I was just in the process of putting the finishing touches to my recent Habrok HQ35L review and was very surprised to spot yet another variant of the Habrok entering the fray! The ‘4K’ bit sounded intriguing but I was slightly puzzled as to why Hik were following up their latest release with yet another multispectral gadget so closely? Admittedly, Hik don’t exactly hang around when it comes to product launches, but this seemed a bit premature even for them.

After a bit of digging the penny dropped. Although virtually identical to its bigger brother at first glance the Habrok 4k is a very different animal and targeted almost exclusively at the deer stalking market.

So, what’s the difference, other than the latest incarnation being less than half the price of its bigger brother? The only real physical difference is a 25mm thermal lens rather than the 35mm of the HQ35L. However, it’s under the bonnet where the real differences lie.

The big change is of cause the thermal sensor, which without doubt accounts for the extra cost of the HQ35L The new variant has a higher < 35 mK, as opposed to the< 20 mK of the original. However, the Habrok 4K only offers a 256x192 sensor. That’s small, very small in comparison to the all-singing-all-dancing 640x512 of the high-end offering. It’s even smaller than the average 384x288 of what many would consider to be entry-level thermals.

In the field

What does that mean in the field? The thermal on the HE25L is all about detection, not identification. The workflow with the unit is all about spotting ‘something’ with the thermal and then switching to an optical channel to confirm exactly what you’ve looking at.

Admittedly with something like a deer ‘IDing’ may not be an issue, but when it comes to analysing the condition and sex of an animal, you’ll definitely need the optical channels. For a deer stalker especially, this isn’t a bad compromise. You get the basics in terms of thermal detection combined with an excellent daytime image, IR functionality with a built-in illuminator for way beyond first light/last light identification plus let’s not forget LRF to confirm distance.

For anyone who spends time on the yard ratting or perhaps rabbiting in the fields with an air rifle or rimfire it has real potential. Spot it with the thermal and then flip to IR mode once you’ve found a potential target.

A few years back a combination of low-res thermal, IR (courtesy of the built-in illuminator), daytime optical plus LRF would have been a game-changer, and it will remain so for many - at what is a very reasonable price for anyone who’s not too concerned about thermal image quality.

Would it work for a foxer looking to save a thousand pounds plus on the Habrok HQ35L? Not really. For essentially static targets like rabbits and deer it’s fine and for closer range ratting IDing with the thermal alone would still work. However, for foxers it’s a different story.

As any fox shooter will tell you opportunities are often fleeting, and more often than not, there simply isn’t time to be switching modes and faffing about. You need to confidently ID the target with the thermal and then get on the gun as quickly as possible before the opportunity passes you by.

The strength of HE25L’s big brother is that it offers you that ability. Occasionally you’ll come across a static fox at extended range or perhaps one sat at a weird angle and the thermal won’t help much regardless of the resolution. Often, it’s the gait and outline of the animal in motion that gives the game away, and that’s where a higher-res thermal comes into its own.

However, very little of the above applies to deer. They’re much larger for a start, often static and almost impossible to misidentify unless they’re in deep cover, in which case IDing with a thermal alone is often impossible. It’s here where the optical channels come into their own.

In terms of image quality, the daytime channel is excellent for a pair of what are digital binos. The same is true for the IR with its built-in illuminator. The IR illuminator is actually aligned better on this new model than its predecessor and once again the on-board NV combo is excellent.

The only thing I would have like to have seen in the optical channels would be some form of image stabilisation. At high mag the image, especially in the daytime channel, is quite jumpy. This is an expensive feature to implement, which may account for its omission.

The bottom line

For a tech-savvy and financial astute deer stalker this is very useful and affordable tool, perhaps less so for a shooting generalist.  Nevertheless, I’m sure the HE25L’s will be found in the kit bag of many a ratting enthusiast and bunny basher in addition to its primary audience in the deer stalking market.

In terms of ergonomics and features it’s basically identical to its predecessor and there’s no complaints in that regard whatsoever. Video recording (with audio), screen sharing via Hik’a Sight App, separate focus for optical and thermal channels, great design, easy navigation, and tonnes of features to play with alongside excellent optical image quality and last light performance… and let’s not forget LRF.

Supplier: Scott Country International
Web: www.scottcountry.co.uk
Price: £1199.95

Tech specs

Multispectral Thermal Binoculars, Day Colour, Night Vision and LRF 

256×192 resolution @12 μm thermal detector

Thermal module NETD < 35 mK (@25°C, F# = 1.0)

25 mm, F1.0 lens

3840 × 2160 4K ultra CMOS detector

60 mm, F2.2 digital lens with 5.5x to 22x digital zoom

1920 × 1080 resolution 0.49-inch OLED display

Built-in 850 nm IR illuminator and Laser Rangefinder of 1000 m measuring distance

795 g lightweight, with a compact and ergonomic design