Anyone have a link for pistol/weapon light reviews or, can give a review /opinion?
Looking for the best bang for the buck but, am willing to pay more for a decent set up for various pistols.
http://www.ar15.com/forums/t_5_23/117143_best_handgun_light_for_bedside_gun_.html
Theres some good opinions on various lights over there, even though its a thread for a bedside gun light.
X300, thats my pick. Bright, recoil resistent, long battery life, pretty small, universal mounting options.
Originally Posted By Judge561:
http://www.ar15.com/forums/t_5_23/117143_best_handgun_light_for_bedside_gun_.html
Theres some good opinions on various lights over there, even though its a thread for a bedside gun light.
X300, thats my pick. Bright, recoil resistent, long battery life, pretty small, universal mounting options.
Thanks thats what I was looking for.
Streamlight TLR-1 is what you want...the X300 is very solid, and very pricy––quality is there though; the TLR1 can do just as well for most folks
I have owned and used the following lights on duty weapons over the years....
Streamlight / Insight M3 –– Good light for its day, not real bright, pretty robust, eats batteries. No real reason to own one anymore.
Insight SSL-1 –– God light, fairly bright, a little big, but reliable. Locking bar requires a lot of adjustment, and even then, never really locks up as solid as I would like.
Insight Procyon –– Very bright. Strobe feature is neat, but useless and too easy to activate. Not reliable, the first one I had quite after a school i went to with a lot of low light use. Was replaced by Insight without issue, and the replacement had the screws in the body strip shortly thereafter. Never did lock up right. Too hard to get on, too easy to get off. Nice, compact size, though. Wish it had been a better light.
Streamlight TLR-1 –– Not bad. Cheap. Bright. I hate the locking mechanism. A lot.
Surefire X300 –– If I had bought this light first, I could not have given any other reviews. Very robust, very easy on batteries. Switching mechanism is the best, by far. Locking bar works every time, with no adjustment. Easy on and off. Very secure once on.
Just get the Surefire. nothing else really compares.
Best bang for your buck hands down is the Streamlight TLR series. They are durable and reliable. Kyle Defoor even runs them and he beats them up. Side note, the locking mechanism works fine, but like the post above, its a bit of pain to unscrew if you locked it down tight. Only con.
Can be had for around $110, a buck even if you do research for a TLR 1. If you want something even more compact and low pro, check out the TLR-3. I consider the TLR 3 a hidden gem.
Thas ts not the only con. They are bulkier than the Surefire. They now have that stupid fucking strobe crap that is useless in a weapon light. They eat batteries at a much higher rate than the Surefire. The switching mechanism blows compared to the Surefire, but thats true with any other weapon light. No DG Switch available for the Streamlight, until recently, and I have yet to actually see one in the wild. I have little doubt that the Streamlight switch will be a much cheapened copy of the original.
In the end, the TLR isnt a bad light. At all. It is not, however, in the same league as the X300, in my experience.
Originally Posted By SRT_312:
Thas ts not the only con. They are bulkier than the Surefire. They now have that stupid fucking strobe crap that is useless in a weapon light. They eat batteries at a much higher rate than the Surefire. The switching mechanism blows compared to the Surefire, but thats true with any other weapon light. No DG Switch available for the Streamlight, until recently, and I have yet to actually see one in the wild. I have little doubt that the Streamlight switch will be a much cheapened copy of the original.
In the end, the TLR isnt a bad light. At all. It is not, however, in the same league as the X300, in my experience.
Bulkier yes, I forgot to add that. I cannot mount my TLR 1 at the 12 O'clock position on my tube. While i still can see my front site, it's barely there. SF x300 is much much low pro (height wise), its what i run on my AR now. I hate the strobe function on the TLR-1s, but that can be programmed off. So not a big deal in my book.
Regarding the TLR switch, I have never had a problem with it. Compared with SF and Streamlight, apples or oranges.
Are the SF and streamlight in the same league? Not at all, you're right. But the OP asked for best bang for your buck. Hence I would suggest the TLR series.
If the OP has the money, get a x300 without a doubt. But then again, you can buy 2 or 3 TLRs for the price of 1 X300. You can mount the multiple light on various platforms rather than having to switch around. Food for thought
I have owned just about all of the common handgun mounted lights and I prefer the TLR-1. The Surefire is a good light but overpriced in my opinion and I prefer the TLR-1 anyways. The locking mechanism on the TLR-1 is a little more time consuming to attach/detach (maybe 20 secs) but is more solid. I also prefer the switch on the TLR-1 over the Surefire. The price factor is just a perk, I would still buy the TLR-1 if they were the same price.
I've seen a lot more TLR1's break than I have X300's. Both are bright and light stuff up, but if I had to take one and only one, I'd get the X300.
