When getting into Night Vision gear you quickly learn the accessories also are very important and having a solid mount is a good example of this. Luckily also having the Team Wendy bump helmet it already had a NVG shroud so I was able to pop this Wilcox L4 G24 NVG-Mount right on in.
I've been rocking my old SureFire E1B backup light as a part of my EDC (every day carry) loadout for quite some time, but while wanting to try out using the Thyrm Switchback with it I was sad to see this model was not supported. Since Surefire doesn't make the E1B anymore this made sense design wise on the Switchback and ended up as a good excuse to try out the EB1. (Yes the names are a bit confusingly similar)
Princeton Tec brings an interesting short distance illumination package with the fairly new MPLS (MODULAR PERSONAL LIGHTING SYSTEM). As the name hints, it is more modular than most lights and as a definite bonus is generally low profile and light weight. Rather than having some fancy rotation system on the mount, someone over there was smart enough to just slap an LED on a gooseneck. This lets the operator easily change the pointed direction freely where many helmet lights are stuck in one position or limited to one axis of rotation. A slight down side to the gooseneck is that the pointed direction can be knocked out of place by slings or bumping into one's environment. Fortunately the light won't be knocked off the mount and it is easy to fix the direction right back in place.
Maxpedition offered this set for me to check out and although a little skeptical at first, I thought I'd give them a try to see what else is out there besides Surefire. So far I've been pleasantly surprised as they have held up and functioned quite well. Common Fenix light build features include: Aircraft grade aluminum, Type III hard-anodized finish, Waterproof to IPX-8 standard, and Digitally regulated output.
I snagged one of these fun packs at shotshow to check out. Included in the kit is the Z2 LED with batteries, 3 additional batteries to go in the holster, a hex bar to adjust the holster, and to top it off, a lanyard setup. If you liked the original Z2, the LED version is a pretty rockn' upgrade going from the original 65 lumens for 1 hour battery time to a crazy 80 lumens for 11 hours. Looking at those numbers just want to make you go DAMN! It was on the original Z2, but the syringe grip adds great gripping options when using with pistols and helps make a mean grip when extracting out of the holster.
SPECS:
WEIGHT- 5.6 ounces
DIMENSIONS- 3.35” H x 2.38” L x 1.48” W
MAXIMUM LIGHT OUTPUT- 120 lumens
CONTROL FUNCTIONS- Momentary, Constant-On (3 levels), LED (Red & Blue or Red & Green)
BATTERY RUNTIME: 2 hours (highest setting), 60 hours (lowest setting)
Some may have felt the Liberator was too unconventional, but First Light also brings us the very practical Tomahawk series. The format is similar to the Pentagon MOLLE light, however the Tomahawk is a much more powerful, thus a tactical capable package. The first use intent is to be belt or vest mounted with the metal clip providing solid hands free illumination. Wherever your torso points, the light points. When more precise pointing is needed one can quickly unmount the light and control it with their hand. To expand uses the Tomahawk includes a finger loop that improves grip and is a handy way to get the light briefly out of the way to use full finger control. As a bonus, an additional large finger loop is included good for when wearing gloves or if you are just a beefy dude. Examples of great times to use the loop would be needing to change a magazine, use a pen, type on a keyboard, or grab some dirt-bag trying to run away. The Tomahawk doesn't fully fit in one's fist, but allows a good enough grip while being a heavy duty item to allow it to be a solid attitude adjuster when combined with a punch.
LUMEN OUTPUT: 120 Lumens (at maximum brightness setting)
RUN TIME: ~90 Minutes (Highest Output); 60 Hours (Lowest Output)
WEIGHT: Approximately 7 oz.
DIMENSIONS: 4.9” H x 4.4” L x 1.5” W (in Utility Position)
BATTERIES: CR123 3-Volt Lithium Cells (Two)
MATERIALS: High-Strength Aerospace-Grade Aluminum Alloy and Proprietary Resins
FINISH: Mil-Spec Type III Hard Coat Anodized
WATERPROOF: To 6 feet
I first saw this lil' guy at Shotshow 2008 and ever since I've been wanting one. The original intent was for everyday carry for undercover police officers or as a backup light for those who already carry a big boy flashlight. It is only 4 inches long and uses 1 CR123 battery yet is still able to produce 80 lumens for 1.3 hours or 5 lumens in its low setting for 37 hours. They call the exterior shape "melted" styling which generally means it was created with as few snag points as possible. The body and clip are specifically made to be easy on your clothing, while still having a decent grip. I remembered hearing that the clip was reversible and one could mount the E1B bezel up or down, thus felt stupid when I could not figure out how to do bezel up . After some futile attempts to move the clip, I found out one still uses the clip as is, however they use the slot that the space between the clip and body makes. An example of this can be seen on my hat mounted picture.
SPECS: 3.4" (86 mm) tall, 40 Lumens , 3 Hour Run Time, 1.5 oz. (42 g)
These little guys are a great example of how far flashlight technology has recently come. Not that long ago most service people were using the huge D-battery right angled flashlights. Despite being huge, the light output was pretty crappy. The new Pentagon MOLLE light is about the same size as just the switch area of the classic right angle light and is significantly brighter! Although the MOLLE light isn't as bright as a new fancy tactical light, it uses only 1 of the ever so common AA battery. This makes power supply logistics about as easy and cheap as possible. Hence the name, the size and design of this light are made to fit in MOLLE/PALS loops. This makes it mount very well on modern tactical vest giving hands free functionality. Alternately, the metal clip can be rotated allowing the light to mount on many belts and gear straps. Functionality wise the top button is pressed to momentarily turn on. The button must be pressed fairly hard till it clicks to switch it to constant on. The same effort must be done again to switch back to constant off. Although a little stiff, it is this way so it won't change when brushed up against or while banging into other gear. At the bottom is a filter which can be screwed off the bottom then screwed on the main lens. The black version comes with a blue filter and the tan one comes with a red filter. If you didn't know already, filters are good for low light situations so you don't cancel your natural night vision and also so your don't make yourself as visible to others. To access the battery area, the bottom cap cap is unscrewed off. A small compass is built into this cap, but the filter must be taken off the bottom to be seen. The compass generally doesn't work all that great, but it REALLY doesn't work until you take the cap off the light. Up top behind the switch is a bonus hard loop point for attaching lanyards. Bottom line is the MOLLE Light is a great illumination gadget for tactical and recreational uses a like.
<www.maxpedition.com>
I'm sure there are some extensive reviews out there, but I thought I'd give a quick rundown of the semi-new G2-LED version. The original G2 is a nice combo of effective and affordable. It was actually my first "good" flashlight getting me out of the realm of the old mag-light era. The new G2-LED version may cost more, but claims to have more lumens and ridiculously more battery life. A quick rundown: The G2 rates around 65 lumens for 1 hour while the G2-LED is 80 lumens rated for 12 hours. The shape in the LED version is very similar, just the cap is longer. The push button isn't as springy since it doesn't separate out like on the G2 and has a slightly different relief pattern. The main reflector on the LED version appears smooth while the G2 has heavy texturing to help diffuse.
ShotShow 2012 
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