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Night Vision Pen
- Thread starter NightVisionPen
- Start date
August is over and with it ends the Fly Before You Buy campaign. It may come up again in the future, however. Not a single person sent their pen back within the 30 day so far but there are several that were purchased in the middle to later part of the month and are still in their evaluation period. I don't anticipate those being returned also as it seems like what was in insanebikerboy's review (the one that was unfortunately lost) - once you start using the Night Vision Pen you realize how much better it is than other options.
For Tailhook 2010 coming up there will be a new promotion that will last as long as supplies do, or until right after Hook weekend. Use coupon code: HOOK and receive 5 sets of batteries at no extra cost!
By the way, I will be at Hook on Friday night in my bag. I'll have a few Night Vision Pens on me if anyone wants a hands on evaluation before they buy. I'll also have a few for sale as well and you can save on the shipping costs.
For Tailhook 2010 coming up there will be a new promotion that will last as long as supplies do, or until right after Hook weekend. Use coupon code: HOOK and receive 5 sets of batteries at no extra cost!
By the way, I will be at Hook on Friday night in my bag. I'll have a few Night Vision Pens on me if anyone wants a hands on evaluation before they buy. I'll also have a few for sale as well and you can save on the shipping costs.
Don't forget about the HOOK promotion. Use Coupon Code: HOOK to receive 5 sets of batteries at no extra cost!
How would one go about finding you at Hook? If you could please describe based on the blurry, double-vision I will probably be experiencing at the time.
Blurry, double vision will make the sale easier I bet!
Good question. I'll be the guy in the flight suit ... wait, that doesn't help. I'll be wearing NSAWC patches, callsign Sanchez. I don't have a booth so I don't think I can just camp out somewhere. I just figured I would throw it out there in case anyone was interested. PM me and I'll shoot you my mobile number and, once there, we can try and set up a spot to meet up. That goes for anyone else too, shoot me a PM if you want to get hands on at Hook on Friday night. I'll stuff a pocket full of ones for sale and have a few demos on me also.
I hope everyone had a good time at Hook this year if you were able to make it. The HOOK promotion and coupon code is still valid for fives sets of batteries until supplies run out.
Ok, so it's been a bit but here is my review of my pen. I bought this before a 6 week underway and used it the whole time and since I've been home for about a month so I've had some pretty good experience with it.
The pen comes barebones packaged. I actually like that because I know I'm not paying for some flashy box and just for the pen. Plus, I'm sure whatever is left over goes to helping buy part of a six pack, but we all gotta make money somehow so overall, for what the pen is, the cost is pretty spot on.
First impression, this sucker is solid. It is thicker than an ink pen but it's not too thick. I have normal size hands and it isn't abnormal or difficult to hold in my hand. I do wish it would fit in my flightsuit pocket but considering I'm only going to use it in the cockpit that's not a big deal. I tried it out in various positions to compare it to Phrog's observations and I prefer to have the on/off button under my pointer finger and not my thumb. The clip rests under my finger and kinda hooks onto it and keeps it from moving. Rotating it either way is no problem. Also construction wise, the clip is beefy. Being a helo guy I didn't really want to have an idiot string on it because I'd need to point at breakers/switches so that'd be a really long string, so I just clip it onto the clip on my 9G kneeboard. This thing won't fall off and I'm not worried one bit about the clip breaking, even after using it for a long time.
First time in the helo, I had to readjust my thinking. Previously, I had a flashlight and I would just flash it at what I was looking at and not really get it close. The pen is by no means a flashlight so I can't really point and just see whatever I'm looking at. I had to hold it close to whatever switch, etc, I was looking at to read it. It wasn't and isn't a bad on the pen, it was just a different way of thinking when I need to look at something. Writing on my kneeboard is no problem, there is plenty of light to see the page. For that matter, there's no problem reading a checklist too. Now it's no brainer.
The light is definitely NVG compatible. If you look at it through the goggles you can see it's on but it doesn't bloom at all. No more worrying about flashing my copilot with my flashlight.
I did experience some fade on the brightness of the light as I got near the end of my last underway, I didn't realize it till I was holding the pen directly against the paper just to read it. That may have been a function of the batteries that came with the pen or a function of me using it on several 3 hour night bags. Either way, once I got home I put in a fresh pair of high quality Energizers and the light is really dang bright now. It's like anything that takes batteries, it always pays to have an extra set.
The pen uses the Fisher space pen refill and I have used those quite a bit from before so I know there's no problem with that.
The only bad, if it can even be considered that, is the contact inside of the pen. The refill slides through the body of the pen and on mine it bent the contact up. It wasn't a big deal, I just bent the contact back down and it works 4.0. Plus, the pen has a lifetime warranty so if it does become an issue down the road I know it'll be taken care of.
So, that's my take on the pen. I think it's a quality product and it definitely satisfies a need in the cockpit.
Would I buy it again? Of course, and I would recommend anyone who needs a light in the cockpit or who is tired of holding a flashlight to write to get one.
The pen comes barebones packaged. I actually like that because I know I'm not paying for some flashy box and just for the pen. Plus, I'm sure whatever is left over goes to helping buy part of a six pack, but we all gotta make money somehow so overall, for what the pen is, the cost is pretty spot on.
First impression, this sucker is solid. It is thicker than an ink pen but it's not too thick. I have normal size hands and it isn't abnormal or difficult to hold in my hand. I do wish it would fit in my flightsuit pocket but considering I'm only going to use it in the cockpit that's not a big deal. I tried it out in various positions to compare it to Phrog's observations and I prefer to have the on/off button under my pointer finger and not my thumb. The clip rests under my finger and kinda hooks onto it and keeps it from moving. Rotating it either way is no problem. Also construction wise, the clip is beefy. Being a helo guy I didn't really want to have an idiot string on it because I'd need to point at breakers/switches so that'd be a really long string, so I just clip it onto the clip on my 9G kneeboard. This thing won't fall off and I'm not worried one bit about the clip breaking, even after using it for a long time.
First time in the helo, I had to readjust my thinking. Previously, I had a flashlight and I would just flash it at what I was looking at and not really get it close. The pen is by no means a flashlight so I can't really point and just see whatever I'm looking at. I had to hold it close to whatever switch, etc, I was looking at to read it. It wasn't and isn't a bad on the pen, it was just a different way of thinking when I need to look at something. Writing on my kneeboard is no problem, there is plenty of light to see the page. For that matter, there's no problem reading a checklist too. Now it's no brainer.
The light is definitely NVG compatible. If you look at it through the goggles you can see it's on but it doesn't bloom at all. No more worrying about flashing my copilot with my flashlight.
I did experience some fade on the brightness of the light as I got near the end of my last underway, I didn't realize it till I was holding the pen directly against the paper just to read it. That may have been a function of the batteries that came with the pen or a function of me using it on several 3 hour night bags. Either way, once I got home I put in a fresh pair of high quality Energizers and the light is really dang bright now. It's like anything that takes batteries, it always pays to have an extra set.
The pen uses the Fisher space pen refill and I have used those quite a bit from before so I know there's no problem with that.
The only bad, if it can even be considered that, is the contact inside of the pen. The refill slides through the body of the pen and on mine it bent the contact up. It wasn't a big deal, I just bent the contact back down and it works 4.0. Plus, the pen has a lifetime warranty so if it does become an issue down the road I know it'll be taken care of.
So, that's my take on the pen. I think it's a quality product and it definitely satisfies a need in the cockpit.
Would I buy it again? Of course, and I would recommend anyone who needs a light in the cockpit or who is tired of holding a flashlight to write to get one.
Thanks for the great review, insanebikerboy! The best compliment that I see about the Night Vision Pen is that once folks fly with it, they don't want to fly again without it. This is a perfect example of that.
Sales are moving and a shipment of new pens is forthcoming from the manufacturer. Additionally Night Vision Pen now has an official reseller in Tactical Night Vision Company. They aren't up on their website yet, but should be soon. Tactical Night Vision Company will be aimed more at the personal weapons and night vision market.
Sales are moving and a shipment of new pens is forthcoming from the manufacturer. Additionally Night Vision Pen now has an official reseller in Tactical Night Vision Company. They aren't up on their website yet, but should be soon. Tactical Night Vision Company will be aimed more at the personal weapons and night vision market.
Be sure to check out the latest updates on the Night Vision Pen blog page (blog.nightvisionpen.com). Here is the quick and dirty:
The Night Vision Pen is now shipping with Energizer batteries. I am also evaluating a single 3V lithium battery by Duracell.
Night Vision Pen has an authorized reseller and is currently being evaluated for inclusion in a "new pilot kit" with a civilian flight school.
Unfortunately the government purchase card and Google Checkout are not friends. Squadrons looking to do a squadron buy should contact me via this forum, or the Night Vision Pen website to make arrangements for purchase. Additionally stock is running a little low so if your squadron is considering a buy the quicker the better. New stock is on order, but hasn't arrived yet.
The Night Vision Pen is now shipping with Energizer batteries. I am also evaluating a single 3V lithium battery by Duracell.
Night Vision Pen has an authorized reseller and is currently being evaluated for inclusion in a "new pilot kit" with a civilian flight school.
Unfortunately the government purchase card and Google Checkout are not friends. Squadrons looking to do a squadron buy should contact me via this forum, or the Night Vision Pen website to make arrangements for purchase. Additionally stock is running a little low so if your squadron is considering a buy the quicker the better. New stock is on order, but hasn't arrived yet.
Night Vision Pen is looking for any photographs you might have of the NVP in action. In cockpit shots would be preferred, particularly in ANY military aircraft. Don't have a Night Vision Pen, but want one? PM me and we can make a deal for pictures. Let me know what you can do!
ouch, no love for AV-8B's NVP?
Or 53s.
Edited my last post to correct my retardation. I didn't mean to leave anyone out, I'm just a stupid squid. Thanks for keeping me honest.
In honor of the upcoming Veteran's Day purchases using the coupon code VET will receive $10 off! Now through 11 November so don't wait.