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Cloud Defensive Optimized Weapon Light – Now Even More Optimized

By on June 1, 2018 in Flashlights

Cloud Defensive continues to improve their Optimized Weapon Light (OWL). They have given us a sneak peek of the production version that will be 1.2” shorter and 4 oz lighter than the prototype that has already been shown. It will also be powered by the now ubiquitous and potent 18650 rechargeable battery (with no CR123 battery option). Outputs and runtimes are still being tweaked but you can expect somewhere north of 1400 lumens with very impressive runtimes.

You can read up on the OWL at CloudDefensive.com. Keep in mind that this is a developing project and stats are likely to change (improve).

Review: ThruNite TH20 Headlamp

By on April 30, 2018 in EDC, Flashlights, Reviews

Headlamps have come a long way. Gone are the days when you were limited to lights with a chunky plastic housing with a hinge that will eventually break, multiple batteries, and anemic outputs. Today’s headlamps boast impressive output, useful beam shapes, great runtimes, durable aluminum housings, and extremely compact sizes thanks to the ability to be powered on a single battery.

I’ve owned multiple Zebralight headlamps for a while now and they are easily the best I have used. However, they can also be a little on the spendy side. So, I went looking for something similar but a bit more affordable for my family to use. After sifting through online reviews, I settled on the ThruNite TH20.

Here are some quick stats on the TH20:

 

  • CREE XP-L V6 LED
  • Mode & Runtime (Tested by one Eneloop AA 2450mAh NIMH rechargeable battery):
    -Firefly (0.3 lumens, 14 days）
    -Infinity Low (1.6 lumens, 21 hours）
    -Infinity High (230 lumens, 95 minutes )
    -Turbo (250 lumens, 93 minutes)
  • Batteries Applicable: 1x AA battery, 1x 14500 battery.
  • IPX-8 water resistance
  • 2.7 ounces (without the battery)
  • Aluminum body with hard anodized finish

Why I Like It

There were a number of things that drew me to this headlamp as a backup to my other headlamps. First, the price was right at $30. Second, it runs on a single AA battery and had documented runtimes/ouputs with Eneloop batteries (I don’t use 14500 batteries). Third, the output was more than sufficient for my needs. Finally, it was available with a neutral white LED for better color rendition and depth perception.

I am not the kind of flashlight nerd that dives deep into lumens, candela, and the latest emitters. I am more the flashlight nerd that is always trying to find lights that are the easier to live with than my last light so the ability to power the TH20 with a single AA battery is very important to me for a number of reasons. It makes the light more compact so it fits unobtrusively in a coat pocket and my kids can use it. It also makes it easy to carry spare batteries. Finally, the light is very economical to keep fed with the primary AA batteries and Eneloops that I already have on hand.

My little corner of the world gets dark very early in the winter so this light sees heavy use. A hard anodized aluminum housing means I don’t have to baby the light. A balanced beam shape means it can handle everything from hiking to swapping a bearing on a 74″ snow blower. I even use it when I am on the tractor, blowing snow after dark. Our open cab tractor has no interior lights so the TH20 helps keep the controls and dashboard visible even while it is absolutely soaked and pummeled with blown snow. The abuse it has weathered in this role is impressive.

The band is comfortable and it surprised me with its great quality (cheap headlamps usually have terrible bands). I haven’t noticed any parasitic drain on the battery – it always seems ready to go. The silicone light holder seems durable and is very comfortable against the wearer’s head. There is a lot to like here but it isn’t perfect.

Why It Isn’t Perfect

The switch is easy to operate, even with gloves but it can be a little too easy to operate. I have twice found the light turned on in my pocket from the switch being accidentally touched. Now, I wrap the head band around the light to cover the switch when I put it in a pocket and that seems to help.

Speaking of the switch, there is just one and the user interface controlled by that single switch has a learning curve. If you click once from off, the light comes on at the last level you used. Then you can also press and hold the switch to ramp up and down through the brightness levels. The light blinks at the upper and lower limits of the brightness scale. You just let go of the switch when you are happy with the light level. Finally, you can double click from on to access turbo mode, double click again for SOS mode, or press and hold from off to access a sufficiently dim firefly mode.

I like having the ability to fine tune the light level but it usually takes me a little fiddling with button to get the light right. I would prefer to just have the ramping feature without all the other click options.

Wrap Up

I have found the TH20 to be a great light for the price. It feels more like a tool in its usefulness and construction than most headlamps. It is also very easy to live with thanks to its compact size and common battery.

I have never seen ThruNite lights in a brick and mortar store so I purchased mine on Amazon. I have actually purchased several and given them as gifts.

ThruNite TH20 on Amazon (affiliate link)

 

Cloud Defensive Optimized Weapon Light (OWL)

By on January 23, 2018 in Flashlights, Guns

It is hard to beat a well placed pressure pad for activating a weapon light when it comes to ergonomics and ease of use. However, some shooters just don’t want to deal with the wires that come with them. Cloud Defensive (CD) started with a product that made the wires easy to deal with… Now they are doing away with them completely.

The CD OWL is a proprietary weapon light with plenty of fresh ideas baked in. The OWL features an integral offset mount that also serves as a platform for the tape switch-esque pressure pad activation switch. This gives the shooter tape-switch style activation without the wires.

The light also features a quick attach/detach system for the heads and tailcaps. This allows the OWL to be completely ambidextrous, mission configurable, and able to upgraded as LED emitter technology advances. There will be heads available that are optimized for a wider spill beam and heads available with a tighter hotspot to optimize throw. Eventually, there may also be IR heads for use with night vision equipment.

The OWL is currently being tested for output but it is estimated to be putting around 1400-1600 lumens out the front. The switch provides both momentary and constant on functionality. The tail cap also serves as an installation tool and to remove the lens for replacement if necessary.

The OWL is user-programable with multiple modes of operation:

  • Full power, all the time (momentary and constant-on)
  • Full power for momentary, 60% for constant-on. Roughly 960 lumens at 60%
  • 60% power all the time (momentary and constant-on)

You can read more about the OWL at Cloud Defensive’s pre-order page. The first 500 lights are being sold at a reduced price and are expected to be delivered in July.

New Shotgun Magazine Tube Mounted Light Concept from Holosun

By on January 4, 2018 in Flashlights, Guns

Holosun is testing the waters on a new shotgun weaponlight that mounts in line with the magazine tube. I suspect many shotgun users have dreamed about being able to mount a light on the end of the magazine tube over the years but switching for this light location has always been the fly in the ointment. The activation switch set up for this light has not been revealed at this time.

Holosun.com

IWC and HSP Go M-LOK

By on December 26, 2017 in Flashlights, Guns

Impact Weapons Components and Haley Strategic Partners just dove head first into the deep end of the M-LOK pool with the release of 8 M-LOK compatible hand stops, light mounts, sling mounts, and more. You can view the entire line on IWC’s M-LOK product page and we will highlight a few items below.

The new QD Rotation Limited Sling Mount for M-LOK is likely the lowest profile sling mount IWC has made yet. It has a slick, angular design and weighs in at 1/3rd of an ounce. It, like several of the new M-LOK items from IWC, makes use of a captive screw system that retains the fastener inside of the mount.

IWC’s M-LOK Hand Stops and Barricade Stops are similar to past versions and the new captive screw design allows them to sit extremely close to the rail. The edges of the mount basically melt into the rail.

The flagship of the IWC and HSP collaboration has always been the Thorntail line of light mounts. All of the Thorntail variants are now available for M-LOK and many of them boast new features that are worth checking out. The Thorntail2 M-LOK Light Mount, for instance, features a new mounting system that allows adjustability in the way the Scout compatible light is attached to the cantilever arm. It provides .250″ of adjustment in order to accommodate other accessories like sights and lasers that might otherwise be in the way.

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