The illusive CD O.W.L. (1 of 2) finally arrived!

[Canonshooter]

Which battery do you prefer in your single-cell setup?

I've had good luck with this one - https://www.orbtronic.com/cr123a-163...tronic-battery

[Canonshooter]

It'll be an Eagletac S200C2vn (heavily modified by a CandlePower Forum member).

https://skylumen.com/products/s200c2vn-need-spec

FWIW, I'd feel much more confident with a Malkoff mounted on my rifle than an over-driven Chi-com light. No doubt Vin is talented at modifying these lights to push the performance envelope (at the expense of durability & reliability?), but his rifle-handling skills and "tactical acumen" are cringe-worthy (3:25 in the video below);




Fun stuff for a hobby light, but for serious use I'll pass.

Just my 2-cents....

[boomer223]

https://skylumen.com/products/s200c2vn-need-spec

FWIW, I'd feel much more confident with a Malkoff mounted on my rifle than an over-driven Chi-com light. No doubt Vin is talented at modifying these lights to push the performance envelope (at the expense of durability & reliability?), but his rifle-handling skills and "tactical acumen" are cringe-worthy (3:25 in the video below);

Hey, as long as it "feels very tactical", what else really matters?

[0uTkAsT]

I've had good luck with this one - https://www.orbtronic.com/cr123a-163...tronic-battery

Orbtronic is good to go. Some of their cells are available on Amazon for less also.

[Adrenaline_6]

https://skylumen.com/products/s200c2vn-need-spec

FWIW, I'd feel much more confident with a Malkoff mounted on my rifle than an over-driven Chi-com light. No doubt Vin is talented at modifying these lights to push the performance envelope (at the expense of durability & reliability?), but his rifle-handling skills and "tactical acumen" are cringe-worthy (3:25 in the video below);




Fun stuff for a hobby light, but for serious use I'll pass.

Just my 2-cents....

He not only pushes the performance envelope, he also makes them more durable.

He bonds the LED's to copper for better heat dissipation, He also hand picks the LED's for best tint. That particular light is reinforced for rifle use. Sure he might not know rifle-handling or tactical acumen, but he does know lights and how to get the most out of them...and that is what you are paying for not anything else. Many of the people that buy his lights are more critical of a light than you will ever be because it is their hobby and some of them own a crapload of them, including Surefire's, yet they buy his lights all day every day.

You shouldn't automatically dismiss a light (or anything else for that matter) because it is made in China. Very ignorant imho. Americans felt the same way about Japanese cars once. Then poof...it was the US cars that were crap and the very attitude that put "US made" cars as superior, made that industry stagnant and fell behind to the point of...well...look at Detroit now.

Put it this way, that modded light will put any of the aforementioned +$400 light setups to shame. It won't even be close.

*edit* To the OP, I am not downplaying your new WML. I think it is cool piece of kit. Very well built and thought out. Please keep us up to date as you spend more time with it.

[grizzman]

As long as the output doesn't immediately step down to a significantly lower level, how the output declines isn't really important. I've got lights that exhibit a smooth taper, others that reduce in steps, and a couple that let me decide how it operates. It doesn't matter to me, but it may matter to others reading this thread....the reason I asked.

For these that can tolerate the weight and the UI, it's likely a very solid option. I'm quite interested in what he O.W.L. version 2.0 is like.


I certainly have no aspirations to "needing" to illuminate something at 300 yards before shooting it. The list of US made lights capable of 200,000+ cd, while comfortably being weapon mounted is...well....I don't know of any. The light will not live on a rifle, but I'll certainly put it on a 308 AR for numerous range trips to ensure it'll tolerate the recoil.

As Adrelanine stated, after he's done with a light, it's more Vinhese than Chinese.

[Whitenightvision]

Wow. Justvtoo heavy for me.

[Canonshooter]

Though I only have a tiny fraction of the low light shooting experience of some other members of this forum, based on my research, experimentation and low light training experiences (Sig Academy), I feel comfortable making the following observations;

A simple, intuitive UI is mandatory. For lights using tailcap activation, the SF twisty-style seems ideal. I used a standard clicky tailcap in training and there were a few occasions I inadvertently pushed too far and clicked the switch on without realizing it. When you let go of the button and the light stays on, it's not good.

Any light that can be set to different output levels (regardless of the method of changing mode) ends up so in the stress of a training class (much more so I'll assume in an actual armed confrontation). I've seen it happen first-hand where lights end up in Nordic SOS mode, Disco Flash or some other ridiculous gimmick mode that Asian-made lights seem plagued with. There's a reason top-tier WMLs are single output only.

A useable beam pattern with a good mix of center hot-spot and spill. For handguns a lower ratio of lux-to-lumens, for rifles a higher ratio - but never a pencil beam. The 1,000 lumens/29,000 lux ratio of the HD 18650 seems just right for two-eyes-open use with the 2.2X optic on my rifle.

Unquestionable "bomb-proof" construction. The simple reality is that there are brands that have developed the reputation for being such through decades of LE and MIL use (Surefire, Malkoff, etc.) - but the vast majority of others have never been vetted to that same level.

FWIW, a slightly modified Malkoff HD 18650 seems ideal for my use. I'm currently using mine with the high-low switch removed (high only, head cranked down tight on body) and a SF twisty tailcap (press for momentary, twist for constant on or lock-out). The Vltor QD mount allows me to attach/detach as needed and the light is still excellent for hand-held use.

Again, just my 2-cents....

[jpmuscle]

I feel like I just watched an infomercial


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[0uTkAsT]

Wow. Justvtoo heavy for me.

Agreed, it weighs 2-3 times what my Surefire and Streamlight scout light setups with remote switches and mounts weigh. Weight at the end of the gun isn't a good thing, especially in conjunction with a suppressor, etc.

By design, it doesn't look like it would play nicely with laser illuminators and possibly some BUIS either.