We heard you. You wanted the panning axis on the Panobridge to lock so that each PVS-14 could not be bumped out of place during dynamic movements. You wanted to prevent damage to the head of the slotted screws which connect each arm to the PVS-14. You wanted the price to come down and be much more competitive. Thank you for all of the valuable feedback you have provided over the last two years. After a very lengthy development cycle, I am happy to say that Mk3 delivers in all three areas. Read on to learn more about the solutions we have developed.
If you missed the initial product release back in 2021, Panobridge is a dual AN/PVS-14 night vision monocular bridge mount which presents an entirely new way to utilize night vision devices, as it allows one to selectively adjust the field of view from the standard 40 to much wider angles, all with unmodified PVS-14s. It does this through a simple rotating mechanism which allows the monoculars to individually pan outward, which I coined AFOV, or Adjustable Field of View night vision technology.
The resulting wide, panoramic view provides significantly higher situational awareness and eliminates the “tube effect” experienced with traditional night vision setups. The only way to achieve this kind of view previously was to spend $40,000+ on quad-tube night vision goggles.
The new Panobridge Mk3 is only 1.7 oz total. That’s 35% lighter than the next lightest bridge mount, and 65% lighter than one of the most popular competing mounts. Even though it is ultralight, durability is still our top priority, and Panobridge is essentially indestructible due to its high-performance Arkema® polymer construction. We have successfully conducted 2 meter drop tests on concrete with the Panobridge Mk3 connected to +10% heavier AN/PVS-14 models. We have also attempted to be as transparent as possible regarding the Panobridge’s durability by publishing an unfiltered list of components damaged by customers since the 2021 launch right here. With well over a thousand bridges in the wild, many successful reports from customers who have used Panobridge on the job or at nighttime shooting matches, and less than one handful of reported parts breakages of the core Panobridge components over the last two years, we are confident that this product is suitable for duty use.
As mentioned, Panobridge Mk3 delivers a locking mechanism that prevents the AN/PVS-14 night vision devices from ever being bumped out of position. The brand new PanoLok bars, which mount to the rear of the bridge and can be seen above, are the solution. The bars not only physically limit the components which permit rotation of the monoculars from moving, but they also reinforce the entire bridge, making it substantially more rigid and ruggedized, and also allow us to trim off now-superfluous material in the center (dovetail) body in order to keep the overall weight as low as possible.
To be clear, PanoLok bars offer complete backwards compatibility with the older variants of Panobridge and are also available in an inexpensive upgrade kit. In order to prioritize the delivery of these upgrade kits to Noisefighters supporters, we are requiring owners of genuine Panobridges to complete an online form (linked above) in order to purchase them.
Finally, we also heard plenty of feedback regarding the cost of the original product, and Panobridge Mk3 is now much more competitively priced with other options in the night vision market at an initial sales price of $375.00. In order to accomplish this, we removed the Mini-Rail Arm for thermal monocular use and will offer it as an accessory (since many fewer customers use this arm, we think it is a good tradeoff), and we reduced the complexity of the the panning angle mechanism in order to speed up assembly and reduce the number of points of possible failure.
To compensate, we are now including something we believe to be more valuable to the majority of our customers: a purpose-built tool we call the Noisefighters Night Vision Accessory Tool (NVAT). It’s a tiny 6061-T6 hardcoat anodized aluminum tool designed for driving hex bits, and it offers three storage slots for standard 1” hex bits; a Torx T10, 9/64”, and 3/32” hex bit from renowned German toolmaker Wiha; and a built-in slotted screw driver that positively engages our super low-profile 1/4-20 slotted screws and ensures that their finish isn’t marred during tightening. An EPDM rubber band wraps around the outside to keep everything in place. It’s a handy little gadget that is small enough to store in a helmet counterweight pouch.
Finally, if you would like to support us but don’t need any of this night vision gear, consider picking up one of our brand new PANOPANOPANO shirts. It’s sure to impress, is made in the USA, and will only be offered in this design for a limited run.
I hope you are all well, and I thank you for your continued support and patience as we continue to change the industry one invention — or, in this case, one major product improvement — at a time.
-Neal Brace, CEO, and best regards from the rest of the Noiseboys
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