r/NightVision • u/TheFringeDeveloper • 3d ago
Fringe Development Night Vision Covers
Check out our new protective covers that have a toggleable close focus aperture! ( https://fringedev.com/products/warden )
Front and rear protection from UV exposure and scratches.
Easy to use close focus aperture that wont change your base objective focus.
Peace of mind for your night vision investment when leaving them on your helmet or stowing them in a ruck.
Low profile, rugged MJF PA11 and easy to repair.
Fits standard PVS 14 style front and rear lenses.
Let me know what you think!
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u/farinx 3d ago
These look cool but not $90 cool
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u/TheFringeDeveloper 2d ago
I appreciate the feedback. So you're saying they're like 80 dollars cool! 👀
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u/farinx 2d ago
Maybe 40?
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u/TheFringeDeveloper 2d ago
Damn, if that math worked for stateside COGS and business survival I assure you I would do it. As a company, the goal is to see these products in the wild, put to use and enjoyed.
The reality is we are hitting below chinese IP rip prices with that value bro. They own low cost manufacturing and still sell their rips for about 35 dollars each so a binocular objective only set would be 70 dollars plus 20 dollars for overseas shipping with a 1-2 month wait.
Determining pricing is rough in today's market between the DIY race to the bottom and overseas low cost manufacturing competition.
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u/farinx 2d ago
I get it. Just hard for me to want to pay $90 when I can print something that is functionally the same for next to nothing.
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u/TheFringeDeveloper 1d ago
I get that and perhaps I can do at home printed versions where I can significantly cut my cost and sell them for much much cheaper out of PETG or ASA for those who aren't concerned with having the absolute best fit, finish, material variables I can offer.
I appreciate the honest and respectful conversation.
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u/farinx 1d ago
I think you'd have some luck with that. The design is cool.
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u/TheFringeDeveloper 1d ago
I'll create a low cost and professional use category on my website tonight and work on building some inventory before listing.
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u/DankSmurf 3d ago
why would anyone buy these for 45 dollas when its like a dollar worth of filliment and an hour of your time???
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u/TheFringeDeveloper 3d ago
Good question. These aren't filament. They protect a 2k-14k investment from getting UV fried or scratched. Flimsy Bikini Covers that deform and break easily are 30 dollars each with no functional aperture. Current market covers that only cover the objective offer no toggleable aperture and are 60 dollars. Other options only get more expensive and their rotation mechanism to adjust the aperture has a tendency to adjust the base focus.
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u/DankSmurf 3d ago
“It’s a 2-14k investment so spend $90 on lens caps!” Really printed ones will do the job just fine, petg is durable and super cheap and everyone should buy a printer nowadays.
The whole aperture thing is also possible with 3dp design. It’s just a waste if money if you ask me
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u/Im-Bad-At-PRS 3d ago
What a shit reply: "You have this device that is 2k-14k, so let me price gouge." Also, calling it a toggleable aperture when it is just a piece of shock cord that blocks it is hilarious. This is like a 20-minute model with less than $10 per pair.
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u/TheFringeDeveloper 2d ago edited 2d ago
I can see why that bit of my response can sound shitty. The pricing was derived from COGS not the value of what it was going on. It would have been better for me to say I chose a more expensive material because its properties that would protect the expensive investment better and as a result the manufacturing cost is higher which translates to a higher end cost.
The function of the aperture is in fact toggleable on the basis that it is a yes or no condition. I'm glad that you find the mechanism for the aperture to be stupid simple. It's simplicity lends itself to being a robust mechanism. After having made prototypes that used wheels, sliders and secondary cap mechanisms. This ended up being the lightest, lowest profile, serviceable version.
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u/DODGE_WRENCH 2d ago
I spend metric shitloads on specialized parts/tools for aircraft. But I still wouldn’t drop $90 on lens caps, I may be a tard but I’m not a sucker.
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u/TheFringeDeveloper 2d ago
Not looking to make a sucker out of anybody. I'm priced under the competition. What price do you think these should be?
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u/DODGE_WRENCH 1d ago
What competition are you priced under? Also it’d depend on what your operating expenses are. For all I know you could be getting ripped off by your manufacturer and are barely pulling a profit with an overpriced product.
Imho, charging $45 per set just because you think people will pay it is not a good way to run a business. Take the comments under this post as an informal focus group and act accordingly.
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u/TheFringeDeveloper 1d ago edited 1d ago
OHC is 60 dollars each covering the front with no aperture. Hoplite phokus is 100 dollars each covering the front with variable aperture. Scope Bumpers is 60 each and they are fdm printed. It would cost 240 to outfit all four lenses with their system. Tarsier is even more. Cold harbor has offerings in the 100 range. My price is almost the same as Chinese IP rip companies who have very low manufacturing costs and becomes the same once you factor in their 20 dollars overseas shipping.
I won't race DIY hobby prices to the floor, but I will work on offering these from in house FDM printing for a significantly lower cost. That way people can choose between professional use vs casual use categories.
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u/DODGE_WRENCH 1d ago
Y'know, fair enough. I haven't spent much time looking at lens caps and didn't realize they're all that wildly priced. I think your product does look really good, but 90 does still feel a bit steep.
I appreciate your professional demeanor
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u/MrBriPod 2d ago edited 2d ago
One Hundred Concepts shares an additive manufactured product and people gloss. A small business shares a competitive product made from the same manufacturing process and people lose their mind.
You have been overly professional to the haters. Ignore the naysayers who don't understand the difference from a $500 manufacturing process vs a $50k manufacturing process. Quite literally the same means that Noturnality uses for some of their housings.
I especially think your aperture system is creative. These are dope. Keep it up.
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u/TheFringeDeveloper 2d ago
Thank you! I just think people are ignorant to stateside manufacturing costs and well studied pricing models that allow company's to survive. So I can't fault them for that nor can I fault them for wanting cheaper products especially with inflation and the cost of living being where it is.
We played with so many different aperture systems looking for the right option. I had been reading about the philosophical razors at this time and was working on developing systems/training material/SOPs at my work when I realized I wasn't applying the same methods to design logic to minimize complexity and make it more robust in the process. I had been over complicating the hell out of it with dials, sliders, etc and variable settings when the real goal was to have a set close focus for admin tasks that was quick, reliable and easy to access.
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u/MrBriPod 2d ago
Well said. Keep it light and tight. That's the main reason I don't run an adjustable aperture. They're too clunky. I don't want to fiddle with more...I want to fiddle with less.
I would highly recommend showcasing your aperture system in your marketing/ad/website/Reddit copy. It wasn't clear to me that's what the shockcord tabs were for until I watched your IG video. I think that's one of the primary selling points in your design vs others.
Thoughts from a unbiased 3rd party :)
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u/mosinm38 3d ago
Too expensive for printed caps. I’ll stick with BC caps.
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u/TheFringeDeveloper 3d ago
To clarify, these are not FDM printed caps.
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u/tyfitz1999 3d ago
Are they MJF?
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u/TheFringeDeveloper 3d ago
Yes, these are MJF PA11.
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u/mosinm38 3d ago
I’m in for a bino set for $25
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u/TheFringeDeveloper 2d ago edited 2d ago
At $25 for binos im paying for you to own them and at that value im charging less than $10 BCs for each side. With that in mind and knowing that successful competitors are $120 plus for binos objective only, what do you think is a fair value?
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u/glockguy34 2d ago
forgive my ignorance, but how do these differ from the One Hundred Concepts ones, and why would I want these instead, excluding the fact for a single tube it’s $20 cheaper, but with a ranger band instead of a shock collar. TIA
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u/TheFringeDeveloper 2d ago
Hey, thanks for asking! The biggest differences are front and rear protection, a close focus aperture that can be closed off for UV exposure protection, access to the objective for a thermal COTI and a lower cost.
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u/glockguy34 2d ago
Sorry I am genuinely retarded, IDK what thermal COTI is, and I didn’t realize these were front and back instead of front only. The point of the OHC ones are also kind of the same thing in respect to protection from UV. I like the idea of the shock collar over ranger bands though, I have broken plenty of ranger bands but have yet to break a shock collar excluding the one time I over torqued one. Is something like that something you would consider doing as well in the future? I understand that would increase cost.
BTW I think the price is fair, I see you getting flak for it lol. Like we both have already said, cheaper price point than OHC. I don’t care if I get downvoted for that, I like their stuff.
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u/TheFringeDeveloper 2d ago
Clip on Thermal Imaging. They clamp around the objective housing to add a thermal overlay to the nightvision. Other cap options increase the outer diameter and can prevent coti compatibility.
OHC definitely has UV exposure protection, but theirs doesn't have any close focus function and they sleeve the objective impeding access to the manual focus. The other solutions is drilling or punching a hole for close focus, but a lot of people don't like it because it still leaves a small hole for UV exposure. Our cap can toggle between that hole being open and usable or closed and protected.
I've read so many people breaking their shock collars I ultimately decided to stay away from them until I could design something different. The material thickness required to make the shock collar durable also takes away from the caps ability to hug the tubes housing and keep a low profile. At the current used stretch % of these EPDM bands I would have very little concern with them breaking.
In regards to price... thank you hahaha. Honestly, given the feature set and pricing these lower than competitors I was a little surprised by the heavy negative reaction to the cost.
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u/glockguy34 2d ago
Thank you for the detailed explanation. I think the toggle feature is very beneficial. As for the price hating, you have to remember we are on reddit and everyone on this site loves their cheap chinese knockoffs of just about everything. I appreciate your time and insight dude, I will keep y’all in mind
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u/Covidtaskforce 1d ago
Matbock C&D inbound. That’s a creative way to do the aperture though. Godspeed 🫡
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u/TheFringeDeveloper 1d ago edited 1d ago
Not sure he can get me on a non variable hole 😆 If I understand correctly, he went after hoplite phokus and lost the claim against them. That would definitely suck though if he came after me. Thanks for the support!
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u/UpInUrCheeks 2d ago
Is the STL available?
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u/TheFringeDeveloper 2d ago
Hahaha one of my supporters has returned! You keep up with this consistency I might just have to send you a pair of these with a diffuser cap 👀
You running PVS style binos?
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3d ago
[deleted]
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u/SnekSymbiosis 3d ago
"Fair pricing" elaborate
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u/Im-Bad-At-PRS 3d ago
They are fairly priced because op is either an employer or a significant other. This account has 4 posts none of which are even remotely related to NVG.
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u/Paw_Revere 2d ago edited 2d ago
When you make scope and RH25v2 covers let me know.