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.
