The idea behind the Holosun DRS line is to provide an affordable low-light solution to the civilian firearms market. In a world where ar15s have become very commonplace to the point of being boring, low light technology in the form of thermal and night vision optics have become the new frontier for prepared citizens to explore. The rise in 1st-person shooter video games, GWOT veterans returning home, and online bodycam footage of military and police actions have increased public demand for NVG. Public awareness of low light devices has greatly increased, but the devices are still rare and expensive.
The Holosun DRS line looks to capitalize on this high level of interest and high financial barrier to entry by creating an “affordable” low light device: The Holosun DRS. When this device made its debut at shotshow awhile back, the device was received with a great level of praise and fanfare. Over the years, Holosun has built a reputation with fans for providing durable, reliable optics at a high value price. By extension, Holosun customers have been extremely optimistic about the new DRS line. According to fans, the DRS line will be a revolution in budget-friendly low light solutions.
Today we’re gonna find out if the Holosun DRS-NV lives up to the hype.
Special thanks to AL-ammo.com, for providing this optic. They can get you anything you want, but they specialize in used, collectable and heirloom firearms and ammo.
Holosun DRS: Why People Want it
The promise of the DRS line is value, performance and simplicity. Traditional night vision systems like the military PVS-14 are usually worn on a helmet, with a night-vision-compatible optic and an infrared laser/illuminator mounted to the rifle. This means that to get into the traditional night vision game, you needed the following:
- PVS14
- helmet
- Mount
- Infrared laser aiming module (LAM)
- NVG compatible optic
Sure, you can get by without some of the above items. Even still though, night vision is complicated.
In contrast, people think that the DRS is a single device that will solve all of these issues for them. But, can it live up to the hype?
I’ll base my review on the device’s suitability in the following areas.
- Low light sensitivity.
- Size and weight.
- Land navigation.
- Shooting on the move (or CQB).
- Area surveillance, static overwatch/security.
- Durability.
- Value.
Note: With a purchase price of a thousand bucks, I don’t expect the DRS-NV to be just as good as a PVS14. But, I do expect it to be a “relative value.”
Durability & Construction
I don’t feel like torture-testing a device that I don’t own and I have no plans to keep, so I can’t say for sure how durable the DRS will be long-term. However, other Holosun products that I’ve used have held up to a reasonable amount of abuse. The fit and finish seems solid, the buttons and initial build quality feels durable and believable, and the device comes with protective lens covers. I also like the rechargeable batteries with magnetic charging cable.
The Holosun LS-321 I’ve ran for years has held up to a lot of abuse. Internally, the circuit board is potted and key areas are filled with shock-proof resins to make the device stronger. While I have not taken the DRS apart, if it’s built like the LS-321 then it should be reliable and rugged.
I don’t know how it’ll hold up long-term, but it actually seems like it would probably hold up to extended use fairly well.
Durability: 4/5 stars***
***Durability rating based on my 1st impression and comparison to other Holosun products, not long-term or torture-testing.
Size and Weight
In pictures, the DRS looks compact and lightweight. People who have seen the device online compare it to an Eotech. But, in reality, I have not found that to be the case. In the real world, the DRS weighs 18.1 ounces and towers over an Eotech. In comparison, an Eotech EXPS3 weighs 11.1 ounces. But there’s more to consider here, to be actually useful as a low light device, the DRS-NV must be paired with an IR flashlight that you also have to buy separately. The IR flashlight will add additional weight/bulk to the platform (generally about 6 ounces). This means that DRS plus a basic illuminator comes in at a hefty 24 ounces.
On my previous DRS video, I had multiple people comment that they planned to use the Holosun primarily as a day optic, and only occasionally use it at night. The problem with this idea is that the added size and weight of the DRS makes it subpar as a day optic, so your average shooting experience will be degraded.
Judging the device on weight alone, I’d give it 3/5 stars. It’s heavy, it’s bulky, but if it performed well in other areas perhaps you could overlook the weight.
Size/Weight: 3/5 stars
Shooting on the Move, Situational Awareness + Land Navigation
One of the biggest use cases that the public cited for the Holosun was for close range engagements like “CQB” or home defense. While I’m no expert, I’ve attended classes with the likes of Clint Smith of Thunder Ranch and the late James Yeager among others. These instructors all emphasize movement and situational awareness in their fighting style. I still remember James yelling at me to “MOVE” and check my surroundings.
The reason that I bring this up is because it’s functionally impossible to use a rifle mounted NV device to move around. Furthermore, the Holosun’s viewing screen is about the size of a postage stamp and is almost a foot away from your face. What’s moving around at night with the Holosun DRS like? Take a piece of cardboard and cut a postage-stamp-sized hole in it. Hold the cardboard away from your face 8-12 inches; this is what it’s like to use a DRS for movement at night. The night-time viewing area feel like looking at a tiny postage stamp.
But, it gets worse. The DRS’ field of view (FOV) is also an extremely narrow 7 degrees. In contrast, the Sionyx Aurora night-time action-camera has a 42* FOV. Standard PVS-14s have a 40* FOV, but some devices have wide-angle lenses with 50* FOV. The DRS has almost 6 times LESS FOV than a budget-priced Sionyx Aurora, giving users an extreme disadvantage in CQB environments where situational awareness and the ability to move around effectively are crucial to surviving.
CQB/Movement: 1/5 stars
Low Light Sensitivity
I’ve been running the DRS night vision version for about a month now, and have used the device in a variety of situations. To make it easier to understand, I’ll also compare the DRS to some other devices so you understand where it comes in performance-wise. The device provides useful illumination on bright nights with city lights or a 2/3rds or bigger moon. But, when there isn’t much moon out or there’s not much city light, the DRS absolutely fails.
- 5.0 stars: Gen-3 L3 Harris White Phosphor Filmless Tubes
- 4.5 stars: Gen-3 Elbit White Thin Film White Phosphor Tubes
- 4.0 stars: High FOM Photonis White Phosphor Tubes
- 3.5 stars: Gen 3 Green Phosphor Tubes
- 3.0 stars: Sionyx Opsin Digital Night Vision Monocular
- 2.5 stars: Sionyx Aurora Low Light Action Camera
- 2.0 stars: Holosun DRS-NV
- 1.0 stars: Ebay/Walmart/Wish.com-tier digital low light devices
Low Light Sensitivity Comparison chart
Some people have rejected the above argument because they live in the city or suburbs and there are street lights. But, in the use-case of prepared citizen, it’s unwise to count on street lights and power. Also, if it’s a basic home defense scenario in the city or suburbs during normal rule of law, then you probably wouldn’t use any night vision. In these basic situations, you’re better off with just a decent white light, a red dot and maybe a suppressor.
In more advanced scenarios where the power is out or there are no street lights, that’s when night vision really comes into play. When evaluating low light devices, you want as much sensitivity as possible so you can minimize downrange signature. Cheap, low quality night vision is a lot less sensitive, so it heavily relies on active IR illumination to see in the dark. If you’re using the DRS in truly dark environments, you’ll need to use a bright IR spotlight that highlights you to everyone else running with a device.
On a 0-5 star scale, I’d put the DRS above the Wish.com-tier NV devices, but below the Sionyx Aurora. Right now, you can get an Aurora on Ebay for about $400, so if I were truly on a bare-bones budget for a low light device, the Aurora has better performance per dollar.
Low Light Sensitivity: 2/5 stars
Area Surveillance, Static Overwatch, Security Detail
Another common use case that people have made comments about is for static observation, overwatch and security detail. For this use case, I’m a hard pass because in the same $1,000 price range, you can get a 256 core AGM rattler thermal optic that will give a much longer detection range and it doesn’t require active IR illumination that potential enemies can also see.
The other factor to consider is the DRS’ very narrow field of view. Cramming digital night vision into a reflex sight led to very big compromises that put the DRS at a disadvantage. If you absolutely insist on a cheap digital night vision device for low light observation, don’t forget that the Sionyx Aurora has a much wider field of view and is a lot cheaper.
Low Light Sensitivity: 2/5 stars
Holosun DRS-NV: Does it live up to the hype?
No. No it does not live up to the hype. The thousand dollar price tag makes the Holosun Night Vision Reflex Sight about half the cost of an entry-level gen 2+ PVS14 at the time of this writing. But, a thousand bucks is still a lot of money for most people, despite recent inflation.
Even though the DRS is half the price of a PVS14, it’s still expensive enough to be a low value.
Best use case: impressing your friends at parties.
If you’ve gotta have a cheap digital low light device, get a used Sionyx Aurora off of Ebay. But for reals, just keep saving your money and get a basic PVS14.