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A favourable review of a £5,299 thermal riflescope by an experienced field tester is the kind of endorsement dealers cannot buy, and Nocpix has one. Writing in Shooting Times, Ed Jackson spent several September evenings with the new Ace 2 S60R on his .223 and concluded: “The S60R is a seriously impressive bit of kit, and on this evidence ‘Generations Ahead’ isn’t just marketing.”
For the UK trade, the questions are more prosaic than the reviewer’s: who distributes it, what the margins sit on, where it lands against Pulsar and HikMicro at the counter, and which of the three Ace 2 models the shop should actually be holding as the fox and deer season gets going.
Who distributes the Nocpix Ace 2 in the UK and at what price?
The Ace 2 range launched on 12 September through Hawke Optics, the UK distributor, according to ShootingUK’s launch coverage, and the brand’s UK site, nocpix.uk, carries a Hawke Optics Limited copyright footer. Jackson’s review directs readers to nocpix.uk for details of the range and UK stockists.
Recommended retail prices (RRPs) follow the glass. The S60R, with a 1280×1024 sensor behind a 60mm F1.0 lens, is £5,299. The H50R and H35R share a 640×512 sensor behind a 50mm or 35mm objective at £3,499 and £2,999, and every model carries an integrated laser rangefinder (LRF). For the September 2026 launch Nocpix set introductory prices of £5,049 for the S60R (a £250 saving), £3,349 for the H50R (£150 off) and £2,899 for the H35R (£100 off), reverting to full retail afterwards. Dealers quoting launch pricing to walk-in customers should check with the distributor when the offer ends.
How does the S60R position against the Pulsar Thermion 2 LRF XL60 and HikMicro Stellar?
Jackson placed it squarely in flagship company. “Fit and finish are lovely, the controls every bit as considered as the spec sheet suggests, and despite that big 60mm objective it comes in at 980g, lighter than the Pulsar Thermion 2 LRF XL60 at 1,160g and level with the HikMicro Stellar 3.0 SX60LS at 1,000g.” Rifle Shooter’s review of the HikMicro Stellar 3 SX60L, a 1280×1024 unit from the same family, listed that scope at £4,999.99, which gives a sense of where the S60R’s £5,299 sits against a like-for-like rival on the shelf.
The differentiators Nocpix will lean on are Ocular Zoom 2.0, which keeps the reticle and interface aligned as optical and digital zoom work together, and Dual Clarity, an S60R exclusive that offers a Motion mode for moving animals and a Still mode that lengthens exposure to lift detail from a stationary target. That is why the S60R alone is quoted at 30/60Hz where its siblings run 60Hz. Eye relief and exit pupil are up 20% and 25% on the original Ace, to 60mm and 10mm. The magnesium-alloy body is rated IP67 from -20°C to +50°C, recoil rated to 7,000J on rifled firearms, with a built-in 3,650mAh cell plus a removable 18650 for a quoted 7hr runtime and 64GB of storage with recoil-activated recording.
What did the field test actually show?
The evidence behind the verdict is specific, which is what makes it useful across a counter. From a high seat over potato ground and sugar beet, Jackson watched roe does and muntjac between 100 and 200m, then wrote: “Pushing on, I picked out deer clear as day at over 405m according to the LRF, which returned readings quickly and without fuss all evening, and during that same scan caught a fox cub that had somehow got halfway across the field unnoticed, at just under 300m.”
He zeroed at 100m by the handwarmer method, power-cycled the unit and found the zero unchanged, and described the top-mounted central focus as easy and forgiving and the menu intuitive. The image, he wrote, gave “a really accurate sense of scale, something thermal can easily lose, making identification at distance much easier”. The negatives were minor: “The zoom collar could be a touch smoother and the app has a few very minor quirks, though it remains thoroughly usable.”
Why does CL55 matter to thermal sales this season?
The regulatory backdrop is a significant commercial driver in the category. Natural England’s CL55 licence, introduced this year, allows registered deer managers to shoot fallow, roe, sika, Chinese water deer and muntjac (plus red deer in selected counties) at night in England, and for the first time permits a dedicated thermal riflescope where it meets equipment conditions of 640×480 or better resolution, a pixel pitch of 17µm or smaller, a focal length of 50mm or more and a frame rate of 50Hz or above.
That puts a compliance line straight through the Ace 2 range. The S60R and H50R clear every condition; the H35R passes on resolution and pitch but its 35mm objective falls short of the 50mm minimum focal length, so it cannot be sold as a CL55 deer scope. Jackson made the point plainly, and dealers should too, adding his caution that CL55 covers England only and that Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland run their own deer legislation. As he put it, “At over £5,000, that’s a serious sum to justify on fox control alone, so it’s worth saying who else Nocpix has in mind.”
Which Ace 2 should dealers stock?
The reviewer’s own forecast is the one the trade should note. “My money says the H50R will be the volume seller, with the S60R reserved for those shooting big, open country at genuine distance. Do factor in that Dual Clarity is an S60R exclusive, though, so dropping to the H50R costs you more than sensor resolution and reach.” That suggests the H50R as the depth line, with the S60R as the demonstrator that sells the range and the H35R as the fox-only entry point that must be sold without any CL55 promise.
There is an accessory sale attached. “One practical point is mounts. The body is a standard 30mm tube, but ring height depends entirely on the rifle, so be prepared to try a few before finding one that sits the scope as close to the bore line as possible.” A shop that can offer two or three 30mm ring heights at the point of sale, and fit them, removes the most likely reason for a return.
What happens next
The launch pricing is a September 2026 offer that reverts to full retail, so the immediate task for stockists is to understand the window with Hawke Optics and price demonstrators accordingly. Beyond that, Jackson’s closing remark is the demand signal for the whole category: his own thermal kit, the best he could afford, “now looks shockingly poor by comparison”. Every 1280×1024 flagship that gets into a customer’s hands resets their expectation of what a thermal image should look like, and that is a trade-up cycle dealers can plan stock around this winter.
Useful links
ShootingUK – Ed Jackson’s original review, Nocpix Ace 2 S60R thermal riflescope review: generations ahead?
Nocpix – manufacturer’s UK site with details of the Ace 2 range and stockists
Hawke Optics – UK distributor for Nocpix
Frequently asked questions
Who is the UK distributor for Nocpix thermal scopes?
Hawke Optics distributes Nocpix in the UK, according to ShootingUK’s coverage of the Ace 2 launch on 12 September 2026, and the brand’s UK site, nocpix.uk, is operated under Hawke Optics Limited.
What is the RRP of the Nocpix Ace 2 S60R, H50R and H35R?
The recommended retail prices are £5,299 for the S60R, £3,499 for the H50R and £2,999 for the H35R. September 2026 launch pricing was £5,049, £3,349 and £2,899 respectively, reverting to full retail afterwards.
Which Nocpix Ace 2 models meet the CL55 thermal riflescope conditions?
The S60R and H50R meet Natural England’s CL55 equipment conditions of at least 640×480 resolution, a pixel pitch of 17µm or smaller, a focal length of 50mm or more and 50Hz or above. The H35R’s 35mm lens falls short of the focal-length minimum. CL55 applies in England only.
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