LaserSpeed ES-XL-2LL-R LED Light/Laser Review
by Roy Seifert
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Disclaimer:
This article is for entertainment only and is not to
be used in lieu of a qualified gunsmith.
Please defer all firearms work to a qualified
gunsmith. Any loads
mentioned in this article are my loads for my guns and have
been carefully worked up using established guidelines and
special tools. The
author assumes no responsibility or liability for use of
these loads, or use or misuse of this article.
Please note that I am not a professional gunsmith,
just a shooting enthusiast and hobbyist, as well as a
tinkerer. This
article explains work that I performed to my guns without
the assistance of a qualified gunsmith.
Some procedures described in this article require
special tools and cannot/should not be performed without
them.
Warning:
Disassembling and tinkering with your firearm may
void the warranty. I
claim no responsibility for use or misuse of this article.
Again, this article is for entertainment purposes
only!
Tools
and firearms are the trademark/service mark or registered trademark
of their respective manufacturers.
A
laser sight attached to a handgun allows you to make accurate
shots when it is not possible to use the iron sights.
Add a tactical flashlight to the mix and you have a
potent combination. In
the past most tactical flashlights had long bodies because
they were designed to be handheld.
If a handgun owner wanted both a tactical flashlight
and laser attached, the combination was often bulky and heavy.
Activating the light and laser was sometimes
impractical because of wires and pressure switches.
Flashlights that used traditional incandescent bulbs
often could not stand up to recoil.
Accessory
manufacturers have gotten smart and are now catering to the
shooting public by offering laser/flashlight combinations
designed specifically to be mounted on a handgun.
Light emitting diode (LED) technology has advanced to
the point where tactical flashlights are now using high
intensity LED’s which last longer and can stand up to
recoil. Streamlight®
and Surefire®
both offer a fairly expensive, weapon-mounted LED
flashlight/laser sight combination, although I was able to
find them fairly inexpensive on eBay.
I
was searching the Internet for a less expensive alternative
and stumbled on Ali
Express. Ali
Express is a wholesale outlet for sellers.
Retail shoppers can purchase items individually, or in
lots at discounted prices.
I found a manufacturer in
China
that produces almost an exact copy of the American-made unit
– at less than half the price with free shipping!
The Chinese are well aware of our infatuation with
firearms. If a
trade embargo wasn’t in place the American marketplace would
be flooded with Norinco and PolyTech copies.
That is something else the Chinese are good at; copying
other’s designs.
LaserSpeed
ES-XL-2LL-R
The LaserSpeed ES-XL-2LL-R is manufactured by the Cixi Yuxing
Electric Appliance Co., Ltd. under the name of Erains
International LTD. in
Liaoning,
China. It contains a
super bright CREE Q5 LED flashlight that puts out a blinding
200 lumens. On the
bottom there is a 5 miliwatt red laser that is adjustable for
both windage and elevation.
The body is made of all aircraft-grade aluminum;
believe it or not the domestic versions are made of nylon or
plastic.
It
took about 2 weeks for the unit to arrive.
The unit came in a foam padded case with a small hex
wrench for adjusting windage and elevation of the laser.
It also came with a very complete instruction sheet
written in “Chinglish”, a poor but understandable
translation from Chinese to English.
The unit did not come with the 2 required CR123
batteries; apparently they are considered hazardous and could
not be shipped. A
quick visit to the Internet brought me to CR123
Batteries .com where I purchased 4 CR123 batteries.
It’s always good to have some spares.
Mounting
the Unit
Following the instructions the unit was very easy to mount.
It fit on the rail on my wide-body 9MM 1911 perfectly.
The activation switch is easily within reach of my
trigger finger.
Speaking
of switches, the unit has two switches mounted on the rear.
A three-position toggle switch on the bottom controls
the mode. The left
position is LED light only, center position is laser only, and
the right position is both LED light and laser.
Above the toggle switch is a two position ambidextrous
rotary switch. For
my right trigger finger, down is constant on and up is
momentary. With
the toggle switch in the LED only or Laser only position, every second
activation of the rotary switch causes the LED or laser to
pulse. The pulse
mode is not available when both the laser and LED are
selected.
Adjusting
the Laser
The included hex wrench fit the two adjusting hex screws, one
mounted on the left side of the laser for adjusting windage,
and one on the bottom of the laser for adjusting elevation.
Because the laser is mounted 3.5 inches below the front
sight there is going to be some parallax, i.e. the laser will
be above the front sight if I am farther away than the
adjusted distance, or below the front sight if I’m closer
than the adjusted distance.
I picked a wall in my house and adjusted the laser to
be at the top of the front sight at 30-feet.
This will pretty much give me point blank accuracy at
any distance in my house.
Overall
Impressions
This is a nice compact unit that puts out a blinding 200
lumens of light. It
does add some bulk and weight to the pistol, but this helps to
control recoil. However,
this unit is not nearly as bulky or heavy as the separate
light and laser I replaced.
This unit got excellent reviews on a number of gun
boards. So how
long will it last and be able to stand up to use?
Unknown at this point.
However, it survived one range session where my wife
and I put about 100 rounds through the gun.
This gun is our home-defense gun which we take to the
range about twice a year, so it doesn’t really get a lot of
use.
My
overall rating: ¶¶¶¶¶
For
an additional $30 I could have purchased a unit with a green
laser model ES-XL-2LL-G.
However, green is best for outdoor use and is more
expensive; red is best for indoor use which is where I will be
primarily using the gun.
Specifications
TECHNICAL
DESCRIPTION
Wavelength:
650-660nm
Power Output: 3 W
Laser Type (mw): 5
Battery
: Two CR123 Lithium Batteries
Battery
Life: 2.5 hours of runtime
Lamp cup radiation angel: 45 degree
LED
detailed information
LED model: CREE Q5 LED-003
Power: 3W
Diameter: Ø 8 mm
Length: 85 mm
LED brightness: Up to 200 lumens blinding beam, Bright
sidelight
LED radiation angle: 120 degree
Light color: Cold white
Max electric current: 750mA
Working Temperature:-20 ~ +65
Storage Temperature:-40 ~ +85
Light attenuation: Less than 3% after 100k hours
Life time: ≤ 50000 hours
Laser
detailed information
Model: LD-650-5X
Diameter: Ø 5.6 mm
Length: 5 mm
Working Temperature:-10 ~ +50
Storage Temperature:-20 ~ +65
Max electric current: 50mA
Life time: ≤ 5000 hours
Working volt: 3V
Weight
with
Battery
: 4.72 oz, 133.8g
Warranty: Extended Warranty
Construction: Aircraft aluminum 7061-T6
Finish: Anodic oxidation/ V' r3 black
Operation: Ambidextrous Momentary/Steady on-off Switch
Rail Mount: Integrated mount
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