Product: Night Cougar

Manufacturer: ATN

Wired Rating: 6

Thanks to its compact, comfortable design, the Cougar is as cuddly as a
kitten.

The optics are excellent too — objects popped out of the dark like
monsters on a carnival ride. Like the LN-PB3 from Luna, these use a
combination of first generation night vision tech and an IR bulb. Light
passes into a tube, where photons are converted to electrons, amplified,
and then re-converted into green-hued visible light. The light gathering
was excellent, allowing us to see well in near-total darkness outdoors.
Meanwhile, in the pitch black of our basement, the IR illuminator was
the best of the bunch, painting distant objects in a revealing glow.

We also appreciated the peripheral vision these goggles afforded. While
it was far from a true view of the horizon, the Night Cougar’s didn’t
leave us feeling boxed in and peering through a tunnel either. While
there was some blurring around the edges (also known as geometric
distortion, a commonplace attribute of first-gen night vision) it was
barely noticeable, and we preferred these overall for scanning
side-to-side.

While the fixed zoom means you won’t be reeling in faraway
views, because there’s no need to adjust from longshots to closeups,
these were easiest to use to monitor objects at varying distances. They do,
however, offer adjustments to let you get a crisp picture — smooth
focusing rings with individual adjustments for each eyepiece made
adjusting to our misfit vision a snap.

Finally, we adored the headgear mount that attaches to the peepers for
hands-free use. It allows you to keep the Cougars in place in front of
your eyes, or flip them up 90 degrees and out of the way if you need to
creep about. Not only does it give you a break from gripping the night
vision specs to your mug, it also lets you stay on the move while
holding stuff — like an AK-47. Or that kitten.

WIRED Exceptionally bright. Super lightweight — a mere 10 ounces.
Wide-angle vision great for spotting flank attacks.

TIRED So much for covert ops: IR light announces your presence like a
butler. Sorry, snipers, no zoom.