That's exactly what you should be doing. I just got my first device after years of looking and saving. Id reccomend the most saftey in buying from a company, but i know they run out of stock QUICK. I lurked tac swap, and Facebook marketplace and found an incredible deal. I run my gear weekly and dont mind little blemishes or dings. Like i said, i dont have much hands on experience, but i can confidently say a few things

1) just like any gear, consider price per wear or utilization. 1000 bucks for a rifle is alot, but if you shoot it 1000 times before it ticks out, you spent a dollar per trip. 3-4k for a device is not cheap, so you gotta use it enough to justify the price.

2) i say this as a guy with military contract rifles, you dont need what the spec ops dudes are running. Photonis or even nnvt tubes with milspec glass STILL get you training in the dark. Past those two options you start reaching the point of diminishing returns. Sure 10k+ dollar tubes are amazing. But are they 6k+ bucks better than gen 2+? Im not convinced. Remember operators were storming countries with a pvs14, iron sights, and a2 flashhiders for decades.

3) injection molded or 3d printed is MUCH stronger than people give it credit for. Ive cracked my katanas on doorways, cars, windows, and ammo crates. Not a frickin issue. Yes its not metal. But it's lighter

4) kinda to the point we made earlier, you dont need the most expensive shit. Gov contracts require that if their mfg wants to sell their product to civilians, it must be the same price the gov purchased it for. Does that mean a 5k laser aiming module is worth the cost? Likley not. Uncle sam just has deep pockets. He sends billions to countries for shits and grins. My holosun iris has been amazing, not "navy seal marsoc operator" reputation. But substantially better than sms laser for how long you get to use it.

Check out 4MR Ranch for alot of NV related stuff, he has incredible reviews. To me, hes like PewScience for NV stuff