/ub/ - Überhengst

Hey there, seeing as it's Halloween I decided it's an appropriately spooky time to talk about gear in the dark. After all, if you can't see then you're all but helpless to those who can. Feel free to discuss flashlights, NVGs, and all sorts of other night equipment.

<flashlight
I don't have a good EDC flashlight so I decided to look for one that would fit in my pocket. My considerations were size/weight, durability, battery life, high/low brightness, and features like strobe/SOS/red light. Let's go over these.

>size/weight
The most important to me, since the 2 oz. light you bring with you is better than the 10 oz. light you left in your car. EDC is about carrying it comfortably with you everywhere, after all.
>durability
You don't want your light to go out if you get drenched or drop it.
>battery life
If you get lost in the woods, would you have enough light to make it through the night if needed?
>high/low brightness
High brightness is good for seeing things in the distance and for searching, while a low brightness will conserve your batteries longer. "Firefly" mode in some lights won't screw up your eyes' adjustment to the dark. Maximum lumens/battery length depends on the batteries you use.
>features
A strobe is rapid flashing on the highest setting, which will blind and disorientate an attacker long enough for you to do something. An SOS setting will flash the signal in case you forget it or can't manually operate it. A red light can't be seen from far away and won't spook animals, but you can get that with a cheap filter too.

My decision was to order the Nitecore MT10c (https://flashlight.nitecore.com/product/mt10c) which is only 2 ounces, very bright for that size, and has those features. The downside is you need lithium-ion batteries and a charger, but even with those it's much less than $100 which some competitors go for. As a backup, I also got the Statgear Pocket keychain light. Of course, neither have arrived yet so I can't make any judgements yet. What are your own experiences and considerations?

<Night Vision Goggles
This is a much harder topic owing to the technical complexity and the higher price point, and I need to ask for advice on this one. Basically, there are three generations of technology which get better but are more expensive, with the U.S. military using Gen 3. I have no idea if "Gen 4" is a marketing scam like some sites have said but I'd like your input.

My concern is getting a set of night-vision goggles that are on par with or surpass mil-spec, so if I'm confronted by terrorists with that sort of gear I'm not at a disadvantage either in a building or in the countryside. I've heard from S2 Underground that civilian models can actually be better but I don't know what models he's going off. Price point is not really a concern for me, though obviously something like the GPNVG (pic related) is ridiculously too much.

I consider NVGs to be necessary and something that can save your life, but the cost and numerous models make any decision difficult. If you have input, or know a guy that knows a guy, that would be appreciated.