Frag Out! Magazine
Issue link: https://fragout.uberflip.com/i/713424
light module with reflector was replaced with a new one (and probably a stronger one, but maybe that is thanks to the corrugated, bubble-like shape of the reflector). The same situation was with the closing flap and the switch. The old one was mounted in such a way, that if fell off easily after being opened. The new one doesn't have such a defect. Summing up: in both cases, despite some problems, distributors/manufac- turers reacted in a professional way and solved the issues perfectly. CONCLUSION The flashlights I mentioned in this article are, of course, only a small part of what is available in the global market. My personal ranking has no winners because there's no flashlight that could be used in any situation. Or maybe I haven't just found the cor- rect one yet. When it comes to EDC application, the winner is Inforce APL, mainly thanks to the switch that is far better than in the case of all the other flash- lights. I am an enthusiast of the KISS idea, so the solu- tion used in Olight is slightly too complicated for my taste, especially if we talk about using a weapon un- der life threatening situation (maybe, one day, I will find it out myself ) What is more, the flashlight is small and has neat line, no matter whether it is mounted on a Glock 17 or SFP9. It seems as if it was an integral part of the weapon – no fixing elements protrude from the weapon, everything is smooth and fits per- fectly. The fact that I chose the APL flashlight does not mean that it has no defects – I think that some features need improvements. If I were to suggest something, I would, for example, propose increas- ing power and replacing the lens. Those two issues are strongly related to each other: when shooting, the glass gets dirty, sooted by exhaust gases. Dirty glass limits the power of provided light and it reveals the shortage of lacking 50-100 lumens in compari- son to the competitive products. The second issue concerns the fact that it is difficult to clean the glass, at least more difficult than in the case of SF300 or TLR1. Maybe it is a matter of material or surface, but you need some effort to make it perfectly transpar- ent. An ideal feature would be the option to auto- matically switch off the flashlight after the battery power level drops to a certain value. Currently, the decrease of battery power causes the power of light slowly decrease. One also has to remember to fre- quently change batteries. When it comes to combat/military use, I would ulti- mately choose Surefire X300 Ultra – due to its solid construction and almost blinding power. It is a real workhorse that is able to operate without any prob- lems or faults even after shooting several thousand of bullets with the flashlight attached on the weap- on. X300 has none of the disadvantages I mentioned in the case of APL. The power is even more than suf- ficient, the lens is high quality and it can be easily cleaned. As for the power – after shooting several hundred of bullets and almost black deposit on the lens, the power of provided light is still sufficient. The only defect (or inconvenience) is the temporary daz- zling of the shooter that sometimes occurs in very narrow spaces and with white walls. For an experi- enced user, however, that is just a minor nuisance. I hope that this test of mine will help you choose a flashlight for your weapon and you won't need to buy everything that is available in the market to test it by yourselves. ACCESSORIES