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The Sightmark Wraith Mini Thermal packs impressive clarity, long battery life, and user-friendly controls into a lightweight design. Whether you're hunting or scanning in total darkness, this compact thermal scope delivers. We’ll break down its performance, features, and real-world usability—so you know if it's the right optic for you!
If you have been dreaming about getting a thermal scope, dream no more. We will give you the information you need to help pull the trigger—pun intended.
Let me be fully transparent. I would never have dreamed that thermal scopes would one day be in the same price range as excellent-quality glass for your deer hunting rifle. Even more upfront, entry-level into the thermal market is now less expensive than the best-quality glass scopes.
I assume it’s for the same reason you can now get a good-quality flat-screen TV for such a low price. Technology is ever-changing, and so is the thermal scope market. As more significant and better technologies emerge, the thermal scopes of old are improved, and lower-quality technology becomes available at a much lower price.
We’ve done some hog hunting over the years with other Sightmark products, mostly Nightvision, and we know they produce a good quality product. So when the Wraith Mini Thermal became available, we knew we wanted to do some testing!
I’ve mainly used it in the field hunting coyotes, and based on those adventures, I’m ready to give you our review.
One of the main specifications that stands out to me is its size. The Wraith Mini is just that—MINI—especially compared to other thermals I’ve seen.
For the following several numbers, if you don’t completely understand, don’t worry. We didn’t either until we started researching.
It has an IPX6 Water Resistant Rating, so you don’t have to worry if you get it wet, but I wouldn’t submerge it anywhere. Last but not least, it’s rated for recoil up to a .308 caliber rifle.
Thermal optics use a high-sensitivity thermal sensor—or microbolometer—to detect the temperature differences among objects in the field of view, creating the image you see. The more sensitive the sensor, the more precise and detailed the image.
When you add up those numbers, you see that the Sightmark Wraith Mini Thermal meets all the base criteria for a “good” thermal optic.
Sightmark advertises the detection range as 1400 yards, which is the distance where a heat signature can be picked up. Remember, recognition and identification ranges will be smaller, but that’s still a reasonable distance.
So far, we’ve picked up heat signatures at least 800 yards away and have easily identified animals in the 400-yard range.
From my experience, the Sightmark Wraith Mini thermal depends on your ability to use the focus wheel. There have been times I could change the focus so severely it would lose an animal’s heat signature. When you do have it focused correctly, the trees and other objects may not be as sharp as more expensive thermal scopes, but once it’s reading an animal’s heat signature, it is sharp, and the picture is well-defined.
The body is made from aluminum and feels sturdy. It’s so compact that I’m not worried about hitting it on something and breaking one end off (not that anything like that has ever happened!).
All of your control buttons for working through the menu, zooming, and zeroing are conveniently located at the top. The focus wheel I mentioned above is on the front.
Suppose you plan on switching guns and want a different reticle for each specific rifle. In that case, you can choose different reticle profiles and colors as you build one of the five weapon profiles available.
All the videos from our YouTube review above were filmed directly through the scope onto a micro SD card. Keep in mind that we transferred them to a computer and uploaded them to YouTube, so that can affect the quality some. That also tells you the video is saved onto a micro SD card for easy transfer and viewing.
The Wraith Mini comes with a pic rail attachment, so mounting it is easy if you already have rail attachments on your rifle. Open up the provided attachment, position the scope where you want it, and tighten it to Sightmark’s torque specs.
If you have a rail on your gun, it’s just a matter of getting it set at the proper eye relief. Don’t forget the rubber eyepiece, which helps with eye relief and blocks any extra light that could impede your vision or sight picture.
The way this sight is made, no extra rings or mounts are required, which makes switching it between firearms really simple. I’ve had it on two different guns, and it fits an AR-style gun much better than a bolt-action.
Because the optic is shorter, I had to stretch pretty far forward to get a good sight picture when mounted on the bolt action rifle. If you find yourself doing the same thing, Sightmark does have a mount extension, but obviously, that will cost extra.
Sighting in was really simple, partially because I’ve used Sightmark night vision scopes in the past, and the menu is really similar. For zeroing, use their “one-shot zero” process. Of course, we all know zeroing any scope is not as easy as one shot.
But you can:
It usually takes me a few shots to get it dialed in, but this process is simple overall.
One nice feature when zeroing is the freeze screen. You can get the sight picture needed and freeze that screen while moving the windage and elevation X. This makes those changes much easier than having to hit buttons while also trying to hold the scope/rifle still.
In comparison to other thermal scopes I’ve used, this one was slightly more difficult to fully dial in when making small adjustments. So it took more than just one shot, but we did get it dialed in.
As mentioned above, battery life with 2 CR123A batteries should be near 4.5 hours if you aren’t recording and 3.5 hours if you are. I don’t know where you hunt, but usually, where I am, the action is not so jam-packed that I’m recording the whole time, so in my experience, at least 4 hours of battery life is doable.
I purchased rechargeable batteries on Amazon, and they have performed better than expected. They stay charged throughout a hunt and recharge quickly and completely.
If you’re even thinking of getting in the market for a thermal scope, please understand that when we answer “It Depends” to if you should buy this thermal scope, that may be one of the most definite statements we’ve ever made.
It depends on your hunting goals and budget. Are you hunting in close quarters or open fields? Do you need identification capabilities at longer distances? Would you like higher-end features like a range-finder button that works even at night? And what is your budget?
The thermal scope market is growing, with new ones coming out constantly. The MSRP on the Wraith Mini is around $1500, but I have seen them on sale for as low as $1,199.99.
You can find thermal scopes that cost less, but remember those baseline numbers we discussed earlier. When I did a quick search, the cheaper ones had lower-quality thermal sensors than this one, which will likely get you lower-quality images and more difficulty identifying a possible target.
If budget is no option and you want the best possible thermal packed with high-end features, the Sightmark Wraith Mini probably isn’t what you want. But be ready to spend several thousand dollars for that highest quality.
Considering an entry-level thermal price range, if you’re trying to find one of the best bangs for your buck, I would say the Wraith Mini Thermal could be just what you need. For me, the features and sensors on this one seem better than those of others in that price range. And the picture clarity and heat signature recognition is spot on for this price range.
So, for our “Should I Buy This Thing” in that price range, we’ll give the Wraith Mini Thermal a 4.9/5.
Thank you for reading. We hope that you're enjoying our content. If you are, don't hesitate to email us at robbie@reviewthisthingtv.com and let us know if you've used the Sightmark Wraith Mini Thermal or if you have a better favorite.
Robbie has enjoyed the outdoors since he can remember. His earliest memories include hours upon hours of squirrel hunting and learning how to enjoy all aspects of hunting season in God's wonderful outdoors. Now he is always working hard and testing gear in the field to give you the best review and most thorough information he possibly can.
All opinions are ours. Some items we receive for free, borrow, or purchase at a discount, but this never impacts our opinions or freedom to report them.
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