This is a much-referenced yet little-understood topic in the NVG world. Most people who insist “I only use GEN3 Tubes!” are often hard-pressed to explain the difference when put to the question, so let’s explore.
The first & most important thing to know is that we like GEN2+ tubes because of their inherent COST / BENEFIT RATIO. In other words, they provide more performance per dollar than other options. Our premium NNVT GEN2+ “A” Grade Tubes provide roughly 90% of the across-the-board performance of even the very best USA-Made GEN3 Tubes*, for roughly 50% of the cost. But don’t take OUR word for it:
As seen in the video, across a wide variety of use-case scenarios, native ambient light levels, and mission profiles, the GEN2+ tube performed very nearly identically to the GEN3 tube, with almost 40% of viewers being unable to correctly guess which is which. The GEN3 Tube does provide a tiny bit of extra performance in certain situations, and IS ultimately a slightly higher performing product, but at double or even triple the expense, or even higher. We here at Aeontac are on a mission to provide our customers with the very best value for money, and all the products we offer were chosen with this simple philosophy: “What product provides the highest performance, capabilities & durability for money?” For the vast majority of users, we believe our GEN2+ tubes will provide amazing performance well beyond anything you’ve ever expected, at a tremendous value. We guarantee it.
If you’d like to learn more about the actual physical and chemical properties of GEN2+ tubes, which make them different from GEN3+, please see our newest BLOG entry:
GEN2+ vs GEN3 – what ARE the differences?
