Full size weapon lights are used by professionals and concealed carry citizens everywhere. These lights are reputed to have high output, be reliable, and though they’re a little larger, are well suited to daily field use. Recognizing this, manufacturers such as Surefire, Streamlight, Nightstick, Olight, and Inforce have produced lights to meet the demands of users across the law enforcement and civilian market.
However, do we fully understand which of these lights might be most well suited to our use? Let’s examine leading products from these manufacturers to determine which is the king of the full-size pistol mounted lights. Our practical tests include scanning a garage, light output & definition of a subject in the dark, plus the light’s ability to punch through an opposing light. Our lab tests include max output, output over time, max candela, candela at 5-degree angle increments, and light color & spectrum.
The Contenders
We chose 5 lights from different manufacturers, including some of the most popular full size weapon lights on the market. The two kings of this market were selected, the Surefire X300U-B, as well as the Streamlight TLR-1HL, due to their popularity and professional reputation. A popular light in recent years has been the Olight PL-Pro, which is unique in this set of lights by providing USB magnetic recharging. Also included are two names that aren’t as well known, the Inforce Wild 2, and the Nightstick TWM-850XL, which looks a lot like a TLR-1.
| Spec Item | Surefire X300U-B | Streamlight TLR-1HL | Olight PL-Pro | Inforce Wild 2 | Nighstick TWM-850XL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Max Output (Lumens) | 1000 | 1000 | 1500 | 1000 | 850 |
| Runtime | 1.25 Hours | 1.5 Hours | 1.5 Minutes (1500), 45 Minutes (600) | 1.5 Hours | 1.75 Hours |
| Max Candela | 11,300 | 20,000 | 19,600 | 25,000 | 15,000 |
| Battery | 2x CR123A | 2x CR123A | Built-in 900mAh, Magnetic Rechargable | 2x CR123A | 2x CR123A |
| Activation | Ambi Push/Toggle Lever | Ambi Throw Lever | Ambi Forward/Side Switch | Ambi Side Switch | Ambi Toggle |
| Weight | 4.1 oz | 4.32 oz | 3.25 oz | 4.7 oz | 5.4 oz |
| Street Price (June 2021) (OpticsPlanet or Direct) | $296.00 | $141.99 | $139.95 | $179.99 | $106.99 |
On the bench, each of these lights have their merits.
Surefire X300U-B: I prefer the “B” version, with the more positive lock on the pistol rail. This light has good switches, and I like the “push forward” momentary on capability.
Practical Test: Garage
We tested in our garage, looking to see which light provides the highest level of detail and contrast.
All the lights performed satisfactory. Of note is the Olight, which seems to provide the highest level of definition, and a wide flood. The hotspot on the Inforce seems about as hot as the Olight, but a lot smaller. Also notable is that the Inforce and Nightstick both don’t provide enough flood to clearly make out the objects toward the right of the hotspot, in the rear of the garage.
Shining to the rear of the garage, you can more clearly see how the PL-Pro output is significantly brighter than the others, not only in the center, but also at the flood area; the PL-Pro allows us to see all the way to the edges of the garage door opening. These pictures also show the big difference in light color.
Practical Test: Dark Room
With our test subject at 40 feet holding a knife, we used each light on the subject to determine what could be seen. The X300U-B had good light on the subject, plus the best flood, allowing us to see across the area quite well. The TLR-1HL focsed in on the subject quite a bit more, but still provided adequate flood. The PL-Pro had good light on the subject with a slightly wider & warmer hotspot than the Streamlight. The Wild 2 had the most intense hotspot, but this was at the cost of seeing less periphery. Finally, the TWM-850XL compared closest to the Inforce, but had a slightly wider and less intense hotspot. At this distance, all lights seemed to do their job, but each did so with slightly different hotspot & flood patterns. See the images below for a comparison and see which you prefer.
As you can see in the next picture, our subject’s face and hands were visible at 40 feet with each of these lights. I think the details of the hands and face are a little clearer in with the TLR-1HL, PL-Pro, and Wild 2. Also note that our subject is grimacing more in some images, which we will discuss shortly.
Practical Test: Opposing Light
Our subject also used his Modlite, pointing at the flashlight operator.
A couple areas to notice on this test include both the definition of the subject’s face, and the amount of definition in the environment. To my eye, the subject’s face is better defined with the PL-Pro and the Wild 2. For the surroundings, the X300U-B appears to be the strongest.
Practical Test: Effect on Subject
This testing was part of the dark room testing, but it’s important enough to call it out on its own. When shining each flashlight at our test subject, he rated the lights in terms of difficulty to look at. This test was at 40 feet. These lights each were bright enough to not see the light operator, but each light had a different observed intensity. Obviously, if you’re the operator, you’re looking for a “wall of light” effect, where the person you’re shining your light at only knows your general direction, but is unable to determine your exact location or what your hands are doing.
Here is our scale:
| Light Classification | How this Presents to Subject |
|---|---|
| Painful light | Subject sees a wall of light, but also wants to cover his eyes, turn away, or will be in pain if looking toward the light. |
| Wall of light | Subject is not in pain, but only sees light coming from a general direction, and cannot see the light operator |
| Spotlight | Subject can see the light source, but cannot make out any part of the light operator |
| Strong light | Subject can see the light source and the outline of the light operator |
| Weak light | Subject can see the light source, the light operator outline, and some of the operator’s details such as facial expression or items in hand |
With our scale in mind, here is the ranking of the lights, from most difficult to see through to the least difficult.
| Light | Classification | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| TLR-1HL | Painful light | Subject wanted to look away |
| Wild 2 | Painful light | Subject wanted to look away. Also note that this is the most “cool” light, and that may have had an effect on subject difficulty |
| X300 | Wall of light | |
| PL-Pro | Spotlight | |
| TCM-850XL | Spotlight |
Again, all lights were strong enough so that the subject could not make out the operator. This is a significant improvement versus many of the compact lights on the market, and may itself be a reason to run a full size light, even if it’s on a compact pistol.
Bench: Switches
Switches are the main way the operator interacts with a light. Switches our are interface to control when the light comes on, and when it turns off. Most lights, these 5 included, have two main modes of switching: momentary and constant.
Momentary mode is one where the switch is pressed, the light turns on, and then when you let off the switch, the light turns off. This mode is typically used rapidly to gain required information, but not so long as to give away the operator’s exact position. These type of switches often use a predefined motion, or require a certain amount of time on on a switch to activate.
Constant mode is one where the light is toggled on, then requires another motion or switch activation to turn the light off. Again, this is typically a particular motion or a quick press & release of the light switch. The constant mode is often used when the operator is not as concerned about allowing others to pinpoint his or her position.
The X-300U has paddles mounted on both sides at the rear of the light. A “press forward” activates momentary mode. The X-300U’s constant mode is activated by turning the switch paddles clockwise or counter-clockwise, where they’ll stay until the operator rotates them back. By having the same controls operate in very different manners, it’s easy to keep the modes separated. Momentary is typically a press forward with the thumb. Constant is often press down (or up) with the thumb. Momentary activation of this light is excellent. The operator can activate for as short as long as desired. The constant activation of the switches is a bit stiff and sticky, making constant mode on or off a bit more difficult than it should be. On the positive side, the “either direction” paddles do allow the user to choose which direction they are more comfortable with.
The TLR-1HL also has paddles mounted on both sides to the rear, also allowing ambidextrous use. However, they’re different from the Surefire in that the paddles are actually connected to each other with the center of the rotation the center of the rear of the light. Momentary is activated by rotating counter-clockwise (operator’s view), and constant is by rotating clockwise. This means that momentary activation is a press down for the reaction side finger, or a press up for the strong side. Constant is the opposite direction. Momentary activation is excellent on the TLR-1HL, able to be switched on for as short a time as desired, and our test team is able to use momentary while firing without flickering as a result of the finger coming off the switch. Constant activation can also easily be made. The Streamlight switches are smooth, definitely the smoothest of the rotation style switches in this test set.
The PL-Pro, on the other hand, has ambidextrous rear side switches that press inward. These switches are identical in function; if you press and hold down for at least a half second, then they operate in momentary mode. If you activate with less than the “gate” time, then they act in constant mode, with a quick press turning them on, then the next press turns them off. This style of switch is fairly easy to activate in a constant mode, but some folks prefer the very quick momentary bursts of light, and this product is not well suited to that. Note that both strobe and lockout modes are also available. The switches feel high quality, and activation is not an issue.
The Wild 2 also uses rear side “press in” side switches. The Wild 2 also adds a strobe mode. Otherwise, it activates much like the Olight. These switches also feel high quality. THe momentary gate feels very similar between the two as well, requiring perhaps a half second press to activate the momentary mode.
The TWM-850XL feels like the TLR-1HL, but maintains a consistent direction between left and right side activation. Down is momentary, and up is constant. If the XLS model, then a double tap down will activate strobe.
Here are how two of us ranked the switches in terms of our preference:
| Rank | Tester #1 | Tester #2 | Tester #3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Streamlight TLR-1 HL: Momentary is easy to use, even under fire. Switches are smooth. Big lever is easy to hit for constant. | Streamlight TLR-1HL: Most straightforward momentary. Same rotation regardless of which hand. Constant is easiest. Can use momentary more often because it’s the easiest. | Streamlight TLR-1HL: Momentary switch allows solid grip. |
| 2 | Nighstick TWM-850XL: Like that both switches are consistent in direction, and that the paddles are large. Momentary seems stiff, not smooth like the Streamlight. | Nightstick TWM-850XL: Momentary and constant feel good. | Nightstick TWM-850XL: Similar to the TLR-1HL |
| 3 | Surefire X300U-B: Momentary forward is cool, but uncomfortable under fire. Switches are reasonably positive, but a bit stiff. | Surefire X300U-B: Momentary press forward is not ideal. | Olight PL-Pro: Best of the side action switches because it’s smooth |
| 4 | Inforce Wild 2: Switches are positive. Not a huge fan of side switches that press in. | Olight PL-Pro: Con for pushing the button to the side, which can disrupt aiming during momentary. | Inforce Wild 2: Is smooth, but has sharp corners on the rear edge, and not as nice to touch as Olight. |
| 5 | Olight PL-Pro: Switches are positive, but not as crisp as the Inforce. Again, not a huge fan of side switches. | Inforce Wild 2: Good momentary gate; very short. | Surefire X300U-B: Momentary activation presses on a point with a fairly heavy action. |
Bench: Batteries
Four of these pistols use 2x CR123A batteries, and all have various methods of installing.
The Surefire, Streamlight, and the Inforce allow tool-less battery changes. We prefer this style because it allows easy changing in the field. The Nighstick requires a Phillips or slotted screwdriver, which may be common, but it isn’t as ideal is not requiring any tool.
The Olight uses their signature magnetic charging pendants. This allows you to charge your battery while the light is on the pistol. Some people prefer batteries, which are easily found and easily changed if they run out — keeping the weapon light up and running for longer periods. Other people may prefer the lower cost of a rechargeable light. We are not testing how many cycles the battery can handle before it won’t maintain a charge, but we recognize that it’s possible (likely) that there will be a day in which the Olight will no longer hold a charge.
Lab Test: Max Lumens
Our test for max lumens and lumens over time is the same. Utilizing new Panasonic batteries, we put the light into an integrating sphere with a custom-produced adapter. We start recording output on our light meter, and turn on the light. We will typically run the light until it has reached 10% or less of its advertised lumen rating. To determine the maximum, we select the value that is the highest, which is almost always the first full reading. We will compare versus the spec, and determine if the manufacturer overstated the maximum lumens or not.
| Lumens | X-300U | TLR-1HL | PL_Pro | Wild 2 | TWM-850XL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spec | 1000 | 1000 | 1500 | 1000 | 850 |
| Measured Max | 1395 | 1265 | 1912 | 1029 | 943.1 |
| Percent of Spec | 139.50% | 126.50% | 127.47% | 102.90% | 110.95% |
| Minutes of Spec Output | 1.67 | 3.33 | 1.08 | 0.08 | 4.00 |
From here we can see that the Surefire lives up to it’s reputation of having a higher output than called out on the spec sheet — by almost a whopping 40%. We can also see that the Wild 2 only barely exceeds the advertised output. It’s also interesting to note that the Olight is the winner of the overall highest output at 1912 lumens; it’s a super bright light. Looking at minutes at or above the spec output, we see that none of these lights provides its advertised output for more than 4 minutes. This fact may be important for those who need to clear larger areas or want to have the ability to maintain a high output.
Longest Time At or Above Specified Lumens: Nightstick TWM-850XL
Lab Test: Runtime
Manufacturers will tell us runtime, but don’t include information on how they measure it in their spec sheets. All lights come on strong, then start to dim. We want to know how long the light will last. Our measurement determines how long the light can provide 10% or greater of its spec sheet lumens. For instance, if the spec sheet says 1,000 lumens, then we see how long the light will provide 100 lumens or more. This criteria should tell us how long we get useful output from our lights. Runtime may be important for those times when you need to clear a larger area or hold a person of interest.
| Runtime | X-300U | TLR-1HL | PL-Pro | Wild 2 | TWM-850XL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spec Lumen Output | 1000 | 1000 | 1500 | 1000 | 850 |
| 10% of Spec Lumen Output | 100 | 100 | 150 | 100 | 85 |
| Runtime (Minutes) (Minutes at or above 10% of spec sheet output) | 80.00 | 93.33 | 40.42 | 72.33 | 106.83 |
Three lights tested to meet or exceed their manufacturer’s specification for runtime: The X-300U, TLR-1HL, and the TWM-850XL. Obviously, the Nightstick has the longest runtime, but it also has the lowest output spec, making this test easier.
The PL-Pro should have at least 600 lumens for 46.5 minutes (45 minutes at 600, 1.5 minutes at 1500). However, it doesn’t make it to 25 minutes total runtime total before dropping down to 345 lumens. This isn’t necessarily bad in itself, but it’s nowhere near the light’s spec. This is also a good time to note that this is the second PL-Pro we tested; the first light we tested (brand new out of the box ordered direct from Olight) maxed out at 373 lumens. Yes, we know that Olight has a lockout to a lower output mode, and yes we know how to change modes. This light would never get out of the low output mode. This one fact issue us question Olight’s quality control.
The Wild 2 advertises 90 minutes of runtime. We got less than half that. Ours turned off at almost exactly 90 minutes providing 43 lumens before doing so. Perhaps Inforce defines runtime as putting out any amount of light?
Lab Test: Lumen Data Over Time
Although the max lumen and runtime data tell much of the story, we get a little more information from this chart. Note that the lumen leader — the PL-Pro — only maintains its lead for the first minute. After a minute, the X-300U leads at 1320 lumens. But the X300U is also falling fast. After 1.5 minutes, the TLR-1 leads with 1138 lumens. The TLR-1 stays in the lead between 1.5 minutes and 5.5 minutes, where it drops below the X300U again. For consistent, long-running, high output, the X300U leads, with the TLR-1HL a bit behind.
One item not shown here, and not tested explicitly, was heat. We noticed that during our testing, the Wild 2 got hot — hot enough to significantly deform the adapter we use to mate the light to our integrating sphere. We didn’t notice that level of heat with our other lights; we may need to measure temperature of the lights in the future.
Lab Test: Max Candela, Candela Hotspot & Flood
Here is our max candela data:
And our charts for hotspot and flood:
What do these charts tell us?
The first one tells us how well the lights do at the maximum brightness area — the center. It shows how close our readings are to the manufacturer’s spec sheet, and how close each one is to each other. If you want maximum throw, or maximum brightness in your opponent’s eyes, then this is the reading to watch.
The second chart is a way to visualize how the brightness falls off as you get further from the center of the light. We measure at every 5 degrees using a specifically built gonimeter and specifically built light mounts.
The first thing to note is that our equipment measured between 20% and 44% less than the manufacturer’s spec sheets. Our equipment is new and calibrated, so perhaps there is something we don’t understand about measuring candela, or our equipment is improperly calibrated, or the manufacturers consistently overrate their products. Regardless, these numbers are comparable to each other, allowing you to get a quantifiable relative feel for where these lights stand.
We were not overly surprised that the Wild 2 performed so well here. Inforce apparently chose to make a very bright hotspot. That does come at the expense of the flood part of the beam. Look at the garage pictures up top; you can see great definition within the tight hotspot, but the hotspot is narrower, and the flood has less intensity than many of the other beams, underperforming many of the other lights at 10+ degrees off of center.
The light that performed well for flood was the X300U-B. We like how this light does a good job of putting light intensity into a larger area, which is great for broader information gathering. We have been told that recent X300s should have a brighter hotspot, but that is not what we found with our test sample.
Lab Test: Wavelength Analysis
We test wavelength because warmer lights tend to show a little more contrast, allowing the eye to pick up green and red tones better. This means that when the spectrum is shifted to the right, we tend to prefer the light. We also know that warmer lights tend to punch through environmental conditions (fog, smoke, rain, snow) a little better; the analogy is that good fog lights tend to have a warmer tint. To measure color, we use a spectrometer and our integrating sphere, then we normalize the output to allow the graphs to be compared relative to each other.
In terms of warmth, the Olight PL-Pro came out on top. This is shown in the graph above, with the smallest peak on the left side, and having the right side spectrum shifted a little more to the right than the others. We could also visually confirm the warmth of the Olight. The Wild 2 and TWM-850XL were toward the cool end of the spectrum, and though the Nightstick was definitely cooler in the spectrometer, to the eye, the Inforce appeared cooler. Similarly, while the X300U has a higher bump in the cooler end versus the TLR-1HL, to the eye it was warmer. Out of these lights, our favorites were the X300U-B, and the TLR-1HL.
Our temperature measurements seem to confirm the results we saw. For reference, 5500k/5600k is considered neutral daylight, with measurements over those values looking more cool, and under 5500k looking more warm. Our two warm lights are the PL-Pro and the X300U-B.
| Light | Temperature | Color Cast |
|---|---|---|
| Surefire X300U-B | 4980k | Warm |
| Streamlight TLR-1HL | 5830k | Cool |
| Olight PL-Pro | 4480k | Warm |
| Inforce Wild 2 | 6460k | Cool |
| Nightstick TWM-850XL | 6370k | Cool |
Reliability
We must address reliability before closing. We did not test these lights for parasitic drain issues, water tolerance, recoil, vibration, heat output, or a myriad of other potential tests. All those vectors are important. We don’t want the reader to geek out on candela, lumens, and runtime without understanding that the best specs don’t matter if the light doesn’t work when you need it. Look for us to perform more testing in the future, but for now understand that the testing here is not complete.
Conclusions
Our testers prefer the Streamlight TLR-1HL. The combination of a light beam that is uncomfortable for our target, great switches, and the stamina to deliver over 1.5 hours of illumination. And the light is half the cost of the Surefire. We would like the light to be a little warmer, but otherwise, it’s one of the better lights on the market. Beyond that, each of the lights have their merits. The Surefire has a huge professional following, and it’s well-deserved; the color of the light, the output, and the flood beam are excellent. We like that Olight engineered huge output without creating a light that is on the cooler end of the spectrum. The Inforce feels great with that fully machined body and has a super bright hotspot. The Nighstick is the cheapest of the bunch and does have a good, consistent runtime. It’s up to you to decide what you’ll run.
Did we miss something? Do you disagree? Comment below!
