The new InfiRay Cabin CBL19 thermal monocular is now available to the US market, through a relatively new company, iRayUSA. It features a high-resolution display and a 384×288 sensor core. The result is a crisp, detailed image that’s able to detect heat out to 1,070 yards.
A little about iRayUSA:
iRayUSA was founded in 2020 by several thermal industry experts. Their main goal is to provide high-quality thermal devices with the best customer service available. iRay’s website mentions a 5-year warranty and 1 week turnaround process time for warranty work. If they can’t fix or repair your optic in 1 week, they’ll send you a replacement. Customer service is high on my list of priorities when considering the purchase of any high-end optic, so this is reassuring to know they’ll have me back in the field in no time.
The CBL19 is a lightweight, handheld thermal monocular that packs some unusual features. Mainly the adjustable LED flashlight and red laser pointer mounted above the thermal objective – more on those later. At first glance, the unit looks more like a rangefinder than a thermal, and it’s the same size as one. It can easily fit in a jacket or back pocket.
Four rubberized control buttons sit on the top and are easy to operate. On the base of the unit is a manual focus adjustment to dial in the picture and makes this monocular highly effective out to long distances. There’s also a standard 1/4” thread mount for tripod use. Overall build quality of the CBL19 is very good and it feels solid. The important parts are metal, and the rest is constructed of polymer for weight savings.
Specs:
Sensor Resolution: 384×288
Display Type LCOS (1280×960)
Objective Focal Length: 19mm
Optical Magnification: 2X
Digital Magnification: 4X
Detection Range: 1070 yards
Battery Run Time: 6 – 7 hours
Onboard Recording: Video (no audio)
Objective F#: 1.0
Sensor Pixel Size: 12μm
Sensor Frame Rate: 50Hz
Weight: 0.89lbs
Length: 6.5”
Width: 2”
Height: 3.3″
IP67 Rating
5 Year Warranty
MSRP: $1,799
Inside the box, you’ll find the CBL19 nestled in a soft-sided carrying case along with an extra battery, dual battery charging dock, audio/video charging combo cable with power brick, and lens cloth. The proprietary 3100 mAh batteries have a molded plastic flip top that locks into the battery bay.
The CBL19 comes with 16GB of internal memory allowing for up to 24 hours of video or 20,000 images. There’s no external memory option but that’s more than enough recording time for several days of hunting. With the built-in Wi-Fi and InfiRay Outdoor app, you can stream video and images in real-time.
Next to the laser on the front is a USB-C port used for charging, or data and video transfer. It’s capable of operating with an external battery pack for extended use in the field. Above the laser sits the LED flashlight lens. It is adjustable and can be focused into a spot or flood light pattern.
Operating the CBL19 is simple using the four buttons on the top of the unit. The initial turn-on cycle takes about 10 seconds before a picture is seen. After that, you can quickly press the power button to put it in standby mode for an instant on. I used this feature the most. Aside from navigating menus, the up arrow is used for zooming and the down arrow controls the photo/video function.
The menu button can be short pressed for shortcut options, or long pressed for extended menu options. Here is where you will find various display, thermal and device settings, and color palette options. Like many other thermals, the CBL19 has a lot of features I won’t use. Like a compass and stadiametric rangefinding. I’m sure some will find those features useful, but all I really care about is a clear image. I do like the picture-in-picture option though.
It’s always fun looking through a quality thermal for the first time and the CBL19 was no different. The 1280×960 display and 12-micron sensor core produce a very detailed and high-quality image. I could easily see the hairs on my toddler’s head, and his footprints on the wood floor. The saved images never look as good when actively looking through the device, but you get the idea.
At night I’ll often go on golf cart rides around the neighborhood and bayous surrounding the houses to scout for birds and animals. This was where I first started to really appreciate the size and abilities of the CBL19 monocular. It was easy to scan while driving around and my wife much preferred using it over the thermal scope she’d been accustomed to. We spotted countless cats and a great horned owl.
I headed to the ranch the following weekend with hopes of bagging a hog for the freezer. After setting up in the blind, I scanned the surroundings with my Meopta binoculars and didn’t notice anything. I started scanning with the CBL19 and immediately picked up several large heat signatures about 175 yards out, behind some trees.
There was a slight movement, and I could tell it was an animal, so I picked up the binoculars again. Through the trees, I could ever so slightly identify the body of a whitetail. They were waiting for the feeders to go off. 15 minutes later the feeder activated and 5 does trotted over to the scattered corn. It was nice to know they were there long before the feeder went off.
Within 30 minutes the deer finished the dropped corn and wandered off. The hogs usually show up around 8:30 so I sat and waited. At 8:45 I heard some grunts by the protein feeder 95 yards from the blind. I pointed the CBL19 in the direction of the noises and saw 4 pigs sitting under the feeder. I quickly snapped a picture and got my AR ready. I was using my suppressed COX Arms USA WULF 5.56 Pistol, with a Primary Arms GLX-2x Prism scope, and Olight Odin Turbo. Even though it was pitch black, I knew the general direction of the feeder from the blind and setup my shot. The Odin Turbo lit up the area just under the feeder and scared the pigs immediately. I was still able to fire a few shots and bring one down.
We continued to scout the property while riding around in the UTV. The CBL19 was easy to operate when moving at a low speed and the battery had plenty of life after 4 hours of standby/on use. Overall, the image quality and detection of the CBL19 is wonderful. It’s easy to identify heat signatures and animals with little practice.
It was still dark the next morning when we headed to the blinds. As I approached, I scanned the field with the CBL19 and saw 2 deer standing in the road near the blind. I stopped and waited for them to move on before entering the blind. Without the thermal, I probably would have caused them to run off and spook any remaining deer in the area.
Final thoughts
There wasn’t a lot I didn’t enjoy about the CBL19 – unless you’re left eye dominant that is. The eye cup for some reason doesn’t rotate freely to the other side. It’s fixed for a right eye position. But the eyepiece can be focused if need be. The laser is also disabled by default and hidden in a secret menu for some reason. Your partner can laser a target for you at night. If I had a friend doing this for me, then maybe I would have been able to get more than 1 hog with the flashlight setup. I also wish the CBL19 operated off a standard 18650 battery instead of the proprietary ones offered.
Thermal scopes have been part of my nighttime hunting setup for the past 6 years and I’ve found them to be somewhat limiting. When you’re actively shooting, they are amazing. And that’s what they were designed for. Scanning, tracking, and general surveillance is challenging with thermal scopes.
A thermal monocular is better suited for this and should be legal to use in all states. They are lightweight, compact units that are more affordable than thermal scopes. Plus, they can still be used for nighttime hunting.
Overall using the CBL19 was a pleasure in the field and around the house. The batteries are easy to change and proved to last the advertised time of 6 hours. It didn’t give me any issues during my testing with it. Transferring pictures to my PC was easy using the USB port. The CBL19 is packed with features that are sure to please everyone.
If you’ve been looking to add a thermal to your arsenal, then iRayUSA should be on your list.
I’d like to have one of these things, but it would have to be a lot less expensive to be “affordable” for me.
I guess his Idea of “Affordable” and mine are in two different brackets . . .