AGM Global VisionTaipan Thermal Imaging Monocular for Hunting 12μm Sensor, Hot Spot Tracking, 8× Digital Zoom, Video Recording, WiFi, IP67 Waterproof

The AGM Taipan TM15-384 is the second thermal imager I've used, the first was the built-in thermal mode for CAT phones. This monocular works well for spotting animals and finding weak points in house insulation, among other uses. It obviously lacks features present in a construction-grade thermal imager such as temperature readouts, but it's really a spotting device, not a measuring one. As another reviewer pointed out, it's great for finding studs through drywall, since they'll be a slightly lower temperature and they stand out nicely most of the time. There are a lot of uses for thermal imaging but this device seems best for general purpose at around 5-300 yards. I wouldn't count on it for close-in use.The optic: You can easily spot a possum through light brush at 100 yards, but if it is stationary and not in profile, you will need to get very close to positively identify it as a possum rather than a cat or fox. The 384x288@50hz sensor seems to be the standard for the midrange price point of $1,000-$2,000, and I would absolutely not want a lower resolution or refresh rate. This model, at 17.5 x 13.1 degrees, has one of the wider Fields Of View available at this price point, but the fixed 1.5x magnification exaggerates the narrowness of the FOV. This unit would be much better served with either a wider FOV or the ability to dial back the magnification to 1.0x or 0.9x. First, it would provide more area for a "baseline" thermal reading, which should help with contrast of the "scene." The optic seems to register relative thermal readings, not absolute, and with a bit of a delay, so as you pan the optic you'll see false heat until it adjusts to the new "scene." Second, a wider FOV (or ability to zoom out) would mean less panning for spotting. The optic is very sensitive, and any body heat really will pop, especially outside, so if an animal is in your field of view you will probably spot it extremely easily, even without the hot spot identification feature. You will only want to use this monocular while staying still. Trying to navigate with it will likely result in disaster. Aftermarket head mounts exist for this unit but you're probably better off keeping it in a pocket until needed. You can use the unit indoors but any distances under 8 feet are less than ideal. The digital zoom doesn't seem hugely useful, it just magnifies the existing information displayed on the screen, so at distance, a visible blob of pixels becomes a larger visible blob of pixels. Probably the best feature of the optic is that it's single focus and everything past 8 feet feels completely in focus. It really has a high quality feel.The display: 1280x960@50hz with great color, but the display is bright and not dimmable which means you WILL be COMPLETELY night blind in whichever eye you use for the monocular. The listed brightness and contrast adjustments are for the optic input, not the display itself. This is fine for daylight use, but this will hugely complicate your use case in low-light situations. This isn't the biggest problem if you're in a tree stand, can use your non-dominant eye or have a thermal rifle scope, but it will get complicated quickly if you're on the move, using your dominant eye and using traditional optics. Being able to adjust the brightness of the display itself down to ambient levels would be a huge improvement.Other features: The controls are responsive, the buttons are simple and work well. The diopter adjustment knob works easily, but should have a locking mechanism. The lens cap is a soft rubber that pops into place, I'm not sure how long it'll hold up in comparison to a lens cap which would screw into place. The battery life seems very good so far, but not having a removable battery means that once the battery fails either the unit will have to be sent back somehow or it will have to be permanently tethered to an external battery, if it will still function on external only. I used the included cable and charger, but other reviewers have mentioned that it only works with USB A to C cables, which is a problem. The IP67 rating is reassuring for an outdoor device, but it should really be increased to IP68. It handles temperature changes well, going from warm to cold or cold to warm without problems. The lens will frost slightly but it doesn't affect the picture quality too much. The storage not being removable presents a similar problem to the battery if you will be relying on the recording features. I haven't used some features yet, like distance measurement, the wifi/app or recording but if it follows the pattern then it will likely be basic but functional.The biggest factor helping my choice of this device is the price point. I got it for a little over $1,000 during the Cyber Monday sale, which makes it hugely affordable compared to other optics of similar quality. In the near term, I don't expect prices to decline, but in the long term I think the $400 bracket will get more competitive as better technology is released, so make your buying decision after evaluating your budget, use case and time frame.

I bought this unit a few months ago for hog hunting and it's worked out nicely. I walk fields and ATV trails through hardwoods/swamp at night scanning for hogs, then get whithin shooting range and shoot them using a night vision scope. The longest view I have on my property is probably 600-700 yards across a large field and I can still spot smaller varmint animals at that distance and can clearly make out larger animals like cows. At that range you probably won't be able to distinguish between a deer or hog... definitely won't be able to distinguish between a cat and a possum... but you'll know whether it's a small critter, or a larger animal worth taking a closer look at. I'd say the range for a quick positive ID between deer and hogs with this unit is around 200 yards, probably a good bit further once you've gotten used to looking through a thermal device and know the difference between how the animals tend to move around. That's more than enough for the fields and wooded areas where I tend to kill hogs.The biggest advantage this unit gave me was just learning the hogs patterns and basically allowing me to ambush them. Even when I can't get a shot at a hog I'm able to see what routes they're taking, where they're coming and going from, etc.. They're smart and try to adapt to the hunting pressure, but the thermals allows me to figure them out again. They always come back eventually but I have successfully driven them off my property once they started to realize nowhere was safe and they've lost relatives everywhere they've tried to hang out.I've had this unit out in light drizzling rain a handful of times and it's been perfectly fine. I also live in a very humid state and I've never had the glass fog up at all which is awesome. The clarity of this unit was better than expected but it does lose image quality fast once you zoom in. I leave it on the lowest setting at all times. The little focus knob on the side becomes really intuitive to use one handed and I just never have a reason to zoom in at the distances I spot hogs. The buttons also become very intuitive as far as turning the screen off and on and changing color modes. I've found that black hot is the best for quickly locating animals but white hot and red hot both work great too and might show a little more detail in the thick woods as far as making out the surrounding trees and foliage.The battery life is supposed to be 7-8 hours and I definitely believe it. I tend to hunt from around 8 or 9 pm in the evenings until as late as 2 or 3 am sometimes and I've never had this unit run out of battery and you could also use a battery pack with it. The only complaints I have are that the initial start up process seems long..it's maybe 30 seconds (you can look through it after a few seconds but you can't change color modes or adjust anything else until it's been on for 30 seconds or so). Once it's booted up you can just press the button to quickly turn it off an on as needed...long press the button to turn it completely off again. Also, if you want to record video you have to hold the video button down for a few seconds for it to start and I wish it was a little faster. You also need another device like a laptop if you want to watch or edit your recordings. The storage is internal so there's no SD card or anything.Over all this thing works great for my needs and I don't think I would've gained a whole lot by spending $300 more for the next model but I wouldn't want anything less either. In short, if you need a thermal monocular to instantly ID hogs out to 200+ yards, and keep an eye on your property at much farther distances this will fit the bill. Was definitely an investment for me, but one that I'm happy with and can't see myself going without a thermal scanner from now on.

What great item!!!