J-Rich M900 Flashlight review by Booligan
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Introduction
Ordering
Basic Information
First impressions/Packaging
Specifications
Externals
Performance
Pros/Cons
Overall
Introduction
The Surefire M900 is an awesome lighting system, but with a high price, costing much more than most airsoft user's entire weapon system. Â J-Rich has manufactured a flashlight styled after the Surefire model, at a very reasonable price. I will discuss all of the various aspects of this light, good and bad, in this review!
Ordering:
I was sent this light by Airsplat, who carries pretty much all of J-Rich's products. They make a wide variety of lighting products, including replicas of several different models by various companies. They carry a few different bulb options, including high output xenon bulbs, as well as LED assemblies. The tan version of the M900 reviewed today is available HERE, priced at $79.99. I believe the Black M900 is out of stock at the time of this writing. It arrived two days after ordering, using UPS Ground, which is Airsplat's free shipping option on orders over $150. Many thanks to Airsplat for providing the light to Airsoft Retreat for this review!
Basic Information:
The M900 is a xenon bulb equipped light system, consisting of a vertical foregrip with two pressure pads, the main light, complete with crenellated strike bezel, and two LEDs for light discipline operations. It has a QD mount base, and works with pretty much any gun equipped with a front rail. It is made of several components, constructed from plastic and metal. The M900 is a beefy and solid light, but isn't too heavy, so it won't throw off your gun's balance too much.
First impressions/Packaging:
The J-Rich M900 light comes well packaged in a cardboard box, with high density foam keeping it secure during shipping and transportation. The package does not include batteries, so you will need to provide your own before you can use the light. There are no decorations on the box, aside from a small sticker labeling the light held within.
Specifications:
Weight: About 0.5 lbs
Length: 7.25"
Height: 6.5"
Width: 2"
Lumens: 120 (Manufacturer provided)
Battery Use: 3x CR123
Externals:
The majority of the M900 light is constructed of matte black plastic, attached to a metal chassis. The bezel is made of a grey colored metal, and has a very nicely machined strike face.
External overview
The grip portion of the light has several molded ridges to ensure that you keep a positive grip. As a vertical foregrip, it functions pretty well. It is quite tall, and allows users of pretty much any hand size to keep a solid grip on their gun. At the bottom of the grip, you will find a dark grey colored plastic battery compartment knob, complete with a black plastic power cutoff switch. The knob is locked in place once closed by a spring loaded locking lever, which must be pulled out of the way when unscrewing the battery compartment. The grip houses the two pressure switches that activate the light.
Grip
Battery knob
Shot into the battery compartment
The grip is attached to the light by a metal chassis, which is covered by a one piece plastic assembly. On the very rear of the frame, you will find an additional small momentary pressure switch, which activates the two white navigation LEDs.
Navigation LED button
Right above the grip, you can see the ARMS style QD throw mount. I'm not a huge fan of these types of mounts, usually because there's not a terribly high amount of adjustability with them, and this is no different. The light tended to be a little bit loose when mounted on most of my guns, so I used my famous velcro fix to close the gap a little bit, and fix any wobble that it had before. I can't stress enough how handy velcro is to fixing small issues like this.
QD mount, note velcro placement. If yours wobbles, do this, and it will be fixed
Moving forward still, you will hit the light assembly. This front section houses the main 35mm xenon IRB assembly, as well as the two white navigation LEDs, located above the main bulb. The rear of the light housing has a "constant on" rotary switch, allowing you to keep the light running without squeezing the pressure pads.
Inner frame
Lockout switch
The metal light assembly looks just plain mean. It has a metal strike face, which adds to both the looks, as well as the functionality for real world users. It's not really useful for airsoft, but it certainly looks good. The two LEDs are mounted high, and far apart, allowing it to clear your rail system. Red LEDs would have been my preferred color, but the white ones included aren't so bright as to totally give away your position if accidentally triggered.
Light assembly
Additional view
Navigation LEDs
Overall, the externals of this light certainly look the part, and are solid enough to take the abuse that we airsofters love to throw at our accessories. The use of metal for the chassis and plastic for the body make it strong, without being too heavy. It mounts up nicely almost any rail equipped gun, and adds a modern and badass look to your gun.
Mini-Zombat
PMC AK
Even looks good on longer ARs
Performance:
The whole point of this light is to actually illuminate things, and in that regard, it works quite well. It uses three CR123 batteries, giving you 9v of power to run both lighting systems on the unit.
The main light is bright, of course, and is advertised as being 120 lumens, and while I have no way of measuring that, I can compare it to the other lights in my collection. Â It seems to fit right in between my 100 lumen and 150 lumen lights, showing me that it is most likely 120 lumens. The bulb seems to turn on with a tiny delay, which is something you see occasionally with non-LED bulb setups.
The white navigation LEDS are great for light discipline, but as mentioned before, I would prefer them to be red. Low powered white LEDs are better than no LEDs, so I'm still a happy camper.
Pros:
M900 style
Relatively affordable
Dual use as a VFG and taclight
Lower output LEDs give you versatility
Cons:
Non adjustable ARMS style mount require some tweaking to fit right
Red LEDs would be preferred for the nav lights
Uses 3 CR123 batteries, which are fairly expensive (cheaper option is to go rechargeable)
Tall grip may interfere with going prone
Overall:
If you want an M900 style light, but don't want to shell out $500+ for the real one, this is certainly a great option. It looks great on nearly every gun, and gives you decent performance for the price. It is compatible with various filters, giving you more lighting options for any scenario you may come across. It is even available in two colors, black and tan, giving you even more options for your specific gun or loadout.
Many thanks again to Airsplat, and of course, Airsoft Retreat!
