Armasight Warden 640 2-8x35mm Thermal Monocular

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New for 2025, Armasight has introduced a new line of thermal vision optics: the Warden 640 monocular, Commander 640 weapon sight, and Operator 640 clip-on. We’re excited to take a closer look at each of them to test out exactly what they can do.

Monoculars are the most versatile and often the most useful type of thermal imaging available and provides a great place to start in exploring the new line. 

SPECS

• Detector Type: ArmaCORE™ 640 x 480 12um Thermal Core
• Refresh Rate: 60 Hz
• Thermal Sensitivity: NETD
• Detection Range: 1,300m on a Human Sized Target
• Field of View: 22° x 18°
• Optical Magnification: 2x
• Digital Zoom: 1x – 4x
• Display: XGA (1024 x 768) OLED
• Wireless: None
• Graphics: Active On-Screen Graphics and Iconology
• Lens System: F/1.00; 35mm manual focus
• Power Supply: 2 x CR123A (3V)
• Battery Life: 4 hours at 20° C
• Environmental Rating: IP67
• Operating Temperature: -40° C to +50° C (-40° F to + 122° F)
• Dimensions: 140 x 76 x 84 mm / 5.5 x 2.98 x 3.32 in
• Weight: 448g / 0.99lbs
• Warranty: 3 years w/ registration
• Color: Gray
• MSRP: $3,499

WHY GET A HANDHELD THERMAL MONOCULAR

In the animal kingdom, humans are at the top of the food chain for one reason: technology. Equipped by nature with soft skin, no claws, omnivore teeth, and not enough hair to keep warm, without our tools, humans have pretty poor odds against most meat eaters.

Thermal optics are the latest and one of the greatest tools humanity has come up with to help not only to even the odds but stack them in our favor. Knives, bows, and guns are nice, but all of them are useless if you never see what you’re looking for.

Thermal optics give an edge that can’t be beaten. Camouflage can’t hide from it, blood trails are extremely easy to find, and it doesn’t require a lifetime of skills honed to perfection to use. 

Dedicated thermal scopes or clip-on units are amazing tools, and depending on your uses might be a better option, but the strength of a thermal monocular is in the versatility it provides before and after a trigger is pulled. 

Scouting areas looking for animals, looking ahead to make sure you’re not spooking game, even non-hunting related tasks like finding leaks in your home, finding roosting birds, and more.

For anything thermal vision can be used for, a handheld thermal monocular is the most convenient way of using the technology. 

THERMAL MONOCULAR VS. WEAPON SIGHT

For hunting the clear answer to monocular or weapon sight is to get both, eventually. While the monocular is a powerful tool on its own, having both the monocular and a thermal weapon sight is another game-changer you don’t want to miss out on if you have the option.

A thermal weapon sight builds on the strengths of a monocular and provides the ability to harness the technology while also putting rounds exactly where you want them.

While some hunters choose to force a thermal weapon sight into playing both parts, this becomes difficult due to constantly removing the sight off a weapon to use it as a monocular. A dedicated monocular is a powerful tool that is useful before, during, and after the hunt. Plus, it’s useful for other applications as well.

IN THE FIELD

Many people describe traditional night vision as having a superpower. In my experience, thermal is the real superpower. Night vision is cool, but thermal is better. Thermal works better across more weather and lighting conditions than night vision and thermal is much harder to hide from. 

Even in the desert of Arizona where the temperature difference between land, brush, and animal is not extreme, the Armasight Warden 640 has enough sensitivity and power to pick out the details between branches and the coyote behind them.

With a range of color pallets to cycle through, finding the perfect to your liking is pretty easy. Some pallets do a better job of highlighting details in different conditions, but all of them work well in almost all situations. 

Increasing magnification can be useful but also requires a steady hand or mounting surface to get the best results. Using 2x to get the big picture and then zooming in is made easier with the Warden’s controls on top of the unit being at your fingertips at all times.

For example, when you randomly find a rabbit in the brush, you can quickly zoom in for a better look.

LOOSE ROUNDS

Armasight Warden 640 2-8x35mm Thermal Monocular is a game changer of an optic and a major step forward in thermal technology. The ArmaCORE detector delivers crisp images at unparalleled distances while giving the user all of the tools needed to take full advantage of the system in the palm of their hand. 

With settings and adjustments available to fine tune the experience, it’s easy to set up the Warden so it fits your needs perfectly. 

If you want the best in thermal monoculars, the Armasight Warden delivers.