Help me find the best budget thermal monocular for property surveillance

You're gonna be disappointed if you expect crisp clear images like those fancy FLIR demos on YouTube. Budget thermals are more like "blob detection" - you can tell something warm is there but details are pretty fuzzy

lol wildlife getting into crops? just get a dog man, way cheaper than thermal gadgets and actually scares stuff away instead of just watching it happen

Battery life on these things is absolutely terrible. My first one died after like 45 minutes of use. Now I carry like 3 sets of spare batteries whenever I go out checking fences

Detection range is pure marketing BS on most budget units. They'll claim 500 yards but you're lucky if you can identify anything past 100 yards. Don't fall for the spec sheet numbers

Got the AGM Asp-Micro Monocular about 7 months ago and it's been solid for basic farm security stuff. Compact enough to throw in the truck and battery actually lasts through a full evening of checking around the property

Why not just get motion-activated trail cams with infrared? Set em up at problem spots and check footage next morning instead of wandering around in the dark like some wannabe Navy SEAL

Whatever you buy better be built tough because you WILL drop it at some point. Learned this expensive lesson when mine fell off ATV during a pothole bounce. $500 turned into scrap metal instantly

Image quality is gonna be grainy and weird looking but you get used to it pretty quick. Think old school green night vision but with heat instead of light amplification

Been using the TOPDON TS004 for property checks and it does the job well enough for spotting trespassers or large animals. Interface isn't fancy but gets the basics done without overthinking it

Make sure whatever you get has decent weather sealing. First thermal I bought got moisture inside during a rainy week and screen fogged up permanently. Expensive mistake

Controls need to be dummy-proof because you'll be using this thing in complete darkness while probably wearing gloves. Tiny buttons and complicated menus are nightmare when you actually need the device to work

Rocks that sat in sun all day will show up as hot spots for hours after dark. Took me weeks to stop thinking every warm boulder was an intruder sneaking around

Most budget units use basic microbolometer sensors which are less sensitive than the cooled detectors in expensive military gear. This affects their ability to pick up subtle heat differences like body heat through heavy clothing or during warm weather when temperature contrast is minimal

Tripod mount is basically required for anything beyond quick scans. Trying to hold these things steady while looking at distant objects is exercise in frustration