REVIEW: Insight L3 WMX200

The WMX200 weapon light from L3 Warrior Systems (Insight Technology) may have already caught the eye of some on various M4 or SCAR rifles of various SpecOps soldiers. This light has now made it into the SOPMOD Block II and today we want to take a closer look at this lamp. (Click on images to enlarge)

Here are the same light twice, once in Tan with a rotational body and once in Black with the "handheld" body. There is another main body with fixed rail mounting. The lamp head or pressure switch is simply screwed onto the front and back of these bodies. With two CR123A batteries, this results in a functioning white light or IR LED lamp. The weight with batteries and the rotational body is 190g, with the "handheld" body only 155g. The length is 13.2cm.

It is easy to see that the white light LED is slightly eccentrically arranged, so there is room for the small IR LED. There is a rotary ring on the lamp head, which moves relatively stiffly to select the lighting modes. There are three selections available: OFF/W (for White) /IR. The rotary ring gently clicks into each of these positions, so you know in the dark at which position the switch is located.

Operation is simple. First, select W or IR on the rotary ring. In W mode, there are four different lighting modes available. If the switch is half-pressed and held, you are in "LOW mode", so the LED only emits a weak light. If you press the switch all the way in, the LED shines in its full glory but only temporarily, so if you release your finger, darkness sets in. For "Constant ON" you have to double-click the switch. The lamp automatically turns off after 30 minutes. If you perform the double click and hold the switch down, the LED switches to "Party Mode" (Strobe). The Party Mode is not available in the IR position, but the other three are. In the image above, the "LOW mode" is on the right and the maximum bright mode is on the left.

There is a rubber cap on the pressure switch under which the connection for a cable switch is located. Simply plug it in and you're ready to go. The beauty of this is that the lamp can then be operated both via the cable switch and still via the push button. Unfortunately, the "LOW mode" is not available via the cable switch.

An overheating protection is built into the lamp head, which reduces the luminous intensity by 10 percent if it gets too warm. If the temperatures rise further, it is reduced by another 10 percent to allow cooling. However, the lamp is still bright enough even at 80 percent luminosity.

The rotational body allows you to make the best use of the position on the weapon rail. The resistance against unintentional rotation is adjusted by means of a slotted screw. For the "handheld" body, there is a rail mount available with the same features as the rotational body offers. Unfortunately, the third body was not available for testing, but from the pictures and the manual, we can say that with it, the lamp can be securely attached to a rail but cannot be rotated.

CONCLUSION : A state of the art LED lamp for tactical use. A powerful searchlight when carried both on the weapon and in hand. With the rotational body, the WMX200 can be mounted in a very versatile and LowPro manner on various weapons.

Available in Germany via IEA Mil-Optics for authorities. Price depending on the case between 340 and 410 euros.