Originally Posted by
grizzman
I'm a big fan of the AVS head with spot optic, and have several of them. I don't consider them fully appropriate for an all purpose weapon mounted light when used indoors or outdoors at close range. The central spot is very well focused, thanks to the large optic diameter. The next outer area of light is fairly large and usefully bright, but the outer spill is are quite subdued. Your spill > throw doesn't jive with the AVS with spot optic. The flood optic is a whole other animal and matches more closely to your needs. My HD nightstand light is a Charlie with flood optic, and it lights up a room supremely well. Unlike dedicated flood only lights, the Elzetta optic is entirely useful outdoors to 30 plus yards. You won't overpower someone's eyes at that distance, but you will see the target very well, and what's on each side to a very useful degree.
Compared to the Elzetta, the M300 is truly petite and weighs nothing comparatively. The M600 with standard head is still considerably smaller and much lighter. Thety use a TIR optic to focus the photons into a small and intense spot. I don't know how bright the spill is, but I doubt it would be bright enough to suit you.
Another brand to consider is Malkoff Devices. The Arisaka Scout lights use Malkoff E1 and E2 series heads, and Malkoff durability is fully equal to that of Elzetta. Malkoff's Scout heads with optics are tightly focused, just like the M600 and KE2-A head. Malkoff also has the MD series of lights, which have 1" diameter bodies and slightly less than 1.25" heads. The MD2 with M61HOT is unlike all of the above. It's got a well focused central spot, but spill is very bright, much like the AVS with spot optic. This is likely to be the best optic-based option without going all the way to an AVS with flood optic.
I have yet to find a better indoor and close range outdoor small format solution than the Malkoff E1 and E2 reflector-based heads. They use the same emitters and reflectors (designed by Don McLeish) as the highly respected M61 LED module. The E2 and cool white M61 only have 325 lumens, but the spill is very large and bright.....exactly what a person wants indoors. They are E-Series compatible so they will work with Arisaka's Scout bodies, for a less costly Scout-ish solution.
Naturally, the M61 is a valid choice for use in a Surefire 6P host.
I'm personally not convinced that the IntelliBeam is a great idea for indoor weapon mounted usage. Having the output throttled back if I bounce the light off the floor to illuminate a small room is unlikely a desired outcome.
Bookmarks