PULSAR KRYPTON 2 FXQ35

Of the three types of thermal devices I own (spotter, add-on, and dedicated riflescope), the spotter gets the most use, the riflescope gets the least, and the add-on comes with me on almost every outing, thanks to its unique versatility.
I can fit it on almost any conventional scope in seconds, without having to alter my daytime set-up or losing the benefits of its familiarity and precision (few thermal riflescopes offer 0.1 MRAD adjustments or sophisticated, pin-sharp reticles). This makes the add-on perfect for those sorties that begin in daylight and end after dark. For example, I may begin by fitting it to the air rifle to tackle the feral pigeons hiding in the shadows of the cow shed roof, move on to knock over a few rats around the feed clamps at twilight, and then switch it to a rimfire or centrefire for a night-time go at the rabbits or foxes. Additionally, the nature of my ground lets me do a fair bit of centrefire squirrel hunting, and squirrels that prove hard to see with the day scope stand out beautifully in the thermal, as does the effect of a well-placed V-Max.
The versatility doesn’t stop there, however, since the add-on can also be used as a monocular spotter, either at its native 1x magnification or via an optional optical monocular. In this context, my specific reference point is the broad subject of this review, namely, Pulsar’s expanding Krypton series of thermal add-ons, and their optional 5x30 B and 3x20 B monoculars.
My own add-on is the original XG50 model, which sports a 640x480/12µm/40mK NETD thermal sensor, an F50/1.2 objective lens giving a FOV of 8.7x6.5º, and a monochrome 1746x1000 AMOLED display. It measures 143x93x76mm and weighs 690-grams. I cite these specs for later comparison with the new FXQ35 Krypton 2 unit on test here. As you will have noticed, the key feature of the XG50 is the detail in that display, which lets you dial your day scope up to about 8x before the pixels become intrusive.

The monoculars
At the rear of the main body of both the original XG50 and Krypton 2 FXQ35 is a bayonet fitting that permits instant attachment/removal of an optional monocular, available in 5x30 or 3x20 formats (£99.95). Both have a rubber-armoured polymer body and a rubber focusing ring and eye cup. In each case, focusing delivers a crisp, bright image, but whereas in the 5x30B, the edges remain sharp, in the 3x20B there is some blurring at the edges as you adjust for distance.
Naturally, each format has its pros and cons. The 5x is clearly more useful as a standalone monocular, but its 7º FOV crops the Krypton’s screen at the sides, while its 5x magnification takes some of the crispness off the thermal image. By contrast, the 3x offers a 15º FOV that lets you see the whole screen on a scale that brings out its detail perfectly. It also adds a pivoting alignment collar that lets you centre the display in the FOV, plus comes with an excellent neck strap that is more practical than the pouch supplied with the 5x30B, while the new QD twist-lock interface in the PSP-B adapter - where the adapter now stays on the scope instead of remaining attached to the device - makes for faster switching of the Krypton between monocular and day scope, and a lighter, neater monocular-thermal combo overall.
Regardless, a further benefit of the Krypton + monocular combination is that it gives me a ‘spare’ thermal to lend to anyone I take out with me, increasing both their involvement in the hunt and our chances of spotting anything of interest.

Enough of monoculars!
At 116x73x83mm and 440-grams, the Krypton 2 FXQ35 is about 1/3 lighter and smaller than the XG50. Ergonomically, it benefits from a captive, fold-flat lens cover. Meanwhile, a change of orientation locates the IPS7 battery pack on top, and the control buttons on the L/H side. This gives a less-lopsided look but at the expense of ambidextrous convenience. The button layout also goes from a cruciform to an asymmetric design. For me, this makes the ‘POWER’ button more distinctive, but the ‘MENU’ and ‘UP’ buttons are easier to confuse! None of this matters, however, if you control the Krypton via its super-usable, fully-featured Bluetooth remote control, which can be attached wherever on your gun is most convenient via a self-adhesive 3M hook-and-loop strip. As a final point on ergonomics, I’d love to have a ‘big wheel’ attachment for the focussing knob that would make it easier to achieve perfect focus, especially when wearing gloves.
The buttons all do the usual things (calibration, menu access and selection, enhancement levels, etc.), but now if you press and hold the ‘DOWN’ button, the vital horizontal information bar and circular main menu can be repeatedly shrunk/recentred to keep them visible as you zoom in on your day scope, which is, frankly, very neat.
Welcome, too, is an uprated, full-colour 1920x1080px AMOLED display, and the ≤25mK NETD performance achieved by the 17µm pixels in its high-quality 384x288px Lynred sensor. The sensor can’t deliver the detail available from a 640x480px XG/XP equivalent, but the extra sensitivity ensures that every detail present is accentuated, giving the user an image that is instantly ‘readable’, even in humid weather conditions that deaden the thermal signal. Put the XG50 and FXQ35 side by side, and it won’t surprise you to find you can see more with the former. What will surprise you, though, is what a close runner-up the much cheaper FXQ35 is!

Power!
The FXQ35 is powered by an IPS7 (6.4Ah) battery pack. Quick-detachable and with a 10-13-hour run-time, it can be charged using the adapter supplied or in-situ via the USB-C port tucked under a neat rubber cover above the ‘UP’ button. This port can also be used to draw power from an external power bank or for data transfer instead of the onboard Wi-Fi. Larger IPS14 (12.8Ah) batteries are also available, but Pulsar advises against using them with the FXQ35, as they place an extra 110-grams of downward load on the mounting system.
The use of the IPS7 battery suits me, as it offers commonality with my older Helion, Krypton, and Trail devices, but now that Pulsar’s devices are predominantly powered by APS-series batteries, the Krypton is something of an odd-man-out in this regard.

Getting attached
As noted above, attaching the FXQ35 to a day scope requires the appropriate PSP-B ring adapter (available separately @ £119.95). Three sizes are available: 42, 50 and 56. Designations are as per the objective lens diameter, but each adapter comes with a set of six polymer bushings to accommodate objective bells with different external diameters. There’s also an adapter exclusively for use with LPVO scopes with 30mm main tubes (£POA). 34mm LPVO’s aren’t catered for, but if you have a forward Picatinny rail, you can mount the Krypton there using Pulsar’s PSP-V adapter (£139.95), which features an adjustable throw-lever clamp and a rubber shroud to minimise light leakage. Regular PSP-B rings also feature an adjustable lever clamp, a twist-lock interface that lets you attach or remove the Krypton in seconds, and an alignment pivot to centre the display in the FOV.
Although the PSP adapter system works very well and is conveniently compatible with devices designed for use with the previous generation of add-ons, it is undeniably short on aesthetic appeal. So, if that matters to you, you may want to consider the sleeker (but more expensive) alternatives from Smartclip and Rusan.
Having physically mounted the Krypton on your scope via an adapter of whatever type, a crucial next step is to calibrate the position of the display. On the FXQ35, access to the relevant menu screen requires a deep dive into the ‘general settings’ area. Once there, calibration works just like the 1-shot zero function found in Pulsar’s digital and thermal riflescopes. Fitting the Krypton may not induce any shift in the point-of-impact, but it is essential to check and adjust the display position if necessary. Once done, the Krypton can be switched between rifles with no further adjustment needed.
Notwithstanding the inherent versatility and capability of the Krypton system, there are some important things some thermal spotters and riflescopes can do today that an add-on can’t: namely, displaying range, drift, and drop. There is space for a rangefinder on the R/H side of the FXQ35, and Pulsar already integrate a ballistic calculator into their Thermion 2 LRF models, however, so perhaps that’s just a matter of time.

Conclusion
Overall, I’m really impressed by the performance and ease of use of the Krypton 2 FXQ35 front add-on. It’s compact, easy to carry, and delivers both as a spotter (with either of the optional monoculars) and as a day scope attachment. Priced at £2,249.95, I think it hits a Goldilocks spot between the considerably-more-limited Proton FXQ30 (£1,919.95) and the top-spec (640x480/12µm/≤40mK NETD/F50/1.0) Krypton 2 FXG50 (£2,849.95).