Tweet
Getting so many folks new to night vision purchasing and inquiring now, I figured it would be a good time to start a discussion about cosmetic issues in Night vision tubes.
First and foremost it's important for a new person to understand that each and every NV tube is different. These are analog products not digital products. With a digital product like say a smart TV, you can go to the store and buy one TV one day go back the next day buy the same model in the same box and they would be identical.
That's not the case with NV tubes, every single one is different. They can really close, sometimes really REALLY close, but are never identical.
So here's where the data sheet for the tube becomes important. It's like the pedigree for a high dollar dog. It proves what that exact tube is, how it performed when tested at the factory and whether it passed the spot spec for that grade of tube.
It's important to KEEP your data sheet somewhere safe. When you order from us we mention that usually on the phone and also in the emails we send and note it on the build sheet to which the data sheet is stapled to also. If you ever need to sell your NV, your data sheet proves the value of it and will fetch you a higher price than not having it. Put your paperwork (data sheet and build sheet) in your gun safe or with "important papers" and you'll have it later if ever needed.
Cosmetics-
Here is where a lot of new people get tripped up. Even worse if they are OCD types. Every night vision tube usually has some sort of small cosmetic issue. You may not even be able to see it with the naked eye, but it may show up on our Hoffman test set.
Small black spots, small areas that are a little off color, etc. are principally what we are talking about here. The small black spots are commonly called spots or "blemishes." Some would argue that a 'blemish' technically is different but since we are TRYING TO KEEP THIS SIMPLE for new folks, we use the terms "spot" and "blemish" or "blem" interchangeably. Some places will call spots "artifacts" which is a really goofy if you ask me, it's not like your finding King Tut's golden cup or something LOL.
NOTE- these small cosmetic issues DO NOT AFFECT THE SERVICEABILITY OF THE UNIT. They are simply a flaw in the manufacturing process when the tube is constructed. They do NOT represent a failure of the tube or any serious problems.
Spot spec charts-
Each tube grade will have a "spot spec" chart which will help you get a feel for what all is "allowed" as far as spots in the tube image. NOTE- each tube will in general be MUCH BETTER than the spot spec. Think of the spot spec chart as your worse case scenario, NOT the best case. The really low grade tubes like the XLS grade tubes will have a horrible spot spec chart, allowing many spots all over the view including the center and also LARGER spots. As you get into the BETTER tube grades like SLH, YH and VH, the spot spec chart gets better, meaning they allow a LOT LESS spots.
Zones
The pic below comes from our Hoffman ANV 126A and HVS126A Night vision test set. It's perhaps the best way to illustrate what the "zones" are that are depicted in any spot spec chart.
Zone 1 is the center as pictured as the center circle. Zone 2 is the next outer band and Zone 3 is the far outside.
You can see why you would want to avoid a low tube grade like XLS which allows spots in the CENTER of the view- the center being the most used area of the view. NONE of the better tube grade- SLH, YH OR VH allow .003 spots in Zone 1. Spots in Zone 2 and 3 are rarely even noticed WHEN IN ACTUAL USE OUTSIDE.
Sheetrock rangers-
I brought up a very good point above when I said "WHEN IN ACTUAL USE OUTSIDE." Because the night vision device is after all, designed to be used outside at night to gather any scrap of light and amplify it. Now, here's the problem most of us in the NV industry have been seeing the last couple years- there is a lot of folks that don't seem to go outside with their NV but just sit and stare at sheetrock inside their house. You will find any cosmetic issue with your NV tube if you sit and stare at a white wall long enough- especially if you have good eyes.
Now, ask your Mom for permission to go outside and see how your night vision actually performs OUTSIDE, LOL.I'm joking here.
Nothing wrong with playing "sheetrock Ranger", just heed one warning- do NOT turn on your IR illuminator and stare at walls, you WILL bounce IR off the wall and potentially burn (harm) your tube. This is not covered under warranty just as if I bought a new truck and drove it into my neighbors house wouldn't be covered under the truck's warranty.
Bottom line- staring at sheetrock will show you any cosmetic issues with your tube, but it's not actually representative of how well your tube will PERFORM outside.
Now, let's further discuss cosmetic issues.
There can also be areas of a tube that look just a little off color when viewed, almost like a small shadow is in that area. Picture the entire view being bright white except one small patch that is just a small bit darker- you can still see through that area but the color is just a bit off. This is perfectly normal and not at all uncommon.
When I say things like "not at all uncommon" please understand we look through THOUSANDS of tubes whereas most folks don't, So I'm still talking about a very small percentage.
Spots, off colored areas, sometimes what seems like a little line, all can be types of cosmetic issues a tube can have.
Pepper speck-
In order to be classified as a "spot" the spot must measure at least .003 to .006 (really small). ALL of the tube manufacturers do not measure or chart anything smaller than that. However if you stare long and hard enough you can often times find super small minuscule spots that are called "pepper speck." Pepper speck do not count as spots under the spot spec chart and can be numerous in a tube and the tube still meet the spot spec for that grade.
If you try to take a pic of the tube and the things you are trying to take a pic of (pepper speck) barely shows up in the pic, it's probably "pepper speck." This is very common and tube manufacturers won't even count it.
The pic above is shown of what we call a "blem tube"- this is a tube that DOES MAKE THE SPOT SPEC for that particular grade of tube, however WE grade them a little more aggressively than that. Clean your monitor before you get a good look, but this tube has 2 spots in Zone 3 and a little pepper speck. Note that the spots in this tube are well within the spot spec for the higher grades of tubes -SLH, YH and VH tubes.
When we get a system ready to ship, we note ALL the cosmetic issues we can see in the tube on the build sheet (1st page of your paperwork right in front of your tube data sheet). So you know exactly what you are getting.
We do occasionally have tubes that while they meet the spot spec for that grade of tube from the manufacturer, have what we feel like is a little more spots than we like to see. When that happens we DISCOUNT that unit drastically. This is somewhat subjective by us and we do this on our own accord.
So if your looking for a "deal" and are willing to deal with a couple little black spots, email us and let us know your looking for a discounted blem unit and we will put you on the list for one. In a given shipment of 50 tubes, we may only have 1 or at the most 2 tubes that we would classify this way, but we discount them drastically when we have them.
Bottom line on tube cosmetics- if you want a cleaner image you will need to consider an SLH grade tube at a minimum and if you can afford the difference, a YH or VH tube will IN GENERAL have cleaner cosmetics than an SLH.
Have any questions feel free to post them or call or email
robert@jrhenterprises.com
First and foremost it's important for a new person to understand that each and every NV tube is different. These are analog products not digital products. With a digital product like say a smart TV, you can go to the store and buy one TV one day go back the next day buy the same model in the same box and they would be identical.
That's not the case with NV tubes, every single one is different. They can really close, sometimes really REALLY close, but are never identical.
So here's where the data sheet for the tube becomes important. It's like the pedigree for a high dollar dog. It proves what that exact tube is, how it performed when tested at the factory and whether it passed the spot spec for that grade of tube.
It's important to KEEP your data sheet somewhere safe. When you order from us we mention that usually on the phone and also in the emails we send and note it on the build sheet to which the data sheet is stapled to also. If you ever need to sell your NV, your data sheet proves the value of it and will fetch you a higher price than not having it. Put your paperwork (data sheet and build sheet) in your gun safe or with "important papers" and you'll have it later if ever needed.
Cosmetics-
Here is where a lot of new people get tripped up. Even worse if they are OCD types. Every night vision tube usually has some sort of small cosmetic issue. You may not even be able to see it with the naked eye, but it may show up on our Hoffman test set.
Small black spots, small areas that are a little off color, etc. are principally what we are talking about here. The small black spots are commonly called spots or "blemishes." Some would argue that a 'blemish' technically is different but since we are TRYING TO KEEP THIS SIMPLE for new folks, we use the terms "spot" and "blemish" or "blem" interchangeably. Some places will call spots "artifacts" which is a really goofy if you ask me, it's not like your finding King Tut's golden cup or something LOL.
NOTE- these small cosmetic issues DO NOT AFFECT THE SERVICEABILITY OF THE UNIT. They are simply a flaw in the manufacturing process when the tube is constructed. They do NOT represent a failure of the tube or any serious problems.
Spot spec charts-
Each tube grade will have a "spot spec" chart which will help you get a feel for what all is "allowed" as far as spots in the tube image. NOTE- each tube will in general be MUCH BETTER than the spot spec. Think of the spot spec chart as your worse case scenario, NOT the best case. The really low grade tubes like the XLS grade tubes will have a horrible spot spec chart, allowing many spots all over the view including the center and also LARGER spots. As you get into the BETTER tube grades like SLH, YH and VH, the spot spec chart gets better, meaning they allow a LOT LESS spots.
Zones
The pic below comes from our Hoffman ANV 126A and HVS126A Night vision test set. It's perhaps the best way to illustrate what the "zones" are that are depicted in any spot spec chart.
Zone 1 is the center as pictured as the center circle. Zone 2 is the next outer band and Zone 3 is the far outside.
You can see why you would want to avoid a low tube grade like XLS which allows spots in the CENTER of the view- the center being the most used area of the view. NONE of the better tube grade- SLH, YH OR VH allow .003 spots in Zone 1. Spots in Zone 2 and 3 are rarely even noticed WHEN IN ACTUAL USE OUTSIDE.
Sheetrock rangers-
I brought up a very good point above when I said "WHEN IN ACTUAL USE OUTSIDE." Because the night vision device is after all, designed to be used outside at night to gather any scrap of light and amplify it. Now, here's the problem most of us in the NV industry have been seeing the last couple years- there is a lot of folks that don't seem to go outside with their NV but just sit and stare at sheetrock inside their house. You will find any cosmetic issue with your NV tube if you sit and stare at a white wall long enough- especially if you have good eyes.
Now, ask your Mom for permission to go outside and see how your night vision actually performs OUTSIDE, LOL.I'm joking here.
Nothing wrong with playing "sheetrock Ranger", just heed one warning- do NOT turn on your IR illuminator and stare at walls, you WILL bounce IR off the wall and potentially burn (harm) your tube. This is not covered under warranty just as if I bought a new truck and drove it into my neighbors house wouldn't be covered under the truck's warranty.
Bottom line- staring at sheetrock will show you any cosmetic issues with your tube, but it's not actually representative of how well your tube will PERFORM outside.
Now, let's further discuss cosmetic issues.
There can also be areas of a tube that look just a little off color when viewed, almost like a small shadow is in that area. Picture the entire view being bright white except one small patch that is just a small bit darker- you can still see through that area but the color is just a bit off. This is perfectly normal and not at all uncommon.
When I say things like "not at all uncommon" please understand we look through THOUSANDS of tubes whereas most folks don't, So I'm still talking about a very small percentage.
Spots, off colored areas, sometimes what seems like a little line, all can be types of cosmetic issues a tube can have.
Pepper speck-
In order to be classified as a "spot" the spot must measure at least .003 to .006 (really small). ALL of the tube manufacturers do not measure or chart anything smaller than that. However if you stare long and hard enough you can often times find super small minuscule spots that are called "pepper speck." Pepper speck do not count as spots under the spot spec chart and can be numerous in a tube and the tube still meet the spot spec for that grade.
If you try to take a pic of the tube and the things you are trying to take a pic of (pepper speck) barely shows up in the pic, it's probably "pepper speck." This is very common and tube manufacturers won't even count it.
The pic above is shown of what we call a "blem tube"- this is a tube that DOES MAKE THE SPOT SPEC for that particular grade of tube, however WE grade them a little more aggressively than that. Clean your monitor before you get a good look, but this tube has 2 spots in Zone 3 and a little pepper speck. Note that the spots in this tube are well within the spot spec for the higher grades of tubes -SLH, YH and VH tubes.
When we get a system ready to ship, we note ALL the cosmetic issues we can see in the tube on the build sheet (1st page of your paperwork right in front of your tube data sheet). So you know exactly what you are getting.
We do occasionally have tubes that while they meet the spot spec for that grade of tube from the manufacturer, have what we feel like is a little more spots than we like to see. When that happens we DISCOUNT that unit drastically. This is somewhat subjective by us and we do this on our own accord.
So if your looking for a "deal" and are willing to deal with a couple little black spots, email us and let us know your looking for a discounted blem unit and we will put you on the list for one. In a given shipment of 50 tubes, we may only have 1 or at the most 2 tubes that we would classify this way, but we discount them drastically when we have them.
Bottom line on tube cosmetics- if you want a cleaner image you will need to consider an SLH grade tube at a minimum and if you can afford the difference, a YH or VH tube will IN GENERAL have cleaner cosmetics than an SLH.
Have any questions feel free to post them or call or email
robert@jrhenterprises.com