Surefire X300 Turbo - Initial review

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08-10-2022, 07:41 PM
Lyonsgrid

Surefire X300 Turbo - Initial review

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I'm a Surefire fan and have been eagerly awaiting the new Turbo series of weapon lights since I saw them at SHOT 2022. I have lots of time on various Surefire models throughout the years as well as the newer stuff from Modlite. I'm a fan in general of the "tighter" hot spot produced by higher candella lights. My new X300 Turbo seems to check this box compared to my other X300U 1000 lumen models. Time will tell if it holds up but the X300 series has a solid track record of being pretty durable.

** One odd change I noted however.

It seems many are not aware of the fact that all of the pistol lights, dating back to the X200's through to the newer X300 Ultra's had a removable spacer on the battery door. You simply just had to push out a few metal pins and the spacer could be removed. This allowed the light to sit further back towards the trigger guard. This extra little room allowed the light to mate up with pic rail grooves on smaller pistols like the HK P30. On the X300 Turbo, at least on my "A" model, the battery door has been changed and there is no longer a removable spacer. Not sure the reason for the change but it may be a problem for some.

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The X300T-A is a no go on the HK P30

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08-10-2022, 07:46 PM
Lon

Will the older doors work on the Turbo?
08-10-2022, 07:55 PM
Lyonsgrid

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lon

Will the older doors work on the Turbo?

That's a good question for sure. They will "fit" however, the circuit board on the end of the cover is different and I don't won't to risk it messing up something. Perhaps a question for Surefire tech.
08-10-2022, 08:23 PM
Lon

1 Attachment(s)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lyonsgrid

That's a good question for sure. They will "fit" however, the circuit board on the end of the cover is different and I don't won't to risk it messing up something. Perhaps a question for Surefire tech.

Prudent and wise.

A buddy sent me this photo. He’s a light nerd.

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He said the sign is 25-30 yards away.
08-10-2022, 11:32 PM
Erick Gelhaus

I keep checking the SF website for them because I've got a 40% off code. Alas, the site keeps telling me to check with distributors.
:(

I'm looking forward to getting one of these.
08-12-2022, 11:00 AM
SeriousStudent

I got one on Monday, and will play with it this weekend.
08-12-2022, 01:04 PM
dontshakepandas

https://youtu.be/w8COWlbnosU

I'm not necessarily a fan of Lucas Botkin, but this video has some pretty good comparison and beam footage.

I'm not really sure where I line up on this one. There are many instances in the video where illuminating one of the "close" targets left the other 2 completely in the dark with the Turbo, where you could see all 3 easily with the Ultra. The Turbo is obviously going to win out at distance (which isn't much of a concern for handgun use for me) and photonic barriers and being able to provide more control over an individual (which are a concern for me), but I'm not sure if the gain there would be worth what you'd give up in situational awareness.

If I was buying one of these to put on a carbine that could be used outside, I'd take the Turbo without question. For a handgun, I think I'd really prefer something in the middle of the two instead of having to pick between two extremes (the Ultra is 11k candela and the Turbo is 66k). Something along the lines of the Modlite PLHv2 with ~40k candela and a bit more spill would really shine in that role (sorry, couldn't help it).

I'll probably stick with the Ultra for pistol use and combine that with my higher candela handheld.
08-12-2022, 02:27 PM
sickeness

They changed the door design approximately 1.5 years ago.
My newer X300s all have the fixed battery cap door with no pins.

The older ones with pins are swappable with no issues.
08-12-2022, 09:51 PM
Wake27

Surefire X300 Turbo - Initial review

Quote:

Originally Posted by dontshakepandas

https://youtu.be/w8COWlbnosU

I'm not necessarily a fan of Lucas Botkin, but this video has some pretty good comparison and beam footage.

I'm not really sure where I line up on this one. There are many instances in the video where illuminating one of the "close" targets left the other 2 completely in the dark with the Turbo, where you could see all 3 easily with the Ultra. The Turbo is obviously going to win out at distance (which isn't much of a concern for handgun use for me) and photonic barriers and being able to provide more control over an individual (which are a concern for me), but I'm not sure if the gain there would be worth what you'd give up in situational awareness.

If I was buying one of these to put on a carbine that could be used outside, I'd take the Turbo without question. For a handgun, I think I'd really prefer something in the middle of the two instead of having to pick between two extremes (the Ultra is 11k candela and the Turbo is 66k). Something along the lines of the Modlite PLHv2 with ~40k candela and a bit more spill would really shine in that role (sorry, couldn't help it).

I'll probably stick with the Ultra for pistol use and combine that with my higher candela handheld.

I haven’t understood why people have been leaning towards the super throw craze on pistols. Got it on the barriers but the trade off in spill and battery run time seemed more limiting for handguns to me…

I’ll definitely get one of the full size scout versions though, I have some LPVO guns that need the extra throw but haven’t wanted to deal with Modlites low battery run time. Looks like SureFire was able to squeeze more out of theirs. Plus I think they can use CR123s as well IIRC.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
08-12-2022, 11:19 PM
GearFondler

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wake27

I haven’t understood why people have been leaning towards the super throw craze on pistols. Got it on the barriers but the trade off in spill and battery run time seemed more limiting for handguns to me…

I’ll definitely get one of the full size scout versions though, I have some LPVO guns that need the extra throw but haven’t wanted to deal with Modlites low battery run time. Looks like SureFire was able to squeeze more out of theirs. Plus I think they can use CR123s as well IIRC.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

I can see where it might make sense for LEO but for most regular folks, not so much. I keep a handheld OKW in my back pocket for reaching out when the need arises but I can't imagine a situation where I'm pulling my pistol and needing a WML to see that far down range to make a "good shoot".
Maybe if I lived out in the country and needed to pop a coyote at 75 yds but I'd rather use a rifle for that.
08-13-2022, 07:30 AM
NH Shooter
I don't have a WML on any of my pistols, but if I did I'd go with the high-candela X300 Turbo.

Being able to illuminate targets at greater distances is IMO not what the high-candela light discussion should be about. A few of my own observations and comments;
- For a civilian, it's more likely to need the pistol in a low light environment, not a totally dark one. The need for bright spill in those conditions is largely lost.
- I have found the higher candela light creates greater contrast of the sights on the target, making sight alignment easier
- If I can leverage a photonic barrier to my advantage, the high-candela light makes that easier to do
- Inside a normal size residential room, there is so much reflection from the ceiling and walls that the high-candela beam still illuminates the entire space
- At 34 feet, the well-defined center beam of the Malkoff E2HT (500 lumens / 35,000 candela) measures about 24 inches in diameter. Simply centering that beam on an IDPA target makes it abundantly clear that it can be used for effective aiming at typical pistol fight distances.
Navigating a pitch-black road is easier with a broad beam. But once I become "target focused" on a threat, a more focused beam to illuminate the threat as much as possible is IMO an advantage.
08-13-2022, 08:19 AM
John Hearne

An X300 at 12:00 with a DD fixed front sight makes a very useful long gun WML. It's not great for mag dumps in the same spot but if you're searching and working cover with a light it works really well. I plan on buying one of the turbos and going side by side with our current 1000 lumen X300s. As a practical matter, LE carbine gun fights tend to be close range affairs and I'm not convinced the loss of spill is worth it. That is why we try before we replace everything.
08-13-2022, 09:14 AM
Up1911Fan

Quote:

Originally Posted by John Hearne

An X300 at 12:00 with a DD fixed front sight makes a very useful long gun WML. It's not great for mag dumps in the same spot but if you're searching and working cover with a light it works really well. I plan on buying one of the turbos and going side by side with our current 1000 lumen X300s. As a practical matter, LE carbine gun fights tend to be close range affairs and I'm not convinced the loss of spill is worth it. That is why we try before we replace everything.

All 3 of my 11.5" guns are setup this way and it works really well.
08-13-2022, 11:30 AM
Thy.Will.Be.Done

Quote:

Originally Posted by sickeness

They changed the door design approximately 1.5 years ago.
My newer X300s all have the fixed battery cap door with no pins.

The older ones with pins are swappable with no issues.

Isn't the fix for fitting sometimes to use the universal instead of Picatinny, even if your pistol uses Picatinny? This is what I found with my X300 and multiple H&K's, picatinny adapter was a no-go but could be worked with universal swapped in.