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I'm looking for a solid rifle light. I'm really looking for durability above everything. 

I'm stuck between the cloud defensive rein 3 and a surefire. 

It'll go on my shtf rifle. 

Price isn't a huge issue but I'm big in value for performance.

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I am a big believer in WML on all firearms designated for home/self protection - you can’t shoot what you can’t see.

I started this journey 20 years ago with a SureFire Nitrolon G2 in a barrel clamp mounted at 6:00 under my front sight assembly with “60 blinding lumens of incandescent white light” while attached to a regional SWAT team. That light was state of the art at the time and got a lot of use. Looking back, I don’t know how we got anything done with that little bit of light. As the tech improved, I went for the ride. First a Cree LES 160 lumen replacement head for the G2 - it ate batteries fast and got HOT! Then I went from the Nitrolon to a SureFire M500 handguard with integrated light at 200 lumens, then a SFM900 at 200 lumens with the built in vertical grip (that M900 was HEAVY!). Then 200 lumen SF Scouts, then a 500 lumen SFX300 at 12 o’clock on the pic handguard on my rifle. Then a couple of 600 lumen SF Scouts, a 1000 lumen 3 cell SF Fury handheld in a VTAC mount, then finally where I am now with the mix of Modlight PLHv2 and OKW models, and SF M600DF Scout lights on them with their 1000-2000 lumens and whatever crazy candela rating (which seems to be the new hotness when describing the potential effectiveness of white lights - even SureFire is pushing their candela numbers now). Each iteration was brighter and more effective than the previous.

I have also used lights from Streamlight, Cloud Defense, OLight, Inforce, and some others I can’t remember on my rifles looking for what works best for me. I found them all lacking in some way or another, and usually settles on SureFire as my go to brand, until 3-4 years ago when I tried the Modlight.

The lights we have available to us now are amazing. A literal embarrassment of riches - but they are pricey. IMO the Modlights (both PLHv2 and OKW version) are far and away the best, with the SFM600DF a close second - for my needs. I have not had a chance to play with the new CD REIN 3.0 or the newest iteration of the SF Scout, but I hear good things about both.

Define your needs first.
• What’s your use parameter?
     - Indoor or outdoor?
     - Range gun or defensive use?
     - Average distance for shooting?
• How bright do you actually want it? (I’m a believer in “give me all of the lumens!”)
• Do you want throw or reach?
• Do you want a hotspot in the center or an even distribution?
• Do you want a clearly defined edge/aura or do you want it to “fade out” at the edge?
• Where do you want to mount it?
• What’s your intended “switchology” solution?
Then find the light that best suits them. Then get some training on how to use the light. It’s not as easy or intuitive as you may think.

If you choose from SureFire, Cloud, or Modlight you really can’t go wrong. Streamlight is a good budget option, and works great for a lot of folks. I have had nothing but bad luck with them and have quickly broken every Streamlight I have ever owned (except the TLR7As I have on my G19 and G48).

 

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What’s your use parameter?

     - Indoor or outdoor? Both

     - Range gun or defensive use? Defensive

     - Average distance for shooting? usually under 100 yards

• How bright do you actually want it? (I’m a believer in “give me all of the lumens!”) i want it as bright as possible as well. 

• Do you want throw or reach? Somewhere in between. 

• Do you want a hotspot in the center or an even distribution? Even distribution

• Do you want a clearly defined edge/aura or do you want it to “fade out” at the edge? Doesn't matter

• Where do you want to mount it?

I would mount it on the front left by my angled grip

• What’s your intended “switchology” solution? Haven't looked into this. I have no training on it at the moment so I'm learning a new movement regardless. 

Then find the light that best suits them. Then get some training on how to use the light. It’s not as easy or intuitive as you may think.

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First, I do not reccomend pistol lights on carbines. They are designed for pistols - made to take pistol recoil and optimized to light up things at pistol distances.

Second, O-Light is not a brand I would recommend. I tried a few of their lights. They get HOT fast and their batteries degrade quickly. 
 

Third, if you want a laser, buy a laser. If you want a light, buy a light. Dual units are usually crap unless you are spending a hefty sum.

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I have a bunch of OLights.  They do get warm and the batteries don't last long at high lumens.  But they are easily rechargeable and I've never had an issue.  The laser is just a backup and also helps with aligning the RDS.  The Pro R is for long guns and have no issues with with a ton of rounds of 5.56. 

The remote switch is really nice.  Makes it easy to toggle on and off between shots without having to adjust your grip or move your hand.  Just squeeze.  Your sight picture does not change/move.  

I guess for SHTF, they would be less than ideal due to the battery life unless you have a way of charging them.  

 

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On 5/8/2023 at 8:33 PM, High Exposure said:

Modlight PLHv2

/thread 

I went with this. I read a bunch of reviews and it seemed to be perfect for what I'm looking for.  The big selling point was that it seems to be the lightest (not by much). I had spinal surgery so every oz counts.  

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On 5/9/2023 at 6:18 PM, High Exposure said:

First, I do not reccomend pistol lights on carbines. They are designed for pistols - made to take pistol recoil and optimized to light up things at pistol distances.

Second, O-Light is not a brand I would recommend. I tried a few of their lights. They get HOT fast and their batteries degrade quickly. 
 

Third, if you want a laser, buy a laser. If you want a light, buy a light. Dual units are usually crap unless you are spending a hefty sum.

i hadn't thought about the recoil aspect. i've got a tlr1hl set up on one of my rifles. i figured it could handle it due to the fact they sell them with long gun mounting kits. i've also got a pair of olights. i think i bought them from you? i have the rifle light set up on my shtf gun, and i use the pistol light on my carry g19. it's small, and i feel like it's a better fit on that pistol than most of the surefires or streamlights. those things are huge on a g19....the olight pl mini is perfect. i like the olights. the rifle light gets hot FAST. even on low. i haven't noticed that on the pistol light. i like them. i do tend to levitate to streamlight possibly partly because i've used them in the shop for 30+ years.

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