A short review of Oveready's Surefire X300 Triple

pee10755

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I wanted to write a short review and post some beam shots on the Oveready Surefire X300 triple conversion. I purchased the light a few weeks ago. I was able to get one of the five that Tom built. The price initially seemed high, but after considering that he needed to buy a $300 light before he even started the modifications it became reasonable. I work in law enforcement and use the light on my Sig 226R in a patrol function. I purchased the light for handgun use specifically. The lights unique characteristics excel on that weapon platform. For long guns I still like the V3 Triple in a 9P host.

If you look at the dynamics of gunfights with handguns you find that they are very fast, very close range, and involve a few rounds fired. The purpose of a light on this platform for me is to give me as much information as possible in the shortest period of time. I want to firstly and most importantly identify my threat. Next, I want to know everything about them, what is in their lunge area, and where their friends are located. This requires a light with exceptional output and wide beam pattern. A tightly focused beam accomplishes the identity problem, but when the eyes adjust to the hotspot I loose the other information without moving the light around. This is not good when I am trying to cover a threat.

Based on that logic I find the X300 conversion to provide a well thought out balance of output and beam profile. I would like the light to have better heat sinking and runtime, but to achieve the main objective that is just not possible in this compact of a light. I think the trade off is prudent for a handgun platform.

The build quality is up to Tom's usual standards. The light looks factory mint on the outside. The attention to detail and care taken in the conversion really shows. I could not find any signs that work had been done except by looking in the lens at the LED assembly. The light was neatly packed back in the surefire box with all the paperwork. This is my third light by Oveready and their quality control is very high.

These are the lights that I compared in this review
:

Oveready X300 Triple, Insight XTI, Insight M3X incan.

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By pee10755 at 2011-03-26

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By pee10755 at 2011-03-26

Words can only say so much, so on to the beam shots and comparisons. I compared the light to two other weapons lights that work on handguns. I used the Insight M3X ican and the XTI. I ran both of those lights on fresh primaries and the X300 on freshly charged AW IMRs. The camera was set on all manual setting with the white balance set on daylight.

The first series is behind a building during the hours of darkness with minimal back lighting in the area. This is to simulate you are searching an area and hear a threat directly in front of you. The bushes are approximately 60 feet from camera.

Control shot

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By pee10755 at 2011-03-26

Oveready X300

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By pee10755 at 2011-03-26

Insight XTI

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By pee10755 at 2011-03-26

Insight M3X ican

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By pee10755 at 2011-03-26

The second series is to simulate clearing a structure. The person on the couch is approximately 12 feet from the camera. This is to demonstrate the amount of information that your peripheral vision can pick up with the generous spill and output of the X300. It allows you to clearly see the threats on the chair that might be overlooked with the other lights. The room was completely dark.


Control shot


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By pee10755 at 2011-03-26


Oveready X300

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By pee10755 at 2011-03-26


Insight XTI

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By pee10755 at 2011-03-26


Insight M3X ican


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By pee10755 at 2011-03-26


I tried to keep this short because I think Oveready's solid reputation for quality is already established and the beam shots speak for themselves. Great job on the build Tom and thank you to Dan for the outstanding service.
 
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Agile54

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Pee thx for a VERY informative & detailed reiview, job well done.

I came very close to buying one of these from the fellas, only stopped short b/c I run a Scout Mini on the long gun & could not get my arms around that kind of coin for a dedicated HG light.

Thx again for a VG critique & now you have me rethinking my initial decision, nothing is set in stone.
 
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Kestrel

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Very nice. I can imagine being able to just move my eyes around w/ the first pic to rapidly get the pertinent information, rather than having to point my handgun around the area of interest to take in everything with the relatively small areas of illumination in 2 & 3.
 
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Nachtwacht

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Thanks, Pee. Great comparison pictures. I had been wondering about how the triple would compare to standard pistol lights.

Do you feel that it is too bright for close quarters? Are you blinding yourself at short distances, or does the wide spill compensates for the 1000 lumen output?
 

jellydonut

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Nice light, but I find myself wondering more about where you managed to meet a lady who puts up with posing for photos and being lit up with various flashlights for the sake of demonstrating said flashlights to an internet forum. :p
 

Agile54

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Nice light, but I find myself wondering more about where you managed to meet a lady who puts up with posing for photos and being lit up with various flashlights for the sake of demonstrating said flashlights to an internet forum. :p

This ought to be good :D
 

Agile54

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We're working on a Scout based setup. Output on the shorter Mini would be similar to the single cell Moddoolar Pocket.

And now I hate you even more Dan. That miniscule credit I have w/ you is WAY long gone now, first with a ModPocket when they are back in stock & now w/ a new Scout head :thinking:
 

pee10755

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Nachtwacht, I don't think it produces too much light for close quarters. The first time you use any light your night vision is gone anyway. I have used this light at work already to clear several house, businesses and commercial warehouses where burglar alarms were activated. Even in the confines of smaller residences with light colored walls I think it is the right amount. The photo of the person on the couch really looks blown away in the center. To my eyes the room is much more evenly lit than the photo would imply. It is like entering a space and turning on the overhead light. The light reflects around in the room giving you so much critical information. I think this speaks to the raw output and specifically to the three XPG array and lens. You loose that tunnel vision perspective that you are looking down tube and have to move the tube to see more. I actually find the two other lights to cause problems in close quarters. My eyes instantly adjusted to the hotspot and rest of the room was black concealing the rifle on the chair. An added bonus is that recipient of the light in the second set of pictures stated that when the X300 was activated not only could she not see me, but the entire area of both open doors was lost in the light. She could not have reacted or engaged me with any accuracy. She said she could tell my position with the other two lights, but just couldn't see me. If the 1000 lumens were to be from a single LED with a reflector designed for throw then I think it would be too much. In this package, I think it works well.

I have a V3 in a Surefire C3 that I use as my hand held light at work. The first night I was conducting traffic stops with the light I made my approach and contacted the driver in a full size pickup truck. I pointed the light at the center of the dashboard and didn't move it. The shear volume of light reflected around inside the truck and allowed me to scan the interior without telegraphing what I was doing to the driver. I noticed spent shells on the floorboard and the black grip of a handgun coming out from between the bench seats. I was able to tell him to put his hands on the steering wheel and not to move while I called for a back-up officer. When my back-up got on scene we took him out of the truck slowly and it turned out he just didn't understand Florida law very well. I educated him and sent him on his way. I think if I had a light with a tight hot spot my eyes would have never seen the handgun between the seats without shinning the light at it and letting him know. This time the person meant me no harm, next time it might be different. That really sold me on the V3 triple so I couldn't resist when it was duplicated in a handgun weapon light.

Angile54: The price kept me at bay for two days. I took my experiences with the V3 drop-in and asked myself one question. Will having that kind of performance on my handgun significantly increase my tactical ability and chances of coming home at the end of the shift? For me, the answer was yes so I pulled out the credit card. In hindsight I think it was money well spent. I also keep two spare IMR cells in my CPR mask pouch on my dutybelt to give me a total 40 minutes of runtime. The cells are so light and small you don't even notice them.

jellydounut: It was harder to convince the dog to sit still. She had to hold a treat behind the book to get him to stay still. She only agreed if her dog could be in the picture too. I like involving her in the posts for another reason. I helps to show her why I NEED another light....
 
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Tana

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WICKED !!!

And here I am dreaming about purchasing X400 w. laser sight...

It sure might seems like too much light for close quarters (especially if you're already in the dark and turn it on) but the truth should be, it's easier for user to get used to ridiculous amount of light shining away then suspect who's getting the whole amount in the eyes. "Freeze" in the true meaning of the word.
 

Nachtwacht

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Nachtwacht, I don't think it produces too much light for close quarters. The first time you use any light your night vision is gone anyway. (...) Even in the confines of smaller residences with light colored walls I think it is the right amount. The photo of the person on the couch really looks blown away in the center. To my eyes the room is much more evenly lit than the photo would imply. It is like entering a space and turning on the overhead light. The light reflects around in the room giving you so much critical information. I think this speaks to the raw output and specifically to the three XPG array and lens. You loose that tunnel vision perspective that you are looking down tube and have to move the tube to see more. I actually find the two other lights to cause problems in close quarters. My eyes instantly adjusted to the hotspot and rest of the room was black concealing the rifle on the chair. An added bonus is that recipient of the light in the second set of pictures stated that when the X300 was activated not only could she not see me, but the entire area of both open doors was lost in the light. She could not have reacted or engaged me with any accuracy. She said she could tell my position with the other two lights, but just couldn't see me. If the 1000 lumens were to be from a single LED with a reflector designed for throw then I think it would be too much. In this package, I think it works well.

That's the info I was looking for. Thanks. Fantastic setup you have there.
 

onetrickpony

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That thing has an awesome tint, as well as being incredibly bright. Seems like money well spent to me.
 

pee10755

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03/29/11 Update:

It took the X300 to the range today for department training. I shot around 250 rounds of 9mm with the light on my Sig 226R. The training involved barricade and non-dominate hand techniques. The drills were heavy on magazine changes and malfunction clearing. I turned the light on during some of the shooting to expose the LED to to recoil when on and off. The light worked perfectly and shows no signs of failure from the day. Now that it has experienced the stresses of recoil with no problems I have full confidence in the light.

img20110329171341.jpg
 

ElectronGuru

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Looks good. Our prototype x300 is 6+ months in testing by a member of the 18th Aircorps. 250 M4 rounds and 500 Glock 19 rounds and counting.
 

HIDblue

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Nice review and great beamshots pee! I wonder if you could use the SureFire DG grip switch with the Oveready version X300?
 

Ninja

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And here I am dreaming about purchasing X400 w. laser sight...

They circuit on the laser X-400 is not compatible for this application. I also find my Oveready X-300 just right for close quarters on both the pistol & A/R platforms.

Thanks again Tom & Dan!
 

swrdply400mrelay

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Wow that's really nice! I was contemplating getting one but I'm not a LEO, just a flashaholic and gun enthusiast.

Heck, I'd be REALLY happy if Oveready offered them in a less expensive TLR-1 format I'd be all over them. And maybe in a neutral SST-50 even at 2-3 amps.

The handgun flashlight market is horrible compared to what it could be.
 
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Draz

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holy hell that is a huge jump in performance over the older HG lights. That is a fine example of tactical. oh....was that a person in the hotspot on the last few XD
 
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