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Among the many types of optics that can be used by the military and civilians, night vision goggles are the most convenient to use.
They provide good visibility in the dark and help you perform various tasks. At the same time, such optics are quite expensive. Because of this, it becomes available not to everyone.
How Much Cost Night Vision Goggles?
The development of NV technologies has led to the emergence of such useful devices as goggles. Outwardly, they are very similar to the standard glasses that are prescribed for people with poor eyesight.
This optics is always quite expensive, which makes it available only to civilians with good financial capabilities.
It is also actively supplied to various military units conducting exercises or real combat operations at night.
Goggles intended for civilians cost approximately $2500-4000. At the bottom of this price range are devices I-II generation.
All of them are characterized by simplicity of design and the ability to perform a limited number of tasks. This feature makes them the cheapest, so the cost of most models rarely exceeds $ 3,000.
In some cases, NV goggles are a bit more expensive (up to $4,000). This is due to improved performance and the addition of devices with several useful features.
Also, expensive civilian models are characterized by minimal dimensions and maximally reduced weight.
The most versatile and easy-to-use glasses are the III generation. They are equally well suited to soldiers and ordinary people. The price of such devices can vary from $4,500 to $10,000-11,000.
Also on sale, you can find models, for the possession of which you will have to pay at least $ 20,000. The main distinguishing feature of III generation glasses is the ability to repeatedly amplify the light.
This helps to improve the clarity of the image and increase its detail.
A separate category is allocated glasses intended for military use. These optics are perfect devices, created using modern technologies and complemented by the latest developments in the field of night vision.
These glasses are suitable for use in extreme conditions. They are not afraid of water, dust, shock, falls from a height and exposure to low/high temperatures.
The price of such devices can be very high. In most cases, it starts from $40,000-50,000 and often exceeds $100,000.
Due to the prohibitive cost, this type of glass is often custom-made and supplied exclusively to the military.
Why Are Night Vision Goggles So Expensive?
NV glasses are never cheap. Their high price is due to many factors, ranging from the excellent quality of components to the use of modern technologies in production.
The main components of the price points:
- Complexity and high cost of production. To collect NV points, you need to spend a lot of time and maximize financial injections. The latter will be used to purchase expensive equipment and materials used in the production process. Employee salaries will also be a significant part of the costs. It will be quite high, otherwise, it will become difficult to attract the attention of qualified specialists.
- Use of the latest developments. The development of night vision opens up unlimited possibilities for perfection for eyewear manufacturers. Thanks to this, the latest developments appear and are actively implemented, which take into account the needs of the buyer and make the devices more versatile. Manufacturers spend a lot of money on this work, which negatively affects the final cost of manufactured devices. In addition, any innovations require the delivery of certain information to the buyer, which also costs the company’s funds. All this affects the cost of products entering the stores.
- Economic factor. Far from always, glasses using night vision technology were very popular. Because of this, companies that invested in their development and improvement did not receive financial benefits for a long time. Also, the losses were due to the conclusion of long-term contracts with the military, which did not take into account the rise in the cost of materials and the production process of glasses. Another factor that affected the economic component was the coronavirus. During the pandemic, demand for various optics fell sharply, which is why all companies ended last year in the red.
- Low demand. Only in the last 2 years, the demand for night vision goggles began to grow. Prior to this, stability was observed at a fairly low level. To cover all costs, optics manufacturers were forced to raise the cost of their products. This allowed them to avoid bankruptcy and wait for the light to appear at the end of the tunnel.
- Introduction of restrictions. NV glasses can be used not only by decent people, but also by criminals. The latter, with their help, attacked unsuspecting passers-by in the dark and robbed them. Also, such optics have been used for illegal hunting, harming animal populations and negatively affecting the environment. All these factors have forced law enforcement to introduce certain restrictions on the production, sale and use of night glasses. The bans have led to an artificial reduction in the number of manufactured and sold optics. This negatively affected its cost, which made glasses inaccessible to many categories of citizens.
- Problems with logistics. Night vision goggles began to be released relatively recently. Because of this, only a few companies are engaged in their production. Their products are transported to all countries of the world. This process requires certain financial investments, which are included in the total cost of production. The result is an increase in the cost of optics, the value of which takes into account the remoteness of the plant from the place of residence of the buyer. The greater the distance, the more expensive the glasses will become.
- Long service life of products. Glasses produced today for the dark time of the day are distinguished by excellent indicators of durability. This is due to the use of the latest components and dozens of checks for compliance with certain indicators. This approach requires the investment of additional funds, which is reflected in the final cost of products. In addition, the durability of models reduces the frequency of their purchase by users.
- Wide functionality. The models produced in the last 2 years are distinguished by their multifunctionality. Thanks to this, they cope with tasks of varying complexity and are useful in certain situations. To expand the functionality, manufacturers should supplement the design with certain details. All this requires the cost of new design developments that allow you to introduce additions and not make glasses more overall, heavy, inconvenient to use.
- The need to comply with certain rules. In most cases, manufacturers of NV glasses must pay attention to compliance with the rules for the release and sale of products in this category. Each region has its own, so companies need to adapt to each consumer and change the production technology of a particular batch of products. All this slows down production processes a little and negatively affects the cost of ready-to-use devices.
- Prominence of the manufacturer. Most of the companies involved in the production of night vision goggles are well-known in different countries of the world. They value their reputation and try to offer the buyer the highest quality products. To do this, they order expensive laboratory tests, where glasses are tested for strength, wear resistance, and performance under certain conditions. All these checks cost money and automatically increase the cost of optics. Also, part of the costs goes to marketing campaigns and unique advertising campaigns.
Among night vision devices, goggles are the most convenient to use. They are distinguished by their versatility and versatility.
Thanks to these qualities, they are suitable for performing dozens of types of work, ranging from the simplest to the most complex.
Such devices will be useful to military personnel of various units, as well as to many civilians. With their help, people will be able to see in the dark and perform a variety of high-quality work.
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