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Posted: 2/17/2022 2:16:37 PM EDT
 The Best Night Vision Gear Coming in 2022 The Z-Bolt ACAL, go to about 6:55 minutes into the above posted YouTube video. Basically a lighter weight DBAL D2, which if it performs about the same could be in my humble lay opinion a welcome addition to the night vision civilian IR illuminator/aiming device world. Thoughts, opinions? Apparently there was talk at SHOT this year of Z-Bolt also releasing a civilian VCSEL version at some undetermined point. |
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Quoted: Yeah, seems like it could be awhile off like the Raid XE from Wilcox, but at least we've got some good news on the civilian IR illumination/laser front. As someone who owns a DBAL-D2, I wouldn’t mind dropping 1/3 of the weight and still keep the same performance. |
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Quoted: do you have any info about it without hop in it? Just what I could find on the Z-Bolt Website and Instagram. U.S. Designed and Manufactured apparently, that's good. From what I understand there will be a civilian legal version that uses VCSEL. Right now I believe the only civilian IR laser/illum device that uses VCSEL is the MAWL. No prototype videos or anything that I could find on YouTube. No reviews yet. |
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Quoted: Yeah, seems like it could be awhile off like the Raid XE from Wilcox, but at least we've got some good news on the civilian IR illumination/laser front. Quoted: Quoted: I’m following it. Not sure when it’s supposed to be available though. Yeah, seems like it could be awhile off like the Raid XE from Wilcox, but at least we've got some good news on the civilian IR illumination/laser front. I was told by a couple dealers that the Raid XE is expected to release by April FWIW |
| If using a VCSEL I'm not sure why the illuminator objective needs to be so big. I can see so if using the LED like the Dbal squared but compared to the KiJi VCSEL the head on this thing is huge . Maybe that' s the hold up, being a last minute redesign to cut more weight and bulk down in the VCSEL illuminated model. |
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I cannot get through on the phone to anyone at Zbolt. When I mentioned this on their instagram they flippantly assumed I was retarded and asked me if I left a message. I obviously told them "yes". They then responded in an even more flippant tone and told me that they have never failed to call anyone back. Clearly I was in an epic battle of wits here as I am obviously a liar... That didn't leave a good taste in my mouth. They've been advertising the ACAL for months now and there is no real information on it. I want to put all of this aside and welcome a new addition to the civilian IR laser world that on paper looks awesome. I'm super curious as to what the price point will be and when/if this thing is ever coming. Anyone at all have any info? |
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Quoted: I cannot get through on the phone to anyone at Zbolt. When I mentioned this on their instagram they flippantly assumed I was retarded and asked me if I left a message. I obviously told them "yes". They then responded in an event more flippant tone and told me that they have never failed to call anyone back. Clearly I was in an epic battle of wits here as I am obviously a liar... That didn't leave a good taste in my mouth. They've been advertising the ACAL for months now and there is no real information on it. I want to put all of this aside and welcome a new addition to the civilian IR laser world that on paper looks awesome. I'm super curious as to what the price point will be and when/if this thing is ever coming. Anyone at all have any info? They've already said $1300-1450 for ACAL on their IG. You should read their posts as they respond quickly to comments. Having said that their CS is trash and if you're not aware they blatantly called one person who had to send their blazer in for warranty work a liar. The place is run by a guy and his sister runs CS (she's the one who called the person a liar and has issues dealing with people, maybe autistic?). It became a huge stink because the person's story went mini-viral and they had to post a public apology. |
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Quoted: They've already said $1300-1450 for ACAL on their IG. You should read their posts as they respond quickly to comments. Having said that their CS is trash and if you're not aware they blatantly called one person who had to send their blazer in for warranty work a liar. The place is run by a guy and his sister runs CS (she's the one who called the person a liar and has issues dealing with people, maybe autistic?). It became a huge stink because the person's story went mini-viral and they had to post a public apology. Apparently their IG page has been deleted... |
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Quoted: They've already said $1300-1450 for ACAL on their IG. You should read their posts as they respond quickly to comments. Having said that their CS is trash and if you're not aware they blatantly called one person who had to send their blazer in for warranty work a liar. The place is run by a guy and his sister runs CS (she's the one who called the person a liar and has issues dealing with people, maybe autistic?). It became a huge stink because the person's story went mini-viral and they had to post a public apology. I don't have time to sit on IG and sift through posts. I'd rather call or email and have a conversation with someone that actually works for the company versus someone who may or may not be a social media influencer and nothing more. It's a sad world that we live in when you can't get a live human in the firearms industry. I really hope that can grow their company appropriately to take care of customers as their products on paper look really appealing. |
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Quoted: Apparently their IG page has been deleted... https://www.instagram.com/zbolt_e_optics/ |
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Thanks, the link directly from the Z-Bolt website was a dead-end. |
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I would be happy with a lighter weight D2 type ACAL so if they can deliver it for around that $1,400 MSRP price and it's 30% or so lighter than the D2 I'm in. So, even if they don't come out with a VCSEL I'm good with just a light weight LED if its focusable like the D2. It's disappointing to hear negatives about their customer service. I've purchased products before even when I didn't really care for the people who own or work at the company, if a product is good I'll overlook a lot. Of course, that assumes it will be a good product and only time will tell on that one. I'm just happy to hear anything, ANYTHING about more IR illum/laser devices for civilians. Hop over at TFB is right, civilians have been a total after thought, but times have changed and there is a market out there for them. A LOT of people purchased night vision in 2020. I had two close friends who are very, very casual gun guys (you know the type) who decided to get night vision (one of my buddies even got dual tubes). There are a lot more night vision courses being offered now than just five years ago and those instructors wouldn't be adding all those classes if they didn't have demand for them. The hunting down south with Night Vision is getting bigger and bigger. You see PVS-31s now available to civilians and a lot of civilians appear to be buying them up. If I could have two things it would be more civilian IR/Illum options and of course my dream would be to see a lot more night vision courses. Right now if I want a decent night vision course I have to travel to another freaking State just because of the lack of ranges/facilities that can and will host them I imagine. |
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Quoted: I was told by a couple dealers that the Raid XE is expected to release by April FWIW I find that hard to believe, seems like TNVC would have had more to tell us during the V-Shot presentation if that were the case. Hope it's true though, but then comes the hard choice. Do you go for the Raid Xe, which will probably be top dollar and has some features I don't really need or hold off for Z Bolt's VCEL or just IR LED option, which I imagine would less expensive? Do we sit back and let other people Beta Test both for a year and then get the one that sounds to be best suited to us? I have a bad feeling that the Raid Xe is going to be more expensive than the MAWL. I am really hoping that it's not going to be some $3,000+ item. I think I could be motivated to go in the $2,000 price range for one, but $3,000 might be too much. I'd hate to get a $3,000+ Raid Xe and then just a few months later have ZBolt push out an ACAL with VCSEL that performed the Illum and IR laser function just as well for half the price. |
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Quoted: I find that hard to believe, seems like TNVC would have had more to tell us during the V-Shot presentation if that were the case. Hope it's true though, but then comes the hard choice. Do you go for the Raid Xe, which will probably be top dollar and has some features I don't really need or hold off for Z Bolt's VCEL or just IR LED option, which I imagine would less expensive? Do we sit back and let other people Beta Test both for a year and then get the one that sounds to be best suited to us? I have a bad feeling that the Raid Xe is going to be more expensive than the MAWL. I am really hoping that it's not going to be some $3,000+ item. I think I could be motivated to go in the $2,000 price range for one, but $3,000 might be too much. I'd hate to get a $3,000+ Raid Xe and then just a few months later have ZBolt push out an ACAL with VCSEL that performed the Illum and IR laser function just as well for half the price. Quoted: Quoted: I was told by a couple dealers that the Raid XE is expected to release by April FWIW I find that hard to believe, seems like TNVC would have had more to tell us during the V-Shot presentation if that were the case. Hope it's true though, but then comes the hard choice. Do you go for the Raid Xe, which will probably be top dollar and has some features I don't really need or hold off for Z Bolt's VCEL or just IR LED option, which I imagine would less expensive? Do we sit back and let other people Beta Test both for a year and then get the one that sounds to be best suited to us? I have a bad feeling that the Raid Xe is going to be more expensive than the MAWL. I am really hoping that it's not going to be some $3,000+ item. I think I could be motivated to go in the $2,000 price range for one, but $3,000 might be too much. I'd hate to get a $3,000+ Raid Xe and then just a few months later have ZBolt push out an ACAL with VCSEL that performed the Illum and IR laser function just as well for half the price. 3600 is what I was quoted for the Raid XE (full power) |
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