EOTech CRATOS Hand-Held Thermal Imaging Monocular Review

EOTech is an American Company that founded in 1995 by Richard Palermo, Anthony Tai, Van Donohue, and Eric Sieczka and located at Ann Arbor, MI.

The earlier developments of EOTech are electro-optic products and systems. EOTech is producing the most advanced weapon accessories for law enforcement, defense, hunting, homeland security, shooting, and recreational activities.

The different products from EOTech are Holographic Weapon Sights, Precision Rifle Scopes, Tactical Lights & Lasers, Thermal Vision Devices, and Night Vision Devices.

CRATOS thermal monoculars are EOTech’s best weapon sight series designed with compact design, intuitive controls, broad detection range, high sensitive sensor, and long battery life.

Let’s look into the review of this Advanced thermal imaging monocular in deep.

EOTech CRATOS Hand-Held Thermal Imaging Monocular Review

EOTech CRATOS thermal imaging monocular comes with dual-use design as clip-on and handheld.

EOTech comes with high quality 480 x 640 pixels thermal sensor that can assure you high-quality images and view of your target.

The field of view and angle of the objective lens of this handheld thermal imaging monoculars is 15.7 – 21 degrees. So you get an accurate view of your target and range of distance.

It offers a 700 m detection range, so it is the most perfect thermal monocular for medium-range and long-range hunting and shooting.

As it comes with high thermal sensitivity, premium quality sensors, and a large field of view, it is mostly recommended for law enforcement and military applications. That is the reason why this high-end thermal monocular comes in Tan color, which matches the military color.

It has a standard 60 Hz refresh rate to provide crystal clear images and videos of your target and adventure despite weather and lighting conditions.

The size of this compact yet powerful thermal imaging monocular is 4.5 in Length, 2.95 in Width, and 2.7 in Height. The total weight of this unit is just 21 oz. So now you know why this is being the most compact, lightweight, and easy-to-carry handheld thermal viewer for tactical situations and recreational activities.

This all-weather thermal viewer is powered by two AA batteries that can offer 4 hours of continuous operation. The operation time of this monocular is quite impressive for its price.

Additionally, it housed with military-grade materials to withstand any weather and environments. The monocular is designed with a water-resistant feature that can submerge in water up to 66 feet.

The History of EOTech 

In 1972, the Michigan State Legislature created an independent Willow Runs Laboratories, a non-profit research institute. This institute renamed as Environmental Research Institute of Michigan (ERIM) later.

After two decades, in the late 1993s, ERIM established Michigan Development Corporation (MDC) to develop its ERIM technology and open spin-off companies.

Later in 1995, MDC established EOTech as a subsidiary of ERIM.

Development of EOTech

At the SHOT Show in 1996, EOTech showcased its first-generation holographic weapon sights (HWS) with the name of Bushnell-HoloSight®. It is designed for hunting and shooting to improve the accuracy and speed of acquisition. 

After four years in 2000, EOTech established its second-generation holographic weapon sights with an ergonomic and compact design. It is the foundation for any product companies to enter the military and law enforcement product markets. 

The very next year, they developed the HWS for military and law enforcement. 

In 2005, USSOCOM honored EOTech with a contract. Since then, all the Military, Marine, and Special Operations officers chose EOTech’s HWS for their work.

NOTE: EOTech’s first HWS (1996) and HWS for Military and Law Enforcement (2001) won the Shooting Industry Academy of Excellence’s Optic of the Year Award.

On the whole, EOTech CRATOS thermal monocular does its job well. They achieved the target accuracy and acquisition speed as they planned. Accuracy and detection of EOTech HWS are always commendable. This EOTech CRATOS thermal monocular is another gem in the crown of EOTech.

Final Words

Thermal monoculars are highly recommended to detect and identify the targets in the unknown wild areas. Detection and Identification are the two most important tasks of a hunter or shooter despite the range. Monoculars with thermal imaging help the hunters to achieve the range and reach their target even there is no light.

There is no doubt why CRATOS thermal monoculars are a popular weapon sight because they come from a manufacturer who entered the weapon sight industry with the winning technology.

For hunting at medium range, tactical uses, navigation at unknown areas, and recreations shooting, EOTech thermal monocular is the best companion.