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“Estrela” LED Flashlight from Night Reaper Systems

By on April 1, 2014 in EDC, Flashlights

This made my day. You may remember the Gladius flashlight that was first introduced by BLACKHAWK! Products Group. The Gladius had a unique user interface in the form of a rotary switch that made it useful as both a “tactical” light and an general purpose light. It was able to seamlessly move between both functions in a way that I don’t think any light has matched since. I still regret selling mine even though it has long been surpassed in efficiency by more recent LEDs. It was an amazing light.

The developer of the Gladius, former Navy SEAL, Ken J. Good has gone on to design a new light that improves on the great switching system of the Gladius and a leverages newer, more efficient emitter (Cree XM-L2 U2) to pump out a sunburn inducing 1000 lumens.

SONY DSC

The “Estrela” LED Flashlight has the rotary switch that made the Gladius so successful as an all purpose illumination tool. The rotary switch provides a way for the user to quickly change the entire behavior of the light. It has 4 positions: a lockout, 2 tactical modes, and an admin mode. The lockout disables the light for transportation. The tactical modes include a full brightness, momentary only setting and a full brightness, momentary only strobe setting (the Gladius was one of the few lights to be created with a proper “tactical” strobe function). The final position can be used to provide nearly infinite adjustability from 3-1000 lumens of light and has a constant on function.

This light can be powered with 2 CR123A lithium batteries or used with the included Rechargeable 18650 Battery (a wall charger is also included). The Estrela is made from aluminum and features a hard anodized finish. It is manufactured for Night Reaper Systems by ThruNite who are known for their excellent quality lights.

It is great to see the Gladius style user interface back on the market with a more modern emitter! Check out the “Estrela” LED Flashlight from Night Reaper Systems.

ROSCH Works SLM1 Initial Pictures

By on March 29, 2014 in Flashlights, Guns

This is not a review. I have only had the new ROSCH Works SLM1 for a short time so more time will need to be spent with it before a full opinion can be formed. If you have not been following its development, the SLM1 is a weapon light mount with an integrated front sight. It is designed to allow the user to mount lights like the Surefire Fury on the top rail of an extended free-float handguard.

JTT ROSCH Works SLM1 close side

The SLM1 arrived before I could purchase a Surefire Fury to go with it so I used it with an Elzetta ZFL-M60 for a short time. Use of the Elzetta required tape to shim the light since the tolerances are very tight on this mount. It is made to be used with 1″ diameter lights +/- .005″ inch. The Elzetta light is around .95″ in diameter, hence the tape. If this initial size is successful, you will likely see other sizes that will work with other lights.

So far I am impressed, though my round count is very low. The large bezel of the Fury is no concern at all. It is even less noticeable than most pistol style lights mounted in front of a separate front sight. The double cross bolts should make this very secure. The front sight post is slightly slimmer than a standard front sight post which I like.

JTT ROSCH Works SLM1 from back

The pictures on this post are from the JTT Instagram account (@triggerjerk). I should note that this is a pre-production version of the mount so some changes are likely.

These will be available from ROSCH Works soon. Stay tuned for the full review.

JTT ROSCH Works SLM1 wide side

Latest Images and Info on the ROSCH Works SLM1

By on March 26, 2014 in Flashlights, Guns

ROSCH Works released images of the SLM1 pilot production batch and it looks like a winner.

Rosch Works SLM1 Pilot Production 3

The SLM1 is a light mount that incorporates a fixed front sight base. It is designed to be mounted on the top rail of an AR-15’s extended hand guard rail to provide the user with both a fixed front sight and an advantageous 12 o’clock lighting position. It is the first mount of its kind that allows the use of a standard tube bodied tactical light to mounted in this position.

Rosch Works SLM1 Pilot Production 2

I now know additional details including that the body of the mount is made from 7075 T1 aluminum that is hard anodized. The remaining components are black oxide coated 4140 steel. The production versions will ship with the wrenches required to mount and adjust the SLM1.

Some SLM1s from this initial pilot production batch will likely go up for sale later this week. This particular version is designed for use with the Surefire Fury (it may work with other lights). Additional versions for use with other lights may be in the works at a later date. Check out ROSCH Works.

Rosch Works SLM1 Pilot Production 1

MI Tavor Internal Light Mount

By on March 24, 2014 in Flashlights, Guns

Midwest Industries has released their own Internal Light Mount end cap for their IWI Tavor rails. It is designed to hold lights with 1″ diameter tube bodies inside the handguard.

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Interestingly, it can also be used to mount a Surefire Mini Scout Light completely contained within the handguard. MI promises that this will come in handy for a future release.

These will be available soon in both black and FDE. Check out Midwest Industries.

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Manticore Arms ARClight IPSM and Light Ring

By on March 12, 2014 in Flashlights, Guns

Two new accessories from Manticore Arms just took their ARCLight Rail for the IWI Tavor to a whole new level of interesting.

The IPSM or Internal Pressure Switch Mount allows you to mount a flashlight pressure switch INSIDE the ARClight rail so that no wires are exposed. It provides a raised button that protrudes from one of the slots in the rail that is used to activate the light. This is a very elegant and streamlined solution for dealing with the evils of tape switches.

IPSM closeup WEB

The Light Ring bolts into the open, muzzle end of the ARClight rail and serves two purposes. It closes off the end of the rail and it holds a flashlight.

Manticore Light Ring

Think about this for a moment. If you use these two items together, you could mount a bomb-proof light with a quality tape switch like an Elzetta entirely inside of the ARClight rail. Only the bezel of the light and the small activation button would extend outside of the rail. This is one of the most streamlined lighting solutions that I have seen, not just on the Tavor, but on any weapon.

The IPSM is available now from Manticore Arms. The Light Ring will be available soon.

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