Pulsar Thermals

[BobbyJoe]

If you had a choice... which is better? And why?

Apex XQ38 or the new Thermion XM30?

I’ve heard the Thermion is like a glorified Core (with the fixed focus and lower resolution), but with the capability to record.

Does anyone have a new Thermion that can share their experience with it so far?

Thanks for any input.

[blaqkpanda]

The Thermion. I didn't realize how important base magnification was on thermals. You essentially only have digital zoom. Once you zoom to 2x, you've halved your resolution. If you double it again to 4x, resolution is so bad it's hard to make any kind of shot. If you can, I would stretch for something with 640 resolution.

[BobbyJoe]

I think base mag on the Apex is 2.2 and 3 on the Thermion

I’d love that get something with 640 res but that’s not in the cards at the moment

[roughneck266]

I can't really help a lot since I have never had an Apex, but I do have two thermions, one XP38 and one XM30. Honestly, if it had focus, I would own probably several of the XM30's. They have a lot of features that some will not use, but I use most of them. I love the XP38, but obviously it's a good bit more money.

[Zen Archery]

If your future hunting endeavors are primarily in a fixed location you are familiar with and know the terrain you are dealing with you can get away with the Apex.
But if you plan to spot and stock a lot I would step up to the Thermion.
Budget will always be your game but the Thermion is 2 generations step up from the Apex. The Apex is pretty basic. The Thermion has too many options you will never play with when hunting.

[BobbyJoe]

What’s the advantage of the Thermion when spot and stalking? I do both, sitting and stalking, probably equally as much.

My biggest concern of the Thermion is the no focus. Is it blurry? They say it’s “focused to infinity” but everyone’s eyes are different so not sure how that works. Seems like a lot of $ to spend on something if it doesn’t look great through the lens

[Fmjag64]

I have a Thermion XP50 and it's great,

[Whale]

Tagged

[roughneck266]

What’s the advantage of the Thermion when spot and stalking? I do both, sitting and stalking, probably equally as much.

My biggest concern of the Thermion is the no focus. Is it blurry? They say it’s “focused to infinity” but everyone’s eyes are different so not sure how that works. Seems like a lot of $ to spend on something if it doesn’t look great through the lens

I wouldn't say it's blurry, but I can get a much clearer view with my 38. The image quality is "sufficient", but definitely not n the class of the higher models. They had to give up something to get that price point obviously, and I guess the focus was it.
It is clear enough that I can definitely tell what kind of animal I am looking at and differentiate sizes between pigs and such though.

[Tbull9]

I haven’t had the chance to play with a new thermion yet but I have a apex xq38 and have never had any problems with it. In my opinion my apex is more clear than my buddies trail 50.

[gingib]

Save a little more and up your budget is my best recommendation

[BobbyJoe]

Save a little more and up your budget is my best recommendation

It doesn’t really have to do with budget, the two scopes I mentioned are the only two players in this particular scenario.

But good suggestion.

[BobbyJoe]

Also curious if the Thermions are typically back ordered or are they easy to get your hands on?

[Zen Archery]

Advantage of Thermion over Apex when spotting and stalking is clearly identifying your target. Particularly if you are attempting a longer than 75 yard poke.

Fixed focus (what you call no focus) issue is actually a time saver when spotting and stalking. Clarity of image is great for video reasons and if you just prefer a crystal clear shot. You'll have to step into NVision to have auto focus. Unless you are videoing to share your hunts or show the thermals capabilities. You will enjoy not having one more thing to do when spotting and stalking.

There are other Pulsar models that have focus capabilities in your close to price range if its really a stickler for you.

As for back order - YES!!!! It's 2021. Many guys are waiting 4-6 months for a new model. Some may have it in stock but they are a hot commodity now.

[BobbyJoe]

^^^ that’s good info, thank you.