Thursday, January 7, 2010

MArooned Product Review: LaserLyte WL-1

Today we'll be looking at the LaserLyte WL-1, a compact rail-mounted flashlight available from LaserLyte. This is the "smallest weapon light available" according to the website, and is "powerful enough to light up a room". We'll be comparing the WL-1 to several other conventional flashlights for both size of the unit and the light output.

First, here's the unit installed on a Smith & Wesson SW99 full-size pistol:

SW99 with WL-1

Obviously the WL-1 is mounted on the firearm accessory rail, with a Brinkmann LED flashlight and a Maglight MiniMag (with LED lens conversion) for comparison. Not shown in this picture is a fourth flashlight, a plain jane 2AA-powered plastic Energizer with a conventional bulb.

Secondly, this unit is TINY:

WL-1 Weight

1.2 ounces. This light could be mounted on a Kel-Tec P3AT and not add a significant percentage of weight to it. This is a light that's not going to reduce muzzle flip or induce fatigue, that's for certain.

Next up we'll compare the four lights for size:

There are FOUR lights here!

and output at the light itself:

All Lit Up



But the true test is how the lights illuminate a dark room. This next series of shots was taken in a darkened bedroom at a distance of about twelve feet.

2AA Energizer


2AA Mini-Maglight with LED Bulb


Brinkmann LED


LaserLyte WL-1



Obviously, the Energizer flashlight is best left as a last-resort, look-in-the-kids'-mouths-for-strep option, because lighting up a room ain't its forté. The Mini-Maglight does a fair job, casting the largest circle of illumination but with a pale blue tinge to it, not the best light for delicate work but enough to get the job done. The Brinkmann is clearly the brightest - this is a light you can actually feel heat coming off the lens after being on for any length of time - but it chews through CR123 batteries quickly.

The WL-1 puts out an amazing amount of light for such a small, light unit. The controls take a little getting used to for switching on and off, but are easy to reach and have a clearly defined "Off" position in the middle. Illumination is clear, crisp, and bright white; it's not as powerful as the 2 CR123 powered LED bulb Brinkmann; however it provides more than adequate amounts of light, certainly enough for home defense purposes. This isn't a light to blind an aggressor but to mark them...

At an MSRP of $80 and an "off the shelf" price between $50 and $60, this is an absolute STEAL when it comes to rail-mounted lights. It's small, light, and unobtrusive; it's well-put together and has a claimed run time of over an hour; and it provides a good deal of light given it's diminutive size. Personally, I'd rather see a switch cap than the slide-through toggle, but I prefer even the toggle to the grip-tape mounted auxiliary switches that some rail-mounted lights come with.

LaserLyte continues to impress with its line of affordable, rugged products - the WL-1 gets a hearty two thumbs up for price, light output, and size/weight.

That is all.

Obligatory FTC disclaimer: LaserLyte provided the WL-1 WhyteLyte Sub-Compact Flashlight System for review as well as numerous other items in their shipment to the writer of this review.

4 comments:

Chris said...

Are those Hogue grips? Do you like them? You're the only other person I've heard of that owns a SW99.

Jay G said...

That's the Hogue wrap-around grip, yes. It was on the gun when I bought it.

I owned a compact 9mm SW99 for a while (sold it after getting my G30 and all it did was sit in the safe). It didn't have the grip, and to be honest I don't notice the difference.

I think the SW99 never really caught on because everyone wanted the P99 that James Bond carries. I love my SW99 - I've fired thousands of rounds through it with no stoppages of any kind.

Chris said...

I've never had any problems with mine, aside from learning how to shoot with it, since it was the first handgun I ever owned. I'm kind of partial to it for that reason alone, although I don't really care for DOA pistols overall. It is horribly reliable though, as well as easy to maintain.

Bobski said...

I'm impressed with the light coming from such a small, er, light.

And I'm not going to miss an opportunity to quote Star Trek: "There are FOUR LIGHTS!"