REVIEW: ACT in Black LUNOX

Night vision for everyone! This slightly communist-sounding slogan is what the guys from ACT in Black have taken to heart, you might think when you look at their latest night vision device. We took a look at the Lunox and will tell you what you can expect from this piece - for relatively little money.

The ACT team knows what they're doing and it shows. The key to a night vision device is the image intensifier tube. At this point, I would like to mention their blog again (in English) which explains the basics of night vision technology

The Lunox is an in-house development that focuses on high performance and low cost. To keep the price relatively low, a very good Gen. 2 tube is used in the Lunox. In terms of size, it fits great in your hand and weighs only ~ 320g (including battery).

This little wonder of technology is powered by a CR123A battery with a runtime of approximately 50 hours. An adapter for using AA batteries, as with the PNVM-14, is already in the works and will soon be on the market. The runtime is shortened with an AA battery

The Lunox comes with a choice of PVS14 or Mini14 mounting. The respective J-arm can then be attached to this. This is needed to mount the Lunox on a helmet using a suitable NVG mount (e.g. from Wilcox or Norotos).

We tested the PVS 14 compatible mounting and were very satisfied. It also accepts all other adapters intended for the PVS14.

The operation is simple. Rotate the knob to turn it on, and the night turns green. If you rotate it further, you activate the IR illuminator. Focusing is done simply by turning the lens. A diopter adjustment of +4 to -6 diopters is integrated at the rear eyepiece.

Now for the exciting part: What does the environment look like at night through the device? We made great efforts to take useful photos, but not only is the technology of the devices a science, but so is the photography-through. The images do not show the true sharpness and depth as when you look through it with your own eyes, meaning the image is better in reality.

The trees, the road, and the stream channel were barely visible to the naked eye, but through the Lunox, everything looks good

Here is a comparison, naked eye versus low-light amplification (without additional IR illuminator). The result speaks for itself.

CONCLUSION: The Lunox is a lightweight, robust night vision monocular tailored to the needs of agencies with smaller budgets. But it is equally appealing for hunters and nature observers. The only thing a Lunox cannot withstand is dives; it excels in any other type of water. The image quality is highly dependent on the installed tube, with the guys from ACT in Black always getting the best possible performance out of the Gen2 tube for the customer.

The Lunox is available from 2,384.95€ with a good standard Gen2 tube. Even better tubes are available for an additional cost.