Reaching out to the hive as I am kind of at my wits end trying to figure out a light setup.

Currently have a Modlite PLHv2 Dual Fuel running 18650s. Love the brightness, the spill and the throw. But a little voice in the back of my head says this is completely overkill. I do live outside of a city in a more rural area but having a hard time really thinking if it would be wise to "light up" a potential threat at distance. Not to mention these things add weight, take up rail space, and cost a bundle.

In all honesty, are we kind of fooling ourselves that we need these lightsabers attached to our gats or we would actually be better off with a high-quality Malkoff head running a CR123a which would do almost 90+% of what we would really need a WML for (room/building/barn clearing)?

All opinions welcome!!

I just bought a Modlite HOG red on that recent discount deal.  I’m not actually sure why I bought it because I have l3s and mawl and can’t hunt at night with a visible light, which would include red.

Having said that, I think WML is nice to have and I’d rather have the weight and capability than to need it n some edge case and not have it.

Idk, I have a rein 3.0 and when I've shot plates at 75-100 yards on public land (so the land is not curated) I was glad to have all the extra light to find the plates. they were 6" plates fwiw. I think people forget how short of a distance 100 yards is and how even if you have enough light to technically see, I find that you tend to need more to do proper target identification.

I mean, I guess I understand your question, but then you go on to suggest an alternative that is roughly the same size, weight, and nearly the same cost (Malkoff head).

Long gun oriented WMLs are all going to be about the same rough size and shape.  Weights will be similar too.  At that point, all we’re really discussing is output.  I hate rechargeable, so I stick with CR123 heads (your alternative in this situation).

In any case, you’ve kind of lost me.  Having a light is always a good thing on something that may be used defensively.  In the same vein, having increased capabilities is a good thing.  Just because you have a capability doesn’t mean you have to use it in every situation.  Get some training and learn to use your equipment to your advantage.

Another thing to remember, since a lot of people only frame their use case as lighting up an area in total pitch black at night, is the need to overcome other light sources.

The two classic examples is if it's daytime and you are outside and trying to see into a darkened space like into a building window where there's no light; and then the need to overcome photonic barriers, like lighting up a space behind another bright light source shining at you like car headlights or a security light on your house.

In those cases, having that extra punch can really make or break your ability to see what you need to see and a little 300 lumen, all-spill light isn't going to be much help.

Another photonic barrier to think about is what if a potential threat has a light pointed back at you? You need the extra candela in order to overcome theirs.

Additionally, higher candela isn't good for just shooting distances; it creates that blinding wall of light that causes a potential attacker to wince and/or turn their eyes away from you, potentially giving you an advantage.

Lol weight and rail space. 13.7. Surefire 18650 with a modbutton lite. Light is mounted back a few slots. Tons of top and side rail space.
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Great knowledge here and never really thought about that. Makes a lot more sense.

Very good points you make here as well.

My problem is I have the biggest hands you've ever seen on a human (for real...only found that Shaq's are bigger than mine) so my personal rail space is really limited. And I don't like pressure pads so my own problems.

I actually went from Modlite to Cloud for the bump in lux and lumens. It is visibly meaningful for me.

Lots of good points already made here.
Unfortunately, the 'perfect' WML doesn't exist. What may be too bright for one set of circumstances may not be bright enough for another.
I've recently been struggling with finding the best balance of spill & throw for my needs (ymmv) and during my research, one comment in particular stuck out to me:
"I *want* candela, but I *need* sufficient spill for situational awareness." Again, trying to find that best balance.

During my experiments, I took some comparison photos, perhaps they'll be of some use to you:

Garage, 800 lumens, 66k candela, aimed at the furnace on the left:
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Garage, 1k lumens, 22k candela (note difference in spill on the right):
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Outdoor range, 800 lumens, 66k candela, beam centered on the 100yd target, 50yd target slightly to the right, 200yd target in the distance:
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Outdoor range, 1k lumens, 22k candela, centered as above (but taken after a rainstorm, moisture haze in the air still visible):
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One time I was out with a cop on an intruder call at night.  We ran through a house, out the back gate, down the alley, and were presented with a massive open field. That is when most lights just don't get it done.  I popped out my Malkoff and panned the field.  The orbiting recon AC with Raytheon IR came on the radio and said "what the hell is that?"

That was the only time I needed that much light.  If I did that work every night, I wouldn't carry any less.

No one has mentioned that these high candela spot lights are absolutely debilitating to whoever you point them at.

OP, go outside in the dark, have someone aim the dismounted light at you and tell us how long it took you to regain your eyesight. These latest gen lights aren't just there to help you place bullets accurately, they are powerful deterrents as well. As a tool for blinding/disorientating, I say the more candela the better.

I agree, so long as there's sufficient spill to maintain situational awareness. Otherwise, it doesn't do you much good to be able to ID/engage at 500yds if you can't spot the BG 20' away 'cause he's outside the narrow/weak spill of the light.
As I mentioned earlier, the hard part can be finding the right balance of spill & flood for your particular needs.

Originally had a OKW head and realized this right away. Switched to the PLHv2 because the spill is so much better.

Great pics and thanks for sharing to the thread!

Just use a 18350 body if it's taking up too much room. If you already have all the money spent on them I have no idea why you would replace them with an inferior option.

If this is on a long gun, which I think you're talking about, figure where you generally carry it, or would carry it.

Find the longest area you'd shooting or needing to see someone if you had to shoot. Add 25 yards to that.

Now, pick your favorite light that carries that far.

If it's a pistol, I'd say 100 yards of clear, visible light, with enough flood to see around you.

1. A 1 cell Malkoff does not save any rail space vs an OKW, PLHv2, or DFT head. None.

2. As already stated, photonic barriers are a thing.

My advice? Just get an 18350 body for your head. I only use single 18350 or 16340 batteries for my weaponlights to cut size and weight. And while a 16340 battery in a 1x123 body allows me to shrink 2x123 body lights that can use 1x16650, those lights don't hold a candle in petformance to the 18350 lights that shrink the 18650 lights. The 16340 lights also only have a 15-20 minute run time, vs a 45-60 minute run time with a 16650 battery. I reserve the 16340 lights for ultralight  or ultra compact applications like a mini PCC/PDW, ultralight rifle builds, etc.

In a nutshell, you can save weight  by reducing battery length/capacity. The light body and switch will be in the same place on all lengths and diameters. The smaller diameter bodies and heads of the 16mm body lights come with a huge performance penalty vs 18mm. Just no need to cripple yourself with a Malkoff 1x123 head that only puts out 325 lumens just because you are scared of lower run times. You can get much better output for the same size and weight.