1200 in your face lumens
One of the great benefits of time as it relates to technology is that electronics that once cost a fortune get cheaper over time. If you remember the first HDTV’s, they were priced so as to be exclusively for the rich. Fast forward 10 years, and I can buy one at Walmart for roughly the same price as dinner for two at a steak house. We see the same downhill flow in things like Red Dot sights and ballistic solvers. So it is with great joy I introduce a new brand of flashlight that looks poised to really shake things up.
Nightstick lights are based out of Wylie, TX, and at a glance, you can see the design mimicking of the industry leader. In this case, that isn’t a bad thing. Referencing the above, why haven’t the “industry leaders” lights gotten cheaper over time? Why do they still retail at around $350, the same price they were in 2007? An exception to the base law of economics is if you have an exclusive government contract. In which case, you don’t have to discount anything, ever.
Nightstick looks very much like the weapons-mounted light that costs nearly three times as much and actually puts out 200 more lumens. At a 1200 lumen output, this thing is a monster. Speaking for my own tests, it fits Safariland holsters for the Sig P320 and Glock 34/17 that are made for the Surefire X300.
Design-wise, the Nightstick TWM-30 packs in a lot of features. It has momentary on push button activation, “on on” activation, and programable strobe. With 2x CR123 batteries, it has a long run time of 1 hour 45 minutes. And oh that beam! One typical difference between good flashlights and bad is beam dispersal. Lumens output can be a false indicator of quality. A flashlight can have very high output but reflect that output in a way that is less than ideal. Nightstick has both a deep center beam, combined with a very good flood effect at closer range. I would call it an ideal mix of beam dispersal, you can tell some engineering went into this one.
What does it cost, in terms of features, to get the price point down to $129.00? There are very few shortcuts taken, but in my opinion, they are acceptable to the vast majority of users. First, the Nightstick uses a screw to retain the flashlight instead of a spring-loaded quick detach lever. Small deal, since I have yet to need to rapidly remove my pistol light. It’s a little more work to swap batteries, but not a big deal to most of us. The second bit is that the battery box also requires a Phillips head screwdriver to access. It is MUCH easier to make a waterproof battery compartment with a screw than a throw lever, in terms of CNC machine time. Yes, it requires a tool to change batteries, but it costs right at 1/3rd the price of its “operator Steve” counterpart.
I am really happy to see such a high-quality light hit the market at such a low price. Pistol lights are absolutely fantastic for nightstand or combat guns, and I highly recommend them. With Nightstick branded lights, that tactical advantage just became a reality for a whole new segment of consumers.
Size comparison to X300U
Ah, something missing.