5 Best Night Vision Goggles on a Budget

Night vision technology makes up for the human eye’s lack of rod cells, allowing you to easily see movement, targets, and more in the dark. Night vision goggles can help you unlock a new world at night, regardless of whether you use them to locate missing persons or hunt at night.

This guide will help you understand:

• Night Vision Goggles Overview
• How to Select the Best for Your Needs
• Night Vision Guys’ Top Recommendations

Night Vision Goggles Overview

• Types of Night Vision Goggles

Goggles are head-mounted, often with a harness or directly to your helmet. They can be bi-ocular or monocular. They offer hands-free night vision, making it ideal for doing surveillance, night-time wildlife watching, or other close-distance viewing. This is because they don’t typically have magnification.

If you’re looking for a night vision option for hunting, you’d actually be better off with

handheld options, like binoculars or monoculars, which are separate night vision devices and more suited for a night vision rifle scope. You can use the night vision goggles to help maneuver in the dark, but their lack of pro-level magnification limits their use.

1. Image intensifier tube

The quality and ability of the night vision goggle’s image intensifier tube are essential, as it’s the unit that converts photons into electrons to amplify the signal, allowing clear vision even in extremely low-light environments.

2. Field of Vision (FOV)

Where goggles excel is in their field of vision. Typically, goggles offer a greater FOV than binoculars. For effective and comfortable hands-free night vision, goggles with a wide FOV are recommended.

3. Magnification

Goggles typically operate at 1x magnification. This can help you see targets hundreds of feet away, but not for long-range targets further away. Binoculars offer up to 8x magnification, however, so if you’re looking for a long-range alternative, look there.

4. Thermal Imaging

For hunters who plan on using night vision goggles to find game in low-light or dark conditions, a combined night-vision and thermal imaging goggle is ideal. With this feature, you can see targets more easily, even at night, allowing you to set up more efficiently than trying to find targets through your file scope.

• Hobby vs Professional

Hobbyist night vision goggles are available for a few hundred dollars; however, these are severely limited in their ability and are more akin to a toy than a professional tool. Professional tools start around $1000, with the higher-end models exceeding $15,000 after tax. If you want a night vision goggle that provides reliable results and can be used to help you hunt game at night, or in other professional settings like search and rescue, budget price points start around that $1000 mark.

The Best Budget Night Vision Goggles 

Night vision goggles for professionals offer a powerful night or thermal imaging solution to aid you during night hunts, search and rescue, or in your police or other defense operations. Their prices, however, can be high, so here’s a roundup of the best professional-grade night vision goggles for the money.

NVG PVS7-2+ NV Goggle with Photonis Tube - FOM 1300+ w/64+lp/mm Resolution

One of the best night vision goggles is the PVS-7, which is available in both Generation 2+ and Generation 3+. This night vision goggle was originally developed for the U.S. military and is now used by both law enforcement and hunters alike. Their draw? The ability to see in total darkness. Outfit it with either the Gen 2+ or Gen 3 image intensive tube for increased vision at night. Infrared illuminators emit IR light that is invisible to the human eye but visible through night vision devices., providing ample visual input ideal in military, law enforcement, and hunting applications. 

AGM Wolf-14 NW1 Night Vision Monocular Gen 2+ P45-White Phosphor "Level 1"

Expect great performance for a reasonable price when you choose this AGM Wolf-14. With this unit, you’ll have high-tech features like a 42° FOV, 0.25m to Infinity focus range, and a diopter adjustment between -5 and +5 diopters. The infrared illuminator captures light and objects not on the visible spectrum, while the Gen 2+ “White Phosphor Level 1” image intensifier tube offers bright imaging at night. Enjoy the highest resolution and cleanest field of view of AGM goggles, and a convenient flip-up turn-off function that saves battery when not in use. 

ATN Night vision Goggle gen 2+ 55-57lp/mm - Green Phosphor

For high-quality night vision packed full of additional features for ease of use and eye protection, choose ATN. This unit uses a Gen 2+ green phosphor image intensive tube and a 50-57lp/mm resolution to offer high-quality images in low or no-light environments. It has a slightly smaller FOV than other models in this list at 40°, but makes up for it with an extensive 50-hour battery life and automatic shut off, including a bright light cut off to protect your eyesight. 

AGM PVS-14 NL2 Night Vision Monocular with Gen 2+ Level 2 P43-Green Phosphor IIT

The AGM PVS-14 is a lightweight, combat-proven night vision goggle that conforms to 810G military standards, making it ideal for use in the most challenging environments. Use it as a handheld device or attach it to your helmet for hands-free operation thanks to the included head mount assembly and adapter. Benefit from manual grain control, a built-in infrared illuminator, an automatic bright light shut-off feature, and the power of the Gen 2+ “Level 2” image intensive tube. It also has a wider diopter adjustment range of -6 to +4DPT, covering a wider range of vision correction needs.