Armasight Spark Multi-purpose night vision monocular CORE Technology Ceramic

Good Product

I am a reservist rifleman in Singapore and in need of a personal NVG device for on the field usage. Pretty much our country can only use Gen 1 tech equipment. Researched about the different NVG types and finally contact Felix regarding the export issues. Took me quite a while to finally figure it out that the Armasight Spark Core is the best choice I can get. Quality of the image and even without the IR on, the NVG can still make out a few silhouette in near complete darkness. Compared to the Gen 2s that are issued to specialists/officers during service, it is still able to fight on it's own in urban light or half moon conditions as a Gen 1+ type. An IR illuminator would required for long distance or complete darkness.

Thx, NVGuys

This is in addition to my favorable review of the actual product... Just want to give a big shout out and thanks to NVGuys for their customer service and understanding regarding my order. I will do business with them in the future and would recommend them.

Awesome!

This is my second Gen 1 NV unit. This units optics is by far better. After studying the different NV units in my budget range that could be used hand held, weapon mounted, and head mounted this came in as the best. The IR unit built in is ok but definitely get the add on light. Quality built unit.

Wow

Count me among those who are very impressed with the Spark. It needs additional IR illumination for effective outdoor use but it is Gen 1 after all. If you're on the fence, I'd say get it and plan on adding a quality IR flashlight. The image clarity is pretty stunning to be honest. I've got the unit helmet mounted and a Pulsar X850 on the side of the helmet... very effective and usable setup. Bravo to Armasight and thanks to Night Vision Guys. I paid $xxxx shipped.

Armasight Spark

This a great unit for the guy on a budget. I have hunted a couple times with this NV and I'm very happy with its performance you will defiantly need to purchase a good IR light to go with it, I purchased a 850nm IR light and it really brought this unit alive I could see clearly out to 100 yards with a zero magnification red dot sight.

Just bought my first night vision

Just bought my first night vision Monoculars Armasight spark core at night vision guys from Steven after researching every pair on the market in my budget for 4 day's. I knew exactly what I wanted and what I could afford. I told Steven what I would be using them for and nothing else. Not only did he recommend the exact pair I chosen myself, after doing four day's of research. He didn't try to make me buy something more expensive I didn't need "overkill", but gave me the best price on the internet, and filled me in on a few things I didn't know, and to top it off I got the package in less the 3 day's, and after using them that night, I was impressed. The guys over at night vision guys didn't try and jerk around not once, now that is hard to find these day's. Everyone is usually out for the bottom dollar, it's nice to know there's a few companies out there that still care about the customer, and that's how you stay in business. Highly recommended by me and personally you'd be an idiot to go anywhere else. Thank You Steven , your new lifetime customer.

Great product!

First, I'm admittedly a night vision noob. I do as many overnight BFE multi-day camping trips as possible so my use is mainly night hiking, exploring, critter spotting and now some IR spot shooting. I went the sporting store night vision route first with a night chicken digital 3x. Mainly because I liked not worrying about blowing a tube out by exposing it to bright lights, ie flashlight/headlamp ND. Light gathering obviously sucked and so did refresh rate. Returned it for same brand gen1 5x tube since that was all they had. I was really impressed especially compared to the digi. The 5x is okay as a handheld spotter but you cant walk with it or be head/helmet mounted and it's really too large for backpacking. My search began and after countless videos, reading dozens of reviews, forum posts, etc. I kept coming back to the Spark Core.The specs looked good, the price was fair, the reviews leaned more towards good than bad. I called Armasight and spoke with George who answered all of my annoying questions like a pro. He told me for my needs the Spark Core Monocular would be perfect. He gave me Steven B's number at NVG who answered right away. He said they'd ship it right away and I'd get it within a couple of days (now bear in mind I called them a week before X-Mas). It shipped when promised and arrived as said. Awesome. So today is my first time testing it (at home, not in the desert or woods, that'll come later) and at first I was pissed that I received a bad unit since it had some shading in the corner. Noob lesson #1: move the lens cap away from the IR. With that sorted I was blown away by the difference between the night chicken and the Spark. I used them side by side in multiple conditions (full dark, partial, etc.) and the Spark is clearly many, many steps above. If that nightchicken 5x is what people think of when they hear "gen 1" then they need to erase that image when it comes to the Spark Core. For my current needs this price point was a little higher than what I wanted to spend but boy am I glad I bought this. The Spark looks great too and feels solid compared to the other which seems more toy-like. Night Vision Guys had the best videos on You Tube, the best prices and great customer service. Thanks Steven!

Excelente producto

Tenia temor al comprar le producto que fuese como mi primer NV, pero con gran satisfacción pude ver la excelente calidad del NV, su resolución supera por mucho a mi antiguo NV Gen 1. Lo recomiendo 100%. En especial para uso deportivo, como el Airsoft. Muy buena atención y rápida respuesta por parte de Steven...Gracias

spark gen core

Thanks Steve for the great service. Always willing to answer any questions I have. Core is pretty impressive . I will definitely be buying more nv products from you. My friends are impressed also and will be calling you soon. Thanks and will talk to you soon.

Excellent Product

After doing a lot of research on my own because I wanted a weapon mounted device but if your going to be moving around that extra 3lbs. for a regular NV scope would get a little heavy. I finally called customer service and spoke with Steven B and he was more than helpful and recommended the Spark with the Quick Release Picatinny Weapon Mount (ANAM000004). I thought well it's lightweight, weapon mountable, helmet mountable or hand held. It has been 4 months since my purchase and I am very happy. Here in Texas where I live it's pretty flat with a lot of scrub, and on a moonlit night it's clear up to about a 150 yds. with the IR810 Illuminator. That will come in handy for coyotes, hogs and javelinas around the chicken pen at night. My only complaint was the Quick Release Weapon Mount was not designed to clear the rear iron sight on an AR-15 platform. I solved the problem by putting a riser to clear the rear sight and using a Primary Arms red dot with a high mount I get almost a absolute sight picture. I'm in the process of putting Rhino mounts on my Kevlar to see how that works out. Once again I want thank Steven for his help in deciding on the Spark. For the price it was exactly what I was looking for. My wife just retired from 21 yrs. in the U.S. Army and she says the Spark works as well or better than anything she was issued.

For the price if you want versatile quality gear buy it.

I am an Iraq war vet I rolled with pvs14s strapped to my melon every night. These aren't there counterparts when it comes to long time wear on missions. These however are very close, I was impressed with the image clarity and the construction of the body gives its military brethren a run for the money. We were hard on our gear and we never had a set of 14s go down or get busted it was usually the mounts. I highly recommend this along with the head gear. Also if your a shooter it co sights perfectly with most standard height tactical scopes and NV red dots with the mount.Very versatile and tough The Ir is fine for the intentions of the goggle but with zoom optics go with an ir light.

For the price if you want versatile quality gear buy it.

I am an Iraq war vet I rolled with pvs14s strapped to my melon every night. These aren't there counterparts when it comes to long time wear on missions. These however are very close, I was impressed with the image clarity and the construction of the body gives its military brethren a run for the money. We were hard on our gear and we never had a set of 14s go down or get busted it was usually the mounts. I highly recommend this along with the head gear. Also if your a shooter it co sights perfectly with most standard height tactical scopes and NV red dots with the mount.Very versatile and tough The Ir is fine for the intentions of the goggle but with zoom optics go with an ir light.

Nice Gen 1

This is my first Gen1 NV unit. I could see right away that it was made very well. brackets built in for head sets and external IR Placement. After some time with it, I got it to focus pretty well and could see clear to (50-75yards) with ambient street light. I however noticed a fish eye effect with the spark that was a little bothersome and seemed to cause a fatigue to my vision. The internal Ir doesn't seem to be effective very far past 5 feet or so.... I highly recommend an external 810w adjustable IR...for this unit. Overall I feel this is a well made unit that offers first time users of NV a good base point to start with. After consulting with Steven B in customer service, he offered me a good deal to trade in my Spark and upgrade to a Gen2+ unit.

Night Vision Guys is a great retailer and Spark is a great product

Steven B. was beyond helpful, responding quickly to my emails and spending time on the phone. His assistance was crucial in my decision to buy from NVG and the Spark. The Spark is the best Gen 1 product I've experienced. With the IR810 Illuminator the Spark pushes out to 50-60 yeards. Overall, I would recommed NVG and the Spark for first time buyers. Ask for Steve B. if you need help. And I got a price slightly below their asking price.

SPARK is great.

The NV scope performs well under 2nd through full moon phase illumination. Here in south Florida the brush is quite dense, the IR illuminator provides excellent small/medium animal identification out to about 30 meters. During a recent visit to central Colorado I was able to identify cows and horses to a distance of 800 meters (measured by laser range finder) under less than 1/2 moon phase. We compared the Spark to two other NV units and all agreed that the resolution was superior, edge distortion was minimal, and overall the SPARK is easy to operate and very rugged. In summary this unit far exceeded my requirements for detection and identification distances, reliability, and ease of operation. For the price, all who used this NV monocular graded it superior to other Gen 1 NV scopes.

Spark monoc

Enjoying my "Spark"... Great performance...And to Steve B. You were so informative and helpful...Possibly the best customer service in the industry. -Bravo

Armasight Spark night vision monocular and Quick Release Picatinny Weapon Mount

Tthis is my opinion of the Armasight Spark night vision monocular and Quick Release Picatinny Weapon Mount (ANAM000004) . First off I'll start with the case. It's a really nice Condor tactical molle pouch in coyote tan. After seeing the case I already know this is going to be a quality product. The initial inspection of the night vision unit is impressive. The housing is made of a durable composite. The visual quality of the intensifier tube is on par with second gen units, very clear especially around the edges. The controls are very easy to use, they stand out from the unit so manipulation of the knob is no problem when looking through the device in the dark hand held or weapon mounted. The Spark has a diopter and focus adjustment so It's very adjustable for an individual's eyes. The built in IR illuminator is very affective it will light up a fairly large area. The picatinny mount worked perfectly and clamps securely to the rail . Mounted behind my EoTech alignment is spot on. Customer Service at Armasight is the best. Steven Budovlya, (Customer Service Manager), took his time to answer all my questions. He is very knowledgeable about the products. I would absolutely recommend Armasight's products due to quality and great customer service.

Great Product

I did a lot of research for a night vision product. I only wanted to spend a couple hundred dollars on one. the ones that are less expensive dont have very good ratings and apparently have that fisheye look. meaning an area of not good clarity surrounding a smaller hole of good clarity. this is very clear all the way around. the next step up from this price range is going to add another grand to your total. dont need to do that if you are looking for something to use around the house or out on a couple acres of land. the infra red boost doesnt do a whole lot extra, you can see it come on and it will help a little for 25 feet out. You dont really need it if you have any type of light. great results. you cant imagine how many stars you cant see with the naked eye. point this up to the stars on a clear night. Awesome. Looking forward to some accessories for this. well worth the price.

Excellent resolution, useless without ir spot

First off, let me say that this unit is the best Gen-1 device I've ever worked with or studied. It has performed almost exactly as I expected, and I like this little unit. That being said: PROS: This is the first gen-1 device I've seen that uses a ceramic core instead of glass, making it much more durable and with higher resolution than all the rest. It still uses a gen-1 grade light transferal system, so the light amplification is no better than your average gen-1+ unit. It does, however, greatly increase the quality and usefulness of the device when used in conjunction with an InfraRed illuminator. It also makes it weapons mountable. When used with an Eagletac T20C with 2nd gen. 3.4w IR module, I can just barely identify coyotes vs sheep at about 150 meters. When placed behind an Aimpoint CompM3, I have a hard time identifying anything out past about 80 meters. That being said, my alignment isn't quite perfect, so that may contribute some light loss. Overall construction quality seems excellent. CONS: This is still a Gen-1 device, and it really pales in comparison to a Gen-3 unit. The on-board illuminator is only good out to about 5~7 meters -- making it just enough to walk through your average house and have plenty of light. It actually works quite well for that, but if you take it outside you'll need supplemental illumination. Also, this is NOT able to handle the 3.7v li-ion 16340 cells, although one of Armasight's tech reps says they hope to have an improved model capable of withstanding a wider range of battery types out within a year (written 06-21-13). According to the manual, expected battery life on 1 CR123a cell is 40 hrs, or 20 hours if using the on-board illuminator. This is, of course, another incentive to have a supplemental IR device -- preferably one that uses 18650 Li-ion batteries, which you can get for free out of most dead laptop battery packs. The picatinny rail conversion unit (available from Armasight for around $130 via Amazon) is very well constructed, but it places the SPARK about 1/2 inch higher than both my Aimpoint, and a cheap scope on medium height rings. Still usable, but it's an odd bird. There are a handful of other quick-detach mounts designed for the PVS-14 that may work, but I haven't tried any of them yet. There is a bit more fish-eye effect with the Spark than a PVS7/14, but it's no worse (and maybe a bit better) than other gen-1 devices I've tested. It's only distracting at first, but I think I would get a headache after several hours of continuous use.

very nice IR monocular

I was flat out impressed with this NV moncular. I have spent many hours on guard duty at night in a gun tower wearing my issue NODS and this little unit is not far off from them and this is an affordable gen1 NV system. I feel that this unit out performs its pricee point and its Gen1 status. To say Gen1+ is safe and a bit of an understatment. Serious bang for your buck period.

Best of the Best Gen 1

This is the best Gen1 available. The image quality is very sharp. I checked dozens of reviews before I purchased this unit and everyone agrees with the quality. Make sure you purchase the IR810 Illuminator. I have tested it and scanned a field well over 100yards. Very rugged build and very versatile with all the accessories such as 3x Zoom lens, helmet and head mount options. If you are buying a Gen1 product this unit is worth the price otherwise you will end up with a low resolution device. To get a better night vision device you would have to spend double the money.

Absolute steal of a deal

This isn't my first go round with NV devices, but I would have to say it's one of the best, if not the best "gen 1"(and I use that term loosely)devices in it's price range. I've paid more for units that were not half as good. I to used the PVS7s in the service, and definitely see the comparison. It performs like the Gen 2s, and lower end Gen 3s in my opinion! I couple it with a BSA illuminated multi reticule scope and Armasight IR Illuminator(works superbly from 20-100+ yds) making one heck of a night vision scope for a fraction of the cost! I would definitely recommend this to anyone looking to purchase a NV device!

High Quality Monocular

This is the first NVD I have personally bought and I'm very happy with it. The image quality reminds me of the PVS7's I used in the Marine Corps. I played around with some Gen 1 units that some people I know have and there is a big difference between them and the Spark. This isn't a Gen 1 unit in image quality. More like a Gen 2 unit. I was just outside using it and looking into a grove of trees I was able to make out the individual branches in the foreground. I was able to see pretty deep into the grove without using the IR. Looking into it unaided it was just a black wall of branches. In my opinion this unit is the way to go if you want a high quality unit but don't have a lot to spend. You will be very happy with it.