5 Reasons to Consider a PVS-14

The workhorse night vision device currently fielded by US forces is the AN/PVS-14 (Army/Navy Portable Visual Search) monocular. Utilizing military grade Generation 3 technology, this compact device has proven extremely effective in combat. It is also hugely popular on the commercial market. The AN/PVS-14 is only 4.5 inches long and weighing in at just 13.8 ounces there's a lot of performance stuffed into this small package. Examining one of these devices you first notice a soft rubber eyecup and an adjustable ocular. To the front of the ocular is the power control switch. This turns the unit ON and OFF and also controls the built in IR illuminator. At the front of the housing is a manual gain control knob for adjusting the image tube brightness. Brightness gain is adjustable from 25 to over 3,000 fl/fl.

Battery life is approximately 50 hours at room temperature. The objective lens is an F/1.2 approximately 24mm in diameter which is adjustable for focus. Magnification is 1x. Field of view is 40 degrees and focus range is from 25 cm to Infinity. Resolution is typically 64 lp. All in all it's very simple and straightforward to operate.

Power the AN/PVS-14 up and night suddenly gives way to day. Performance is, to say the least, impressive. The image is very flat and clean from edge to edge. Resolution is very good too. Is it perfect? No its not, but even so the PVS-14 has proven very popular and highly effective. If you are looking at getting into night vision, this is the place to start. Why is the PVS-14 the entry way into night vision for so many people?

Cost

The reason most people consider buying a PVS-14 is simply the cost of entry compared to the level of performance. The PVS-14 provides a lot of performance for the money. It is substantially less expensive than a set of duals. Due to the large number produced over decades for both the U.S. military and commercial use, spare parts and accessories are also widely available and economical. Used units are readily available on the aftermarket and many good deals on lightly used units crop up. It is very common for someone to buy night vision, use it a few times and then it lives in their gun safe until they decide to sell it. So, deals on lightly used units abound.

Mono Advantage

Many people today look at a monocular PVS-14 today as being a disadvantage compared to a much more expensive set of binocular night vision. While binos have certain advantages for certain situations, these do not necessarily outweigh the advantages of a monocular. With a monocular your off-eye stays acclimated to the ambient light. During many times of the month and in many situations there is sufficient light available for this to be useful when navigating across terrain. With a PVS-14 you can buy one and use it stand-alone and if you desire you can buy a second down the road. Having two PVS-14s will allow you to run them together as binos for certain situations. If you have a friend without night vision you can easily separate them, unlike dedicated duals, providing both of you with night vision.

Today many predator hunters prefer to have a PVS-14 night vision monocular for navigating across terrain using one eye. When they stop they can scan using either a helmet mounted or a handheld thermal imaging device with their other eye. This gives them the best of both worlds. Typically shots are taken with a thermal rifle scope. So, a monocular in my opinion is not necessarily a disadvantage.

Accessories

Due to its U.S. military heritage and popularity on the commercial market there are a host of accessories for the PVS-14 allowing you to maximize its potential. There are a number of weapon mounts to allow you to mount one directly onto a 5.56mm AR-15. There are 3x and 5x lenses available which provide magnification which can be useful for observation and scanning. There are a variety of bridge mounts allowing you to mount two PVS-14s together to act as binos. There is the military compass to aid navigation. Inexpensive military surplus helmet mounts like the Norotos Rhino II, which can be converted from the military J-arm design to accept a dovetail J-arm. There are sacrificial lenses and demist shields, all manner of lanyards and even camouflage covers. Not to be overlooked are adjustable aperture iris diaphragms which allow you to quickly change your focus from far to near and back.

Repair

While no one wants to think about spending a goodly amount of money on a night vision device only to have it in need of repair at some point, it is something to consider. With the PVS-14 not only are spare parts readily available and plentiful, but so are technicians qualified to work on them. Finding someone to diagnose and repair a broken PVS-14 is not hard. Plus, information and videos are readily available, and the design is straight-forward enough many owners can undertake simple mods and trouble shooting.

Versatility

In the end I simply prefer the versatility of the PVS-14. You can stuff one in your pocket and use it discreetly handheld. While no longer fashionable, you can weapon mount one on a 5.56mm AR and use it behind an EOTech or red dot passively or with an IR laser. You can wear it using a soft head mount or mounted to a helmet. Add a 3x lens to get a closer look at something. Or bridge two of them and run duals. Is the PVS-14 growing old, yes, I bought my first one 20 years ago. Even so it remains the standard by which other night vision observation devices are judged.

If you have any thoughts or comments on this article, we’d love to hear them. Email us at FirearmsNews@Outdoorsg.com.

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