I am very pleased with the results. If you are familiar with the process, you may find the first few minutes of the video boring. If you aren't, it's a general description of the electroless nickel plating kit, which might be as good of a decision for you as it was for me.

As you can see here, Caswell was also impressed with my results.

However, recently, I've found myself needing - perhaps wanting is a better term - stuff that Surefire doesn't offer.

I've been using some of the following products for a few months now, and I'm pretty impressed with what they have to offer.

Before I get started, I should explain a few things.

Your average Surefire 6P flashlight uses two 3 volt lithium batteries, type CR123. It has a xenon, or incandescent, bulb designed to be powered with 6 volts.

There are batteries that are similar in size, but are actually 3.7 volts. These are sometimes called RCR123A or 16340. If you delve into the world of rechargeable batteries, make sure that you know what you're buying. If you see a 5 digit number for a battery, for example, this refers to the size of the battery - 16mm wide, 34mm long. An 18650 is 18mm wide, 65mm long, etc. Some won't fit in regular Surefire bodies

Furthermore, LED drop ins - or replacement bulbs for Surefire and other flashlights - are not necessarily designed for 6 volts. Some are designed for only 0.8-4.2v, or a single AA (1.5v), CR123 (3v), 14500 (3.7v), 16340 (3.7v), or 18650 (3.7v) battery. Others are designed for 3.2-9 volts, or one or two 16340 or 18650s or two or three CR123s. Still more work with 3-18 volts...you can do the math. If you decide on a drop in, be sure that you understand the minimum and maximum voltages.

FiveMega 1xAA

The first item is from a company called FiveMega. It's a flashlight body, designed to take a single AA battery, that fits a Surefire P60 bulb and head - that is, the same as the Surefire 6P/6P LED.

It has an integrated switch - "forward clicky", meaning that the light comes on in a momentary fashion before it clicks and stays on. After the click, it doesn't matter if you press the button slightly, the light will stay on. With a "reverse clicky" light, the light doesn't come on until after the "click", at which point you can use the momentary function by pressing the button forward to turn the light off - but if you go too far forward and click it, it'll stay off. I prefer "forward clicky", but it's not impossible to learn how to use a reverse clicky light for most situations.

Certain readers will be pleased to know that this body is made in the USA and is definitely of the highest quality. The body will fit VTAC and Vltor light mounts designed for Executive series Surefires. Not having a tailcap means that the light can be fixed very far forward in the mount, if necessary for your application, without worrying about preventing the cap from being rotated. On the other hand, not having a tailcap also means that one cannot "lock out" the tailcap for travel or other purposes, preventing it from inadvertant activation. That's probably the biggest drawback to this body. You can use 1.2-15.v AA or 3.7v 14500 (14mm wide, 50mm long) batteries, depending on the bulb you choose - you'll get a lot more brightness from the 14500 rechargeables, but you'll generally get longer battery life from AAs. Figure on 25-40 minutes with a 14500, or 2-3 hours with a AA, depending on the drop in and the battery. With a Malkoff M30 and a AA battery, output is fairly similar to a G2 LED (80 lumens). With that same drop in and a 14500 battery, output is over 235 (honest) lumens.

Solarforce L2/L2m/L2i

I was driven to purchase the FiveMega product because it offered something "different" - AA compatibility - and that's also what drove me to look into the Solarforce line of lights.

While most "tactical" lights are powered by two CR123 batteries, there are other batteries that offer longer runtimes, more light, or both. Also, I don't always need a two cell light.

Solarforce L2

That's where the Solarforce L2 line comes in. The standard L2 has a larger inside diameter than the G2 or 6P in order to allow the use of a 3.7v 18650 battery - 18mm wide, 65mm long. This is approximately the size of two CR123s end to end, but is wide enough that it won't fit in the average Surefire. Why would you want an 18650-powered light? Well, a 3 volt to 9 volt LED drop in that will provide a lot of light for an hour with 2 123s will provide nearly as much light for over 2 hours with an 18650. In addition, 18650s are rechargeable, which will save you a ton of money in the long run over buying 3v lithiums.

Solarforce L2m (with optional extender tube for 2x123 or 18650)

That's all well and good, you say, but what about the L2m and and L2i? Well, the L2m is designed for a single CR123 or 16340 cell (16mm wide, 34mm long, slightly longer than a CR123, and 3.7v). If a more compact size is what you desire, this is the ticket. I should mention that FiveMega also makes a single CR123 body. Sans head, tailcap, bulb, and battery, it retails for $35. The Solarforce lights - body, head, and tailcap, no bulb or battery - retail for $15. One is American made, the other is Chinese made. The Solarforce stuff isn't made to the exact same standards as Surefire or FiveMega, but it is pretty high quality, and it's miles better than some other Chinese lights. One caveat, however, is that the L2m head and tailcaps I have don't fit my Surefire 9P - and of the 2 L2ms, one has a 19mm bore (for use with an extender and an 18650) and the other has a 17mm bore (meaning that only a CR123 or 16340 will fit).

Solarforce L2i

Finally, I come to the L2i. This body also accepts Surefire bulbs and heads, but takes three AAA batteries in an internal carrier. Its outside diameter is a little larger than a standard 6P, so it's not a good weapon light, but it's a great choice for people who may not have an interest in flashlights - and therefore not much interest in the various rechargeable batteries. 3 AAAs provide enough voltage for an XP-G drop in (claimed output of anywhere from 270 to 345 lumens) to run for about 40 minutes at max brightness, then slowly dim over a period of about 2 hours to about 5 lumens. After that, I swapped in a Malkoff M30 module, and it provided nearly max brightness. I was told that this module would run for a long time on "run down" Surefire CR123 batteries that wouldn't even power a G2, so I shouldn't be surprised, but I was still impressed.

One other impressive feature is that the L2i will actually accept single 14500 and 18650 batteries. It's best to use the 14500 batteries with a spacer for some added length, but it's nice to know that with one body, I could conceivably use three different types of batteries.

Hybrids/Frankenlights/"Legos"

If you want a runtime increase while still using as many Surefire parts as possible, the Solarforce L2 body is fully compatible with Surefire heads and tailcaps. You can use an 18650 body with an appropriate (4.2v) drop in and your Surefire switch for maximum reliability. Such drop ins include the Solarforce LC-1 (0.8-4.2v, $20), ThruNite XP-G (3.2v-9v, $33), or Malkoff M30 (1v-5.5v, $55). You'll get the best runtime with the Malkoff or the LC-1, which will run all the way down to 1 volt and 0.8 volts, respectively. However, you'd have to be careful not to use them with 2 CR123 cells, as that would be instantly fatal to the drop in. The XP-G, on the other hand, will work with 3 CR123s, 2 CR123s, an 18650, or a 16340. It won't run off a single 3v CR123; although it's claimed to be a 2.7v-9v drop in, I've found that it needs one of the 3.7v batteries to work.

You can even use a Surefire P60 LED drop in with a single 3.7v battery, if you're so inclined - but output is only about 50 lumens.

From Left: ThruNite XP-G, FiveMega AA with Solarforce LC-1, Malkoff M30

Solarforce Reversible Pocket Clip

I choose to carry my "big" flashlight on my left (weak) side, clipped inside my front pocket. I carry "bezel down", or "button up". In addition to them being necessary for this style of carry, I prefer reversible pocket clips. Why? Well, when they inevitably snag on something and are pulled away from the light, you can do a quick field repair with a set of pliers to return them to a useful state. When I did the same with a "one way" pocket clip on a knife, I had to replace the clip. I could have repaired it with help from a vise, I guess, but I don't carry a vise around in my car.

Solarforce L2 with Surefire tailcap and Solarforce pocket clip; Surefire 9P with Solarforce tailcap

Solarforce sells such a reversible clip. It fits any light that uses a Surefire "C" head (G2/6P/etc). You can find them on EBay for $5, or buy them from a store in the States for $10. They seem to hold up pretty well to daily use over a few months time, but we'll see how they are faring a year from now.

Conclusion

Is the FiveMega AA body of the highest quality? Yes. Does it have some drawbacks? Yes. However, if you think you might be limited to AA type batteries, or you want to use AA type batteries and 14500 rechargeables, you'd be doing yourself a favor by looking at it.

Are the Solarforce products on par with Surefire or FiveMega? No. Are they of surprising quality, given their origin? Yes.

Would you be doing yourself a favor by checking out these products? Most definitely.

I'll be doing a more extensive writeup on the drop-ins described here as soon as I can.

Within the week, I hope to complete a similar comparison during the day, which will focus on different attributes of the devices.

I must apologize - several video files were corrupted and I was unable to add them - namely, the performance of the PWS FSC556 on the 5.56 rifle and the performance of the PWS TTO on the 5.56 rifle while night vision equipment was being used. However, their performance with the 5.45 rifle is in the video.

Edit 1/2/10: I've completed a video taken from the shooter's perspective, or as close to it as I could get.

At the 2008 SAR West show, PWS was handing out their FSC 556 muzzle device like Halloween candy, so I gladly took one. Since then, I've fallen in love with it. I've moved it around between a half dozen rifles before heading to the range, especially when I'm going to introduce new shooters to the AR-15. It does a wonderful job of keeping the muzzle down between shots, but unlike traditional muzzle brakes, it's not exceptionally loud, and it doesn't throw huge fireballs. Frankly, the FSC 556 seems quite comparable to the standard A2 flash hider in terms of flash reduction.

But this article isn't about the FSC556.

It's about the TTO, or "Todd's Tiny One" (I'm not going there). In a nutshell, it's an FSC556 without the flash reducing "tines". Why would you want to buy such a thing? Well, it's short. It's very short. It's shorter than an A2 flash hider, in fact. But like the FSC556, it does an amazing job for something so small (and also like the FSC556, it was given to me for free).

I normally have the FSC556 on my 5.45 rifle, because the action of that weapon seems much more violent than a comparable 5.56 carbine, and the FSC does a splendid job of taming that beast. Comparing the FSC and TTO back to back at the range, I noticed little, if any, difference between the two.

If you have a rifle that you're trying to keep as short as possible, this would be a good option for you. Many folks go with 14.5" barrels that have permanently attached devices in order to maintain the legal barrel length of 16". If you put a Smith Vortex or a YHM Phantom or a PWS FSC556 on a 16" barrel, it's effectively become a 17.5" barrel. There are functional benefits to having a slightly shorter weapon. If you've ever tried to exit a vehicle quickly with a rifle or carbine, you know what I'm talking about. Beyond that, some people prefer the looks of a shorter device. Admittedly, the functional difference in the length of the TTO compared to the FSC is quite small - however, if you're concerned about the flash hiding tines snagging on something, the TTO's smooth "face" should make you feel warm inside.

If you've ever used a muzzle brake or compensator, you probably are of the opinion that they direct a lot of noise and blast back towards the shooter. Well, I am too. And in my opinion, the PWS compensators do increase the noise and blast ratio of the weapon compared to standard devices. The difference isn't horrific - my initial thoughts on the FSC556 back in 2008 were distorted by the fact that I did a significant amount of shooting under a shade port with a tin roof - but there is a noticeable increase.

As for the effects on other shooters, well, it depends on how twisted their knickers are. I've had disgruntled shooters chase me away from "their end" of the range at the sight of a 16" midlength upper with an A2 flash hider - the actual quote was "You're going to shoot next to me with that 18" barrel? And that muzzle brake?" I had yet to put a round downrange.

However, in over a year of shooting the FSC 556 and/or TTO at various public and private ranges, I have yet to receive any complaints or even sideways glances of disgust. I've attended rifle matches with the FSC 556 - matches that expressly prohibit muzzle brakes - and no one said anything. Furthermore, I can confidently say that the design of both devices has no negative effect on accuracy, because with the aforementioned 5.45 rifle equipped with the FSC 556, firing surplus Russian ammunition, I've been able to hold 3 to 5 MOA at 600 yards with iron sights. At 100 yards, it shoots about 3 MOA with either an A2, a Smith Vortex, or the TTO/FSC556.

On another note - I would like to say that sometimes I see competition rifles get out of hand. To me, tactical rifle competitions are a place to hone skills for the real world, not simply go beyond what's practical for a millisecond-faster split time. I wouldn't take any rifle to a competition match that I wouldn't grab off a rack before going to a potentially bad place or situation. In my opinion, the PWS compensators are in keeping with the spirit of what tactical rifle matches should be.

So, in the end, are these PWS muzzle devices worth $100? To me, the answer is yes. My initial concerns about noise and flash have been, shall we say, dampened. The TTO and FSC556 perform their intended tasks without any drama. If I had to choose between the two, I'd get the FSC556 - if only because my primary home defense carbine has a PVS-14 night vision monocular, and flash reduction is a priority with night vision devices. However, for realistic competition use, or really any use during daytime, the TTO is the best compact muzzle device on the market.

Giving credit where credit is due, this device is the brainchild of Jeff C./USMC03 on various forums. His website is 03designgroup.com, and he is a fantastic resource for this sort of thing.