This budget weapon mounted light boasts big features with a small price tag, but can it deliver?
The Rundown:
Specs: (Per Crimson Trace)
420 lumen Max Output
Tap On / Tap Off Activation
Modes: High, Low, and Strobe with Momentary and Constant ON
Waterproof to 1 Meter
Impact Resistant up to 1 Meter
Battery Life: 1hr 5 min on High
4.1 oz weight with battery installed
Attaches to Most 1913 Picatinny Rails
First Impressions:
As we all know, a white light is essential to any serious use firearm. I have run and currently use and handful of different lights to include Streamlight, Surefire, Modlite, and more. All wonderful lights in their own use, but with price tags ranging from the lower $100s to well over $300, they are not something most of us can afford to throw on every gun we own. So when I came across a WML (weapon mounted light) from a major name brand company for around the $40 mark, I had to give it a try. Afterall, with advertised features like waterproof, impact resistant, and a very acceptable 420 lumens, if it could hold up to moderate use and deliver on the features, this may be a light I could purchase a few of to keep on my "less used" firearms. And possibly a good option for those on a budget needing a white light for their personal defense firearms. So that is what I set out to find out.
The Test:
Now I'm no Navy Seal, and I have yet to go scuba diving with my handgun. But if a WML doesn't have at least some level of water resistance, then I'm not interested. I don't want my weapon light going down on me because it started to sprinkle out or, let's be real, because I knocked a cup of water over on my nightstand. Crimson Trace claims this light to be waterproof up to 1 meter. So, to put that to the test I decided to try a little submersion test. I filled a mason jar full of water and dropped the light in with the light activated. I left it in for a short time and the light seemed to be working just fine while submerged. Than to not wear out the batteries, I turned the light off and left it submerged in the water overnight. When I removed the light from the jar the next morning, the light was functioning just as it had been with no issues. For a budget light I was very pleasantly surprised.
This light is clearly intended to lean more toward the handgun market, but with its 1913 picatinny attachment it can easily flex into use with long guns. I ran this WML on ARs, a shotgun, and some handguns. Controls were intuitive, I did like the paddle system used by the CMR-208. While I prefer the more of a toggle system like the Streamlight series, I did find the paddles to be easy to use. And with your activation finger on top of the paddle I didn't have any issue with the WML uncomfortably recoiling into my fingers like I get with some other lights. What I didn't like about the activation of this light was the lack of any audible or tactile conformation that the light had been turned on. With something like the Streamlight there is a very definitive "click" when the light has been turned on in the constant mode and a spring back of the toggle when coming out of the momentary activation. This allows you as the shooter to know what's going on with your light while focusing on the target. The CMR-208 is a tap for constant on and hold down for momentary. But since it uses the same movement for both and with the lack of any audible or tactile cues, there were times while shooting in low light that I was expecting to be in momentary only to have the light remain on and vice versa. I found that this forced me to pay closer attention to my light and took away from my down range focus.
While the paddles were easy to use, I did notice from the beginning that the left paddle took slightly more pressure to activate than the right paddle. This didn't bother me in the moment, and I didn't expect it to cause any problems while shooting. However, this did present a problem later in my testing that I will address later in this review. While not exactly my favorite, overall, I did enjoy the controls on this light and found them to be intuitive and comfortable to activate while shooting.
Moving the light from one platform to another was fairly easy. The top portion of the light has an adapter plate with a single 1913 style rail section that is held in with two screws. The rail section is set off center on the adapter plate. Set the plate with the rail section favored toward the front if you want your light to sit farther back or flip the plate around so the rail section is toward the back of the light if you want the light to push further forward. There are also a set of holes for the screws that allow you to make small adjustments forward or back on the adapter plate for more fine tuning. When moving from one platform to another, this allowed me to adjust and fine tune where the light sat on each weapon and was a nice feature for a universal light.
As for the brightness, I was quite impressed. At 420 lumens I wasn't expecting too much, but the throw on this light kept up with my Streamlight TLR 1 HL that I use on my duty pistol while still having a very good flood. The hot spot was large, but still plenty bright with a generous spill. Targets were easily identified out to 40-50 yards or more. Very good for a budget light with only an advertised 420 lumens.
Up until this point, I am very pleased with this light. But this is where I run into my biggest issue with the light. As stated earlier, the left paddle on the light took noticeably more pressure to activate then the right one. I don't think this was intended but almost certainly a QC issue. This didn't present much of a problem while mounted to the Beretta 92 with its relatively skinny, metal trigger guard. However, it became a problem when I put the light on a Glock 19 with its wider, polymer trigger guard. This made the left paddle almost impossible to activate as I was not able to easily get it depressed fully before being stopped by the trigger guard. And with this problem arising on a gun as ubiquitous as the Glock 19, it was a little disappointing to say the least. This is especially true since I am right-handed and generally like to run to lights in momentary with my support hand for most scenarios. But the light would not activate on my support side without significant pressure on the very bottom corner of the paddle. Not wanting to deal with adjusting the light and hassle with screws at night, I spent the rest of the range day (night) running the gun in the constant mode with my strong hand.
By this point I've had hundreds of rounds through handguns, ARs, and shotguns with this light attached and it has held up great. I'm pleased with the performance I am getting for the price and there are many good things to say about it. But before wrapping up this review there was one last thing to do to this light. And for a budget light, only a drop test seemed fitting. The published specs claimed it was impact resistant up to one meter, but I'm not busting out a damn yard stick for this test, so turned the light on and dropped it onto the cement ten times from shoulder height.
I've got to say, I was a little nervous when I started this test. I pretty much expected this to be what ended up killing my light. From shoulder height it made a good "thud" every time it hit the cement and bounced around my yard. I dropped it from different angles onto all parts of the light. I thought the toggles would surely snap off when dropped directly on top them. Around the seventh or eighth drop the light shut off and I thought, "there it is, I broke it!' But one of the bounces must have activated the switch because one press of the toggle and the light was back on. Ten hard drops on the cement and aside from some scratching of the finish the light was just fine. No shattered glass, no broken toggle switch. Just some added character from the scratches to the finish and a light that still works as it did when I took it out of the box. And with that, the Crimson Trace CMR-208 made it the full review.
Final Thoughts:
So, what do I think of this light in the end? Well, let's talk about what this light is. It's a budget light that offers a lot of features for the price. The controls are intuitive and easy to actuate. The overall quality will not be on par with the higher end, more expensive lights. But for a much lower price tag you are getting a very tough little light. For me, it won't be replacing the light on my duty pistol or any home defense firearm anytime soon. But I'm very happy with the purchase and it will certainly find some use, maybe on a training AR or a spare shotgun.
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