When Pulsar released the Accolade in January of 2021, it took the world of thermal vision by storm. These compact digital binoculars had eye-friendly adjustable screens with the ability to pierce through damp or misty nights with its finely engineered sensor. It worked well in all conditions and provided an easy to use interface even for users with gloved hands.

Now, with the new Merger LRF XP50, Pulsar builds on the greatness of the Accolade to exceed the expectations of its loyal customers who have come to know and trust Pulsar for its excellence. The Merger was designed with a traditional European finish, one of the cleanest fits and finishes on the market. Similar in look and feel to a traditional pair of binoculars, the Merger has great ergonomics and fits snug in its user’s palms. The Merger’s interface is both simple and unobtrusive. Even with gloved hands, these thermal binocular’s controls are easy to manipulate.

Designed with a new, more robust shell, Pulsar has transitioned away from the plastic/glass nylon composite of previous designs and has built the Merger using high quality magnesium alloy. This rugged, durable construction makes the Merger suitable for harsh outdoor conditions, especially with its IPX7 waterproof rating.

A comparison of the visual fidelity of the Merger to its predecessor, the Accolade, reveals night and day differences between the two thermal binoculars. The Merger features a larger F50/1.0 Germanium objective lens than its predecessor. Combined with its 1024x768 display, a substantial upgrade from the Accolade’s 640x480, the Merger’s image quality provides crisp, high resolution images that were simply not possible to capture in the Accolade. The Merger retains the impressive 1900 yard detection range of the Accolade as well as its 1000 yard laser rangefinder.

The convenience of streaming videos and pictures through the Stream Vision 2 app has carried over to the Merger, and the new thermal binoculars feature integrated 5GHz Wi-Fi, with longer range and faster transfer speeds than the 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi on the Accolade.

Along with other improvements, the Merger boasts a longer battery life. With its Dual Li-Ion power system consisting of an external APS3 chargeable battery and a built in battery pack, the Merger can run for 10 hours in the field, more than enough for a long night of wildlife scanning or trekking. To further extend its battery life, the Merger comes equipped with an optional automatic on/off function in the form of a proximity sensor, which puts the unit to sleep whenever the binoculars are away from a user’s face and wakes it up again when in use.

The Merger’s high performance, rugged reliability, long battery life and wide range of features make it a top contender in the world of thermal optics. Aside from hunters and forest rangers, law enforcement and search and rescue personnel will find this solid piece of equipment perfect for conducting reconnaissance or rescues on dark nights. Sold for the same price point as the Accolade, there is no reason for a discerning buyer to accept anything less.