Let’s read the comments section…
“You haven’t seen it, you don’t have a clue.”
In situations like this, a lesser man would double down. So instead I’ll quadruple down.
My last Holosun thermal video got 100’s of comments of guys saying that I was wrong, that I didn’t understand the advantages that the DRS-TH offered (being both a red dot with a thermal overlay). They said this optic would be an affordable way for people to gain a robust low light shooting capability without springing for a PVS14 or a higher end thermal scope. Other critics felt like I unfairly compared the Holosun to much more expensive units. The high volume of negative comments and criticism I got from my last DRS-TH video begs the question, was I wrong about the DRS-TH?
My initial impression of the DRS-TH was very negative, but after spending several weeks with this new optic and having multiple devices available to me, there was one situation where I do feel like it can serve a useful purpose. Before everyone claims that I’m back-tracking on my previous video… this probably isn’t the right low light device for most people most of the time. Especially if you’re on a budget and need to get the most performance for your money, watch to the end before buying the Holosun thermal.
Picture Worth a Thousand Words:
They say that a picture is worth a thousand words, so here goes. This is what the Holosun thermal sees in the dark at a distance of 17 feet. In comparison, here’s what you can see through a $550- dollar TS19-256 core. These were filmed at the exact same distance away. As you can see, the Holosun thermal’s image quality and field of view is lower than a TS19-256 core that I got for $550 bucks. Note that the Holosun appears zoomed in, but it’s not. The zoomed-in effect is because the Holosun’s field of view is that much lower. Next, let’s compare the Holosun to a $1,200- dollar TS25-384 core. Both are still 17 feet away. Note that the TS25-384 has massive advantages in both field of view and resolution. Just for fun, let’s throw in a high end iRay 640 core optic.
Based on my extensive testing, expect the DRS-TH to perform worse than a $550 dollar, entry-level optic.
If you pay attention to all the hype videos on this optic, you’ll notice that there’s very little if any actual low light footage of the device. Sick editing and sweet jump-cuts can make you consume, but they won’t mean an optic is worth the money.
CQB:
On my last video, the comment section argued that the 256 core sensor on the DRS was fine because the intended engagement range would be CQB distances, home defense out to a maximum of 50 yards or so. But the thermal core sensor is not just about image quality; it also has a huge impact on field of view and situational awareness. While it’s not published online, I measured the DRS TH FOV as 3.4 degrees. What this means is that across a 25 foot room, you can only see about 18 inches by 12 inches. For a home defense scenario, you won’t even be able to cover a doorway. Scanning a room for threats will be very difficult with this optic. As a point of comparison, the AGM Rattler TS25 384 core V1 has a 14.9* FOV at a similar price point.
Another issue with all “CQB thermals” is that the device settings of a thermal are very complicated, and must often be calibrated every time conditions change. If your thermal is calibrated for an outdoor urban environment, you might find that it absolutely fails when you go in or out of structures or vehicles. This is true of the Holosun and all thermals, and this means that the entire concept of a CQB thermal as a primary weapon sighting system may not work in many common scenarios.
Moving around in the dark using the DRS-th is the same as looking through a postage stamp hole.
Unless you also have head mounted night vision, identifying targets and moving around in the dark effectively is difficult to impossible.
Field of view matters a lot: at 25 feet away, the DRS can see 18 inches across, while the Rattler 384 core can see 6.5 feet. The fact that the DRS is both a thermal and a red dot is cool, but you need to understand that trying to be two things at once means you might end up being bad at both.
Image Quality:
To be fair on this test, I’m also including footage from a 256 core AGM Rattler TS-19 V1 that I picked up for $550 bucks. What you’ll notice is that the DRS is a lot more blurry than other 256 core scopes. The Rattler 256 core has a much cleaner image and the field of view is triple that of the Holosun. People, animals and targets become amorphous blobs past 25 or 30 yards, closer in and the field of view is so narrow that it’s hard to find targets. The reason why I’ve been so hard on the DRS-TH is because its thermal performance falls well below that of an AGM Rattler that I bought for $550 bucks.
Size, Weight & Form Factor:
The form factor is one of the things that I do like about the DRS, but only up to a point. The DRS-TH weighs more than the Rattler, and is almost a tie if you add on a flip to side Sig Romeo 5 that I got on sale for $65- for the dot and $50- for the T-rex offset mount. The DRS does win in terms of form factor, but the advantage isn’t as big as most people think, because the DRS is a blocky skyscraper that towers over normal reflex sights. The DRS is heavy and does not make up for a white light, IR laser aiming module, and head mounted night vision.
As a red dot, the DRS works, but is massively heavy and expensive to use mostly as a day optic. I picked up this Sig Romeo 5 on super sale for about $65 bucks, so if you’re setting up a budget night fighter you could run a Romeo, a Somogear PEQ15 and a Weapon mounted Streamlight and end up with a lighter rifle for 70% cheaper than just the DRS at $1,600.
Budget & Value:
Holosun fans believe that this optic is a chance for people on a budget to get into the low light and thermal game. But, what you must consider is that with the Holosun, you’re getting a $550- thermal globbed onto a $300- red dot. So, if budget and performance per dollar is a primary concern, then the DRS falls short. If the DRS thermal was $999-, call it a thousand even, this may be true. But, in the real world you can get a lot more performance going with a dedicated thermal paired with a flip to side red dot. The thermal fusion capability is only really useful if you also have night vision. So as a budget, entry level low light device it’s more of a meme scope rather than a useful device.
On the last video, the comments section said that I was comparing the DRS to much more expensive optics. But at the time I’m filming this, the V1 Rattler 384 core is on Black Friday special for $1,200 bucks on PSA, so it’s not like I’m comparing the DRS to scopes outside of its price range.
NVG Thermal Fusion:
For passive aiming using the red dot only, the Holosun’s performance was marginal at best. But, this brings us to the one viable use case for the Holosun thermal: passive aiming in thermal mode if you also have dual tube night vision. Without real intensifier tube night vision, the fusion feature is mostly useless. I say dual tube because if you have a single tube PVS14 then the best option is to use a better quality thermal scope and run the PVS14 on your other eye. Passive aiming through the Holosun with dual tubes is by far the most interesting use case for this device. The Holosun’s tragically narrow field of view is less of a problem when you’re wearing night vision, because the NVG gives you extra field of view and situational awareness. Additional low light settings would be useful as well, because even on the lowest setting it’s still a bit too bright.
In brighter moon conditions, there were times that the brightness of the Holosun overpowered tubes with automatic gain. So even in this role, it’s not quite a perfect fit.
If Holosun makes good on their promise to release a Pro Version with a 384 or better sensor core, then this could be a viable use case for the DRS-th in the future. Using the DRS-TH under NODs was actually intuitive and did noticeably improve the passive aiming experience. With a real thermal sensor and more night vision settings, this could be an interesting passive aiming solution for some people.
Conclusion:
Enthusiasts are heavily weighting the advantages of a two-in-one red dot and thermal optic without truly understanding the drawbacks in terms of weight, thermal and low light performance. Without dual tube night vision, the Holosun thermal is a meme scope. But even if you do have duals, you’ll constantly resent the fact that your super cool thermal fusion optic got nerfed by a 256 core thermal sensor. For the Holosun fans who bought this as an affordable low light option, you’ll be stuck with worse thermal performance than a bottom-tier $550- AGM Rattler and your daily shooting experience will be a mid-tier red dot that weighs over a pound and cost you $1,600- bucks.
If Holosun wants to be serious about low light, they could make this thing a legit thermal fusion option by fitting it with a better sensor, offering more NVG settings and getting a lens that offers a useful field of view. With those improvements, I would recommend this device in the future.
As it sits, the DRS-TH is the deformed love-child of a $500 thermal and a $300 red dot. If you already have dual tube NVG and already have a real thermal optic, the DRS-TH is a neat range toy, but until they give it a decent thermal core sensor, it’s not worth serious consideration for most people.
The Book of Proverbs says that “Wounds from a friend can be trusted.” This means your real friends will tell you the truth even if it hurts, but your enemies will use dishonesty to take advantage of you.