Jerry-YM 2.0 vs Falcon 640+ V2: Which Thermal Fits Your Setup?

Both are 640-sensor multi-role thermals that helmet-mount, clip on to a day optic, and work handheld. The Jerry-YM 2.0 costs meaningfully less and gets you most of the performance. The Falcon 640+ V2 pulls ahead at long range and in features. If your engagements live inside a few hundred metres, the Jerry is the smart buy. If you want maximum reach and the most refined image, the Falcon is worth the difference.

We sell both, so we don't need to talk you into either one. What follows is what our own side-by-side testing showed.

What they have in common

Both are the same category of device: a compact 640-resolution thermal you can run three ways. On the helmet through our QD adapters (QDA J-YM / QDA Falcon 640+ V2), in front of an LPVO or red dot as a clip-on, or in the hand as a scanner. Both collimate as clip-ons: the Jerry saves per-weapon X/Y presets, the Falcon keeps separate helmet and clip-on alignments. Both live in our thermals collection next to their spec sheets, so we won't re-type every number here.

Worth knowing about the Falcon's family tree: the Falcon 640+ V2 is the same OEM device as the iRay RH25 V2, which is why people searching "PFN 640" or "RH25" keep landing on our pages. Same hardware family, our configuration.

Where the Falcon earns its price

The V2 revision is the reason this comparison isn't closer. Thermal sensitivity (NETD) improved from around 40 mK to below 15 mK, which you see as cleaner separation between a person and a same-temperature background. Image latency dropped from about 150 ms to about 20 ms, which you feel immediately when you pan your head on a helmet. It also picked up separate collimation memories for helmet vs clip-on use, sound in recordings, and recoil-activated recording.

Reach is the headline. From our full review: "This small device has a human detection range beyond 1,800 m and vehicle detection range beyond two clicks." On paper the Jerry quotes a similar 1,800 m human detection figure, but paper is patient; in the field the Falcon stays crisper as the distance grows. We've also shot it as a clip-on at 300 metres behind an LPVO in total darkness, and at 100 metres behind a red dot and magnifier.

Where the Jerry punches above its weight

We ran the Jerry-YM 2.0 side by side against the pricier PFN-family unit in fog, out to nearly 1,800 metres, across white hot, black hot, red hot and outline palettes. The finding that matters: at short and medium range you struggle to tell the two images apart. The bigger unit only pulled ahead in long-range crispness and in how its red-hot palette highlights distant targets. Our conclusion from that video stands: "There is no such thing as a cheap and good thermal, but we believe Jerry YM is the closest thing to it."

One practical gotcha our testing caught: use batteries with the locating knob on the positive end. A completely flat-topped cell can momentarily lose contact under recoil when the Jerry is run as a weapon clip-on. Cheap fix, annoying surprise.

The decision, by user

• Airsoft and milsim inside ~300 m: Jerry-YM 2.0. The Falcon's long-range advantages sit mostly beyond the distances you play at.
• Hunters and spotters who glass across fields: Falcon 640+ V2. Detection reach and image detail at distance are exactly where the Falcon pulls away.
• Clip-on-first users: Falcon 640+ V2, for the lower latency and the separate helmet/clip-on collimation presets.
• First thermal ever, budget decides: Jerry-YM 2.0, and put the savings towards a proper helmet mount.

Questions we get about these two

Does the Falcon 640+ V2 come with the reticle active?
No. The aiming reticle ships deactivated and needs to be manually activated after delivery. It's a couple of minutes in the menu; ask us in chat and we'll walk you through it.

Can either replace night vision completely?
For finding things, they beat night vision outright. For moving, navigating and identifying, no. That trade-off is its own topic, and we wrote it up in our night vision vs thermal buying guide.

What about a thermal overlay instead of either?
If you already own good night vision, the FTO 640 overlay adds thermal highlighting into your tube and keeps everything on one device. It's a different tool though: an enhancer for night vision owners, not a standalone thermal.

Which palettes actually get used?
White hot for general scanning, black hot when your eyes tire, red hot or outline for picking a target out of clutter. Both devices carry the full set; palette preference ends up personal, so try them all in the field before settling.

Bottom line

The Jerry-YM 2.0 is the value answer and it is genuinely close. The Falcon 640+ V2 is the reach-and-refinement answer with the V2 improvements doing real work. Pick by the distances you actually operate at, not by the spec sheet, and if you're torn, message us with your use case. We've put serious hours behind both and will give you the same answer we'd give a teammate.