing on me. The LRF was a few yards different than my PARD at the same distance and my hand-held laser rangefinder. Both the PARD and hand-held were the same distances, the X-Sight was up to 3 yards different.

The 3x on the ATN was great for sort-range pesting. The PAR is good but when the targets are 15 yards and under, it's tough. For night ratting 2 - 5 would be all one needed!

So I am hoping the Arken will work well at the longer distances and during the day. I don't (didn't) use the ATN during the day - too blurry - and I use the PARD, but I have very good glass scopes that outperform both. The Arken looks like it might have the day clarity to use for 100+ yard shots as well as very good night vision.
 
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Hangtown-Shooter said:
I’m also curious to see how the new offerings from Arken perform, they are certainly compact and relatively lightweight…

www.arkenopticsusa.com

Home Page

Explore our extensive range of Arken optics, scopes, mounts, rings, and accessories, all designed to perform with rugged precision.
www.arkenopticsusa.com www.arkenopticsusa.com
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@brawler1588, has posted his experiences with his and he has used various other NV devices. There are also some videos on YouTube. I ordered a non-LRF version in November. Will definitely post up my honest impressions through use…
 
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N2 Shooter said:
It would be great if these other manufacturers could give ATN some true competition. I believe the only way for them to get things right is to take a financial hit as their customer base moves to a viable competitor.
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I'm always surprised that everyone lines up for ATN products. It doesn't take much time online to find a long list of issues. I feel the same way about Bering Optics. More issues with getting there stuff fixed than good review if one looks with a critical eye.

It's why I went Pulsar for thermal and PARD/Pulsar for NV. Bad reviews and reported poor experiences are tough to come by with those manufacturers. I would say the same about Sightmark but I have not purchased any of their products.
 
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Hal4son said:
I'm always surprised that everyone lines up for ATN products. It doesn't take much time online to find a long list of issues. I feel the same way about Bering Optics. More issues with getting there stuff fixed than good review if one looks with a critical eye.

It's why I went Pulsar for thermal and PARD/Pulsar for NV. Bad reviews and reported poor experiences are tough to come by with those manufacturers. I would say the same about Sightmark but I have not purchased any of their products.
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The reason I stick with ATN is their awesome feature set. I currently have 3:
  • ATN X-SIGHT 4K PRO 3-14X with ABL 1000
  • ATN X-SIGHT 5 5-25X LRF
  • ATN THOR 4 640 2.5-25X Thermal with ABL 1000
I looked into the Pard model with the Ballistic Calculator, and was really turned off by how the reticle would move up and down for even a minor ballistic holdover adjustment. I later realized the PARD is very different from ATN, as PARD uses a fixed sensor resolution with a variable optical magnification to the sensor, which is one of the reasons the image stays crisp as you change zoom, levels but also one of the reasons the magnification range is so low.

I'm also fine with the 4 series weight, but I can understand where it would be off putting for many. The X-SIGHT 5 series is very lightweight compared to its predecessor. One of the big complaints with the new 5 series is crisp focus issues, and that can be mitigated done l some by choosing the highest record resolution, but that also takes away the slo-mo capability, and that's a feature the PARD lacks altogether.

If ATN gets their QC up to acceptable standards, they will appease the base, as even with the comprises, not many can match their feature set.
 
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N2 Shooter said:
The reason I stick with ATN is their awesome feature set. I currently have 3:
  • ATN X-SIGHT 4K PRO 3-14X with ABL 1000
  • ATN X-SIGHT 5 5-25X LRF
  • ATN THOR 4 640 2.5-25X Thermal with ABL 1000
I looked into the Pard model with the Ballistic Calculator, and was really turned off by how the reticle would move up and down for even a minor ballistic holdover adjustment. I later realized the PARD is very different from ATN, as PARD uses a fixed sensor resolution with a variable optical magnification to the sensor, which is one of the reasons the image stays crisp as you change zoom, levels but also one of the reasons the magnification range is so low.

I'm also fine with the 4 series weight, but I can understand where it would be off putting for many. The X-SIGHT 5 series is very lightweight compared to its predecessor. One of the big complaints with the new 5 series is crisp focus issues, and that can be mitigated done l some by choosing the highest record resolution, but that also takes away the slo-mo capability, and that's a feature the PARD lacks altogether.

If ATN gets their QC up to acceptable standards, they will appease the base, as even with the comprises, not many can match their feature set.
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I would concur with that too @N2 Shooter ....really like the features and the form factor of the 5 series....4 series was a little large and heavy with the LRF.

Has anybody got any hands on experience with the Arken Zulus-LRF?
Would be interested to hear some feedback on that.
 
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@N2 Shooter
How many ATN scopes have you owned?
How many had issues? Of those that had issues, how many did ATN successfully repair?

Not looking to beat up on ATN. Just interested in how widespread are these issues. I've never been good at returning things. Junk that doesn't work is likely to end up in a corner around here or in the trash. When I see reports of unresponsive or difficult to contact customer support, I simply write off those products. Just read another non-response issue about Bering Optics & Santa Claus Optics on FB yesterday. Buyer Beware.
 
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I have owned 4 ATN scopes, and I currently own 3. I sold my ATN THOR 4 384 1.25-5x to get the THOR 4 640 2.5-25X.

Here is my current ATN lineup:
Adobe_20231115_112522.jpg

  1. Atn X-SIGHT 5 5-25x LRF on the airgun.
  2. Atn X-SIGHT 4K Pro 3-14x with the ABL Laser Rangefinder add-on.
  3. Atn THOR 4 640 2.5-25X with the ABL Laser Rangefinder add-on.
All the scopes have built in Ballistic Calculator functionality that after a range moves my reticle to the point of impact. No holdover of under required, just range and shoot!

Out of the 4 scopes, I had to send the X-SIGHT 5 back once for repair. The scope arrived back in less than a week, and I believe they sent me a new scope, as the serial number was not the same.

It's really hard to determine how widespread their issues are without knowing their sales volume, which is a closely held secret from most companies. But I will say, there are some design decisions they took in the X-SIGHT 5 that are different from the X-SIGHT 4K Pro that some may have issue with.

For instance, the X-SIGHT 4K Pro recorded in full HD (1920x1080) resulting regardless of the frame rate. So you had no clarity difference if you wanted to record in 120fps so you can do slo-mo in video post processing steps.

The X-SIGHT 5 makes you reduce resolution from 4K to HD in order to record at 120FPS. This wouldn't be so bad, but they get to HD resolution by simply skipping sensor lines so that they can do the readout faster, which results in poor HD quality, which is very soft and looks out of focus at higher magnifications.

One of the reasons for me to purchase this scope is the smaller form factor and the ability to record in 240fps. But you can only record in 240fps when using the RAV (recoil activated video) feature, and it only records for around 1/2 second before recording at 30fps. Unlike the other video modes, this ends up recording in-line slo-mo then it switches back to 30fps without having to do so in post process. The problem with this is, as an airgun shooter, the slo-mo has stopped recording before the round has reached the game on longer distance shots. I feel this is kinda misleading to the point of being just shy of a lie. The only reason it doesn't bother me more is the RAV feature is spotty at best, so I just accept starting record manually with the very slick X-Trac remote controller that I mount around my air bottle so Ican zoom, range and record without breaking my shooting stance (shown below).

20230916_174612.jpg
 
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The logic is actually pretty simple. There have been more complaints about the Gen 5 scopes than there have been rave reviews! And most of us who bought one did so because they liked a prior version and were hopping for the bigger, better deal (and lighter!). To go through multiple returns says a lot for people really wanting to keep the product. My 4K worked fine - I liked everything about it other than the weight. But to continue to market a product in this condition and not really communicate to the customer base is not a good route to take! This fact alone is enough to turn many loyal customers away. I for one will not look at their products for a helluva long time. They lost out on the sale of 2 more NV and thermal scopes!
 
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