This is a review of OwlSet Argon ES 1.9x25 Thermal Imaging Monocular (VEOT-MC08) by the-answer-is-42
Ok here is the long awaited (maybe, if anyone cares ) post about the Owlset monocular. They have several models going from "MC06" to "MC08" and as it turns out, the model I thought I needed which was the MC07 had a bunch of wrong information listed on the website (both their corporate and retail websites which was removed after I pointed it out) and is only meant to be a handheld monocular or weapon-mounted with generous eye relief and had no diopter or other adjustments. After bringing this up to Owlset and telling them my needs they offered to send me the upgraded MC08 model with a 400 sensor! So thanks to Owlset for being an awesome company to start off this TED talk.
I have been beginning my thermal journey and testing out 256 resolution thermal units on the lower end of the thermal spectrum to see how they work and how they could fit within my usage scenarios. The Owlset VEOT-MC08 is a 400-class detector thermal monocular that provides lots of new features over the 256 units I have on hand.
After my first time using it, I was amazed by how much clearer these units are than my 256 ones. The definition and clarity of a 400-series detector over a 256 are huge! Thermals have their own line of important aspects: 25mm objective, 25mK NETD, a 400-class 12-micron detector, IP67 water proofing, and an 800x600 AMOLED screen inside the unit. Seemingly standard for this class of unit.
The MC08 unit features all the usual color spectrums for thermal but also adds in two new ones which are green and sepia-toned. I don’t have much use for the sepia - and not sure where the contrast would work well - but the green version is great makes it seem like a night-vision-esque experience and is quite nice to view.
The stitched photo above shows all available color modes while viewing trees and pavement after dark.
The image above shows several objects at approximately 100 yards – both a vehicle and a person walking. The imaging is very clear and you can see both items with ease at 100 yards.
For my top priority, I wanted to get a thermal monocular that could be helmet mounted so my hands could be free while either hunting or other tasks. For this to work the thermal monocular needs to have objective and focus adjustments like a thermal clip-on that allow you to focus on the scenery and adjust for your eyesight. The MC08 does both and the adjustments work very well.
The eye relief is short on the MC08 but it allows the thermal to sit in a very night-vision-esque manner on the helmet. Owlset has an available mount for these thermals and other products, but it would place the thermal in the middle of your face and I wanted to offset the monocular so that my dominant eye could be free to focus on a red dot, scope, or mounted clip-on thermal if needed for aiming while still using the MC08 thermal in my nondominant eye.
This is where the mounting solution turned into a mixture of parts. I ended up using a Wilcox NVG mount along with a GoodNightGear NVG30/50 adjustable dovetail mount which then attached to the MC08’s picatinny mount/adapter piece. So, in all, three separate products were needed to create the proper offset mount for this monocular.
My second use case is to use the monocular as a clip-on and the MC08 did not disappoint in this usage, either. Installation was easy with the provided picatinny mount – though I did have to remove the NVG helmet adapter pieces which involved several screws.
I tried the MC08 on a 1-6x LPVO currently as my DMR setup and it worked fine right out of the gate! The image below shows the LPVO and MC08 at 1x, 3x, and 6. I needed to adjust the ocular ring to get a clear image compared to my helmet setup but after that I was only using the scope to zoom. There is some refraction/blur at higher magnifications, but it is still useable and, in my opinion, much better than a 256 unit or even using the digital zoom on the unit itself.
Here’s how it looks as a clip-on as pictured above with 1x, 3x, and 6x magnification:
The firmware included with the MC08 is easy to use and is traversed by using the directional scroll wheel built into the unit by the eye piece with a single or long-press button on the bottom. The wheel is stiff until you break it in a bit, but after that and getting used to it the menu is easy to use and has a full suite of thermal features such as sleep modes, image enhancements, color options, user-defined shortcuts, and the usual brightness/contrast settings.
Firmware options such as Bluetooth and wifi can be turned on to access the unit from your phone with the ThermalIR app and you can then view the screen remotely, make firmware updates, or change settings on the unit in real-time. If you don’t like changing options with the omin-directional scroll wheel than the ThermalIR app is what you’ll want to use most often.
Overall, I think this Owlset MC08 unit is a very powerful and handy thermal monocular that bridges the gap between cheaper 256 units and much more expensive 1280 units very well. I’m glad I ended up with this MC08 unit! Using the MC08 as a helmet mounted monocular, I think will be a gamechanger for me when scanning tree lines and etc. during hunting trips and being able to use it as a capable clip on is a super huge plus as well.
If you are interested in original review, please click here to view all.
