I’m trying to decide between the M900A which comes with the incandescent light or the M900V which comes with the LED. Those that have these lights can you please give me your opinion and experience with either light?? Thanks
Well I had a 900 several years ago with the standard head and the turbo head.
My opinion over time of use was that it was oversized, overweight, and just plain bulky and didn’t balance that well. It seemed like a great concept when I bought it but in the end I eventually sold it or traded it off on something and since then I’ve used X300’s, M600’s, and M300’s and I prefer all of these compact, lighter weight, options to the 900 series.
The only thing I miss about the light is the Navigation lights on it. I really liked that feature quite well.
Welcome to M4C.
Might as well get the LED version, at least that’ll get rid of one of the drawbacks of the M900 series. Is there any particular reason you are drawn to the M900 series SureFires?
I’ve only used the incandescent version and it worked ok but not ideal for me. A lot of people don’t like the M900 series because you are limited to one single option for light placement at the 6 o’clock position and the unit is heavy as well as being the least versatile with respect to forward grip location and light activation technique. At least with an LED you won’t be draining three batteries as quick. I also don’t like having the pressure switches on the grip itself as that tends to cause more accidental light activation than say, a pressure switch at the 9 or 12 o’clock or tailcap switch at the 3 o’clock. Just my experience.
I’m not trying to talk you out of it, ultimately it’s your money and your choice and if the M900 meets your requirements then by all means get it and it will work for you. They must not be that bad after all because they command high prices, especially the Vampire dual-mode LED versions. I don’t understand what the niche market is for such a limiting grip/light solution but I see many people run them.
If you don’t need the IR capability offered by the Vampire M900V but you want LED then I recommend you get the incan version and then get the 600-lumen TX4 head from TNVC and you will have an instant LED upgrade and the total investment will probably be less than the cost of the dual-mode M900V.
For my money, I would run an M951 with a Malkoff LED and SR07 tapeswitch on the 12 o’clock rail for a thumb-break grip activation, or the standard tapeswitch into a Tango Down VFG with the tapeswitch pocket if you want the switch on the grip itslef like the M900 has. Substitute M952V if you require IR capability. This set up would be more flexible as you can get whatever forward grip you like as well as moving the light forward or back, left or right side (including offset/angled mount), options that aren’t available with the M900. The same can be done with the slimmer and newer Scout Light for more money. Just something to think about.
Thank you both for your input, much appreciated. Pistolero lot’s of good info I will be looking into some of those models that you listed. I really like the VFG and feel comfortable with it. Now it’s just deciding if LED or incandescent is the route to go.
Definitely go with LED. Incandescent has it’s advantages like being able to use the IR filter but for anything else LED is better and more reliable.
M900 was obsolete 10 years ago.