4Sevens’ fist full of light
January 24th, 2010 | Product Announcement | Posted by Rob Curtis
4Sevens’ Malestrom series pumps out mucho lumens — 1,800 at the high end. But if you don’t need 1,800 lumes, we saw a working prototype of a 1,000-lume model that’s half the size of the 1,800. They also had their Quark RGB, and a couple smaller AAA lights. Check out the pics and captions:
Surefire RAID Weaponlight; if the X300 and Scout Light mated
January 20th, 2010 | Product Announcement | Posted by Rob Curtis
Surefire took the form factor of the pistol oriented X-series and applied the ruggedness of the M-series Scout Lights to create the new RAID series. All the M720s run 2 CR123s side-by-side and will be available in 3 configurations; M720 white light, M720L ultra high-output white light with the M720V white/IR light.
The M720V will be the first to hit production for a March 2010 release with the M720 and M720L arriving sometime in the second half of 2010. Using the same dual-die LED technology in the Vampire series heads, the M720V features a pull-and-twist control to switch between white and IR light.
- M720, 2 hours @ 200 lumens, 6oz with batteries and tape switch
- M720L, 1.5 hours @ 350 lumens, 6.4 oz with batteries and tape switch
- M720V, 1.8 hours @ 150 lumens (white), 8 hours @ 120mW (IR), 6 ounces with batteries and tape switch
Surefire Saint Unboxed – GearScout Exclusive
November 11th, 2009 | Photo Recon Product Announcement | Posted by Rob Curtis
GearScout received the Surfire Saint last night. We brought it to the studio to give our readers an exclusive first look in a huge SFW flashlight porno shoot.
The unboxing isn’t a meme I quite understand, but we’re not here to judge. So if you’re a flashlight guy, turn the lights down low, get a box of tissues and enjoy the 62 image photo gallery after the jump. We’ll be back with a review and beamshots before you know it.
PentagonLight extinguished by Surefire
November 9th, 2009 | Business News | Posted by Rob Curtis
The site is gone, the phones are disconnected. PentagonLight is no more.
Surefire sued the pants off them in district court back in April 2008. The suit was against Pentagon Scientific Corp’s infringement on Surefire’s lockout tailcap switch patent. Six months later, the court found in their favor. The company bought back some of its inventory from its dealers but never put out a statement about its demise. So, even though it’s old news, there are still people wondering if PentagonLight is really gone. It is.
Instead of re-engineering their product line or negotiating to license Surefire’s tailcap, PentagonLight chose to quietly shut their entire operation down. This is intriguing, since the judgment had no financial component. Surefire didn’t ask for a dime. They just asked that PentagonLight not be permitted to sell the Surefire tailcap.
Why did PentagonLight cut and run? Perhaps it had something to do with the other component of Surefire’s suit that refuted PentagonLight’s “Made in USA” branding. The combined loss of the tailcap and the unwanted attention on the location of their manufacturing revealed flaws in their business model the felt they couldn’t overcome.
Crimson Trace MVF-515 Modular Vertical Foregrip Light
October 1st, 2009 | Product Announcement | Posted by Rob Curtis
The MVF-515m combines two staples of the Picatinny rail and combines them with a third in the form of a forward pistol grip. On one side is a 200 lumen white light LED and the other has either a visible or IR laser. Both run from a couple of CR123 that are contained in the aluminum, full-tang grip. Righties and lefties are covered with separate buttons to operate the light and laser on each side of the grip. The controls can be programmed for momentary, constant and strobe activation.
Crimson Trace designed the system to make room for ATPAIL, DBAL-A2 and other rail pigs so shooters will always have the basics in an easily operable and accessible format no matter what other devices their mission profile calls for.
Army “Eeny, meeny, miny, moe’s” 1000 Helmet Lights
August 26th, 2009 | Contracts Quick Post | Posted by Rob Curtis
Looks like someone couldn’t make up their mind on this one. The US Army Contracting Agency just bought 500 Surefire Helmet Lights and 500 Energizer Hard Case Tactical Helmet lights from W. S. Darley & Co.
What’s interesting here is that the ACA ignored the helmet light that was ‘approved’ per the Army Family of Flashlights List (AFFL) and split probably $83k between a proven battlefield performer and a promising, but relatively unproven product. Hedging bets or fielding one of each to a battalion for some T&E?
This begs the question, how relevant is the AFFL?
via FedBizOpps
Poseidon Clip Mount Protects Your Beacon/Sanity
August 24th, 2009 | Product Announcement | Posted by Rob Curtis
Keeping your Phoenix beacon attached to your gear is usually a messy combo of 100-mile-an-hour tape and cussing. Trouble is, even after the cussing, it isn’t waterproof and moving it is a pain. The CEJAY Poseidon clip mount solves both problems. Use its clips or some screws to mount it anywhere, body armor, helmet or vehicle. Then, just snap the top open to use the beacon, or turn it upside down to store it unused.
Waterproof to 150 feet thanks to a rubber gasket. It also includes a a snap-on cap that restricts visibility. Price is $16.49 from s-lite.com.
More info at cejayeng.com
Surefire Advertorial about X400 on Youtube
August 7th, 2009 | Off-Duty Product Announcement | Posted by Rob Curtis
Surefire just posted a series of 3 videos on their new X400 rail mounted compact light/laser. I found the second video the most interesting. Check out the how retired LAPD SWAT team veteran Scott Reitz sets up the laser as a secondary sight for close work on his carbine (4:10). And, whoever that pasty Derek McDonald guy is, he’s either a great shot or has a sympathetic sound editor (3:45). Hit the jump for parts 1 and 3 of the video series.
Operator’s Choice #2: Weapon Light
July 27th, 2009 | Cordon & Review | Posted by Rob Curtis
We’ve all heard it; You can’t hit what you can’t see. Sounds catchy, but it’s not true. You can put a lucky round in a fleeting, backlit target before you can accurately identify it. How do you know it’s not a friendly? Better to flood a shadowy recess with a momentary blaze of light to look for bad guys. Superbright rail-mounted LEDs with remote switches allow rapid identification of a target without affecting your weapon grip or readiness.
What they said: “During close-quarters battle, most buildings will have limited visibility inside, even during the day. A white-light illuminator, combined with the proper training, allows the war fighter the ability to maneuver on the enemy and rapidly engage the threats accurately. The white light illuminator should be mounted on a weapon with a pressure pad or momentary type switch allowing the operator to activate the light only when necessary without changing his normal grip on the weapon.”
Operator Favorite: Surefire M600C Scout Light ($425)
The Scout Light is the lightest (3.5 oz) and most compact rail-mount light available in its brightness range. It’s a simple, single-brightness LED light that will light up a target at 150 meters while still providing good peripheral light. It runs on two CR123s for two hours, which is typically a few weeks downrange. Surefire’s modular system of heads and bodies means you can replace the KX2C LED head for an incandescent head if you need white light with the capability to use an IR filter.
Also mentioned: Surefire G2 ($40)
The inexpensive polymer-body light can be weapon-mounted with a separate rail mount and is compatible with many Surefire heads and switches.
8 Headlamp Cordon and Review
June 21st, 2009 | Cordon & Review Photo Recon | Posted by Rob Curtis
Headlamps used to be huge entanglements of wires and specialty batteries that appealed to cave dwellers and miners. Now, small, efficient LEDs make these handsfree lights useful admin tools for everything from reading in your rack to roadside vehicle repairs.
Weight, balance, runtime, battery availability and beam shape and color are all points to consider when choosing your headlamp. From bargain bin to top shelf, here’s sample of 8 contenders that you should have on the top of your list.
Hit the jump for reviews with lots of photos of each light with beamshots.