Saturday, January 23, 2021

Minimalist Kydex Wallets

We are now offering minimalist wallets with an integrated money clip as an accessory product. These are based on the same design as our universal fit mag carriers and will hold up to 10 credit cards. Our wallets are made with 0.080" thick Kydex or Holstex. Available in Black, Carbon Fiber, Gunmetal Gray, Olive Drab, and Flat Dark Earth. Other colors and prints can be special ordered for additional cost and wait time.


Check out our website for more details and pricing on all of our products!

Monday, January 18, 2021

New Prototype IWB Light Indexing Holster

In our spare time, we have been working on a new custom mold for a full-size weapon light indexing IWB holster that will accommodate ALL of the following full-size lights...
Surefire X300U-A/B
Streamlight TLR-1 HL
Olight PL-Pro/PL-2
Inforce WILD2

The holster works great for all of the lights with multiple guns, but its a little loose fitting on a few of them without re-adjusting the tension screws, which is understandable. We're not sure yet if we will offer these for purchase, as there could be some negative experience from having to constantly adjust the tension screws based on the light you intend to use. We like to regularly rotate through several different guns and lights, so the idea of this multi-fit holster is very advantageous to us for that.


Check out our website for more details and pricing on all of our products!

Sunday, January 17, 2021

Surefire X300U - Fitment Tricks and Modifications

The Surefire X300U-A/B weapon light is the standard by which all other lights are compared.  The X300U is widely used by law enforcement and military, so it has proven itself as a durable and reliable light.  BUT... the mounting methods of the two versions of these lights are a bit cumbersome and quirky to use, and the fitment on most handguns is not that great.

The "A" version comes with two different mounting attachments: the "Lever Latch" and the "Rail Lock".  The Lever Latch attachment comes pre-installed on the light and is a quick release mount for easy installation and removal, but it's not a tight fit so the light fits loosely on a lot of guns. The Rail Lock attachment is supposed to address the loose fitment associated with the Lever Latch as it has an adjustment screw that tightens up a small wedge that puts pressure against the gun to tighten things up.  The Rail Lock is a pain to install and VERY cumbersome to use, and having to always have the correct size hex key around to loosen the adjustment screw to remove the light is not ideal.  We don't recommend using the Rail Lock mount at all.
X300U-A mounting methods:
Lever Latch 😊 vs Rail Lock 😢

The "B" version uses a "T-Slot" thumbscrew clamp mount which is similar to other full-size weapon mounted lights (except the screw placement is on the opposite side of the light compared to other full-size weapon mounted lights 😕). For some reason, the thumbscrew does not turn freely even if the light is not attached to anything. You typically need to use a thin coin or a screwdriver to assist in mounting it to a gun because the screw or clamp seems to bind up several times throughout the adjustment travel. We've found that putting some gun oil on the threads of the screw and on the friction points of the clamp helps to smooth things out. Despite this issue, the T-Slot mount is the most secure mounting option.
X300U-B T-Slot mount

With either version of the X300U, the biggest problem we've encountered is that there is not enough clearance between the back of the light and the front of the trigger guard on a lot of different handguns. You could opt to mount the light one slot farther forward if your rail allows it, but then this puts the activation switches awkwardly out of reach. The only handgun that it seems to fit without issue is a Glock, but even that is still a tight fit. We reluctantly filed down the back of the light between the activation switches in an attempt to gain more clearance, but most guns required more clearance than we were willing to file off since we didn't know how deep we could go before ruining the light. After much frustration with this, an internet search showed similar frustration by other people, but we also came across a tip to remove the plastic spacer that is pinned to the back of the battery compartment door to gain additional clearance (wait... what?!?)If you read through the user manual for the Surefire X300U there is absolutely no mention of the ability or necessity to remove the 1/8" thick spacer to allow for more clearance at the trigger guard on most handguns. Why don't they include this useful tip in the user manual???

Battery door spacer... why is it there?!? 😕

Here are the pins that need to be removed to remove the spacer.
Push the pins out from one side with a small punch or screwdriver.

Spacer and pins removed to allow for more
clearance at the trigger guard of most handguns.

With the spacer removed, the X300U fitment is drastically improved on most handguns.  The "A" version with it's loose fitting Lever Latch mount can also take advantage of the spacer being removed by inserting a small piece of soft rubber tubing cut to fit horizontally in place of the spacer.  The tubing will press against the front of the trigger guard of the gun to tighten up the fitment of the light similarly to the Rail Lock's pressure wedge, but you don't have to use a hex key to tighten or loosen an adjustment screw.

Soft rubber tubing (1/4" OD, 1/8" ID).

Tubing installed in the absence of the spacer.

The tubing presses against the front of the trigger guard
to tighten up the loose fitment of the Lever Latch mount.

UPDATE - April 2021
We recently purchased another brand new X300U-B and discovered that the battery compartment door did NOT have a removable spacer! We opted to remove material from the back of the door to allow for better fitment, but ended up grinding through the housing with a minimal amount of material removed.  The switches still work, but this obviously will not be good for water resistance. Surefire sent us a replacement part (also with no removable spacer), and we removed material from the replacement, but did not remove as much.  It barely fits without issue on all of our test guns, so it's still possible to get the newer X300U lights to fit on most guns, but it now requires permanently modifying the battery door and risking ruining the battery door if you go too far.  For this reason, we feel the "B" version of the X300U with the T-slot mounting clamp would be the best choice, as the rubber tubing trick is no longer applicable for the newer "A" version without a removable spacer.

 Spacer removed vs no removable spacer

Just a little bit of material removal

Don't remove too much! 😩


Check out our website for more details and pricing on all of our products!

Friday, January 8, 2021

IWB/OWB Light Indexing Holsters - Known Fitment

Our full-size light indexing IWB and OWB holsters are designed to fully encompass a Glock 17 size gun, but are open ended to work with longer guns or compensators.  They will fit most handguns that are capable of accepting the popular full-size weapon mounted lights that we mold them for. 

The most popular full-size weapon mounted lights that are commonly used on handguns are:
Surefire X300-Ultra/Turbo (A and B)
Streamlight TLR-1 HL
Modlite PL350
Inforce WILD2
Olight PL-2/3/Pro and Baldr Pro R
Nightstick TWM-30/TWM-850XL

We make holsters that index on these lights specifically because the body of the light is wider than most handgun frames.  That extra width allows the holster to come in contact primarily with the light more so than the gun's frame or slide.  A benefit to our holster design is that typical holster wear is drastically reduced or completely eliminated on most guns. The holster may touch the controls on either side of the frame on some guns, but in most cases the slide doesn't come in contact with the holster.

 


The following list of guns have been verified to fit without any issues:

1911 and 2011-style guns up to 4.25" (most brands)
Beretta 92/96 (with rail)
CZ-USA P-01, SP-01, Shadow 2 (fullsize and compact)
CZ-USA P-07, P-09
CZ-USA P-10C, P-10F
FN 509 (all variations)
Glock 19, 17, 34 (all variations and clones)
H&K VP9 (all variations)
Sig Sauer P320 (all variations)
S&W M&P (all variations)
Springfield XD/XD-M (all variations)
Springfield Echelon
Walther PDP and PPQ (all variations)

We will keep this list updated as we continue to test fit more guns.


Check out our website for more details and pricing on all of our products!

Thursday, January 7, 2021

All The Lumens! Full-size Weapon Mounted Lights

RFV Tactical makes kydex holsters that index on popular full-size weapon mounted lights, so we thought it would be good to post our thoughts on all the different lights, and compare the light output of each one.

The most popular full-size weapon mounted lights that are commonly used on handguns are:
Surefire X300-Ultra/Turbo (A and B)
Streamlight TLR-1 HL
Modlite PL350
Inforce WILD2
Olight PL-2/3/Pro and Baldr Pro R
Nightstick TWM-30/TWM-850XL

We make holsters that index on these lights specifically because the body of these lights are wider than most handgun frames.  That extra width allows the holster to come in contact primarily with the light more so than the gun's frame or slide.  A benefit to our holster design is that typical holster wear is drastically reduced or completely eliminated on most guns. The holster may touch the controls on either side of the frame on some guns, but in most cases the slide doesn't come in contact with the holster.

Commander length 1911/2011

CZ P-07 with a compensator

Glock 19 with a compensator

As far as the lights themselves go, they will all light up a dark room or alley pretty well as you can see from the photos below. The differences really come down to the ergonomics (switch placement and activation method) and the beam pattern (hot spot and spill), which are simply personal preferences for each individual user. Keep in mind that most of the observations of each light below are very subjective and are specific to our experiences with each light in an inside-the-waistband concealed carry perspective. In addition to being as bright as possible, we believe a weapon mounted light for a handgun should be designed with a wide hotspot out to 50 yards and enough spill to illuminate a full 160 to 180 degrees of the area in front of the muzzle. Anything that needs to be illuminated well past 50 yards should be done with a light with a longer throw (higher candela) and should be mounted to a rifle! That's just our honest opinion, but your thoughts and requirements may be different than ours. 😉

Update November 2021: With the addition of the new Modlite and Nightstick lights to the article, all light output photos were retaken on 11/17/2021 with fresh batteries installed in each light.


Surefire X300U-A/B
The Surefire X300U-A/B weapon light is the standard by which all other lights are compared.  The X300U is widely used by law enforcement and military, so it has proven itself as a durable and reliable light.  It's also the most expensive of all the full-size lights. In our opinion, the X300U light output is the best we've seen for handgun use.  It has a very wide and bright hotspot that will easily light up everything in your way out to 50 yards, and it also has excellent spill to illuminate just about anything in your peripheral vision. The downside to this light (other than it's price tag) is that it is 1/2" longer than all the other lights, which seems to be a little excessive for a compact size gun (not as much of an issue for full-size guns or compact guns with compensators).  That extra 1/2" of length imposes a little more discomfort when carrying in the appendix position compared to the other full-size lights.  The light has an ambidextrous swivel rocker mechanism for the switches. You can rotate the switches either clockwise or counter-clockwise for constant-on, however momentary-on activation is achieved by pressing either lever forward. The switches are short and stiff which makes them a little difficult to actuate one-handed for people with smaller hands (check out the replacement switches from PHLster to address this). The mounting methods and fitment of the two versions of these lights are also a bit cumbersome and quirky to use. There are some tricks and modifications that you can do to get these lights to fit better on most guns, but fitment is horrible right out of the box, which is disappointing for such an expensive light.

Aesthetics: Okay - a half inch longer than all the other full-size lights except for the PL350
Ergonomics: Okay - the switches are short, stiff, and difficult to actuate one-handed
Fitment: Poor - both versions typically require modifications to fit most handguns
Performance: Great - brightness, hotspot, and spill are the best of all the lights
Price: $270
Surefire X300U-B
(1000 lumens, 11300 candela)


Streamlight TLR-1 HL
The Streamlight TLR-1 HL is the second most common weapon light.  It has a similar reputation as the Surefire X300U as far as durability and reliability. It is shorter than the X300U, and is also half the price of the X300U!  The light output is also really good, but it has a more narrow hotspot than the X300U. The downside to the TLR-1 HL is it's activation switches. Out of all the full-size lights, the TLR-1 switches are the least intuitive and they are also very sensitive so accidentally activating them is very common.  You can see in the photo at the beginning of this blog post that the activation switches on that TLR-1 HL have been modified in an attempt to reduce accidental activation. The swivel rocker switches have a similar activation method as the Surefire X300U, but unlike the ambidextrous switches of the X300U rotating the switches clockwise only gives you constant-on and rotating the switches counter-clockwise only gives you momentary-on.  Without repetitive training this can get confusing, which is not a good thing in a high stress situation. If this is the light you choose, be sure to become very familiar with the switch activation method (constant-on vs. momentary-on).

Aesthetics: Good - no real issues, but nothing spectacular
Ergonomics: Poor - switch activation method can be confusing and is very sensitive
Fitment: Great - comes with multiple mounting keys to fit a wide variety of guns
Performance: Good - brightness and spill are great, but it has a more narrow hotspot
Price: $130
Streamlight TLR-1 HL
(1000 lumens, 20000 candela)


Olight PL-Pro/PL-2
The Olight PL-Pro (rechargeable) and PL-2 (non-rechargeable) are similar in size to the Streamlight TLR-1 HL (they will actually fit into some holsters made for the TLR-1), but the activation switches are much more intuitive to use. They also have a quick disconnect mounting system that works really well, which is a great feature if you like to attach a light to your gun for night stand use or home defense and then remove it for daily concealed carry. The downside to the Olight weapon lights is that they are made in China and don't have a proven track record like Surefire and Streamlight. They also get a lot of negative/hate comments on internet forums from the Surefire "fan boys", which can be a source of amusement with the right perspective. Another thing to note is that the light output of the PL-2 is very similar to the TLR-1 HL and is actually better than the PL-Pro in our opinion. The PL-Pro's light output has a slight green/yellow tint to it which makes it appear dimmer than the PL-2 even though it's supposed to be 300 lumens brighter than the PL-2. Olight has officially discontinued the PL-2, but you can still find the PL-2 on eBay and Amazon from time to time. We can't really recommend the PL-Pro as it seems to be inferior to the PL-2 in many ways.

NOTE: the ratings below are only for the PL-2
Aesthetics: Good - no real issues, but nothing spectacular
Ergonomics: Great - switch activation method is very intuitive and easy to use
Fitment: Great - the quick disconnect is very fast, easy, and secure
Performance: Good - brightness and spill are great, but it has a more narrow hotspot
Price: $100
Olight PL-2
(1200 lumens, 13800 candela)


Inforce WILD2
The Inforce WILD2 appears to be very well built compared to it's polymer body 400 lumen predecessor (the APL), and it looks very cool with it's octagon shape which also makes for a cool looking holster. It's activation switches are very intuitive and the light output is very bright, however the hotspot is very narrow with a longer throw and the spill is a little cut off compared to the other full-size lights. The mounting method of the light makes it very easy to attach the light to the frame of the gun, but a thin coin or screwdriver should be used to firmly tighten it as there is no spring washer to keep tension on the screw which turns very easily. The downside to the WILD2 is that it is fairly new to the market, so it's durability and reliability has not been proven yet. Inforce's previous handgun lights were plagued with problems and their light output was less than desirable, so it will take some time for this new light to prove itself.
Update on the WILD2... our light apparently had a battery drain issue just like the early versions of their APL weapon light. The batteries had to be replaced twice in the span of a couple of weeks with very minimal use.😩 The light was returned to Inforce under warranty (usually a 6 week turnaround), and the new light does not have the same battery drain issue.

Aesthetics: Great - the light's octagon shape is very cool looking (very subjective, we know...)
Ergonomics: Great - switch activation method is very intuitive and easy to use
Fitment: Good - no issues found with any guns, but should be firmly tightened with a coin or tool
Performance: Good - brightness is great, hotspot is more narrow, and the spill is a little cut off
Price: $180
Inforce WILD2
(1000 lumens, 25000 candela)

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NEW Lights for Late 2021

Modlite PL350 (PLHv2 head)
The Modlite PL350 was introduced in August of 2021 and was preceded by a lot of social media hype and anticipation. Modlite is well know for making high quality rifle lights and handheld lights, but this is their first attempt at a light that is specific for a handgun. While this light is insanely bright, we feel they missed the mark in several ways with this new light, especially for the price which is more expensive than the Surefire X300U. The light is longer than the X300U, so it looks obnoxiously long on a compact size handgun and it will be even more uncomfortable to carry inside the waistband in the appendix position. The light uses the interchangeable screw-on heads from their popular rifle lights, which is a good thing for modularity and battery changes, but it also means that the light output of those heads are intended for rifle use with a very narrow and intense hotspot. The hotspot and beam pattern are similar to the Inforce WILD2, but much brighter. For a handgun light, we feel this is overkill and unnecessary as that insanely bright hotspot is only about 3 feet wide when using it indoors inside 15 yards. The switches have the same activation method as the Surefire X300U for constant-on, but there is no momentary-on capability.  The switches are also very sensitive like the Streamlight TLR-1 HL, so it's very easy to turn the switch past the off position to the alternate on position when you just want to turn the light off. We don't have a whole lot of time with our PL350 yet, but we've seen numerous reports of the switches losing their audible/tactile click for the off position, which would make it even easier to accidentally turn the switch past the off position.

Aesthetics: Okay - the light is VERY long but it looks okay on full-size guns
Ergonomics: Okay - no momentary-on and the switches are very sensitive
Fitment: Okay - comes with two rail keys that press into one of two slots in the light body
Performance: Good - hotspot is very bright but very narrow, and the spill is a little cut off
Price: $320
Modlite PL350 w/PLHv2 head
(1350 lumens, 54000 candela)


Nightstick TWM-30
The Nightstick TWM-30 is a relatively new full-size weapon mounted light that was introduced in September of 2021. Nightstick has been around for a few years, and their lights are basically clones of the various Streamlight offerings with subtle differences. The TWM-30 appears to be a clone of the Streamlight TLR-1 HL with similar light output (brighter flood area, less bright of a hotspot), but it has a much better switch activation method that is similar to a Streamlight TLR-7A.  Because this light is so new, we cannot yet comment on it's durability or reliability, but it definitely appears to be a good alternative to the TLR-1 HL with better activation switches.  Unfortunately, the clamp thumbscrew is on the opposite side of the light body compared to the TLR-1 HL, so it won't be compatible with most holsters made for the TLR-1 HL. That's okay... we make a holster specifically for the TWM-30! 😎

Aesthetics: Good - no real issues, but nothing spectacular
Ergonomics: Great - switch activation method is very intuitive and easy to use
Fitment: Good - comes with three mounting keys to fit a decent variety of guns
Performance: Good - brightness is great, hotspot is good, but the spill is a little cut off 
Price: $130
Nightstick TWM-30
(1200 lumens, 9379 candela)

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Handheld Light Comparison
For comparison purposes, here is the light output from a Streamlight ProTac 1L-1AA handheld light. As you can see, despite only being rated at 350 lumens, this handheld light still lights up the alley almost as well as all the 1000+ lumen rated weapon lights. Regardless of which weapon mounted light you use (or don't use), we recommend that you ALWAYS carry a good handheld light with you.

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An Alternate Perspective
While the results in this YouTube comparison by Werks Holsters don't really align with our findings (plus, they didn't compare the PL-2, only the PL-Pro), we wanted to offer a different perspective on these lights with more scientific testing involved. They also have separate videos for the newer Modlite PL350 and Nightstick TWM-30.


Check out our website for more details and pricing on all of our products!

IWB Holster Type - Appendix vs 3 O'clock Position

We'd like to explain the differences in our inside the waistband (IWB) holsters when made for the appendix carry position (up front) ver...