Wilcox G24 review: the breakaway night vision mount, honestly

By the OpticVerdict Editorial Team.
Research-based review · Updated 2026-10-03

How we reviewed it: a research-based review built from Wilcox's own product page, technical data sheet, operator manual and support FAQ, the retailer listing, and all 23 owner reviews on OpticsPlanet, read lowest rating first. We have not mounted or field-used this G24 ourselves; the score is our editorial opinion and owner ratings are shown attributed to their source. Maker claims we could not confirm in Wilcox's own documents are left out. See how we evaluate.

What the G24 is, and what it is not

The G24 is the link between a helmet and a night vision device. It is not a night vision device itself, and it is not a complete helmet setup. One end clips into a shroud, the plate on the front of the helmet; the other end is a dovetail receiver that takes a goggle's dovetail shoe. Wilcox's data sheet calls it "the industry standard for NVG mounting solutions", and its product page says "The G24 pioneered the breakaway mount". Those are Wilcox's own claims, and we print them as such.

Wilcox lists these devices as compatible: AN/PVS-15, AN/PVS-18, AN/PVS-31/BNVD, GPNVG-18 (Dovetail) and AN/PSQ-36 FGS (Dovetail). It adds that other night vision and thermal devices are compatible but require additional accessories. That matters if you run a PVS-14. One verified owner explains what they bought for theirs:

“Also, I purchased the J-arm to link the PVS-14 to the Wilcox G24.”

Bastien Gelinas (GA), verified owner, via OpticsPlanet

On the helmet side, Wilcox says the G24 is compatible with all Wilcox shrouds and sells it in three kits that add a shroud and lanyard: the G37 (one-hole shroud), the G70 (three-hole shroud) and the G41 (hybrid shroud). The OpticsPlanet listing names only the mount as the package contents. Owners report it on a Team Wendy EXFIL LTP, a Team Wendy helmet, an M-Tek Strike helmet, a bump helmet and a Crye Nightcap, and the Nightcap owner notes it needed a shroud to work. Our Team Wendy EXFIL review covers that helmet's built-in shroud.

Which G24 is this? The four colors

The listing sells one mount, Wilcox part number 28300G24, in four colors. The row we card is Tan, the color the listing fronts. Wilcox's data sheet gives the black and tan versions their own NSNs: 5855-01-593-6422 for black and 5855-01-593-6375 for tan.

The retailer's URL for this listing contains the word "armasight", but its product title and every part number on it are Wilcox G24 (28300G24). The 23 owner reviews are shared by all four colors. Confirm the color in your cart before you order.

The breakaway, explained by Wilcox

Wilcox says the mount is designed to release under stress to reduce the risk of neck injury, and names moving through tight spaces, fast-roping and operating around snag hazards as the situations it is for. The operator manual shows two levers: push one to enable the breakaway, the other to disable it. Its safety warning tells you to make sure the feature is enabled before operations that could cause entanglement with parachute lines, or when fast roping.

How hard it has to be pulled before it lets go is the one number Wilcox gives two ways. The technical data sheet lists a breakaway force of 6.5 to 10 lbs. The support FAQ, answering the question directly, says 10 to 12 pounds. We cannot tell you which is current, so we print both. One owner sums up how buyers see the feature:

“It’s a solid mount with breakaway capabilities, which is perfect”

TR (KS), four-star review, via OpticsPlanet

Why owners rate it: fit, lock-up and adjustment

Of the 23 reviews, 19 are five stars, one is four, one is three, one is two and one is one star; two reviewers wrote two reviews each, so 21 different people are behind them. The praise is specific. Owners who had used a cheaper mount first describe the G24 as tighter, sturdier or more refined, and at least six reviewers single out how much it adjusts or how easily it gets into position.

“Wilcox mount has tight tolerances, with no play; is thicker, and is a far sturdier feeling mount.”

Steve (TX), verified owner, via OpticsPlanet

“The machining quality is surpassed only by the functionality and adjustability of this unit.”

Hunter Kirby (MI), verified owner, via OpticsPlanet

Seven different reviewers set it against cheaper mounts, clones or knockoffs, and an eighth warns about sites selling "Wilcox" mounts at suspiciously low prices. Two of the seven had owned a cheaper mount: Steve kept a lower-priced aluminum mount as a spare, and another reviewer compared the G24 with a knockoff they had bought before returning the knockoff.

“The Wilcox is much more refined and robust.”

B (GA), five-star review, via OpticsPlanet

Those comparisons are the owners' own experience, not a measurement. Three reviewers sum it up with the phrase buy once, cry once.

The honest catches

Price. It is the most repeated complaint: 12 of the 21 reviewers raise the price or cost, including several who gave five stars. Nothing else on the listing comes close to that count.

One slipping vertical adjustment. The most serious report comes from one verified owner, who wrote two reviews about the same problem (three stars and one star): the vertical adjustment would not hold when locked and slid down with every step. They say Wilcox told them they would have to pay to ship it back for repair or replacement, while OpticsPlanet sent a free return label and a replacement. It is one buyer's report, not a pattern in the reviews.

“My BNVG's would slide down with every step until bottomed out in the mount.”

Corey Willett (MD), verified owner, three-star review, via OpticsPlanet

One scratched unit. A two-star verified owner says theirs arrived scratched and felt poorly made.

“Looked cool till I saw it came all scratched up and it felt like horrible quality.”

Lobos (NV), verified owner, via OpticsPlanet

Stiff controls and a little wobble. Two reviewers find the adjustments stiff: one adds that they feel very positive when they lock, the other that the stiffness makes sense to hold the positions. One four-star reviewer says it is a little wobbly without extra retention. Wilcox's manual covers play: if any develops in the carriage or pivot, it describes tightening the tilt adjustment screws and the NVG interface screws with small hex drivers.

“The adjustments are stiff from the factory but feel very positive when they lock into place.”

ThatCopYouKnow (NY), verified owner, via OpticsPlanet

The warranty catch

Wilcox's data sheet lists a 5 Year Standard Limited Warranty, but the conditions matter. Wilcox's support FAQ says the five years apply to mount and shroud hardware used together with matched Wilcox products, and that the period drops to one year if it is used with a non-Wilcox product. The G24 manual is stricter and says Wilcox cannot honor a warranty claim if an off-brand shroud is used with the mount. The same FAQ says Wilcox warranties only cover new products bought from an authorized Wilcox dealer, and that Wilcox returns a repaired or exchanged product at the user's expense. Warranty work starts with a Return Merchandise Authorization from Wilcox.

In practice: if your helmet carries a non-Wilcox shroud, read those terms before you buy, and confirm with the retailer that it is an authorized Wilcox dealer.

Trade-offs, plainly

• It is an expensive part for what it is, and 12 of 21 reviewers raise the price.
• It ships as a mount only: you need a shroud on the helmet and, for a device not on Wilcox's direct-fit list such as a PVS-14, an arm or adapter.
• Wilcox's full five-year warranty assumes Wilcox shrouds and an authorized dealer; with other hardware the terms shrink or, per the manual, the claim can be refused.
• One owner had a vertical adjustment that would not hold, and reports Wilcox asked them to pay shipping for the fix.
• Wilcox publishes two different breakaway force figures, so you cannot plan around one exact number.
• The owner record is 23 reviews shared by four colors, and only six of them are from the last 12 months.

Key specifications

Specifications are Wilcox's (technical data sheet and operator manual) unless marked as the retailer's. The retailer lists the length as 3.98 in; we print Wilcox's 3.9 in. No editorial award is claimed.

Should you buy it?

• Buy it if you run a dovetail night vision device on a helmet with a Wilcox shroud and want a mount that owners describe as tight and highly adjustable, with a breakaway you can switch on or off.
• Buy it with a plan if you run a PVS-14 or another device not on Wilcox's direct-fit list: budget for the additional accessories Wilcox says such devices need, and for a shroud if your helmet has none.
• Think twice if your helmet has a non-Wilcox shroud and the warranty matters to you, or if the price of the mount is a large share of what you spent on the goggle itself.

Still choosing the device that goes on it? See our best night vision goggles and best night vision monocular guides.

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