2025 Technology of the Year

At the time of these awards, the Pulsar Thermion 2 LRF XL60 is the best thermal commercially available riflescope at the time of this writing. It’s not “night vision,” which only works in low light and requires an ambient light source. The Thermion 2 incorporates the most advanced IR-­spectrum sensors to detect the temperature of objects in any environment, converting that information into a digital image. Thermals can be used day or night, and penetrate fog and smoke. Images appear live on the high-­resolution 2560-­by-­2560-­pixel Micro-­OLED screen, which streams at a 50 Hz frame rate.

The acronym “LRF” stands for “laser rangefinder,” which addresses the issue of other thermal optics by providing shooters with the distance to the target. “XL60” is a reference to the extra-­large 60mm objective, which enables a 11.7 degrees — about 22.4 yards wide at a range of 100 yards.

The Thermion 2 LRF XL60 includes a variety of crosshair reticles, can snap pictures, record video, and transfer the images to your smartphone. Download the Stream Vision app to connect the Thermion 2 LRF XL60 and load ballistic parameters for different cartridges and reticles, or transfer and share your videos and photos with others.

The Thermion 2 LRF XL60 has the ergonomics of a conventional riflescope. What looks to be an elevation turret on a target scope is a battery cap that shrouds the rechargeable battery that lasts nearly 10 hours. The right turret cap conceals a USB-­C port for recharging the internal battery or to transfer data between the scope and a smart device. The left dial and button allows the user to navigate through the menu of functions. At the objective housing is the master power and adjustment for gain to sharpen resolution. Above the eyepiece are buttons to use the laser rangefinder and record video or take photos. The Thermion 2 LRF XL60 is simply brilliant.

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