WaywardGreyhound from United States, VA Public Profile

Primus is a pretty recognizable brand outside the US. It is very popular amongst European outdoor enthusiasts, and I can see why. This stove is super light, extremely well-made, and I couldn't be happier with my purchase. Easily accommodates ultra-light cooking amongst a group, and is every bit as good as other high-end U.S. brands.

Good, but could have been great…

First, the good stuff. It is ruggedly built, super bright, easily mounted weapons light. Unlike some other lights out there, it has one setting—on/bright. This is actually a feature I appreciate in a weapons light. With some other lights (which I love) I can’t tell you how annoying it is when I am trying to turn it on or off, and I somehow trigger the strobe feature. Fine for a handheld tac light, but I don’t want that on my rifle—so I am actually very appreciative they didn’t try and cram more functions in there.

The light is definitely bright. While I don’t have access to a light meter to test it, I would guess it meets the spec recorded by Surefire. In actual use, the beam doesn’t feel any more “intense” than any other light (it’s not like you magically put the sun on the end of your weapon) but rather, the “hot spot” (the brightest point in the center of the beam) is simply huge. When comparing it to other lights in the family (the KM2-C--a 350 lumen light--on white light of course) the intensity looks the same to my eye, but the spread is MUCH larger, with a more consistent hot spot. The beam is basically one giant hot spot. This surprised me, as it is a very diffuse beam with no way to focus it—but after messing with it a bit, I have come to the conclusion it doesn’t need it, as I don’t know that adjusting it would make it any more or less serviceable—it gives a long throw, with a nice bright beam as is, and doesn’t need furth

The legendary Mechchanix gloves in a thin format. They seem to wear at about the same rate as the thicker version, and are excellent shooting or duty gloves. Would definitely order again and these are definitely a staple in my gear bag.

These work great, lasts longer than the promised 8 hours, but i would say its only serviceable for around 6-7 (like most glow sticks). Obviously, works best with night vision. I would buy these again.

Review following about 30 days of use:

This is an absolutely phenomenal tool at an incredibly reasonable price point. I absolutely love everything about this device. I hadn't seen or used the Kinetic mount before, and the versatility and usability of it is second to none... I want it on all my other optics. It holds zero across multiple rifles when mounted in the same rail slots, is physically secure, and detaches and reattaches sans tools in seconds. Once the imager is on the rifle, you are treated with (what I think) is one of the best user interfaces on the market. No weird menu controls here, simple knobs and switches navigate through all you need to do, and is perfectly intuitive. I give it an absolutely A+ in usability and functionality.

From a visibility standpoint--in the words of another on thermal optics generally: "you are literally buying a superpower." I can easily get an identification level of recognition out to 175 yards in pitch black darkness. Could probably go further, but that is the extent of open field I have been able to test in at the moment. The NUC on this device is pretty solid as well--corrections seem to go away almost completely after about 10-15 minutes of operation. For those new to Thermals (like I was) when the NUC activates, it is closing a physical shutter inside the device to correct for the heat generated by the device itself. This happens with all thermals, and when it does, the image freezes for a moment when the shutter clo

Really high quality light. If you have not put hands on a Sidewinder before, they are made of thick plastic which feels solid in the hand, the head adjustment moves positively and quietly, and no discernable rattle. While more "tactical" looking flashlights may be in vogue, this light offers great utility that can't be found in the small black metal torches. The Aviation Rescue flavor of this light means you get IR, the prism lens which basically has the effect of turning the light into a giant LED, and the Molle straps. If you are looking at other sidewinder models, they don't typically include these which makes the price delta ($30 or so) over cheaper the sidewinder totally worth it. As I mentioned, I don't think of this as a "tactical" light--the beam is too diffused, and probably not as bright as I would want for that application. But it does make a phenomenal general duty light with a respectable military lineage, which of course gives it that all important cool factor. I did verify the IR illuminates using my cell phone camera, byt havent tested it with night vision to see how bright it really is--so do some research if that application is important to you. Can't beat having it on my chest rig, as a desk light, work light etc. Like it so much, I bought two!