STRIX Thermal Monoculars
Night Pearl built its first thermal in 2014 — and it was a handheld monocular. Everything we've learned since goes into one obsession: a picture you can actually use in the field. That's why the STRIX line doesn't chase spec-sheet shortcuts or gimmick features. What you get instead is the expensive part done right: the MAX-R models carry fast F0.8–F0.9 germanium glass for maximum long-wave infrared transmission, an eyepiece with diopter adjustment pulls anyone into the hunt within seconds, and the image pipeline is tuned by people who hunt with it. Usable thermal starts with the optics — the rest is menus.
STRIX is Night Pearl's line of handheld thermal monoculars — the optic you glass with before you ever shoulder the rifle. Spot heat through brush and fog, range it with the built-in laser rangefinder on most models, and know what you're walking toward before you commit. MAX-R models carry the 640×512 core at ≤15 mK; MAX and PRO run ≤20 mK. Czech-engineered, serviced in the USA, 3+2 year warranty.
BUILT AROUND THE LENS
A 50 mm germanium objective and an image pipeline tuned by hunters — that's where usable thermal starts.
Compare the line
Four models across the range. Full specifications on each product page.
| Specification | STRIX 25 MAX640×512 · ≤20 mK · 25 mmView product — STRIX 25 MAX | STRIX 35 MAX LRF640×512 · ≤20 mK · LRFView product — STRIX 35 MAX LRF | STRIX 35 MAX-R640×512 · ≤15 mK · LRFView product — STRIX 35 MAX-R | STRIX 50 MAX-R640×512 · ≤15 mK · 50 mmView product — STRIX 50 MAX-R |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sensor resolution | 640×512px | 640×512px | 640×512px | 640×512px |
| NETD (differs between models) | ≤20 mK | ≤20 mK | ≤15 mK | ≤15 mK |
| Objective lens (differs between models) | 25 mm | 35 mm | 35 mm | 50 mm |
| Optical magnification (differs between models) | 1.4–11.5× | 2–16× | 1.5–12× | 2.5–20× |
| Warranty | 3 + 2 years (register within 60 days) | 3 + 2 years (register within 60 days) | 3 + 2 years (register within 60 days) | 3 + 2 years (register within 60 days) |
Thermal spotting, explained
Detection is not identification
Detection means you see a warm shape exists. Identification means you know it's a boar and not a doe — and the honest distance for that is always far shorter than any detection figure on a spec sheet. Humidity, rain, target size and movement all shrink it. When a maker quotes one big number, ask which of the two it is; when we quote ranges, we tell you the conditions.
Why you spot with your hands, not your rifle
A handheld keeps the muzzle down while you work: sweep the field edge, hold on the shape, wait for it to lift its head. Only when you've identified does the rifle come up. That is safer for everyone in the dark — and faster, because a light monocular sweeps quicker than any mounted optic.
Why the glass matters more than the menu
A thermal image is only as good as the infrared that reaches the sensor. Fast germanium optics pass more long-wave signal, which means more real detail before any software sharpening touches the picture — that's why a well-made lens beats any processing trick, and why it's the one part worth paying for.
What the rangefinder changes
At night your brain loses its usual distance cues — a big boar at 180 yards and a small one at 90 look alike in thermal. The built-in LRF replaces that guess with a number, which is what your holdover, your legal limits and your judgement all depend on.
Found him and want the shot to follow? The HH sights pick up where the monocular ends.
Glass worth paying for
F0.8–F0.9 germanium optics on the MAX-R models pass more long-wave signal to the sensor. Expensive to make — and the reason the image looks the way it does.
≤15 mK sensitivity
Detail survives humid air and fog — the difference between a warm blob and a boar you can call.
One hand, all night
Controls fall under your thumb — sweep, freeze, zoom and range without ever taking the glove off the rifle.
Range built in
Laser rangefinder on most models. An exact number instead of a guess in the dark.
STRIX — frequently asked
Scanning with a rifle-mounted optic means pointing a rifle at everything you look at. A handheld monocular is how you glass safely — the sight comes up only when you have decided.
Exact distance to the animal before the shot. In the dark, estimating distance by eye fails badly; the rangefinder removes the guess. Not every STRIX carries one — the spec table shows which models do.
The core. PRO runs a 384×288 sensor at ≤20 mK, MAX a 640×512 at ≤20 mK, and MAX-R a 640×512 at ≤15 mK. More pixels resolve more detail; lower NETD keeps that detail in humid air and fog.
It depends on target size, weather and terrain — and detection is not identification. See the explanation above; we publish detection ranges only with the target size and conditions they were measured at.
3 years, extendable to 5 if you register within 60 days of purchase (sensor & core excluded), with US service in Sarasota, FL — no overseas shipping.
By terrain. Close cover and driven hunts: 19 or 25 mm for the wide view. Mixed ground: 35 mm is the balance most hunters land on. Open country: 50 mm reach. If you want the flagship 640 core at ≤15 mK and LRF, that's the MAX-R models.
Different jobs. The monocular finds and judges — safely, muzzle down. The clip-on turns your day rifle into a night rifle without touching the zero. The dedicated sight is for the rifle that lives in the dark. Most nights start with the monocular either way.
No — LRF is on select models: the MAX-R line and the LRF-badged models. The 19 PRO and 25 MAX skip it to stay small and light.
The lower the F-number, the more infrared the lens passes to the sensor — more real signal, more detail, less dependence on software sharpening. It's the expensive way to a better image, and the one that actually works.
Explore the range
