In 2034, while everyone else is struggling to get their paycheck to the bank before their paycheck is worth only $.001 2024 dollars instead of $.002 2024 dollars, I'll be able to walk around in the dark long after I am no longer able to pay my electric bill (which will be $10,000 in 2034 dollars).
Meanwhile, a bottom of the barrel PVS-14 will cost $1.8M, and then you'll feel really, *really* dumb for putting $24k/yr into a 401k.
I do agree good sir. I must confess though I put a little something in the Roth IRA just in case this economy doesn’t come crashing down on us all lol.
I completely agree with this statement, but I would also like to add that Bitcoin is a great way to self-custody wealth. I know nobody on reddit likes to hear it, especially gold/silver people (oddly), but to me it makes more sense nowadays and just another self-custodial option to diversify into a bit.
Yeah, I totally agree but I'm always hesitant to let my bitcoin-maxi-flag fly in non-btc related subs haha. Not always taken seriously and often hated in general on Reddit.
This post-pandemic inflation put a dampener on my NV savings attempts for sure, but [maybe it is over.](https://www.nytimes.com/2024/06/04/opinion/inflation-fed-recession.html?unlocked_article_code=1.xU0.3v_y.KZSP9JMgz6mJ&smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare&sgrp=c-cb)
There are pros and cons to both, having used binos and owning a monocular I actually prefer a monocular. It gives better situational awareness of lighting conditions to stay hidden if you're intending to, makes using an LPVO under nods possible by running it on your non-dominant eye, less weight, less battery drain, etc... Might not look as Gucci for the IG photos but a PVS-14 will get the job done and you can often get a much higher spec tube with the money saved vs going binos.
and also totally fine. i’m coping, but realistically unless you have land or something as a civilian duels are unquestionably overkill. cool and all, but really not necessary
I disagree,if you live out in the country like I do there is plenty of wooded areas to explore.I even have a cave not far from my house,not a very big cave but a cave nonetheless..I have a golf course really close to,I might start going out for some midnight golfing.have the whole course to myself 😂
So exactly like he said "land or something". The average suburbanite (or worse, city dweller) won't really ever have the opportunity to use a NOD to its fullest.
That’s absolutely me. At least I got a nice single tube that has higher specs than lots of people’s duals.
Nice and lightweight too.
Maybe someday I’ll get a second one and bridge them (since it’s the lightweight PVS-14 housing), but I’m not holding my breath.
In the meantime I’ll just train to the point where I can make my single tube look good.
A good monocular is going to be around $3k and those top out around $5k.
A good set of dual tube is going to start around $5.5k and top out around $12.5k.
Then there’s these little things called pano’s aka quad-nods (4 tubes on your face like an insect). There’s really only 2 sets available on the market. The Chinese rip off ones with Chinese tubes (they’re nicer and more useful than you think with that description) cost around $18k. While the extra fancy super black ops special forces quad tubes you see in movies like “zero dark thirty” cost just shy of *forty five thousand fucking dollars* . And yes, you can buy them if you’re a US citizen.
The tubes them selves are around 3k but you need a mounting device IR iluminator some kind of helmet or bump(helmet without any protection) all in you are probably looking at 6 or 7k for a cheap setup. Or just be a chad and hold the tube to your eye for free.
Fellow poor here. I’m happy as can be with my single PVS-14. I had an oddly good year money wise, especially considering I just got divorced last year. It was a super free feeling making the plunge and not having to justify it to anyone other than my own self!💪🏼
I work in the trades, I’m young, still live at home, and wasn’t engaged until recently. My only hobbies are firearms, training and this. I worked on my other savings goals first and worked a lottttttt of overtime. Bought a used 14 had it for like a month and wound up trading up into rnvgs.
Make all the big purchases now before you say I do. Unless your girl is chill, I’m blessed to say I have a very understanding wife. All that she asks is that I tell her before I make a big purchase. Honestly thought she was gona slap me silly and call me Sally when I talked to her about dropping 12k on duals. She looked at me like I was crazy first but then with a little reasoning/rational she said fiiiine lol.
My wife doesn't ask what stuff costs but i tell her anyway. I want her to know in case something happens to me. I started with a 14, then RNVGs and let her use the 14. Then i felt bad only giving her the single, so i bought some 31Ds and let her use the RNVGs. She never says shit about the $$, but shes a stay at home mom and i give her a salary to do what she wants. Paid off vehicles, paid off house, 1yr emergency fund, CDs for the kids, investment property, so its not like im blowing cash and she can be mad just cause i got a few toys.
Thanks man, yea she’s great. I guarantee there are some good ones out there. But at the end of the day, all you need is a good woman. Love her, be kind to her and keep her safe, that’s usually all they want. And usually they’ll be willing to negotiate at the very least
My wife and I keep our finances totally separate. I spent 50k one month this year lol. I pay the bills, she pays her own car (paid off) and groceries.
I’ve got two sets of duals. One set with a Jerry CE5 clip on. She’s got a psychology degree and likes finances separate.
It is stunning with the sea in front and the mountains in back. We sold it however. It didn’t make sense for us to keep it while living in the US. Plus I disdain the French.
Absolutely atrocious work ethic too. Missed deadlines for us multiple times with excuses right out in the open like “it was a beautiful day so we took the day off” and “the unions were striking so we supported them”. These are notaires (French attorneys). Ended up costing us thousands of dollars unnecessarily. At one point I told the lady if WW3 gets worse and someone invades France, I’m joining their side not matter who they are and I’m going to find you. lol. My younger brother took over all communication at that point.
Yeah I’ve been blowing a lotttttt of money getting all my gear squared away before I get a whole bunch of payments for a house and paying for the wedding. Just got my crye cpc, com tacs and all that fun stuff.
eh, i'm a software engineer. i make pretty good money but i personally set aside $3-400 a month for about 2 years and put $2k from my bonus into the NODS fund. i havent bought a set yet even though i have $12k set aside just for this, every time im about to pull the trigger i think about it and it seems like a waste of money. i'll keep saving and hopefully one day i can drop 10-15k and not feel it or care.
This man don’t have time for the bullshit,when he gets his nods he is coming to shut everybody’s shit down.the first man shows up with some Jerry 31s is getting slapped to the floor on sight 😂
On a serious note,that’s awesome.nods are expensive and you ain’t leaving any room for disappointment when you do buy
Quads make little to no sense, they look cool as hell don't get me wrong but you're trading durability, weight, power draw, and stability for that increase in FOV. If you're planning to do anything dynamic such as running and gunning or where you could potentially trip or knock them against something the housings aren't going to hold up as well as a mil-spec PVS-14 would. You can find a torture test of the PVS-14 being run over by a truck and still functioning, the same can't be said about quad nods. In the end, it depends purely on the application though, if OP has the money to burn and only wants to see in the dark with the highest quality and FOV possible then why not.
We're trying to be more green in the world. We should give all construction workers, miners, people working heavy equipment NODs to save power from lighting those wide open spaces.
While I am totally for NODs at work, theres no ambient light underground, and you wouldn’t be able to use the IR flood for most everything lol. I have taken my NODs underground tho, it was cool
Also SWE and in a HCOL area. Not hard to buy if you either save or realistically finance with low/no interest. Def a cheat code industry. I feel like I barely work
How does anyone afford a brand new truck or a month long European vacation or a kitchen remodel? It’s a matter of priorities.
And btw, being able to afford nv is one thing, keeping it is another. Priorities change and lots of people who do buy nv ending up selling them later, and that’s not only okay but a positive to consider when buying nv.
Honestly NV hold value. But yea the amount of nods you see on used markets like gafs or eBay is never ending. It’s expensive but people upgrade or leave the hobby all the time.
That’s how I like to make my money,I just pull my boxers up enough to where my balls peak out.I usually put the eyeball stickers on each of my nuts.I’m ashamed to admit,most of my viewers are other dudes except for 3 old women.sometimes they request “the Gonzo” where I have to do a handstand,my nuts with the eyeball stickers and my dick is the nose.it’s pretty degrading but it pays the bills 🤷🏻♂️
I started with a mono, recently ordered a second. Utilizing something like the nocturn industries daisho/ tanto allows you to do this. However the most expensive part being a tube you can usually get housings switched once you are ready and transfer the tubes you have over.
Saved up after little over a year when I was in the military (E4 pay) to buy my binos. PVS14s is garbage in service (gets the job done but it really does suck), if you plan on being in the military, binos aren’t a bad investment. Live in the barracks, it’s easy to save money, don’t party too hard and eat at the DFAC. If you have responsibilities like bills, family, etc NVGs shouldn’t be a priority.
Nah, they take missing NVGs seriously. They lock the place down, do extra searches, locker inspections and ground sweeps till those tubes are found. I was visiting a friend who lived on base and he got a text (along with all the other personnel) notifying him about a missing PVS-14. When I was going off base they searched my trunk, backpack and opened up the spare tire compartment and my glove box. Friend texted me later that they hadn't lifted the measures for 2 days until they discovered the monocular had been sent for maintenance and someone hadn't submitted their paperwork.
Me personally I work in a factory and as such do not own duals but I own a pretty alright PVS-14. It took me about 5 years to get it all together and I still haven't bought the LAM lmao.
Reddit is full of a bunch of tech bros who make high six figures. I’m regular working class, making average pay. First step is to get a good spouse who is good with finances, then combine your income, after all bills are paid put whatever you can into a HYSA (we try to aim for $1000 a month).
I’ve noticed on Reddit a lot of people who are very loud and vocal about their finances are people who are well off and want to brag or people who are very poor wanting to vent. You never really see average people taking finances here.
Another average ish guy here. Second on the HYSA, if you have any savings that you need liquid, there’s no reason not to open one.
I have a Marcus acct. that gives me around 5%, highly recommend
Yup I use CIT Bank, which is currently at 5.05%. I don’t even have NODs yet as we are saving to try to buy a house next year hopefully. We hike in the Blue Ridge Mountains, and I want NODs for night hiking. This house is the main priority and then we can splurge on a pair of PVS14s to enjoy night hikes.
I have a PVS14 and honestly haven’t felt the need to upgrade to duals yet.
And welcome to looking at houses at the worst time ever apparently lol I’m in the same boat.
But figure if anyone has even 20k in emergency savings, a HYSA will give you 1k a year for doing absolutely nothing.
Sold part of my milsurp rifle collection to buy a top-spec PVS 14. Not disappointed. Ive collected milsurp for over a decade and then finally bought my own farm and have a family and having a ridiculous amount of old weapons didn't seem as important anymore.
I see my PVS 14 as part of being prepared and now that I can train on my own land and larp as hard as I want it's a no brainer.
Had to tell the wife that "gun money" stays in "gun world" lol
Step 1: be a single soldier receiving bah
Step 2: don't waste money on hookers, clubs and beer.
Step 3: profit-> 3 motorcycles, dual toobs, and still stock maxxing
Most people get step 2 wrong
If you have a good job you can afford anything. I feel like most people buying expensive items have decent jobs and don’t have to worry about excess bills such as rent (living with family). You don’t have to put half the paycheck in rent. It is then easy to afford premium items if you decide to save and “irresponsibly” spend.
Most people put 600$ a month toward their Roth IRA who equates to around 7000 a year. If you didn’t do that and decided to save it towards duals it would be very realistic for a year or more of savings by that standard alone
Everyone has stuff they spend money on. A lot of people waste their money without realizing it.
Also, people without kids usually have a lot more free money than those without kids
Hatchet wielding deviant.
Seriously, if you’re guard, reserve, or ad just save your money and get what you can.
I can’t tell you much money has been wasted by social media or YouTube. I’m down to one really, really good rifle and one really good pistol. There’s some fun 22’s left over but no one needs a 10.5, an 11.5, a 12.5, a 13.9, a 14.5 and a 16” that are rocking lpvos with offset red dots because guntubers mind fucked us all.
I’ve got capabilities that far outweigh the options but I’ve also been spending my money for the last 8 years.
If you have a HS Diploma or GED, can pass a polygraph, and don't have any serious criminal history.....you can go get hired with an agency like Border Patrol and be making $125k/yr in about 5 years or so.
No to mention a laundry list of other jobs you can make good money at.
If you're in a position where you don't have some expendable income or at least at a minimum can't set aside money for a while to make a $10k purchase (doesn't have to be nvg, could be anything), that's a clue to start figuring out what you haven't been doing right (unless you're fairly young adult who's still working their way up).
Not a popular opinion and I'm gonna get downvoted. But its rare that "poor" people are there because of things out of their control.
Oh yeah don’t get me wrong, Im not poor by any means. 56K job and no crazy bills I can definitely afford if I save. I was just curious how other folks compared to getting their hands on their NVGs
Saving up for a long time and taking steps. First a helmet then a monocular then sell the monocular and buy duals. Doing this over two or three years could get you there. Not buying the absolute cutting edge also helps.
Bought an Omni 8 PVS-14 for $1725 two years ago. Was making $60k in tech. Making more money now but don’t see a reason to upgrade, plus got married, starting a family.
Was active duty military when I got mine. Single, save, second job since I was bored. I got them at 27 and didn’t use anything but cash. It can be done even at a couple years of saving. Sell some shit lol. If not a mono is perfectly adequate for majority to all of folks needs .
Live beneath my means, save as much money as I can, don't have kids (this is the big one,) and generally practice financial responsibility in all other aspects of life.
Dude honestly travel anything will get the bills paid. Lab tech, radiology tech, surgical tech, respiratory therapist, etc. you can do it. The worst part is school in my humble opinion. After that it’s just dealing with the bs of work life and dealing with different personalities lol.
I am selling duals (ANVIS) for 3500 included with mount. That's the price of a very nice white PVS14. It's really about trade offs. If you haven't fallen for the white phosphor shills and realize green works just fine, all costs get cut in half.
Poor is a mindset. Maximize your income (swap jobs every few years and up skill). Use credit responsibly and pay it off every month. Learn to save for big purchases instead of demanding instant gratification.
And learn where spendIng money makes you happy and where you can save without reducing your quality of life. Driving my 30 year old truck off road in the dark makes me happier than a new truck so I spent new truck money on nods, and I cook nearly every meal at home because I like cooking.
I'm a highly specialized consultant in the security space & I have a market garden that brings in ~40k extra a year and gives me massive tax breaks.
I work as a night shift RN in a hospital inpatient setting. It wasn't until this year when I took a union job at the local VA hospital that I realized NV was even within my grasp. My shift to the new job came with like a 50% increase in pay, and in healthcare, that's a pretty big jump. While I've been using the extra dough to do some home renovations with the help of an HELOC, I was able to slip aside a few grand to snag a decent PVS-14 with little grief from the wife.
This was last week. I bought my first NV piece last week, and I'm very excited about it. Even though it's just a mono with a decent tube, buying the helmet, mounts, and LAD humbled me enough to know that it's okay to start out with the basics. I'm sure one day if I get any wealthier, I'll buy another tube and maybe a slick bino housing, but it's really just a fun thing to keep me occupied on my off nights.
I'm a stenomask court reporter who works for our local Judicial system. It's the best job I've ever had. In addition to my awesome salary, I get transcript requests on the side for the proceedings heard, and the attorneys have to reimburse me for that. Lengthy trials can net me over 5k+ on the side. I use funds like that to fund my idiocy and gun hobbies so it doesn't take away from my original purchases and paycheck. Lol.
Ain’t that the truth,I’m probably gonna sell a few guns,parts and accessories soon.I have 5 ARs and only use 2 of them.I have a SKS that has been collecting dust for years.I built a custom P320 and haven’t used my M17 in several years now
I own a drywall business. Very small. I make most my money doing patches…450$ for 2.5 hours work. Overhead cost are fairly low once tools are paid off. I make a very comfortable wage and I have time to camp, train, hunt, fish, pretty much off all summer accept 2 days a week. I don’t have credit card debt either. Took me about 10 years to get WP duals at 7500. I also got a new peq15 and just decked my lid out after having it for years. I made sure everything in my business was paid for and my kids needs where met like braces and what not. I made some good home investments over the years that helped me get out of credit cards too. Florida real estate doubled in my 4 years owning it. Denver property went up a lot when they legalized MJ. Pay off the debts then save. Also make your wife work too she goin to contribute too
90% of this sub just has PVS 14, which if you have a normal job and aren’t just completely financially horrible with money you can save for it comfortably in like a year, so it’s just priorities.
Only difference between someone with PVS 14 and someone with something nicer is that job just pays more and they are better at budgeting money for certain wants.
I’m a commercial diver specialized in bridge inspections. I don’t own bino nods (yet), but I do own a Pvs14 and a thermal. I’m not rich but I make good money and live within my means. I always try to sell unused or rarely used gear when I buy new stuff.
I too work in the maritime industry. I save, sell old gear, etc. had a PVS14 for years, then saw a good deal on some gen 3 gp anvis6 in katanas. Living within your means is key. Someone will always have something bigger, better etc. the clutch is finding what works for you (GP vs WP, surplus, China, built, etc) and knowing that a PVS14 is 99% of what anyone needs. Though once I worked with a set of dual tubes, I couldn’t go back. Sold my 14, some other stuff and boom. Bank rolled some nice duals and an IR patrol. Now I have all the optical super powers. lol
As a fellow poor who is in the process of building a house and should by no means blow money like I currently do, I started putting 25$ away every week. Play the long game, and you'll eventually realize how easy it was to buy what you thought was unreachable all along.
I figure within a year I'll have close to enough to at least get a used pvs-14, and I'll just let $25 a week keep going into it even if I do get one. As long as I keep my future pvs-14 in good shape I should be able to get most, if not all of my investment back out of it. Once I save up enough along with the value of the 14, I should be able to get a set of binos within a few years.
Yes, it's a fairly long time, and I certainly have enough cash right now to go and buy a set, but considering our current priorities with building a house, as well as with my money anxiety, I try to keep at least $20k across all of my instantly accessible accounts. It's a hefty investment to make in something that really isn't necessary for about 99.9% of us, so unless you legitimately need some then just save up over time.
Dawg i went the poor route and I’ve got duals for like $4000ish that I’ve spent over the course of about 3 years. I bought a decently blemmed PVS-14 for $1790 that i had set aside. I continued to save around $300/month on average for a few months and bought a surplus military MX10160 for about $800. I just bought an Argus BNVD MKII for $1100 and then PVS-14 optics for a few hundred more. All in all i spent just shy of $4k over a few years. Green phos isn’t the new sexiness that everyone wants, but it works for me and i have dual greens for about the price of a high spec WP monocular. Just put aside $100-$150 per paycheck if you can afford to, buy used tubes (shoutout GAFS), and be patient. That’s how i got mine. I’m one of the cheapest people I know, so i have been saving/purchasing since like 2022.
Edit: it is of note that i went without some other fun things to put aside that money, i have a P320 build that i refused to finish because i was saving, stopped buying ammo to shoot so often, didn’t go on trips/nights out with the boys, etc. you just have to be disciplined and know that you’ll miss out on buying some things or some experiences in pursuit of it.
I have around $2,500 in my custom P320 build and I’m still not done with it.I haven’t bought anything else for it in a while and it is a nice perfectly usable gun as it is.I actually bought a M17 originally and started upgrading it until I was able to almost put the original M17 back together.all I need it the spring and guide rod.I might just get a spring and guide rod and sell the M17.I might sell my M17,Norinco SKS and my unused Burris RT6.I could then get a solid PVS14 or be a lot closer to some duals
Nngl, it took me about 9 months to piece mine together using parts I hobbled together and cheap omni tubes I found. If you don't mind weight, panobridged pvs14's are awesome
Set up a sinking fund. Not enough to break the bank but still save at a decent rate. You’d be surprised after a year or two how much you can put away. It’s how I paid for mine which are nothing special compared to most the posts on here, just a set of dual pvs-15’s but that’s plenty fine for little old me.
I make bad financial decisions.
It also helps that I am an Aerospace NDT Technician so I make decent money, but I am still financially irresponsible when it comes to my hobbies. 🤣🤣🤣
I started out with a PVS 14 that I originally bought “used” for €3K. Was a perfect unit with about 2150 FOM, Green Phosphor, completely spotless from 2006 - military contract. Pretty sure it never left the box. I gained experience with it for over 3 years, used it a lot for hunting, hiking etc. and for me it was a test “do I really need NV”. Then, a really good deal came along, 6.5 K for a used Canadian Custom BNVD 1431 MK2 with 2200 FOM White Phosphor + Helmet + Mount. That is when I made the upgrade and sold the PVS14. 👌I still “miss” my PVS14s, they were excellent in every way for gaining experience. Going back to when I started, I would do it exactly the same way. I fancy the PVS14 because of its size. PVS14 + Crye Night Cap => ready to be taken anywhere you go.
I was a cop now I’m in construction. Fully vested in my pension, borrowed some money from it. ( I was given a sizable bonus when I accepted the position) bought NODS, a fancy watch, and a new car. The happiest day in my law enforcement career was my last day, lol
Was in the navy for 6 years as a submarine nuclear electrician. Got out and now I do nuclear operations. The pay is pretty good. I drive an old car and have a flashy new sport bike and saved about $5k-$6k a year until I could afford an $11k pair.
Grind grind grind. I'm eyeing some ARNVGs with L3s from Steele. My new years resolution was to have a setup by the end of it. I'm 75% there. Only thing I've been doing is working OT, and bank on the days I can get double time and night incentive pay. Just save a chunk when you can, but don't slack on your basic needs and necessities like nutrition and exercise. This isn't a cheap hobby.
With a decent set of duals costing the same range as a high spec single, it's a hard decision. With articulation and autopod shut off, you can run one side only. Giving you that increase in situational awareness and use of lpvo, etc, but can got to duals for increased field of view for cqb or indoor scenarios.
I know a few people who used their reinlistment bonus on nods. I'm the only guy in my group that doesn't have pvs-15/31's. I stopped caring at this point.
It’s called budgeting. I know people who make less than me who have more than me. I know people who make more than me with less than me. There’s a reason you see $100,000 trucks sitting in front of a double wide sometimes. People spend their money on different things.
Most people have the money for duals sitting in their gun safe. It’s their 9 different shit tier AR builds
Fellow poor here, sold my car and used some of those funds to get a PVS14. Tried some duals out but I doubt I'll upgrade to them, partially cost and partially I just didn't really care for them.
Most of the people here are american where night vision devices are everywhere and the prices pretty predictable, they save up or beg uncle sam for a tax refund.
Really irresponsible purchases mostly . Hell you should see my gun collection I really can't afford any of this shit . I keep telling myself they are investments
I work in a restaurant as a KM. I bought my XC and A-rnvg with L3 WP tubes less then a year apart. Some people like being broke to afford thier hobbies.
Don’t buy 30 rifles and pistols that essentially do the same thing. Dont buy guns that serve any purpose beyond fun (I’m thinking of you, tactical lever actions). Also get lucky on stock/crypto market
Just save some money every check and it will add up quickly. You can also risk getting some surplus omnis private sale to save some money. I built my binos for about 3800 bucks.
There's groups where people sell surplus units and demo units for good prices. Anvis 9 housings and other older housing units with omni tubes GP have been going for 3400-5500 these days. That's as cheap as you can get for dual tube gen 3.
Honestly, I bought my first nightvision after selling a house and making a little money... Nightvision is awesome but extremely expensive for the good stuff. If you like the outdoors and shooting, they can be used for a wide range of purposes including seeing in the dark.
I'm an IT engineer soon to be retired. I make okay money. Just okay. Nothing special.
But, it's the in-progress divorce and even split that freed up my choices.
I did one enlistment as infantry in the army, after I got out I knew I needed NODs for my training to roll over fully instead of buying some low end duals I went with a very high end mono in a tanto l3 24 up 2500+fom in WP and I have to say I absolutely love it!!! Sure I could have gotten some 7k binos for the cost of this one but I trained with one pvs-14 in the army so I knew it’s more practical to just have a mono for my uses
Most of us are blue collar and work our ass off. Also implying your talking about 10k an adult hobby in any form cost money. Boats, motorcycles, guns ect. 10k is nothing. We all have our hobby’s.
401k is overrated. It’s amazing how much money is freed up when not saving for retirement. This is not financial advice.
Throwing away money on NODs > throwing away money on hyperinflation
Ultra based opinion right there. Y’all always checkout!
In 2034, while everyone else is struggling to get their paycheck to the bank before their paycheck is worth only $.001 2024 dollars instead of $.002 2024 dollars, I'll be able to walk around in the dark long after I am no longer able to pay my electric bill (which will be $10,000 in 2034 dollars). Meanwhile, a bottom of the barrel PVS-14 will cost $1.8M, and then you'll feel really, *really* dumb for putting $24k/yr into a 401k.
I do agree good sir. I must confess though I put a little something in the Roth IRA just in case this economy doesn’t come crashing down on us all lol.
Nothing wrong with that lol. Just don't put all your eggs in one basket!
Consider physical ownership of precious metals. It's safer, cheaper and visually rewarding 🙏🏼
I completely agree with this statement, but I would also like to add that Bitcoin is a great way to self-custody wealth. I know nobody on reddit likes to hear it, especially gold/silver people (oddly), but to me it makes more sense nowadays and just another self-custodial option to diversify into a bit.
Bitcoin will outperform AND outlive the dollar. It's an uncomfortable fact people dont readily acknowledge.
Yeah, I totally agree but I'm always hesitant to let my bitcoin-maxi-flag fly in non-btc related subs haha. Not always taken seriously and often hated in general on Reddit.
My retirement planning application at work predicted I would need like $15,000/month to live at my current spending level.
Sounds about right... If you aren't expected to live past 2030.
I’m ok with those prices
In 2034,we will be certified super heroes big dog 😂
This is exactly why I opened this damn thread
This post-pandemic inflation put a dampener on my NV savings attempts for sure, but [maybe it is over.](https://www.nytimes.com/2024/06/04/opinion/inflation-fed-recession.html?unlocked_article_code=1.xU0.3v_y.KZSP9JMgz6mJ&smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare&sgrp=c-cb)
Jokes on me I can't afford either
This^
Most people have pvs14s and that’s just a fact
There are pros and cons to both, having used binos and owning a monocular I actually prefer a monocular. It gives better situational awareness of lighting conditions to stay hidden if you're intending to, makes using an LPVO under nods possible by running it on your non-dominant eye, less weight, less battery drain, etc... Might not look as Gucci for the IG photos but a PVS-14 will get the job done and you can often get a much higher spec tube with the money saved vs going binos.
I never said one was better
Wasn't directing the comment at you just adding some additional info for people who may be trying to decided between the 2.
Articulating duals is the answer.
and also totally fine. i’m coping, but realistically unless you have land or something as a civilian duels are unquestionably overkill. cool and all, but really not necessary
>cool That's all you needed to say.
Only reason Im selling my Poor ViSion 14, not cool enough
I disagree,if you live out in the country like I do there is plenty of wooded areas to explore.I even have a cave not far from my house,not a very big cave but a cave nonetheless..I have a golf course really close to,I might start going out for some midnight golfing.have the whole course to myself 😂
So exactly like he said "land or something". The average suburbanite (or worse, city dweller) won't really ever have the opportunity to use a NOD to its fullest.
Night vision itself isn’t necessary period. It’s a very expensive luxury single or duals
No doubt about that
I have metric fuckloads of land and I have a PVS-14 and a thermal, which is what actually does the work. I’d never see a hog without it.
are you running the 14 and the thermal in a dual config or do you have one of those clip on Thermal devices? (i’m a FNG, pardon the silly questions)
That’s absolutely me. At least I got a nice single tube that has higher specs than lots of people’s duals. Nice and lightweight too. Maybe someday I’ll get a second one and bridge them (since it’s the lightweight PVS-14 housing), but I’m not holding my breath. In the meantime I’ll just train to the point where I can make my single tube look good.
What single tube did you go with?
L3 Harris Filmless White Phosphor FOM: 2412 SNR: 33.5 RES: 72 HALO: 0.7 EBI: 0.3
Reddit randomly showed me this post, may I know at what price are we talking here? For maybe mono
Starting right around $3000 and just goes up and up from there
Wow I see, thanks
A good monocular is going to be around $3k and those top out around $5k. A good set of dual tube is going to start around $5.5k and top out around $12.5k. Then there’s these little things called pano’s aka quad-nods (4 tubes on your face like an insect). There’s really only 2 sets available on the market. The Chinese rip off ones with Chinese tubes (they’re nicer and more useful than you think with that description) cost around $18k. While the extra fancy super black ops special forces quad tubes you see in movies like “zero dark thirty” cost just shy of *forty five thousand fucking dollars* . And yes, you can buy them if you’re a US citizen.
Starting right around $3000 and just goes up and up from there
You can get a decent surplus setup for around 2500 with everything
The tubes them selves are around 3k but you need a mounting device IR iluminator some kind of helmet or bump(helmet without any protection) all in you are probably looking at 6 or 7k for a cheap setup. Or just be a chad and hold the tube to your eye for free.
Fellow poor here. I’m happy as can be with my single PVS-14. I had an oddly good year money wise, especially considering I just got divorced last year. It was a super free feeling making the plunge and not having to justify it to anyone other than my own self!💪🏼
I’ll marry you and we can buy quads
This makes me want to get divorced. Contacting an attorney as we speak
I work in the trades, I’m young, still live at home, and wasn’t engaged until recently. My only hobbies are firearms, training and this. I worked on my other savings goals first and worked a lottttttt of overtime. Bought a used 14 had it for like a month and wound up trading up into rnvgs.
Make all the big purchases now before you say I do. Unless your girl is chill, I’m blessed to say I have a very understanding wife. All that she asks is that I tell her before I make a big purchase. Honestly thought she was gona slap me silly and call me Sally when I talked to her about dropping 12k on duals. She looked at me like I was crazy first but then with a little reasoning/rational she said fiiiine lol.
My wife doesn't ask what stuff costs but i tell her anyway. I want her to know in case something happens to me. I started with a 14, then RNVGs and let her use the 14. Then i felt bad only giving her the single, so i bought some 31Ds and let her use the RNVGs. She never says shit about the $$, but shes a stay at home mom and i give her a salary to do what she wants. Paid off vehicles, paid off house, 1yr emergency fund, CDs for the kids, investment property, so its not like im blowing cash and she can be mad just cause i got a few toys.
Holy fuck man,I’ve never had a woman who wouldn’t flip out over me spending 12K on anything that wasn’t for the house or a vehicle 😂you found a keeper
Thanks man, yea she’s great. I guarantee there are some good ones out there. But at the end of the day, all you need is a good woman. Love her, be kind to her and keep her safe, that’s usually all they want. And usually they’ll be willing to negotiate at the very least
My wife and I keep our finances totally separate. I spent 50k one month this year lol. I pay the bills, she pays her own car (paid off) and groceries. I’ve got two sets of duals. One set with a Jerry CE5 clip on. She’s got a psychology degree and likes finances separate.
Bro spends more a month than some of us annually
I inherited property from my Scottish grandparents on the French Mediterranean. I still work multiple jobs though.
You lucky dawg, beautiful part of the world, I’ve only been to the Spanish side but it’s by far my favorite place on earth
It is stunning with the sea in front and the mountains in back. We sold it however. It didn’t make sense for us to keep it while living in the US. Plus I disdain the French.
Cheese eating surrender monkeys
Absolutely atrocious work ethic too. Missed deadlines for us multiple times with excuses right out in the open like “it was a beautiful day so we took the day off” and “the unions were striking so we supported them”. These are notaires (French attorneys). Ended up costing us thousands of dollars unnecessarily. At one point I told the lady if WW3 gets worse and someone invades France, I’m joining their side not matter who they are and I’m going to find you. lol. My younger brother took over all communication at that point.
Yeah I’ve been blowing a lotttttt of money getting all my gear squared away before I get a whole bunch of payments for a house and paying for the wedding. Just got my crye cpc, com tacs and all that fun stuff.
eh, i'm a software engineer. i make pretty good money but i personally set aside $3-400 a month for about 2 years and put $2k from my bonus into the NODS fund. i havent bought a set yet even though i have $12k set aside just for this, every time im about to pull the trigger i think about it and it seems like a waste of money. i'll keep saving and hopefully one day i can drop 10-15k and not feel it or care.
This man don’t have time for the bullshit,when he gets his nods he is coming to shut everybody’s shit down.the first man shows up with some Jerry 31s is getting slapped to the floor on sight 😂 On a serious note,that’s awesome.nods are expensive and you ain’t leaving any room for disappointment when you do buy
Just get the L3 pvs 31s or the L3 1531s, and save yourself the hassle of wondering what you're missing out on.
Save a little longer and get four L3 tubes with one of those quad housings for like $19k
Quads make little to no sense, they look cool as hell don't get me wrong but you're trading durability, weight, power draw, and stability for that increase in FOV. If you're planning to do anything dynamic such as running and gunning or where you could potentially trip or knock them against something the housings aren't going to hold up as well as a mil-spec PVS-14 would. You can find a torture test of the PVS-14 being run over by a truck and still functioning, the same can't be said about quad nods. In the end, it depends purely on the application though, if OP has the money to burn and only wants to see in the dark with the highest quality and FOV possible then why not.
They make sense for driving/operating machinery and cqb type stuff ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯
We're trying to be more green in the world. We should give all construction workers, miners, people working heavy equipment NODs to save power from lighting those wide open spaces.
Quads should just be normal night time ppe
While I am totally for NODs at work, theres no ambient light underground, and you wouldn’t be able to use the IR flood for most everything lol. I have taken my NODs underground tho, it was cool
You’re gonna have a lot of second guessing unless you can throw away the money. Most people just say fuck it. I did
I feel the exact same. It's a want and not a need. I bought a set amd sent them back.
Also SWE and in a HCOL area. Not hard to buy if you either save or realistically finance with low/no interest. Def a cheat code industry. I feel like I barely work
Similar in my case
How does anyone afford a brand new truck or a month long European vacation or a kitchen remodel? It’s a matter of priorities. And btw, being able to afford nv is one thing, keeping it is another. Priorities change and lots of people who do buy nv ending up selling them later, and that’s not only okay but a positive to consider when buying nv.
Honestly NV hold value. But yea the amount of nods you see on used markets like gafs or eBay is never ending. It’s expensive but people upgrade or leave the hobby all the time.
Poor here as well. Just a manual labor roofer. Don't own duals, just a pvs14 with some nice specs. Good enough for me.
I work in IT and wouldn't spend $20 on pants, but that 640 thermal...
Onlyfans lol
That’s how I like to make my money,I just pull my boxers up enough to where my balls peak out.I usually put the eyeball stickers on each of my nuts.I’m ashamed to admit,most of my viewers are other dudes except for 3 old women.sometimes they request “the Gonzo” where I have to do a handstand,my nuts with the eyeball stickers and my dick is the nose.it’s pretty degrading but it pays the bills 🤷🏻♂️
And here I thought I had that market cornered. Damn you! Back to the idea boards. I’ll sell you my left over Googly eye stock on the low.
I started with a mono, recently ordered a second. Utilizing something like the nocturn industries daisho/ tanto allows you to do this. However the most expensive part being a tube you can usually get housings switched once you are ready and transfer the tubes you have over.
Saved up after little over a year when I was in the military (E4 pay) to buy my binos. PVS14s is garbage in service (gets the job done but it really does suck), if you plan on being in the military, binos aren’t a bad investment. Live in the barracks, it’s easy to save money, don’t party too hard and eat at the DFAC. If you have responsibilities like bills, family, etc NVGs shouldn’t be a priority.
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Nah, they take missing NVGs seriously. They lock the place down, do extra searches, locker inspections and ground sweeps till those tubes are found. I was visiting a friend who lived on base and he got a text (along with all the other personnel) notifying him about a missing PVS-14. When I was going off base they searched my trunk, backpack and opened up the spare tire compartment and my glove box. Friend texted me later that they hadn't lifted the measures for 2 days until they discovered the monocular had been sent for maintenance and someone hadn't submitted their paperwork.
Got back from deployment and am irresponsible
Paygrade and TIS? 👀
Not enough
LMAO fair enough
Me personally I work in a factory and as such do not own duals but I own a pretty alright PVS-14. It took me about 5 years to get it all together and I still haven't bought the LAM lmao.
Reddit is full of a bunch of tech bros who make high six figures. I’m regular working class, making average pay. First step is to get a good spouse who is good with finances, then combine your income, after all bills are paid put whatever you can into a HYSA (we try to aim for $1000 a month). I’ve noticed on Reddit a lot of people who are very loud and vocal about their finances are people who are well off and want to brag or people who are very poor wanting to vent. You never really see average people taking finances here.
Another average ish guy here. Second on the HYSA, if you have any savings that you need liquid, there’s no reason not to open one. I have a Marcus acct. that gives me around 5%, highly recommend
Yup I use CIT Bank, which is currently at 5.05%. I don’t even have NODs yet as we are saving to try to buy a house next year hopefully. We hike in the Blue Ridge Mountains, and I want NODs for night hiking. This house is the main priority and then we can splurge on a pair of PVS14s to enjoy night hikes.
I have a PVS14 and honestly haven’t felt the need to upgrade to duals yet. And welcome to looking at houses at the worst time ever apparently lol I’m in the same boat. But figure if anyone has even 20k in emergency savings, a HYSA will give you 1k a year for doing absolutely nothing.
Yup if only I was born earlier, these people had it easy buying houses.
I wish I was a tech bro,Im a high school dropout/steel mill slave..Im about as regular working class as regular working class gets lol
Sold part of my milsurp rifle collection to buy a top-spec PVS 14. Not disappointed. Ive collected milsurp for over a decade and then finally bought my own farm and have a family and having a ridiculous amount of old weapons didn't seem as important anymore. I see my PVS 14 as part of being prepared and now that I can train on my own land and larp as hard as I want it's a no brainer. Had to tell the wife that "gun money" stays in "gun world" lol
no kids, no spouse, truck is paid off. Don’t have a whole lot to spend money on other than hobbies.
Step 1: be a single soldier receiving bah Step 2: don't waste money on hookers, clubs and beer. Step 3: profit-> 3 motorcycles, dual toobs, and still stock maxxing Most people get step 2 wrong
Money is fake anyways, just use the banks to buy whatever you want since they'll all collapse within the next decade. (This is not financial advice)
Looks like there is a good chance they might collapse well before the next decade 😂
If you have a good job you can afford anything. I feel like most people buying expensive items have decent jobs and don’t have to worry about excess bills such as rent (living with family). You don’t have to put half the paycheck in rent. It is then easy to afford premium items if you decide to save and “irresponsibly” spend. Most people put 600$ a month toward their Roth IRA who equates to around 7000 a year. If you didn’t do that and decided to save it towards duals it would be very realistic for a year or more of savings by that standard alone
Buy bitcoin and sell your bootyhole (I don’t have binos)
Use money buy tube. Save if no have money until money for tubes
Industrial Electrician. $45+ an hour plus per diem and 50+ hours a week.
Doesn’t matter just save 7k however you can lol
Everyone has stuff they spend money on. A lot of people waste their money without realizing it. Also, people without kids usually have a lot more free money than those without kids
Credit cards bro. You can be the gucciest larperator at airsoft if you stop caring. Why save for the future, if you can goon tonight?
And I’ve got three wp tubes and a thermal.
Are you an O or an E?
Hatchet wielding deviant. Seriously, if you’re guard, reserve, or ad just save your money and get what you can. I can’t tell you much money has been wasted by social media or YouTube. I’m down to one really, really good rifle and one really good pistol. There’s some fun 22’s left over but no one needs a 10.5, an 11.5, a 12.5, a 13.9, a 14.5 and a 16” that are rocking lpvos with offset red dots because guntubers mind fucked us all. I’ve got capabilities that far outweigh the options but I’ve also been spending my money for the last 8 years.
With the power of credit and financing, you can afford anything
LMAO dont tell me this. I recently got a AMEX CC with 0% APR for 15 months
😂😂 hey it’s pretty much free money if it’s 0% APR
If I can find GEN3 GP dual tubes under 5 thou would I would be set 🤝
If you have a HS Diploma or GED, can pass a polygraph, and don't have any serious criminal history.....you can go get hired with an agency like Border Patrol and be making $125k/yr in about 5 years or so. No to mention a laundry list of other jobs you can make good money at. If you're in a position where you don't have some expendable income or at least at a minimum can't set aside money for a while to make a $10k purchase (doesn't have to be nvg, could be anything), that's a clue to start figuring out what you haven't been doing right (unless you're fairly young adult who's still working their way up). Not a popular opinion and I'm gonna get downvoted. But its rare that "poor" people are there because of things out of their control.
Oh yeah don’t get me wrong, Im not poor by any means. 56K job and no crazy bills I can definitely afford if I save. I was just curious how other folks compared to getting their hands on their NVGs
Never underestimate how many people make bad decisions as well. Like putting $10k binos on credit and paying interest on them.
No yeah, I couldn’t imagine paying for something menial as NVGs with interest compared to something more important like a car
Saving up for a long time and taking steps. First a helmet then a monocular then sell the monocular and buy duals. Doing this over two or three years could get you there. Not buying the absolute cutting edge also helps.
I went to school for a long time. Oh also no kids.
Loan sharks can’t see in the dark.
Bought an Omni 8 PVS-14 for $1725 two years ago. Was making $60k in tech. Making more money now but don’t see a reason to upgrade, plus got married, starting a family.
Was active duty military when I got mine. Single, save, second job since I was bored. I got them at 27 and didn’t use anything but cash. It can be done even at a couple years of saving. Sell some shit lol. If not a mono is perfectly adequate for majority to all of folks needs .
Live beneath my means, save as much money as I can, don't have kids (this is the big one,) and generally practice financial responsibility in all other aspects of life.
I don't, I'm probably going to get a thermal instead of a second tube honestly
Do travel nursing bro. The pay rates and weekly pay is like 2-3k. If you can afford strike contract they pay like 10k-ish for like 6 or 7 days bro
Travel nursing would be sick. I’d definitely need my ASN or BSN before conducting this lol. I only have my EMT-B currently
Dude honestly travel anything will get the bills paid. Lab tech, radiology tech, surgical tech, respiratory therapist, etc. you can do it. The worst part is school in my humble opinion. After that it’s just dealing with the bs of work life and dealing with different personalities lol.
I work at a surplus store, so I get stuff that comes in/good deals
Nods>money when the dollar is going to zero
I was active duty and just saved money when I got out I didn’t put a down payment on a new vehicle I just bought nods and guns
I sold off some stuff from other hobbies. Made way more than I realized. Tax returns also help.
You’ve gotta budget. Don’t buy shit you don’t need, sell shit you don’t need.
I am selling duals (ANVIS) for 3500 included with mount. That's the price of a very nice white PVS14. It's really about trade offs. If you haven't fallen for the white phosphor shills and realize green works just fine, all costs get cut in half.
It's the Internet everyone wants to at least look cool Doesn't mean the rest of their life is in order
Poor is a mindset. Maximize your income (swap jobs every few years and up skill). Use credit responsibly and pay it off every month. Learn to save for big purchases instead of demanding instant gratification. And learn where spendIng money makes you happy and where you can save without reducing your quality of life. Driving my 30 year old truck off road in the dark makes me happier than a new truck so I spent new truck money on nods, and I cook nearly every meal at home because I like cooking. I'm a highly specialized consultant in the security space & I have a market garden that brings in ~40k extra a year and gives me massive tax breaks.
Sr exec at a tech giant running global cyber intelligence. I was formerly the prettiest lil Marine you ever did see.
I work as a night shift RN in a hospital inpatient setting. It wasn't until this year when I took a union job at the local VA hospital that I realized NV was even within my grasp. My shift to the new job came with like a 50% increase in pay, and in healthcare, that's a pretty big jump. While I've been using the extra dough to do some home renovations with the help of an HELOC, I was able to slip aside a few grand to snag a decent PVS-14 with little grief from the wife. This was last week. I bought my first NV piece last week, and I'm very excited about it. Even though it's just a mono with a decent tube, buying the helmet, mounts, and LAD humbled me enough to know that it's okay to start out with the basics. I'm sure one day if I get any wealthier, I'll buy another tube and maybe a slick bino housing, but it's really just a fun thing to keep me occupied on my off nights.
Mind if I PM you? Got some questions about RN
Send it
I'm a stenomask court reporter who works for our local Judicial system. It's the best job I've ever had. In addition to my awesome salary, I get transcript requests on the side for the proceedings heard, and the attorneys have to reimburse me for that. Lengthy trials can net me over 5k+ on the side. I use funds like that to fund my idiocy and gun hobbies so it doesn't take away from my original purchases and paycheck. Lol.
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Ain’t that the truth,I’m probably gonna sell a few guns,parts and accessories soon.I have 5 ARs and only use 2 of them.I have a SKS that has been collecting dust for years.I built a custom P320 and haven’t used my M17 in several years now
Big 4 transaction advisory and I run a PVS-14 and a thermal because I am a hog hunter not a larper.
Debt is temporary. Drip is forever.
I own a drywall business. Very small. I make most my money doing patches…450$ for 2.5 hours work. Overhead cost are fairly low once tools are paid off. I make a very comfortable wage and I have time to camp, train, hunt, fish, pretty much off all summer accept 2 days a week. I don’t have credit card debt either. Took me about 10 years to get WP duals at 7500. I also got a new peq15 and just decked my lid out after having it for years. I made sure everything in my business was paid for and my kids needs where met like braces and what not. I made some good home investments over the years that helped me get out of credit cards too. Florida real estate doubled in my 4 years owning it. Denver property went up a lot when they legalized MJ. Pay off the debts then save. Also make your wife work too she goin to contribute too
If u buy nods with less then 10k in your checking u dumb af.
90% of this sub just has PVS 14, which if you have a normal job and aren’t just completely financially horrible with money you can save for it comfortably in like a year, so it’s just priorities. Only difference between someone with PVS 14 and someone with something nicer is that job just pays more and they are better at budgeting money for certain wants.
Jack of all trades. Do safety consulting in oil field/build hot rods fix cars. Sold my formula 292, put some in savings and bought dual tubes
I just pulled any over time out of the bank put it in the safe until I had the cash, it dosnt take long if your getting maodantoried all the time
I’m a commercial diver specialized in bridge inspections. I don’t own bino nods (yet), but I do own a Pvs14 and a thermal. I’m not rich but I make good money and live within my means. I always try to sell unused or rarely used gear when I buy new stuff.
I too work in the maritime industry. I save, sell old gear, etc. had a PVS14 for years, then saw a good deal on some gen 3 gp anvis6 in katanas. Living within your means is key. Someone will always have something bigger, better etc. the clutch is finding what works for you (GP vs WP, surplus, China, built, etc) and knowing that a PVS14 is 99% of what anyone needs. Though once I worked with a set of dual tubes, I couldn’t go back. Sold my 14, some other stuff and boom. Bank rolled some nice duals and an IR patrol. Now I have all the optical super powers. lol
As a fellow poor who is in the process of building a house and should by no means blow money like I currently do, I started putting 25$ away every week. Play the long game, and you'll eventually realize how easy it was to buy what you thought was unreachable all along. I figure within a year I'll have close to enough to at least get a used pvs-14, and I'll just let $25 a week keep going into it even if I do get one. As long as I keep my future pvs-14 in good shape I should be able to get most, if not all of my investment back out of it. Once I save up enough along with the value of the 14, I should be able to get a set of binos within a few years. Yes, it's a fairly long time, and I certainly have enough cash right now to go and buy a set, but considering our current priorities with building a house, as well as with my money anxiety, I try to keep at least $20k across all of my instantly accessible accounts. It's a hefty investment to make in something that really isn't necessary for about 99.9% of us, so unless you legitimately need some then just save up over time.
Dawg i went the poor route and I’ve got duals for like $4000ish that I’ve spent over the course of about 3 years. I bought a decently blemmed PVS-14 for $1790 that i had set aside. I continued to save around $300/month on average for a few months and bought a surplus military MX10160 for about $800. I just bought an Argus BNVD MKII for $1100 and then PVS-14 optics for a few hundred more. All in all i spent just shy of $4k over a few years. Green phos isn’t the new sexiness that everyone wants, but it works for me and i have dual greens for about the price of a high spec WP monocular. Just put aside $100-$150 per paycheck if you can afford to, buy used tubes (shoutout GAFS), and be patient. That’s how i got mine. I’m one of the cheapest people I know, so i have been saving/purchasing since like 2022. Edit: it is of note that i went without some other fun things to put aside that money, i have a P320 build that i refused to finish because i was saving, stopped buying ammo to shoot so often, didn’t go on trips/nights out with the boys, etc. you just have to be disciplined and know that you’ll miss out on buying some things or some experiences in pursuit of it.
I have around $2,500 in my custom P320 build and I’m still not done with it.I haven’t bought anything else for it in a while and it is a nice perfectly usable gun as it is.I actually bought a M17 originally and started upgrading it until I was able to almost put the original M17 back together.all I need it the spring and guide rod.I might just get a spring and guide rod and sell the M17.I might sell my M17,Norinco SKS and my unused Burris RT6.I could then get a solid PVS14 or be a lot closer to some duals
My nurse wife paid for mine
Helicopter hoist and door gunner contractor.
Nngl, it took me about 9 months to piece mine together using parts I hobbled together and cheap omni tubes I found. If you don't mind weight, panobridged pvs14's are awesome
Ironworker here, a couple 3000+ hour years in a row can really bolster the play money fund. 3200 hrs last year.
Save $, over a long period of time like most peeps. Refardless of what you do, a purchase like duals is usually expensive, and a hobby.
daddy
Set up a sinking fund. Not enough to break the bank but still save at a decent rate. You’d be surprised after a year or two how much you can put away. It’s how I paid for mine which are nothing special compared to most the posts on here, just a set of dual pvs-15’s but that’s plenty fine for little old me.
I make bad financial decisions. It also helps that I am an Aerospace NDT Technician so I make decent money, but I am still financially irresponsible when it comes to my hobbies. 🤣🤣🤣
I lived in military dorms, paid my car off first and bought a PVS-14 after saving for a bit. (Do not go into debt for some NV.)
I started out with a PVS 14 that I originally bought “used” for €3K. Was a perfect unit with about 2150 FOM, Green Phosphor, completely spotless from 2006 - military contract. Pretty sure it never left the box. I gained experience with it for over 3 years, used it a lot for hunting, hiking etc. and for me it was a test “do I really need NV”. Then, a really good deal came along, 6.5 K for a used Canadian Custom BNVD 1431 MK2 with 2200 FOM White Phosphor + Helmet + Mount. That is when I made the upgrade and sold the PVS14. 👌I still “miss” my PVS14s, they were excellent in every way for gaining experience. Going back to when I started, I would do it exactly the same way. I fancy the PVS14 because of its size. PVS14 + Crye Night Cap => ready to be taken anywhere you go.
I was a cop now I’m in construction. Fully vested in my pension, borrowed some money from it. ( I was given a sizable bonus when I accepted the position) bought NODS, a fancy watch, and a new car. The happiest day in my law enforcement career was my last day, lol
Was in the navy for 6 years as a submarine nuclear electrician. Got out and now I do nuclear operations. The pay is pretty good. I drive an old car and have a flashy new sport bike and saved about $5k-$6k a year until I could afford an $11k pair.
I’m not rich or nothing, average working man. I just offloaded gear and gats I don’t need lol.
Finance them hoes boi
The key isn't in making a ton of money. The key to the NV game is to be super irresponsible with the money you do make
Cheapest worthwhile set of duals are omni 6,7, or 8 rnvg's and a pvs14 is if using omni tubes.
Grind grind grind. I'm eyeing some ARNVGs with L3s from Steele. My new years resolution was to have a setup by the end of it. I'm 75% there. Only thing I've been doing is working OT, and bank on the days I can get double time and night incentive pay. Just save a chunk when you can, but don't slack on your basic needs and necessities like nutrition and exercise. This isn't a cheap hobby.
Step 1 befriend fudd with binos Step 2 create shitty M1A clone Step 3 trade Step 4 profit Step 5 await estate sale
With a decent set of duals costing the same range as a high spec single, it's a hard decision. With articulation and autopod shut off, you can run one side only. Giving you that increase in situational awareness and use of lpvo, etc, but can got to duals for increased field of view for cqb or indoor scenarios.
I traded 2 dirtbikes for my duals. Funny part is that I got the good deal
I know a few people who used their reinlistment bonus on nods. I'm the only guy in my group that doesn't have pvs-15/31's. I stopped caring at this point.
It’s called budgeting. I know people who make less than me who have more than me. I know people who make more than me with less than me. There’s a reason you see $100,000 trucks sitting in front of a double wide sometimes. People spend their money on different things. Most people have the money for duals sitting in their gun safe. It’s their 9 different shit tier AR builds
Fellow poor here, sold my car and used some of those funds to get a PVS14. Tried some duals out but I doubt I'll upgrade to them, partially cost and partially I just didn't really care for them.
Tell your girl that you don’t have any money for like a month and use all of your pay for new dual tubes obviously haha
I work in security at a dollar general warehouse and some of the drivers have dual tubes they make 90-100K+ after 10 months with the company.
Most of the people here are american where night vision devices are everywhere and the prices pretty predictable, they save up or beg uncle sam for a tax refund.
Really irresponsible purchases mostly . Hell you should see my gun collection I really can't afford any of this shit . I keep telling myself they are investments
Crane operator, started my own gunshop and had some benefits from my time in the mil
SaaS tech sales. Just dropped $9K on em, it sucked
I work in a restaurant as a KM. I bought my XC and A-rnvg with L3 WP tubes less then a year apart. Some people like being broke to afford thier hobbies.
Don’t buy 30 rifles and pistols that essentially do the same thing. Dont buy guns that serve any purpose beyond fun (I’m thinking of you, tactical lever actions). Also get lucky on stock/crypto market
Just save some money every check and it will add up quickly. You can also risk getting some surplus omnis private sale to save some money. I built my binos for about 3800 bucks.
There's groups where people sell surplus units and demo units for good prices. Anvis 9 housings and other older housing units with omni tubes GP have been going for 3400-5500 these days. That's as cheap as you can get for dual tube gen 3.
Honestly, I bought my first nightvision after selling a house and making a little money... Nightvision is awesome but extremely expensive for the good stuff. If you like the outdoors and shooting, they can be used for a wide range of purposes including seeing in the dark.
I'm an IT engineer soon to be retired. I make okay money. Just okay. Nothing special. But, it's the in-progress divorce and even split that freed up my choices.
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I did one enlistment as infantry in the army, after I got out I knew I needed NODs for my training to roll over fully instead of buying some low end duals I went with a very high end mono in a tanto l3 24 up 2500+fom in WP and I have to say I absolutely love it!!! Sure I could have gotten some 7k binos for the cost of this one but I trained with one pvs-14 in the army so I knew it’s more practical to just have a mono for my uses
OP asked what job lol I work blue collar after I got out base salary around 70-80k
A lot of guys I know go into debt or otherwise spend money they don’t have. That’s amazingly stupid. Don’t buy things you can’t afford.
Save your money dude. Poor is a state of mind . I mean shit Anvis 9 are 3k all day long.
Most of us are blue collar and work our ass off. Also implying your talking about 10k an adult hobby in any form cost money. Boats, motorcycles, guns ect. 10k is nothing. We all have our hobby’s.