Sidekick 640 Mini Thermal Monocular with Armacore 640 Thermal Core, 3-Button Control, Compass, and Image Detail Enhancement (Gray)

Update: Sent tit in with a label provided by Armasight for inspection. Got it back less than a week later. They reset it and reinstalled firmware. Screen lines we're gone with just some faint ones which my other thermal has also. Can't get rid of all the blooming but I think that's what you have to live with with that 19mm lens and large 24 deg FOV. It's just not as apparent in my old Incendis 384 becaus it has a 35mm lens and smaller 10.7 deg FOV so it's more forgiving. But that Sidekick 640 is small and handy so it's going on my helmet.I was torn between the Sidekick 640 ($2500), the RL25 ($1700) and the RH25 ($3500). I went with the sidekick. I have a 3 year old Acufire Incendis 384 that does everything like scanner, weapon sight and clip on. But at 24oz to heavy for a helmet mount. So when I got the sidekick I figured at 640 it would blow away the Incendis, it did'nt. The Incendis screen but the Sidekick wasn't. I had a grainy screen like a 60's TV after all the stations signed off. BUT and a big BUT is Armasight actually answers the phone!! Whereas Accufire is non existant or out of business. I talked to Nick and Mark and they we're great! They said it shouldnt look like that and sent me an RMA the same day. I was told once received it's 5days or so then shipped back. Armasight actually puts out firmware updates as their engeneers fix what owners concerns are. That's worth a lot to me. Plus they are an American manufactured and assembled here. The core isn't Chinesse but probally not USA made either. So I'll wait a week and then get back here to comment. The one bummer is it's not a weapon sight or clip on. But it has a huge field of view so it will match up with my PVS14 on a tandem helmet mount. It uses a Mum, mum14,Flir Breach mounting system if you we're curious. The reason the RL25 at $1700 was a no go is it's 2x native magnification, headaches on a bridged helmet mount for sure. The perfect thermals in a medium range would be the RH25 or RH25V2 but at $3500 and $5000 a bit rich for me but they do it all, 1x power, clip on or weapon mount and helmet capable.

I typed up a long and detailed review and it's gone! Fine!The USB C is located in about the most inconvenient location possible and the rubber plug does not stay in because it doesn't fit well. Since it's located in such a hectic spot, running a USB cable to it without putting a lot of strain on the port is hard to do. I've purchased several different angled cables specifically for it, and the best I've been able to do is ranger band a loop off the front to reduce the strain to what appears to be a very fragile spot. I've also purchased two 16650's specifically for this unit and neither one fit. So quirky!!7.5/10 could be better.Update: it needed a firmware update which requires registering an account, registering the unit, and then downloading the update. It was basically useless before the firmware update so the first night in the woods I was unable to use it until I did the update.

If you live in the country you must have this..

NUC (Non-Uniformity Correction process) is a self-calibration that thermal cameras need to correct for ambient temp, and temp variance in the physical camera housing.The Sidekick 640 performs a NUC every 8-10 seconds for 10+ min breifly interrupting the video picture. This is absolutely maddening while you are trying to see anything throught the camera.I tested the camera over 2-days and every time reguardless of it being powered on previuously within less than 1-min or not, it auto-NUC's every 8-10 seconds.I can understand why the price dramatically dropped on this unit. It is functinoally useless unless you literally let it sit for +10min every time you want to use it. Then the NUC happens at a more reasonable 5-10min interval

Pros...Small and light.Good resolution.Good dynamic range.Wide field of view.Excellent black hot with red highlights "target" palette.Flexible power options including CR123/RCR123 and 16650.Extra features like compass and PIP.Firmware is updatable.Cons...Optical distortion if not viewed just right.NUC's a lot more than other thermals I have used.Polymer chassis instead of metal (but the chassis feels very robust, regardless).Slight image radial posterization.Slight image blur when panning.No reticle or option to use as a weapon sight.No mounting accessories.The Sidekick is a great thermal for the price. Its relatively wide field of view (compared to other thermals) and black hot with red highlights "target" palette are the standout features. This palette is essentially black hot but with red added to areas that are especially hot compared to everything else. Living things REALLY stand out—as do vehicles, aircraft, etc. It's not so useful when everything is especially hot (e.g., a concrete jungle, the Sahara desert during the day, etc.), but there are other color palettes to choose from as well.My major issue with the Sidekick is that its Non-Uniformity Correction (NUC) feature kicks in WAY more than other thermals I have used. It's almost nonstop when you first turn it on. It settles down after 5-10 minutes. But compare this to the AGM StingIR, which seems to NUC only when it needs to, and not according to a primitive timer. Incidentally, there's a NUC countdown on the Sidekick's screen that can't be removed and just adds to the clutter and distraction.I just completed a review of the AGM StingIR, so I can't help but compare them. The StingIR is even smaller and lighter and more versatile, and can use the much preferred 18650 battery. But it's crippled by a relatively narrow field of view—like looking through a tube.Both have a polymer chassis, yet the Sidekick feels more robust. Both have a battery extender tube, yet the Sidekick's is better designed with course threads that won't strip. Both have a removable eyecup, yet the Sidekick eyecup stays on while the StingIR's can be pulled off far too easily. And so on. The Sidekick bests the StingIR on many minor details. And the Sidekick is cheaper!And yet the StingIR uses the awesome 18650 battery, NUC's far less, and has an adjustable reticle and is AR rated. The StingIR's image quality is also better—sharper—with no posterization or smearing. Always tradeoffs!Regarding sharpness, I set software settings as low as possible to avoid unnatural artifacts. The StingIR is inherently sharper than the Sidekick. I believe one reason may be that the Sidekick has a larger depth of field (DOF). This means I don't have to manually focus as much with the Sidekick. The downside is that I feel I can never get anything really tack sharp as I can with the StingIR. Always tradeoffs!If I had to choose one thermal for situational awareness then it would be the Sidekick. If I had to choose one to fulfill a variety of roles then it would be the StingIR.