My Friend Makes a Night Vision Goggle I Can Feel Good Selling

Currently there is a spot in the Adams Industries lineup that we have yet to fill with an AI product.  There is a large market for articulating goggles, and while there are a few standouts in the market, most of the offerings out there are not impressive.  This is partially due to the “race to the bottom” mentality that permeates our industry.  Why spend real money on a quality night vision goggle when you can buy a PVS-31 knockoff from China that costs half as much and will probably never break from the airsoft lifestyle it’s headed for?  More depressing are the heavy aluminum monstrosities that people insist on making that remind me of the hunchback of Notre Dame.  

So what to do?  I could just sit here and make snarky comments.  I can’t tell you how much fun it is.  Kind of makes me appreciate why people make such ridiculous comments about my products.  The “drop the mic” high is a real thing.  Thing is, that doesn’t make me any money, and it doesn’t allow me to contribute to the success of one of the few product designs that I really like and can feel good about selling you.  So let’s talk about the LLUL-21 Night Vision Goggle by Low Light Innovations.

I’ll start with the design elements.  The LLUL-21 is currently the lightest unit on the market with standard PVS-14 optics at 16.2 ounces.  By way of comparison, the PVS-31 is 15.9 ounces; comes with non-standard optics that must be sourced from L3; and has no diopter adjustment capability.  The LLUL-21 manages this while including beneficial characteristics such as individual flip-up-off pods,  interpupillary distance stops, and a remote power battery pack that is included with the goggle.  Let’s talk about this for a moment in particular.  The remote-only power was a choice, and not everybody is going to love it.  If you need a battery between your eyes, then this is not for you, and that is okay.  Personal preference is just that: personal.

Now, let’s talk about construction.  We already know somebody out there is going to thrust the flag of whatever company he’s a sycophant for into the ground like a Conquistador and exclaim, “This product is 3D printed!”  Wipe your chin, sir.  So yeah, technically it’s 3D printed because nobody in the additive manufacturing industry has been able to educate people successfully about the difference between Material Extrusion 3D Printing and Powder Bed Fusion. 

Powder Bed Fusion, as the name implies, fuses the material solid. I’m partial to Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) and I can tell you that the times I’ve tested our SLS products to failure (intentionally or unintentionally), they have come apart as a solid piece breaking into irregular pieces, NOT as layers coming apart.  Claudius prefers Multi Jet Fusion (MJF) which is a similar process that includes a binder (aka glue) and also results in a solid part.  If your internet-educated buddy disagrees then have him buy a housing and beat it with a hammer until it breaks.  When it does not come apart in layers like a 3D print, point and laugh.  One known issue with MJF is that finite details such as threads to screw things into don’t come out very well.  LLI sidesteps this issue by printing the google without threads, and then cutting them in afterwards.  

The LLUL-21 comes in black, Flat Dark Earth (FDE), ranger green, and GRAY.  Personally I dig the GRAY.

Have your LLUL-21 built up with tubes you already have, ELBIT, L3, or any of several export friendly tube options and you are off and running.  We are happy to do this process for you or provide needed components.

Finally there is the price.  The LLUL-21 housing can be yours for the price of $1,295.  So for WAY less than a real PVS-31, and just about the same price as the ones from China, you can get a goggle housing with higher quality without supporting neo-colonialism and modern-day imperialism. Just something to think about.

SPECIFICATIONS:

• POWER SOURCE: External Power (4 AA)
• FOCUS RANGE: 9.8” TO INFINITY
• OPERATION TIME: APPROXIMATELY 90 HOURS
• MAGNIFICATION: (1X) ONE POWER
• FIELD OF VIEW: 40 DEGREES
• INTERPUPILLARY ADJUSTMENT: 51 TO 73MM
• DIOPTER ADJUSTMENT: -6 TO +2
• EYE RELIEF: 25MM
• WEIGHT: 460g
• WATER RESISTANCE: SUBMERSIBLE TO 66 FT
• INTENSIFIER TUBES: COMPATIBLE WITH MX-10160 OPTICS: COMPATIBLE WITH PVS-14 EYEPIECE AND OBJECTIVE

Note:  Special Thanks to Stephen at Cold Harbour Supply for giving me permission to use their pictures of the LLUL-21.