AGM - are they a quality product?

D

dave3006

Active member
I had a chance to look through the AGM EVOLVER LRF 1280 yesterday. It was absolutely amazing. I have a FLIR Scion 640 monocular. It literally blows it out of the water.

AGM EVOLVER LRF 1280 | AGM Global Vision

I am looking to buy my first dedicated thermal scope. Is AGM a good company to go with? I want to go with a scope greater than a 640 core.
 
I’m no expert by any means and I literally got into thermal on 12/26/24. Here’s my take on my first thermal I bought, AGM Varmint V2 LRF 35-384.

I think the scope is very easy to use and using it for hunting was easy to learn. So far, I’ve killed 42 coyotes with it and have missed an around 10-15 more with it.

I mention the misses because they have mostly come from miss judged ranges due to the LRF not functioning below 10 degrees Fahrenheit. I bought the scope brand new because it had a built in range finder and that’s been the one feature that hasn’t always worked for me. I completely understand that extreme cold messes with electronics but I’ve seen plenty of videos from other guys up north that have a functional LRF in their Nvision, IRay, and pulsars. The scope itself will function very well down to the -20s from my field experience so far.

Really, my only complaint with my AGM right now is the LRF. It works great in temps above 10 though. That just seems to be the cut off for it. Oh the other night my AGM logo fell off the outside of the scope. I guess they only glue those onto the scope bodies. I don’t care about the cosmetics but if you do, that’s a pretty cheap way of mounting a piece of plastic to an aluminum scope.
 
I have AGM Rattler v1 and V2, both are great, no problems after a firmware update. Looks like they put the bigger sensor on the V2 body. I don't need the LRF for my hunting. Got an Iray Bolt that I like but it has firmware problems.
 
i have a bering optics super yoter, its a 640. i have been told that when viewing a coyote thru a thermal, if you can see both white and black (two-tone) on the coyote body it should be with in your zero distance. mine is good out to 200 yards before thinking about any hold over.

i mention this due the problems experienced by dave3006 with his lrf. range finders only come into play past 200 yards in my opinion. from everything i have read AGM makes a really good product.
 
To me, AGM is like Athlon or Vortex. Not top tier but the majority won’t be limited by the performance unless you get unlucky and get a lemon.
 
I bought a Rattler TS35 640 as a backup to my IRay. To be honest I hated it at first, even using it as a scanner.
That was until I bought a SFAR and needed a thermal for it so I put the AGM on it. I literally mounted it and took it outside in my yard one night and started playing with the settings and got that joker as clear as my IRay. I sighted it in the next day and killed a hog with it that night.
When I get another thermal it will most likely be another AGM based on price.
I also have an AGM scanner and pleased with it.
For the record, knock on wood, I haven’t had an issue at all with either scope or scanner.
 
I have a Rattler TS-25 that has been and still is a good one. I really like it, especially for the price point.
 
What is with the newer 1280 scopes and the low refresh rates? I watched a review on the RIX and it was the same thing. Is that one way to keep the price down? Does it not have the same effect as it does on 640/384 scopes?
 
50 hz is the euro standard for refresh rate. Also, the larger sensor needs a faster processor (more $ and power) to run higher refresh.
 
What I love about the AGM is how the main screen stays on the base magnification while using zoom in PIP. The second focal plane keeps my crosshairs thin when aiming at distant targets, so I don’t have to zoom in and back out after the first shot while trying to track running coyotes. Since I’m not using a mil-dot reticle, I prefer my crosshairs to stay thin regardless of magnification. I rarely adjust the zoom—whether they’re charging in or running away, I’m just pointing and shooting.

I liked the image in my RH50R, however I’m going to use what works best for me, and SFP is a must.

here vid of the new AGM Adder Vs 60-1280

 
I’ve had 3 tiapan monoculars and 3 agm scopes. The first scope was a varmint ts35lrf range not working when it was cold out. Then the scope just died. My dealer had a adder ts50 384 he traded me that one the battery quit charging after about 6mo I sent him that one he sent me another varmint that scope has been perfect range finder works great and is still kicking after a year. First tiapan monocular died after about 4mo second one last just under the 3 year warranty. New one is a year old and still working. I’ve sold that varmint scope to my hunting partner and bought a rix leap6. Still running my tiapan. I’ve had problems with them but they have stood behind their products and have been very responsive when I did have problems. If was spending $7000 on a scope I’d wait a little bit till they get the bugs worked out of the first batch. I’d wait till rix comes out with a 1280 their rangefinder is the best on the market as of now.
 
Damon Dog said:
I’ve had 3 tiapan monoculars and 3 agm scopes. The first scope was a varmint ts35lrf range not working when it was cold out. Then the scope just died. My dealer had a adder ts50 384 he traded me that one the battery quit charging after about 6mo I sent him that one he sent me another varmint that scope has been perfect range finder works great and is still kicking after a year. First tiapan monocular died after about 4mo second one last just under the 3 year warranty. New one is a year old and still working. I’ve sold that varmint scope to my hunting partner and bought a rix leap6. Still running my tiapan. I’ve had problems with them but they have stood behind their products and have been very responsive when I did have problems. If was spending $7000 on a scope I’d wait a little bit till they get the bugs worked out of the first batch. I’d wait till rix comes out with a 1280 their rangefinder is the best on the market as of now.
Click to expand...
Interesting. I’ve had the same lrf issues. Got the Seeker monocular and really like it for now. I’m actually looking pretty hard at the Rix DBH now and have seen great feedback on the LRF and onboard ballistics.
 
dave3006 said:
I had a chance to look through the AGM EVOLVER LRF 1280 yesterday. It was absolutely amazing. I have a FLIR Scion 640 monocular. It literally blows it out of the water.

AGM EVOLVER LRF 1280 | AGM Global Vision

I am looking to buy my first dedicated thermal scope. Is AGM a good company to go with? I want to go with a scope greater than a 640 core.
Click to expand...
My .02 and only an opinion.........

I have been using thermals for over 12 years when the first 640 core 17 micron units were over $12k and I have developed my own theory about how to purchase a scope and scanner.

Every time you go hunting you will spend hours looking through your scanner and once you see something you want to shoot you go to your rifle. Now a lot of guys say they just want a scanner for detection and use the scope for ID. First of all it is a PITA to have to acquire a target in your scope numerous times every time you need to ID, and secondly if it is a target you don't want to shoot you now have your weapon aimed at it.

I have owned probably 15 thermals and I am at the point with the core and software improvements that I have no problem with bullet placement using one of the 380 12 micron core units. That being said I suggest that if you want to get the most bang for your buck spend your money on a high resolution scanner for ID and enjoy the many hours you will spend in the field looking through it.

As I have said before....."You spend hours looking through your scanner and minutes looking through your scope."

FYI.... I own 3 AGM units and 2 Trijicon units. AGM stands behind their products. As I understand it 3 guys left Armasight and started AGM. Their names were Allen, Gary, and Mike.....AGM.
 
Last edited:
Thanks Gman. I have a FLIR Scion 266 640x480 scanner. I have purchased several FLIR Scanners in the past. The Scion is the first one I didn't hate. However, it still is not that great. It was a $5500 unit when I bought it. Now, it is probably worth $3000.

I used to use my FLIR for detection. Then, I would shoot with my PVS14 and IR laser. I have never owned a dedicated thermal scope. I'm in ID now. We can only use thermal.

What do you recommend as the best scanner you can buy? What you say makes a lot of sense about the time a person will spend scanning vs. shooting.
 
Back
Top