I would have to double check, but that sounds correct.

What sounds wrong about this?

~Augee

The DA also has a 1.5 mW aiming laser on the LR-A setting versus the 0.7 mW cap on the C1+

Once you get past the "I'm so cool because I have something I'm not supposed to have" phase, the DA and the C1+ are not all that significantly different for most people's uses except for that top end.

The reality is that for what most people do, even standard power 45 & 50 mW IR illuminators are overkill if you're not shooting belt feds, conducting fire control and maneuver over hundreds of meters or designating targets, nevermind the "HP" (85-100 mW, e.g., LA-5B/D) or "UHP" (165-200 mW, e.g., LA-5C/E) stuff.

Granted, Class I edge emitting diodes are pretty paltry, however the MAWL-C1+s VCSEL illuminator is in a different class than something like the ATPIAL-C or DBAL-A3 Class I, which, IMHO, are still good lasers as long as you keep aware of their limitations, but the MAWL-C1+ frankly hangs with and in many cases exceeds some Class III units from a performance standpoint, especially in the Short and Mid Range modes where you neither want or need the eyeball burning performance--even with something like an LA-5E UHP, even if I'm using it on a "dual high" setting, the illuminator divergence is usually set much wider than 2-4 degrees unless I'm really trying to reach out.

To answer your question directly, and having MAWL-DAs as well as C1+s, unless you're doing cartel interdiction on the Southern border or something else equally unusual in the context of LE work, I would say that the C1+ will more than do the job.

~Augee

The 2021 revision has essentially added two settings, giving the MAWL eight functions versus the original six, and they've moved the settings that really differentiate the MAWL-DA from the C1+ to the "Triple Click" mode, and added two more settings in the "normal" LR A/B positions which are mostly consistent between DA and C1+.

The MAWL's VCSEL illuminator diodes are a little bit of black magic, even compared to other VCSEL-based units, and they're pushing multiple diodes to produce the output and illuminator beam--for obvious reasons, to maintain Class I compliance BEM needs to be extremely careful about the amount of power they push through the diodes, whereas it's less critical for the DA, so you may get a little "more" if that makes sense.

That being said, I currently use pre-2021 DAs and C1+s pretty much interchangeably, and there's frankly little practical difference between them outside of the LR modes.

As I've said before, the C1+ is essentially equivalent to a PEQ-15, while the DA is more similar to an LA-5B/D.

~Augee

Thanks @TDunn for doing some of the math for me.



Honestly I'd think that either would do a great job for you--however which is "better" might somewhat depend on your application.

Again, I don't think you can go wrong with either beam divergence pattern, but if we really had to split these hairs:

You mentioned that you're in a "somewhat" open area, but defining that a little further might be helpful.

If you're in tall brush and/or shooting low to the ground, I would probably recommend the newer (post June 2021) version.

If you're hunting and "living" almost exclusively in the mid-ranges, as I've mentioned elsewhere, the combined 16^o and 4^o illuminator pattern may be preferable, especially if groups of animals may scatter and you want to be able to track them better for potential follow-up shots.

At 100 yards the 16^o illuminator would cover ~28.11 yards, with a ~6.98 yard "hot spot" in the center with the aiming laser from the 4^o illuminator.

This will be most effective if you're in more open areas, and shooting from a higher position, e.g., a tripod, from the top of a vehicle, etc., if you're low to the ground, the splash-back from the 16^o can get a little distracting, though again, I'd never found it to be an insurmountable issue prior to the change.  

I believe we do have some NOS "old" MAWL-C1+s currently if someone is interested in one and would prefer the older beam divergences to the newer ones.

~Augee