National Geographic 3.1x Night Vision Monocular

This is 1st gen technology. You get a green low-light view of the world thru a monocular not the glow-in-the-dark IR effect you may have seen on TV in police chases. I bought this to have when camping and am pleased with the value and glad I bought the unit. With any moonlight at all, I can see terrain features and could hike in the dark using this. I can see person size objects across open areas that I cannot see with the naked eye. I can see into the dark shadows under trees and see objects & outlines not possible with the naked eye. However, if a person were camoflauged in a ghillie suit and motionless, in brush and 40 or 50 yards away I might not notice them. They wouldn't glow. Everything is a little fuzzy. I went out of town and experimented and simulated losing my keys under brush and searching for them using this unit. This unit focuses near enough to focus right at my feet and I could make out my keys easily in grass and brush as long as the brush didn't cover and obscure my line of sight to my keys, same as a flashlight would work but without advertising your location to the world. The IR emitter is very bright on nearby objects & terrain, but quickly loses effectiveness with any real distance, say 40 or 50 yds. The IR emitter glows red if you look directly at it. Someone looking at you sees a red dot directly in the center of your head. There is no visible beam of light to the naked eye. If there is any moonlight at all the IR emitter does not need to be turned on and fresh batteries make a difference. Trying to peer thru thick brush using the IR emitter is difficult because the brush reflects the IR and washes out the background. A bright moon, near the horizon, washes out your view in that direction. Any light source such as automobile headlights, porch lights, distant barnyard lights, flashlights etc. are extremely bright and noticeable. A good value for casual/camper/homeowner use. It's built to be used in the right hand and it takes some fiddling with. I wouldn't want to depend on this if I were LEO, however this is a 100 times better than having nothing. You can see things in the dark with it that you couldn't see otherwise. I've since noticed that this manufacturer makes a similarly sized/priced unit that is water proof. I wouldn't know if it works as well.

This night-vision monocular was a pleasant surprise! I had shopped elsewhere, and found comparable models (different brands) for twice the price. I figured the National Geographic brand ought to be a good product, and wasn't disappointed.
We used it to view the wildlife in our backyard woods at night, and it was really neat! Using the infrared illuminator really "lit up" the scene. It's a lot of fun.