CVLIFE BearMight 256x192
256x192 sensor1-4x digital15mm lens1024x768 HD display
Cheapest real thermal we'd hand a new hog hunter. Fine for scanning a field before you walk it.
$395.99Check price at CVLIFE →
Price ladder: thermals you can buy today
Street prices colored by tier. Prices change, so tap through for today's price.
256 vs 384: what the extra money buys
A 384 sensor has about 2.25x the pixels of a 256. Close in, both show a hog. Out past 150 yards, the 384 helps you tell a hog from a deer.
Scan a field and find downed game
If you mostly want to check a field for hogs before you walk in, or find an animal after the shot, you don't need much. A 256 thermal (its sensor is 256 pixels wide) shows warm bodies clearly at normal hunting distances. Start with the CVLIFE BearMight. If you want much longer battery life, step up to the TOPDON TS004.
If you mostly want to check a field for hogs before you walk in, or find an animal after the shot, you don't need much. A 256 thermal (its sensor is 256 pixels wide) shows warm bodies clearly at normal hunting distances. Start with the CVLIFE BearMight. If you want much longer battery life, step up to the TOPDON TS004.
Hogs and coyotes past 150 yards
Farther out, you need more detail to tell a hog from a deer or a coyote from a dog. A 384 sensor has more than twice the pixels of a 256, so the picture holds up at distance. Start with the AGM Taipan V2. Step up to the Pulsar Axion XQ19 for a lighter, better-built unit and Pulsar's phone app.
Farther out, you need more detail to tell a hog from a deer or a coyote from a dog. A 384 sensor has more than twice the pixels of a 256, so the picture holds up at distance. Start with the AGM Taipan V2. Step up to the Pulsar Axion XQ19 for a lighter, better-built unit and Pulsar's phone app.
Long nights of scanning
Looking through one eye for hours gets tiring. A thermal binocular lets you use both eyes, which is much more comfortable. If that's you, save up for the ATN Binox 6 Dual.
Looking through one eye for hours gets tiring. A thermal binocular lets you use both eyes, which is much more comfortable. If that's you, save up for the ATN Binox 6 Dual.
Under $500
First thermal · scan and recover · 2 with buy links · 4 thermals
TOPDON TS004
~11 hr batteryIP67Wi-Fi app
Number two on Amazon's hunting night-vision best-seller list, rated 4.5 stars. It has the longest battery life we found under $500, about 11 hours.
RIX Pocket
Budget handheldspecs on our list to verify
Pocket-size budget thermal. Forums like it for the money.
Specs only. Buy link coming soon.
Nocpix Lumi
Budget handheldspecs on our list to verify
Budget handheld from a newer brand climbing the forum charts.
Specs only. Buy link coming soon.
$500 – $1,000
384 resolution and name brands · 2 with buy links · 3 thermals
AGM Taipan V2 15-384
384 sensor1.5-12x digital15mm9.2 oz3-yr warranty
The model hunting forums recommend most as a first 384 thermal. Its sharper sensor shows more detail at distance than the 256 models.
Pulsar Axion XQ19
1.5-6x digital19mm8.5 oz3-yr warranty
You get Pulsar's build quality and phone app right at $1,000. It's also the lightest pick on this list.
Goyojo GRS 225 RF
Built-in laser rangefinderspecs on our list to verify
Budget thermal with a built-in rangefinder.
Specs only. Buy link coming soon.
If you can stretch
Just over $1k · 2 with buy links · 2 thermals
ATN Binox 6 Dual
Thermal binoculardual-eye viewing
Top-rated thermal binocular on Amazon. Two eyes for long glassing sessions.
~$1,500Check price at Amazon →
Pulsar Axion 2 XQ35
35mm lensPulsar monocular
Its bigger 35mm lens magnifies more, so you can tell a hog from a deer farther out.
~$1,860Check price at Amazon →