Rechargeable weapon lights can be super handy. These days you can charge them in your car, home, or on the road without much difficulty.
For most of us, a rechargeable light works well, but the fatal flaw is the fact you can’t just toss an extra battery in and go when the battery dies. This is why you rarely if ever, see rechargeable weapon lights being used by police and military forces.
In those professions, you need to be able to swap batteries and keep going. The new XR 1 and XR 2 lights are a mixture of both a rechargeable system and an easily swappable battery.
The rechargeable battery pops off the light and the user can simply throw another charged battery on the light and rock and roll. This blend of both a rechargeable system and the ability to swap batteries on the fly is an awesome combination.
Obviously the downside is that you have to buy more expensive rechargeable batteries. What’s cool is that you don’t have to remove the light or put your hand in front of the light and gun to swap batteries.
The XR1 is the light-only versions and the XR2 incorporates a laser with the light. Surefire makes some famously awesome weapon lights and the XR series is specifically designed to be compact and lightweight.
These would be great home defense tools and seem to be an awesome new tool from Surefire.
“What’s cool is that you don’t have to remove the light or put your hand in front of the light and gun to swap batteries.”
Is it that big of a deal?
I’m sure any improvement is better, seems a bit thin though.
I think this would be an interesting candidate for wireless charging.
I do not own a pistol light, but I see a lot of professional shooters in open classes adding them for weight to the front of the pistol to reduce muzzle flip. I’m slightly interested in this Surefire.
“I think this would be an interesting candidate for wireless charging.”
That has potential problems.
In general, rechargeable batteries don’t do well being constantly connected to their charger. It can drastically reduce the charge capacity of the rechargeables.
For potential emergency usage (like a light on a bedside handgun), it’s far safer to leave that job for lithium dry batteries with a shelf life of 10 years…
The tech won’t improve if we don’t buy into it. I’m thinking this pistol light on a range gun.
If the charging logic circuit either in the charger or better yet, in the battery, is remotely good it doesn’t “drastically reduce the battery life”. A well designed system is going to result in at least a couple of decades of life if all you are doing is running, say, half a dozen charging cycles (as in full charge/discharge. More if they are partial) through the battery a year.
IMHO, I really like the Olight Mini 2 and its magnetic charger. What would make it even better is an easily replaceable rechargeable battery like this Surefire XR1/2 has, that each battery can charge wirelessly or with a magnetic attached charger. Then the best of both worlds.
Hey, it’s progress, so give them credit for that. My flashlight buying is now 90% rechargeables without having to remove the battery or disassemble the device. If these lights take the mini-whatever charging plug at the end of a USB cable, I’m all for it. Since they apparently will take regular off-the-shelf batteries when recharging is not an option, I’m sold. The bulk looks a bit clunky, esp. for the one with off-center laser, but IMO this is a good start.
That can be problematic for a bedside gun. Rechargeables are notorious for being dead at the moment you need it the most.
Far better for a bedside gun is to use lithium batteries with a 10-year shelf life…
I was very skeptical of my Olight when my son got me one but it’s worked out very well. I these will work out well too.
I think there are situations where battery is better but some lights will operate on both.
Those prices are insane!! Id never pay that kind of money for a fancy flashlight.
Does the light have a radar system guaranteed to hit your target dead center. Self firing with you doing nothing but holding the gun?? Even if it did Id still never buy one.
A fine solution for a problem that never existed.