Which is better the PEQ15 or PEQ16? And is it practical to add a SF M600 scout with the PEQ on it?

I'm not entirely sure what you're asking about.

Typically speaking, when people talk about "weapon lights," they're referring to a white light illuminator or "visible bright light" (VBL), in which case only the AN/PEQ-16 has that capability - so in comparison to the AN/PEQ-15, the '16 is the "better" weapon light by default because it's the only one that actually has one.  

On the other hand, both units have an IR illuminator built in, and the AN/PEQ-16 is really, fundamentally just an AN/PEQ-15 with the VBL built in rather than a separate unit with a commensurate larger size and shorter battery life.  Incidentally, the AN/PEQ-16 did not see much use at all - the currently issued variant is the AN/PEQ-16A, which has a much different body style and laser emitter layout.  

Meanwhile, the question of "is it practical" is similarly unclear...

With an AN/PEQ-15, you'd need to add a separate unit in order to have a VBL at all, and the SF M600 "Scout" family is a highly regarded VBL.  

With the AN/PEQ-16, depending on whom you ask, it may not be strictly "necessary," but the SF Scout series is generally considered to be a superior VBL than the onboard module on the AN/PEQ-16 and 16A, and it's therefore not unheard of for end users to use a secondary VBL in addition to their issued AN/PEQ-16As.  

And not to put too fine a point on it, but both the AN/PEQ-15 and AN/PEQ-16/16A are considered restricted Class IIIb devices, meaning that while it is possible to acquire them legally, they are neither easy to find, nor cheap.  You cannot simply order them off of Amazon and call it a day.  As such, generally speaking - those with the means and motivation to acquire them are usually pretty familiar with what they are and their features before purchasing them.  

I say this not to insult or offend you - but if you're under the impression that the AN/PEQ-15 has a "weapon light" component in the form of a visible while light, there is a very high likelihood that what you're actually looking are one of the many airsoft "clones" of these units that contain a cheap flashlight and red or green laser, but otherwise have little to no similarity to the actual devices except for the form factor.  These are frequently found on eBay and similar sites for significantly less than the actual units.  

If those are what you're looking at, unless you are looking for one as a "stand in" for a "clone" or "replica" build, I would pass on them entirely for any kind of practical use and use a device actually designed for weapon mounting to actual center-fire weapons.  

~Augee

It would be much easier to get one of the civvie-legal DBALs from TNVC. But between the two units you ask about, the PEQ-15 is the better unit IMO. The -16A is a battery hog and the white light is mediocre compared to a SF Scout

TLDR

 

I'm sorry you feel that way.  

I guess the shorter, less convoluted version is:

The OP appears to be asking about weapon lights, but names two devices for comparison that are primarily IR aiming laser/illuminator combinations, only one of which has a "weapon light" function as commonly understood, so they can't really be compared easily in that aspect.

I was trying to clarify whether he was asking about white lights, or IR laser aiming modules (LAMs).  

I can see room for confusion in two ways, though - one, both units are often referred to by the manufacturer as "aiming lights," the OP may think that they are weapon lights as a result.  

or

Most prominently on eBay, though they're available elsewhere, a lot of sellers sell knock-offs of both units, primarily for airsoft, that use visible lasers and an LED light where the IR illuminator would typically be, that may be leading him to believe that they are white/visible "weapon light" units, and asking for comparison.  

Without knowing what the OP's level of knowledge or experience was, I figured it was less pompous to clarify exactly what each unit was and how they differed, and to ask exactly what the nature of his question was, than to make an assumption about what the OP was asking about before offering an answer.  

More directly to the OP's question, it's not only practical, but pretty much necessary to have something like an M600 to go with an AN/PEQ-15 because it doesn't have an onboard white light, it's not really necessary with an AN/PEQ-16 or 16A, because while they may not be the "best in class," the "weapon light" is already built in.  

The OP may be a civilian just asking about things he's seen on eBay or heard about here and there - or they may be a sailor/Marine/LEO that has been offered on or the other as an option that might not have as much knowledge on the systems in question and trying to get things sorted out.  I can't know any of that without clarifying the situation.  

~Augee

I have both the AN/PEQ-15's and the AN/PEQ-16B.  

What Augee is saying is true.  These things are expensive and hard to come by.  They also WON'T have any form of warranty on them.

Personally, they do what they are supposed to, the PEQ-16B having a white light, in this case an LED, whereas the PEQ-15 has no visible white light function, and instead, only a visible laser/IR laser and IR illuminator.

If I were to do it all over again, I would go with some form of class I eye safe laser and throw either one of the new M300V's on it, or whichever white light you prefer.

For the price you would end up paying for a PEQ-16B alone, you could have 2-3 separate class I laser and white light setups alone.

If it is a standalone all in one setup you are seeking, similar to a PEQ-16A, or B.  I would probably look into the DBAL-D2, or one of the DBAL-I2 with light combos.  Both are very good and will have a warranty and cost you half the price.

PEQ-16B on left, Surefire m620V on right.  



Ugh, will have to wait until later today when my photobucket bandwidth resets to view the pic.

Just to add a little detail, the AN/PEQ-16A uses an incandescent bulb for the white light component that "clocks in" around 60 lumens, while the AN/PEQ-16B model uses an LED that generates around 125 lumens.  

~Augee

I don't think Augee's post was popous at all.

I have a question to the OP.

If all you want is a weapon light {as opposed to a laser..."weapon light" was after all specified}, why not just get a Streamlight or Surefire?  I have a Surefire 300 Ultra on my AR carbine and it just plain lights up the world.