Review: NIVISYS MUM-14 Night Vision Monocular
Pat Cascio 06.14.16
Nivisys claims that the MUM-14 is a 3rd Generation night vision monocular, and I have no reason to doubt them. The clarity and brightness of this scope was astounding, to say the least. I’ve had other 3rd Gen night vision scopes that weren’t this clear and bright. I’ve also had similar units that were a little bit bigger and heavier–and sold for much more money.
At press time, this unit was for sale at Optics Planet for $1959, and that is quite a bit less money that comparable units of this quality.
The MUM-14 can be used as a handheld unit or mounted on a weapon, helmet, or headgear. There are also attachments for mounting this to a 35mm camera. Quite versatile, to say the least. And the MUM-14 came in a nice forest green carrying case, with a helmet/head mounting set-up, as well as a lot of other hardware for different purposes and a nice little instruction booklet.
I’m assuming that the helmet/head mount comes standard with these units, but you should check with the seller to make sure before purchasing your own.
The one thing it didn’t come with, and this is a sore spot with me, was that it didn’t come with any batteries. The MUM-14 requires either one CR123 battery or one AA battery. It will operate for 40 hours with a CR123 battery, and for only 20 hours with a AA battery. I’m hoping the lack of battery was only an oversight, and that for close to two grand, I would hope a battery would be included with this unit.
All of my testing was done with a CR123 battery.
There is also an integrated IR illuminator for using this unit in total darkness. I never had to use the IR light, because even on the darkest nights I could still see clearly for about 150 yards. I’m sure the IR will allow you to see even further, but around here you can’t see the forest for the trees, and I have a lot of trees on my property.
The MUM-14 is lightweight, compact, and ruggedly built. It’s submersible down to 20 meters and is mil-spec. Magnification is 1X and that works for me, I don’t need anything more to see around my homestead.
I enjoy looking outside at night to see what is on my property. Whenever one of my german shepherds barks, it’s for a reason, and I’ll usually go outside with a flashlight to see what is in my front yard. While using a flashlight is okay, you might not always want to draw attention to yourself by using a light. Enter a good night vision scope. With the MUM-14 I could easily see my entire front yard in the dark, as well as my neighbor’s property across the road.
I read a number of reviews on the MUM-14, and everyone seemed favorably impressed with their units and were especially impressed with the price, which is a good $500 lower than comparable units from other manufacturers. And it’s nice to know that these units are made in the good ol’ USA, too! These are brand-new units, not some Russian-made units that have been re-worked.
If you’ve ever looked through a 1st Gen night vision scope and then through a 2nd Gen, you’ll be quite impressed with the difference. If you then look through a 3rd Gen night vision scope, it will blow away the 1st and 2nd Gen scopes when it comes to brightness and clarity. And in my experience, the MUM-14 does a better job than than some 3rd Gen scopes costing a LOT more money.
A note on the pictures that accompany this article: they don’t do justice to the sharpness or clarity of what your eye sees through the scope. The pictures were taken with my camera lens against the rear lens of the MUM-14, and my camera didn’t focus nearly as sharply as what I could see through the MUM-14 when I held it up to my eye.
Still, you’ll get a feel for the brightness and the clarity of the MUM-14 just the same. Just keep in mind that what your eyes sees through the scope is sharper and clearer than what these pictures are showing.
So if you’re serious about survival and want to see what’s going on in the dark at your digs or you are legally able to hunt at night in your state, take a real good look at the MUM-14. I was totally impressed, not only with the clarity and brightness, but also the price–and it’s not easy to impress me these days!
