Mars MT1000 LRF Review

[MG5150]

Hi all,

I recently posted my first gear review on YouTube for the Mars MT1000 LRF by Oneleaf.
You can watch it here: https://youtu.be/BTR9q-aMJ-s

What I like:

Extremely well priced for the specs and features, including a built-in LRF and ballistics calculator (around $2100 AUD for the base model).

Solid, well-made unit with good overall build quality.

Interchangeable lenses allow customisation depending on your target species or hunting style.

Excellent customer service — Oneleaf listens to user feedback and is proactive in resolving issues.

What I don’t like:

Too many colour palettes. If you skip past your preferred one, you have to cycle through all 12 again to get back to it.

LRF placement on the side can feel awkward when carrying the rifle on a sling.

No Wi-Fi or Bluetooth output, meaning a spotter or second person can’t view your feed.

Overall:
If this unit were lost, stolen, or damaged, I would buy it again without hesitation.

They’ve also provided me with an affiliate link. If you’re interested, you can get 5% off using the link below:
https://oneleaf.ai/mars-mt1000lrf-therm ... .html#u257

[Wapiti]

Questions for you MG, and I'm not being disrespectful or trying to be a smartarse.
What's the point of a LRF at night, especially considering even the best thermals out there have an image in comparison to looking through a quality optic that's still awful at safely ID'ing game? Except for ticking a box so that you're not missing out?
Second, no Wifi or recording? I know some people love putting up videos online to prove their exploits, glad I'm not one of them but what's the point of a spotter? You're the one with the rifle taking the decision to shoot, not ask opinions?

[Blr243]

2100 is cheap for a 640 res unit. My new thermal has an lrf. Not used it yet because I have a flat shooting rifle and mainly hunting pigs. But lrf would be handy at night if u had a lousy trajectory. Also if im on a big dam at night i could be shooting anywhere between 15o and 1o metres. So if IM shooting at a fox the distance matters. And regarding the wifi , i find the ability to send a signal to my iPad on the dash of my quad a very beneficial feature. It allows me to see animals on the track in front of me when cruising on my quad. And it allows me to see my track in front with no headlights. I will always operate with no white lights. Sometimes red headlights.

[Wapiti]

Each to his own mate, thought I'd just ask cos I don't need the extra things to get a shot.
I made the decision not to use those features even though I have them, just me.

With spotlighting and now thermal night hunting I remember the warnings always to know your country prior to nighttime, backstops, infrastructure, stock etc and particularly the areas that will hold the animal. And, as a bloke having had a calf shot at night at a tru-graze feeder by visitors who typically were way to excited, tearing around in a vehicle proves the point and that won't happen again.
So I always say, know the country during the day, where the likely spot is that the animal comes from, travels through, where I have an opportunity due to wind etc.
Because I find that when you get that chance, I don't want to be jinning around with buttons looking at range, looking down at a tablet whilst swinging a rifle around everywhere, carrying and looking at another bit of kit to carry.
Does anyone else just simply use a hand-held to scan, in an area you can safely get a shot in, and just switch to the rifle and shoot? Because if the animals not coming into the killing zone you've set, and can just lift the rifle and shoot, you aren't going to get it then anyway.
That's just me, but how other people do it is interesting for me to compare with but it's not a casual pastime for me, it's a fu*ken chore and a few seconds mucking about are too many for the consequences. And I can imagine, people without the outcome personally at stake other than a tally but financial and welfare losses will not be the same as me.

[Billo]

Hey MG5150 thanks for posting up the review, I looked at the Oneleaf when they first got release and it sure is good value.

As you say too many colour palettes, I think 6 would do, I have 5 with my Hik Micro and wish it had green.

LRF are a handy tool in allowing you to set up at the optimal distance especially when you dont wont to get too close to a watering point or game trial.

[MG5150]

Questions for you MG, and I'm not being disrespectful or trying to be a smartarse.
What's the point of a LRF at night, especially considering even the best thermals out there have an image in comparison to looking through a quality optic that's still awful at safely ID'ing game? Except for ticking a box so that you're not missing out?
Second, no Wifi or recording? I know some people love putting up videos online to prove their exploits, glad I'm not one of them but what's the point of a spotter? You're the one with the rifle taking the decision to shoot, not ask opinions?

Thermal image can be tricky with depth perception, especially if you're unfamiliar with the paddock you're in and don't have any landmarks to reference.

A hare at 200m and a rabbit at 100m will appear as the same size and might look like they're right next to each other. What if you've only got your 22LR and are good out to 70m but can't tell if what you're shooting is at 50m or 100m and you need to account for the holdover?

It can also get confusing when you have a few deer and they look like they're next to each other but are actually different sizes and could be 50 or so metres apart.

Having an LRF will allow you to correctly gauge the distance and decide whether to take the shot or not, or decipher whether the big one is an older animal or just closer.

This unit will give you a holdover on your reticle based on the balistics you enter. Very handy when something is a lot further, or closer than what you zeroed for.

The device still allows for recording, it just won't livestream for you unless you use the HDMI out into a screen with you. The one thing I really liked about my Thermtec unit was I could pair it with a phone or tablet and multiple people could see. This was great for the driver so he could watch along while you waited a few minutes for the perfect shot instead of just sitting in the dark and waiting. If you've got another person doing the spotting (or taken one of the kids with you) you can also watch along on your phone.

The spotter helps you spot animals, very helpful when foxes are coming at you from any direction.

[jezzab]

Questions for you MG, and I'm not being disrespectful or trying to be a smartarse.
What's the point of a LRF at night, especially considering even the best thermals out there have an image in comparison to looking through a quality optic that's still awful at safely ID'ing game? Except for ticking a box so that you're not missing out?
Second, no Wifi or recording? I know some people love putting up videos online to prove their exploits, glad I'm not one of them but what's the point of a spotter? You're the one with the rifle taking the decision to shoot, not ask opinions?

I find the thermal (yes mine are 1080px scope and binos, but I have lower 512px and Multispectural ones as well which are quite effective you just need to be more careful) safer to me. I can identify the animals easily and tell one from another 99% of the time, if I don't know I don't shoot. I also know if I shoot the animal and if there was a pass through or a miss, what animal (or human or whatever) may be behind that animal a long long away and not take the shot.

I also like the LRF (I have a hand held with ballistics in it for my optical rifles and scopes if needed but usually just for target, and some with the LRF build in) for the ballistics.

I can do a lot of the calcs in my head but you have to remember what the rifle was zerod at, what ammo you have and it's drop etc. know guys that put DOPE charts on theirs so they remember.

When you have thermal you have time to think (most of the time) and LRF if need be because they have no idea.

I use thermal binos to glass and then use the rifle with the thermal.

Anyway, that's how I do it, each to their own and I have nothing against spotlighting as it's effective as well

And yes the old 384px thermals and stuff were bad and a lot of people shot a cow thinking it was a deer (so I heard). Not good

[deye243]

The way that thing is mouted you would have to just about hold it like a pistol

[Blr243]

Brigalow bushes are relatively thick with broad leaves and are excellent for stopping a heat source from being identifiable by my scope . There’s a very real possibility of stock unseen behind some bushes. So I make sure I’m zeroed correctly, shoot at 150 m or less , have a good rest , and use frangible bullets in smallish calibres to protect unseen stock . There’s no tough over penetrating 308 bullets in my kit

[MG5150]

Had another outing over the weekend on a chicken farm and managed to get another four foxes and a bunch of rabbits.

It was really handy having the LRF as the main paddock we were on is 1.4km long with the only landmark being a lake that goes out to 400m away.

We had a great example of a really big fox that was 180m, appearing bigger than a foxes that were 120m away.

Here is the footage for anyone that is interested: https://www.loom.com/share/b873a9b2a104 ... 6b0ce33f9e

Couldn't export it due to some file corruption so put it on a different platform.

[vicfox]

The Oneleaf Mars 1000 is a very good unit and I can speak with having experience having owner 8 different units from top of the range Hikmicro and Pixfra 640 res units

For the money they are exceptional value and are very well equipt with useful features that work.

Even if you just wanted a hand help spotter unit nothing else in that price range gives as good a quality picture and being so user friendly with operation and is very light in the hand.

As for the range finders they are a game changer at night and the Oneleaf range finder unit work so much better than any other I have used being able to delivers ranges were others just don't give a reading.

With many units offering the option of a ballistics calculator feature, if the range finder doesn't deliver most of the time the ballistics calculator won't work.
either. These features cost considerable more than units without that option but is standard equipment with the Mars

I can assure you the range finder and ballistics calculator are exceptional on the Oneleafe Mars but most importantly is just how good the picture quality is.

They have just added a quick detachable mount standard and that beats having to spend another couple of hundred dollars with other brands

TRUELY VALUE AND QUALITY IMHO