There are a handful of weapon mounted lights on the market that are suitable for 12 o’clock mounting but there really aren’t any that I can think of that were designed from the ground up to be positioned on the 12 o’clock rail… until now. The ROSCH Works SL1 Sight Light is built specifically this application and it has a lot of features that are worth getting excited about.
This light has an impressive pedigree. It was designed by ROSCH Works in collaboration with Gene Malkoff. You may already know Gene Malkoff as a legend in the flashlight industry. He builds ultra-rugged, dependable flashlights and components. ROSCH Works has been formed from the ashes of Next Generation Arms, the creator of the innovative X7 carbine. The X7 was a showcase of innovative metal treatments and design that, for whatever reason, never really took off. With this type of pedigree, it should come as no surprise that this light has some impressive features.
The SL1 combines a front sight tower with a flashlight to save rail space and weight. How much weight does it save? Well, the SL1 weighs only 3.2 ounces (including that battery). The lightest weight weapon mounted light that I know of weighs 3 ounces on its own before the addition of a front sight. You will basically save the entire weight of a front sight and probably more if you are currently using a heavier light.
It utilizes an impressive array of materials and treatments. The steel parts are nitrocarburized which nearly eliminates the possibility of rust. The aluminum parts are machined from 7075 T6 aluminum, hard anodized, and then CeraKoted.
The head was co-developed with Gene Malkoff. It puts out an impressive 250+ lumens (Gene is notorious for under-promising and over-delivering, so I suspect that “+” is good for quite a few extra lumens) for 50 minutes with a long tail of diminishing light from just 1 CR123A battery (included). It is compatible with the Malkoff line of lights which means that the SL1 is modular enough to grow with the LED technology as it advances. You can replace the head, rather than replacing the entire light.
The twisty style tailcap offers momentary illumination by applying pressure on the switch and constant by rotating it. I am hoping they offer a clicky switch later.
This light looks downright impressive on paper. It will be available sometime this month. Check out ROSCH Works. Look for more information about the SL1 coming soon from Mike Pannone.
You can also check out my previous article on 12 O’Clock Mounted Lights for more background on the concept.
At first look, I rolled my eyes. It kind of looks a little gimicky, but the more I think about it, the more it makes sense. Like you said the pedigree of the manufacturers and the methods of construction make this something I’ll be thinking about in the future. If they’re cerakoting it, any word if other colors will be an option in the future?
Bob,
I suspect that there will be colors offered. It is just too easy to do if they are already using CeraKote.
I have used Surefire Scout lights mounted in this position and I can tell you that there are advantages to a tail cap switch in this position. The biggest is that it is far less prone to accidental activation than a rocker switch.
They have my attention.
Have they said anything about price? I didn’t see it on the web site.
I dig the idea for my light weight build.
No word on pricing yet. I am working to get in touch. If the price is right, I will be all over one of these.
Matt,
When you reach out to them, can you find out if the sight height will be normal to interface with traditional BUIS rears like Troy, Magpul, KAC, etc?
I would assume they would make them compatible, but that’s something that would be good to know ahead of time.
The front sight is the standard height. No worries there.
This is ingenious! One of those items where you look at it and wonder why it took this long for someone to come up with it. So simple and practical. Double plus good.
As an owner of quite a few of Gene’s products over the years his name associated with the product carries a lot of weight. Outstanding products. I like the concept.
I e-mailed them direct. FDE cerakote will be a future option, but they are formulating the FDE anodizing to go underneath it. That’s serious attention to detail there. I will be on stand-by for pricing and FDE.