Shinenyx M1 Pro Review: Thermal and Night Vision in One Monocular

The Polarix Optics M1 Pro powered by Shinenyx packs a digital night vision sensor and a thermal core into one monocular that works handheld, on a rifle or on a helmet. The Armory Life tried all three.

Key points

• Sensors: a 1920×1200 digital night vision detector and a 640×512 thermal core, fused at 25 Hz. Modes include black-and-white night vision, white-hot thermal, Color Fusion and Color Negative Fusion, plus a Rapid Target Outline that draws a red line around heat signatures.
• Extras: 2X, 4X and 8X magnification in a 2.1-inch viewfinder, a laser rangefinder listed to 800 yards, an IR illuminator for about 100 yards, an electronic compass and 128 GB of storage (roughly 15 hours of video).
• Build: 18.7 oz with its removable 21700 battery, IPX6 rated, −20°F to 110°F, up to 6 hours per charge (4 with the display glasses). Large, glove-friendly controls and menus one or two layers deep.
• Three ways to run it: handheld scanning, mounted on a Springfield SAINT Victor, or on a helmet feeding Shinenyx's Smart Sync display glasses. The helmet setup took the most getting used to because the sensor sits above the eye line.

Quick take

The Armory Life's reviewer was sold on the image quality, the bright display and the thermal-plus-night-vision combination, and found handheld and rifle use the obvious fits. The helmet-and-glasses mode is different enough to need training time, but he credits Shinenyx for trying something new. The piece lists no price.

Read the full story at The Armory Life.