Changing the Game for Stalkers and Hunters - the Swarovski TM35+

With claims being thrown around that the UK deer population is the largest it’s been for over 1,000 years, most deer stalkers have accepted that we need all the help we can get. One tool that is proving to be invaluable in providing help is the handheld thermal imager, so much so that I'd be willing to bet that most deer stalkers now carry one.

The great news is that as more of us have accepted thermal imagers into our armory, the technology has also developed and come along leaps and bounds.

I hope Swarovski won’t mind me saying this, but they were probably a little slow in joining the thermal imaging party, but I suspect this was because they were waiting for the technology to reach the exacting standards that Swarovski is known for. Well, that has all changed as Swarovski have a new product to offer to the market - the TM35+.

As you’d expect from Swarovski, they haven’t just joined the market, they’ve brought out a product that offers something that hardly anyone else does… The TM35+ operates as a ‘normal’ handheld thermal just like any other, but when you need it to, via a ‘tMA’ adapter, it can attach to the front of your rifle scope to create a thermal rifle sight.

The TM35+ retails for £3,240, which is more expensive than models with comparable sensors from other companies such as Pulsar, but it offers a faster frame rate (60Hz), higher screen resolution (2560 x 2048) and is more lightweight (495g).

Furthermore, I never thought I’d be trying to persuade readers that a Swarovski product offers ‘value for money’, because as a company, it focuses on producing uncompromising high-quality optics regardless of price, but the TM35+ replaces the need for a hunter to buy both a handheld thermal and a dedicated thermal rifle scope.

Importantly, the TM35+ also means that hunters can retain their usual ‘traditional’ rifle scope for daytime use. Swarovski does stress that the tMA adapters can only be used with certain Swarovski scopes and not those from other manufacturers, which is slightly disappointing, but I suspect someone will produce an aftermarket adapter in due course. Given that deer can’t be legally hunted here in the UK using a thermal rifle scope, the dual-purpose element of the TM35+ is probably limited to those hunting boar or varmints (rabbits, foxes etc).

To swap between a handheld unit and a clip-on device there are four very simple steps:

1.        Unscrew a thread protector on the TM35+

2.        Attach a tMA adapter to your rifle scope

3.        Attach the TM35+ to the tMA adapter on your rifle scope

4.        Hold down the ‘mode’ button on the TM35+ for five seconds to convert the TM35+ to clip-on mode

Once the above steps have been followed, the unit is ready to use and boasts a maximum point of impact shift of 4cm at 100m. Changing the unit to clip-on mode doesn’t alter the unit apart from decreasing the magnification seen on the internal screen from 2x to 1x to account for the magnification on your rifle scope.

As the above steps would indicate, the TM35+ is beautifully simple to use – there are four buttons on the unit – one for power, one to switch modes, one to increase brightness and, yes, you’ve guessed it, one to decrease brightness. A brief press of the mode button allows the user to switch between ‘black hot’ and ‘white hot’ modes, and that is as complicated as it gets!

This simplicity is both an advantage and a disadvantage – it does mean the unit is very straightforward to use, but it does also mean that it can’t really be personalised. Unlike a lot of other thermal imagers on the market, you can’t adjust the contrast, time, date, language or connect to Wifi.

The latter is only really necessary if your thermal can take photos or videos, which the TM35+ can’t, which I think is a bit of a shame. Personally, I think the choice of two colour palettes is plenty, but some other users may also think it is a shame more options aren’t available.

As you’d expect from Swarovski, the TM35 includes a number of other very impressive features, such as the ‘Swarolight’ function that automatically powers off the unit if it isn’t being used. The same feature also means the brightness of the internal screen automatically adjusts depending on whether the TM35+ is being used during the day, twilight or nighttime.

A small rearward-facing LED light also gives the user an indication of the status of the rechargeable 3,000 li-ion battery. Swarovski claim a 6.5 hour battery life on the TM35+, which I put to the test and found to be accurate. The battery itself needs to be removed to be charged and is done so via a twin battery charging portal that is supplied with the TM35+.

Also supplied with the TM35+ are a carry bag, eye cup, neck carry strap and a hand strap. On either end of the unit you get eyepiece covers, both of which are very cleverly thought through and high quality.

Unlike many other thermal imaging units on the market, the TM35+ caters for lefties and the hand strap can be attached to either the left or the right of the unit to suit. Regardless of your orientation, you will appreciate the ergonomics of the unit, which are very ‘Swarovski’ and make the unit comfortable to hold. The usual stippled green coating that you find on Swarovski’s binoculars also makes an appearance on the unit.

With a £3,000+ price point you’ll be pleased to hear that the TM35+ has a three-year warranty on the unit itself and its charger, but only a one year warranty on the battery. Swarovski are known for their no quibble warranty and repair programme, so I doubt this will ever be an issue.

I managed to get the TM35+ out in the field before the Fallow rut really set in. As a deer stalker, I was mainly interested in how the unit would hold up as a handheld thermal. What I found was that the unit was a pleasure to carry and easily detected Fallow out to 1,000m and beyond.

Clarity and picture quality were good and I could clearly tell the difference between the Muntjac and Fallow I encountered at close range. Having Swarolight within the TM35+ meant that I never had to worry about putting the unit on standby mode, or the battery running flat. The robust, green, soft, stippled housing also meant I didn’t worry about the TM35+ getting wet, bumped, or more importantly clattering against anything and alerting my quarry.

I’ve only ever used a night vision clip-on unit before, not a thermal one, so I wasn’t sure what to expect from the TM35+ when I attached it to the Z8i I also had on test. Attaching the TM35+ to the TMA adapter was a doddle, as was attaching the TMA adapter to the rifle scope.

Even with the lower magnification level of the TM35+ in clip-on mode, I found that the highest magnification I could set the rifle scope to was 6x before the picture through the TM35+ started to become pixilated. Realistically, this shouldn’t cause anyone any problems as I doubt you would be shooting at extended distances at night, so 6x magnification should suffice.

From a bench, I could quite easily repeatedly hit a 2x4” hand warmer I’d taped to a target and experienced little/no shift in the point of impact compared to the setup without the TM35+ attached. In the field on live quarry, I experienced similar results too.

Periodically, when writing this review, I did find myself questioning why someone would take the plunge on a TM35+ with its hefty price tag when they could instead opt for a cheaper standalone day/night or thermal rifle scope.

But then it occurred to me – with the TM35+ you are able to continue utilising your conventional rifle scope during daylight conditions and therefore benefit from the unrivalled clarity and joy these offer over some of the digital options.

I don’t mean to be rude about the digital rifle scopes out there at the moment, but no one will deny that it's more pleasant to look at nature through ‘proper’ glass than it is a mini screen. I accept there are times when a job needs to be done and you need the right tool for the job, but equally, I think I’d be quite upset if I found myself pursuing Roe Bucks in the summer with a digital rifle scope. Perhaps that is the purist in me, but I feel that is the market Swarovski are catering for with the TM35+.