Every kid dreams of being able to see in the dark, but now your a adult its time to make dreams come true and find yourself a pair of modern night vision goggles. It can be quite scary when picking such a complex electronic device but do not worry, here is a handy guide to help you.

First of all you need to decide which type you want. There are two options, both with their own separate pros and cons. They also come with wildly erratic price tags. So, do you want image intensifying or thermal? Let’s have a closer look.

The image intensifying style of night vision devices work by reading the electrons that pass over a plate within. An image is then made by tracing around the dark area. It’s an effective system with one major drawback – it will not work at all in total darkness. There must be a slight light source for these to function in the first place.

The second main style of NVG’s are thermal based. These read the heat given off by items and assign them a colour based on the hotness. The hotter it is the brighter the light. This style of night vision equipment works at its best when used to find and track down small mammals, they’re also the NVG of choice for police officers who use them to hunt criminals.

The shape of your night vision device will differ wildly depending on its primary role and purpose, hunting equipment for instance will come in the shape of a scope. The military use eye mounted devices that fit onto the helmets of soldiers to enable them to find the enemy without using their hands to see.

The quality of the image you NV equipment provides is largely reliant on the quality and price of the item you’re using. One factor you’ll want to be aware of when selecting your night vision equipment is the resolution. In brief this is the quantity of lines the display produces. The greater resolutions return the greater images and therefore, the greater the price.

Its also important for all night vision equipment to be as transportable as possible. Anything that is bulky will usually end up becoming a setback to you in the field and ultimately a waste of money if it is too heavy to carry around. The monocular is usually the lightest but goggles can be good if you need to keep your hands free. Goggles are usually more expensive so make sure you need them.

Another point to consider is the ease of transportation. Ideally, you want the equipment to be as manageable as possible. Anything excessively bulky will weigh you down and could be a waste of cash when you start opting to leave it at home. Monocular goggles are genuinely the least heavy and work perfectly if you need a hands free device.

Clearly, the process of selecting and buying the right night vision gear for you is a long, drawn out and important process. You need to make doubly sure you make the right choice to save yourself the pain of buying a second set. Keep in mind, the key here is to buy the correct set dependant on your own specific needs.