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Seems like every time a new person calls to ask about night vision this question comes up.
Most night vision devices built new have some sort of lead time. Truly, it's pretty rare to find units actually sitting in stock ready to ship.
"But why is that? Do dealers just not "stock" anything?"
No that's hardly the case.
The answer is two fold-
1. Very high demand. Let me start off by saying that while night vision is a niche market, it's usually a very BUSY niche market, especially for those known for quality devices and that have been in business a long time.
The last few years, actually starting around fall of 2019, have been extremely busy for us (JRH Enterprises) and most places in the industry. Yes, even before "covid" and even before "World War 3" scares people were buying night vision. It's insane but I get that question a lot. Usually it comes from folks that are just now considering night vision but in their minds, seem to think they are the first to consider the need for it.
Folks have been buying night vision for decades. We sold our first night vision set in 1993, sold a fair amount of it during the 90's- PVS4, PVS5, PVS7's, Patriot Pocketscopes we had made specifically for us, etc. Meanwhile there is a lot of johnny come lately companies that have popped up the last couple years calling themselves "industry Leaders" when they have only been in business 1-2 years! How ironic!!
2. Normal lead times- the tube is the heart of a night vision device and usually about 90% of the cost of the unit. The big tube manufacturers- Elbit (formerly ITT), Photonis and L3 have always had lead times on their tube orders.
Here is a good example- as of early June 2022 we were just quoted March 2023 at the earliest and "not guaranteed" for a new order of mid grade tubes. What does that mean? It means that tube order would not possibly start arriving any before March of 2023 and that March 23 date is "not guaranteed." That's 10 months away from today's date.
Some tube types you can order and schedule deliveries on- so many per month X however many years, etc. Some tube types you cannot. Some tube grades we are now being told are "3 years out and we aren't taking new orders on."
So hopefully by this juncture you can see how insane it is for people to complain about a 2 to 4 week lead time for a completed device?
But wait, we aren't done....
Because the tube is just ONE COMPONENT of a completed device!
You also have the housing and lenses. These also have lead times and while significantly less lead time than tube orders, these also take time to produce and get in. Depending on the housing- PVS14 or dual tube set, etc. lead times for these could be as short as 3 months or as long as 6 months.
Also, all of these suppliers -tubes, housings, glass- have their normal production schedules, supplier problems, shortages of components, etc. So when demand ramps up like it has the last couple years, it takes these "big wheels" a long while to ramp up with it.
Then you have to add in all the "covid" BS which does affect some of these larger companies (Monkey pox next up???) as well as supply chain issues, etc.
"Why not just double your inventory?"
It's quite a bit more complicated than that. For example, not even considering the lead times and supply issues touched on above, demand often outstrips inventory quickly. Smart people that have been paying attention jump quickly on inventory when it's in stock and ready to ship. Let's face it, no one really wants to wait 20-24 weeks (that's six months) to get a night vision device- that time period BTW is the average industry standard lead time currently on new devices and has been around that for the last year and a half. So smart folks jump on "in stock" devices and move quick on them to avoid long waits.
What's interesting at this juncture in time (June of 2022) is that HIGHER GRADE tubes are shipping quicker than the low grade tubes like the XLS tubes (3 years out on new orders). Why is that? Simple- the higher graded tubes like the YH and VH grades COST A LOT MORE and most dealers are constantly looking for "cheap options". So the irony right now is that you would wait LONGER for a low quality tube than you would for a HIGHER QUALITY TUBE!!! Also with major price increases on tubes, dealers are seeking out lower cost- LOWER QUALITY- tubes.
So the good news for the smart consumer is- it's a good time to get HIGHER QUALITY TUBES. Got to find the sunshine amongst the clouds!
"Is the supply situation getting any better?"
On some fronts, yes.
As a smaller business, we have a lot more flexibility and strive to always stay flexible. As mentioned above the higher graded tubes YH, VH, M23, etc. are shipping a little quicker than the lower graded tubes. So if your late to the party and don't want to wait 6 months, I would suggest looking at higher grade tube options. The slight increase in price for the better tubes means higher quality tubes and at this point in time, a significantly lower lead time.
Folks would do well to look around and remember that supply chain issues have hit almost every industry. It shouldn't take more than a trip to the grocery store these days and a little paying attention to the shelves to see there remains some major disruptions in supply in EVERY industry in the country. If your Cornflakes are absent on the shelf at walmart, a new car takes months to get and TP goes scarce, there should be no wonder that a niche market product (night vision) is hard to find.
Plan ahead, have your "research" all done ahead of time, watch for items in stock or with short lead times, stay flexible and be ready to purchase- that's the best way to grab NV without a long wait. I can't tell you how many times we post that we have NV in stock, people call and order like crazy and one guy calls, asks 20 questions then calls back four days later only to find out they are all sold and he missed out.
Most night vision devices built new have some sort of lead time. Truly, it's pretty rare to find units actually sitting in stock ready to ship.
"But why is that? Do dealers just not "stock" anything?"
No that's hardly the case.
The answer is two fold-
1. Very high demand. Let me start off by saying that while night vision is a niche market, it's usually a very BUSY niche market, especially for those known for quality devices and that have been in business a long time.
The last few years, actually starting around fall of 2019, have been extremely busy for us (JRH Enterprises) and most places in the industry. Yes, even before "covid" and even before "World War 3" scares people were buying night vision. It's insane but I get that question a lot. Usually it comes from folks that are just now considering night vision but in their minds, seem to think they are the first to consider the need for it.
Folks have been buying night vision for decades. We sold our first night vision set in 1993, sold a fair amount of it during the 90's- PVS4, PVS5, PVS7's, Patriot Pocketscopes we had made specifically for us, etc. Meanwhile there is a lot of johnny come lately companies that have popped up the last couple years calling themselves "industry Leaders" when they have only been in business 1-2 years! How ironic!!
2. Normal lead times- the tube is the heart of a night vision device and usually about 90% of the cost of the unit. The big tube manufacturers- Elbit (formerly ITT), Photonis and L3 have always had lead times on their tube orders.
Here is a good example- as of early June 2022 we were just quoted March 2023 at the earliest and "not guaranteed" for a new order of mid grade tubes. What does that mean? It means that tube order would not possibly start arriving any before March of 2023 and that March 23 date is "not guaranteed." That's 10 months away from today's date.
Some tube types you can order and schedule deliveries on- so many per month X however many years, etc. Some tube types you cannot. Some tube grades we are now being told are "3 years out and we aren't taking new orders on."
So hopefully by this juncture you can see how insane it is for people to complain about a 2 to 4 week lead time for a completed device?
But wait, we aren't done....
Because the tube is just ONE COMPONENT of a completed device!
You also have the housing and lenses. These also have lead times and while significantly less lead time than tube orders, these also take time to produce and get in. Depending on the housing- PVS14 or dual tube set, etc. lead times for these could be as short as 3 months or as long as 6 months.
Also, all of these suppliers -tubes, housings, glass- have their normal production schedules, supplier problems, shortages of components, etc. So when demand ramps up like it has the last couple years, it takes these "big wheels" a long while to ramp up with it.
Then you have to add in all the "covid" BS which does affect some of these larger companies (Monkey pox next up???) as well as supply chain issues, etc.
"Why not just double your inventory?"
It's quite a bit more complicated than that. For example, not even considering the lead times and supply issues touched on above, demand often outstrips inventory quickly. Smart people that have been paying attention jump quickly on inventory when it's in stock and ready to ship. Let's face it, no one really wants to wait 20-24 weeks (that's six months) to get a night vision device- that time period BTW is the average industry standard lead time currently on new devices and has been around that for the last year and a half. So smart folks jump on "in stock" devices and move quick on them to avoid long waits.
What's interesting at this juncture in time (June of 2022) is that HIGHER GRADE tubes are shipping quicker than the low grade tubes like the XLS tubes (3 years out on new orders). Why is that? Simple- the higher graded tubes like the YH and VH grades COST A LOT MORE and most dealers are constantly looking for "cheap options". So the irony right now is that you would wait LONGER for a low quality tube than you would for a HIGHER QUALITY TUBE!!! Also with major price increases on tubes, dealers are seeking out lower cost- LOWER QUALITY- tubes.
So the good news for the smart consumer is- it's a good time to get HIGHER QUALITY TUBES. Got to find the sunshine amongst the clouds!
"Is the supply situation getting any better?"
On some fronts, yes.
As a smaller business, we have a lot more flexibility and strive to always stay flexible. As mentioned above the higher graded tubes YH, VH, M23, etc. are shipping a little quicker than the lower graded tubes. So if your late to the party and don't want to wait 6 months, I would suggest looking at higher grade tube options. The slight increase in price for the better tubes means higher quality tubes and at this point in time, a significantly lower lead time.
Folks would do well to look around and remember that supply chain issues have hit almost every industry. It shouldn't take more than a trip to the grocery store these days and a little paying attention to the shelves to see there remains some major disruptions in supply in EVERY industry in the country. If your Cornflakes are absent on the shelf at walmart, a new car takes months to get and TP goes scarce, there should be no wonder that a niche market product (night vision) is hard to find.
Plan ahead, have your "research" all done ahead of time, watch for items in stock or with short lead times, stay flexible and be ready to purchase- that's the best way to grab NV without a long wait. I can't tell you how many times we post that we have NV in stock, people call and order like crazy and one guy calls, asks 20 questions then calls back four days later only to find out they are all sold and he missed out.
