I do not have an Atpial-C.  My IR laser/illuminator purchase progression was Vital-2, DBAL-A3 to Mawl-C1.  For use as an illuminator, the MAWL is head and shoulders above the other 2.  If funds were unlimited I'd sell my DBALs and replace them with Mawls.  I live in suburbia with lots of ambient light.  The DBALs do not have the power to illuminate challenging areas, like under decks, behind bushes, etc.  The Mawl illuminator lights those up plain as day.  The difference is striking.  I haven't hunted with the Mawl yet, but I suspect I'll easily double my effective ID and shooting range because I'll now be able to see and ID targets.

I wish the MAWL was more affordably/reasonably priced.  I'd buy more.  The others will do most of the job.  Pairing a good illuminator with a DBAL is a cost effective solution that adds bulk and cost, and would probably work with the civilian Atpial as well.

FWIW.

Can you use a mawl easily support side with the included buttons? Or does the body block you?
Do the buttons have a constant on feature somehow? Or momentary only.

Its form factor is my literal only concern.

The Perst 3 is another option if you can get one. Priced similar to the Atpial C with much better performance. You'll never find yourself wanting more with the Perst. If you're ok with it being made in Russia and all that comes with that than it's the most for your money IMO.

I'll admit the Perst was my first IR device and I have limited experience with the Mawl so obviously my bias is towards the Perst. It's sad that a country of "free men" need to send business outside of US to get this performance.

Thanks for the info! I am holding out on the NV device itself to hear what this new one you all have coming out in a few weeks.

I went ahead and ordered the Steiner OTAL and a g11 mount from y’all last night though since Optics Planet had the mount on back order for me. I will heed your advice on an illuminator and plan to get something like a Surefire scout with an ir head.

The otal and a separate ir flashlight sound like a good option? I know one of the better all in one units may be a more elegant solution but for the money this seemed like the way to go for me.

That depends on your support side grip.  When mounted on the 12 o'clock rail my thumb can reach them.  I use a TAPS switch on the 9 o'clock rail with mine.  As far as constant on you have to double tap the A button and it will stay on for about 3 minutes.  That function doesn't work on the external switch, you have to physically tap the button on the unit.

Here's a link to the BE Meyers website

Here's a link to a Firearms Blog review I found useful

The APTIAL's illuminator is extremely anemic and you'll be very disappointed trying to see anything out past 60 yards in urban lighting. If you don't have enough to spend on a MAWL look at a used Steiner D2 for 800-900 or new @ 1,000. It has a very clean illuminator and has the same reach as the MAWL. I considered the PERST 3 at one time but because of the lack of the repair support in the US and the pain in the ass to send it back, getting turned around by another country, returned to you, and being out the shipping like it happened to one of the members here in this forum.

So if I have a Steiner otal to handle aiming... what should I look at for illumination? Something helmet mounted would be nice because then I don’t have it dedicated to just one gun. Realistically though I’d imagine my sbr I plan to mount the ir laser to would be the only gunn I’ll ever shoot with NV so would something like the surefire scout w/ ir be a good choice?

I was wondering the same thing? Sam? Augee? I’m a dumbass and just realized I had a 720nm filter on the front of on my pvs14. I forgot I put that on at the October Ohio NV shoot to help cut down on electron depletion that causes the temporary black lines I was getting due to others helmet lights. That’s why the echos looked so much better. I had them out again last week when the power was out in my neighborhood trying to get pics of the halo differences from streetlights on the next block that had power but still couldn’t get any decent pics that show the difference you see in real life.

The APTIAL's form factor is why I looked at it. The MAWL is just heavy, and honestly has more beans than I need. If I could sacrifice some power to shave 5oz, I totally would. 60m in urban lighting is fine by me. What's it good for in rural? I live in the middle of nowhere. I've tried to find good APTIAL-C videos/pix, but kindof struck out.

Key words!

Might not notice it shooting on a flat range but even a porch light in a rural environment can wreak havoc on your ability to identify things.

Can a MAWL live with its front mounted flush with the rail on an 11.5 KAC CQB running a MAMS? If it cant...can you buy replacement heads, if so...$?