AG Strategics E.C.V.S. MG – Binocular Night Vision Device with Manual Gain

This is a short review where I primarily introduce the product and provide a first impression. This allows me to present products earlier without being held back by my high standards for depth and detail.

This article was sponsored by AG Strategics.

The Italian manufacturer set out to create a lightweight and modern binocular night vision device – the Enhanced Compact Vision System, or E.C.V.S., is the result. It is a binocular NVG, and my unit features 18mm image intensifier tubes with manual gain control. However, it is also available with 16mm tubes and auto gain.

Thanks to its carefully optimized design, AG Strategics managed to reduce the weight to just 433g, including the CR123 battery.

Here is a top view of the device. The textured surface complements the matte black finish.

And here is the underside of the device. You can clearly see the marking on the battery compartment indicating the correct orientation of the CR123 battery.

Adjustable Interpupillary Distance – IPD Stops

The device comes standard with low-profile IPD stops. These are the adjustment wheels on the outside, which can be turned by hand to set the minimum interpupillary distance.

Turning these wheels causes a round screw to protrude more or less from the underside, limiting how close the tubes can be rotated toward each other. On the opposite side, the screws press against a small metal plate integrated into the housing.

The rear section is reinforced with a piece of carbon fiber. You can also see two attachment points for retention straps or similar accessories. However, Ops-Core hooks do not fit directly. You may need to add a small piece of cord or a key ring to these attachment points.

The dovetail is made of aluminum and features a coating designed to protect against wear.

The tubes can be rotated quite far upward, allowing them to move well out of your field of view or sit close to your head when the mount is also flipped up. Here, the NVG is attached to an F25 mount, which is mounted directly to the helmet without a shroud.

This is how the NVG sits in front of your eyes when using the UDAPT F25 mount.

Simply rotating the tubes upward moves them out of your field of view, and they do not get in the way even in vehicles with low ceilings. The device automatically enters standby mode when the tubes are rotated upward. However, the battery compartment remains slightly visible in your field of view.

Operation

Switching the device on and off, as well as operating it in general, is very intuitive. There is a rotary knob on the front that can also be pressed. The small IR illuminator is located just above it.
Press and hold: The device switches on and briefly vibrates
With the device switched on, press twice quickly: Toggle the IR illuminator on/off
With the device switched on, press and hold: The device switches off and briefly vibrates once
Rotate: Adjust the gain

The RPO 4.0 Lenses

The housing is compatible with PVS-14 lenses. AG Strategics offers Shangrao LW and PRO 4.0 lenses as standard options. My device is equipped with RPO 4.0 lenses.

These RPO 4.0 lenses also feature internal threads compatible with common PVS-14 accessories.
 

For example, this allows you to attach the Infinity Iris V2.5 for the PVS-14/DTNVS.

You can see that a lot of polymer components are used here to keep the weight as low as possible.

The outer diameter of the objective lenses fits 05 EYE 1.432” (36.4mm) Butler Creek lens covers. I shortened these slightly in length.

The eyepieces also feature plenty of polymer components. Their outer diameter differs from that of some PVS-14 eyepieces. As a result, accessories such as the GREC-X only fit with an adapter.

Conclusion

For now, this review is just a first impression, and I’ll keep updating it over time 🙂

I really like that the device comes with IPD stops as standard. The low weight is excellent, and compatibility with PVS-14 accessories is good.

The simple operation using the rotary knob is great.

The battery compartment protrudes slightly downward into the field of view.

To be continued …