I try not to make entries about Thermal equipment on this blog, but found the NEW Multi-Purpose Thermal-Eye™ Renegade-320 worthy of an entry. The Renegade came out in late 2008 and combines the ergonomic features of a handheld and the convenience of weapon mounting, but is really more of weapons based Thermal device. It is based on the proven 320 x 240 Thermal-Eye™ 4500 Amorphous Silicon microbolometer core.

I personally had the opportunity to play around with one of these and I was impressed. The zoom was very workable, the features offered on the system made sense, and the image capture and USB connectivity were a relief. Finally, a thermal imager that you can just plug into your USB connection. I did not get the opportunity to mount it and fire it at a range, so that part of my review you'll have to do without, but the system as a whole is excellent and I would certainly consider it over the SPECTERIR, which is now pending extinction.

The two things I did not care for were the flip up lens cap and the battery installation box/area. The flip-up lens was sort of clunky and floppy. It was kind of a nuisance really. The battery box was not only difficult to find, but also difficult to open and get the batteries in.

Overall, the Renegade is a state-of-the-art thermal imaging device (weapon sight really) and has the features you would expect in an up to date thermal device and I highly recommend it to anyone looking to purchase a Thermal weapon sight.