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Reader Survey >ThermTec Wild 650 DL PRO thermal monocular
- Last updated: 22/07/2026
ThermTec’s flagship Wild 650 DL PRO is a dual-lens thermal monocular with a 25mm and a 50mm objective, a joystick control and a £2,699.95 price tag. Here is what your money buys and how it stacks up against the HikMicro and Nocpix competition.
Thermal spotters have become standard kit for the stalker, foxer and pest controller, and the choice at the top of the market is wider than ever. ThermTec has built a strong reputation in the UK for its thermal riflescopes, clip-ons and monoculars, and the Wild 650 DL PRO is its flagship handheld. It arrives at £2,699.95, which puts it up against premium rivals such as the HikMicro Falcon FQ50L 2.0 and the Nocpix Vista H50R, so the question for the buyer is simple: what does the extra outlay get you?
The Wild 650 DL PRO, with its bright orange joystick and the flip-open cap on the 50mm objective.
The headline feature, and the one that separates the Wild 650 DL PRO from most rivals at the price, is the dual lens. The “6” denotes a 640x512 sensor, the “50” a maximum 50mm objective, and the “DL” a second, 25mm objective built into the same body. A twist of the front dial swaps between them: the 25mm gives a wide field of view for close scanning, the 50mm brings distant heat sources into magnification for identification. Most competitors make you choose one focal length at the point of purchase; here you get both, which is a genuine value argument for anyone who works close cover and open ground on the same night.
Behind the lenses sits a 640x512 sensor with a quoted sensitivity of NETD <15mK, a 0.5in AMOLED display, 1.8x and 3.6x base magnification with 1-4x continuous digital zoom, and detection ranges quoted at 1,300m and 2,600m. It is rated IP67 for weather resistance and runs on two rechargeable 18650 batteries.
Price is RRP at the time of publication and may since have changed.
The bright orange joystick is the other feature buyers are paying for. Instead of a row of buttons that all feel the same in the dark, a single stick does the work: push left to fire the laser rangefinder (a long push left turns it off), right to scroll the colour palettes, and forward or back to zoom. In use it removes the button-hunting that catches you out on linear-button rivals. The focus dial sits just in front of the joystick rather than around the objective, so your hand heat no longer blurs the image as you focus, and moving between the two is quick and natural.
The focus dial sits directly in front of the joystick, so moving between the two is effortless.
The body is magnesium alloy under a tactile rubber layer and rated IP67, and it shrugged off being carried through dense cover. One quirk to note: the exposed joystick can be knocked in thick cover and quietly change the palette without you noticing. Battery life is a strong point, with the stated six hours per battery feeling conservative in good conditions, and the soft-push, pop-open battery compartment is far easier to work in the dark than a screw cap.
At 653g without a battery it is compact, if a little heavier than some rivals.
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The laser rangefinder is built into the objective and proved very accurate.
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At this money the Wild 650 DL PRO is going head to head with the HikMicro Falcon FQ50L 2.0 and the Nocpix Vista H50R, and on raw specification it holds its own against both. Where it pulls ahead is the two features rivals do not match at the price: the dual 25mm/50mm lens system and the joystick interface. If you already own a good single-lens spotter and only ever work one type of ground, the case is less clear-cut. But if you want one unit that covers everything from a wood edge to an open field, the ThermTec answers a problem the single-objective competition does not.
A magnesium alloy body under a tough, tactile rubber outer layer.
The Wild 650 DL PRO is a premium buy at £2,699.95, and it is not the spotter for someone who only occasionally needs one. But it is genuinely easy to use, tough, and well specified, and the dual-lens design plus the joystick control give it a clear point of difference over the HikMicro and Nocpix rivals it is priced against. For the buyer who wants a single do-everything thermal monocular and is prepared to pay for it, it earns its place on the shortlist. It is distributed in the UK by ASI (a-s-i.co.uk).
The RRP is £2,699.95. It is distributed in the UK by ASI (a-s-i.co.uk), so check with a stockist for current pricing and availability.
DL stands for Dual Lens. The monocular has two objectives, 25mm and 50mm, switched with a twist of the front dial, giving a wide view for close scanning and magnification for distant identification from one unit.
It matches both on specification and pulls ahead on features, thanks to its dual-lens system and joystick control, neither of which the rivals offer at this price.
For a buyer who wants one spotter to handle both close and open ground, the dual-lens design justifies the premium. If you only ever work one type of terrain, a cheaper single-lens unit may serve you just as well.
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