LAPG SlideRail XWL Review

In this review guide, let's check out the LAPG Slide Rail XWL. For only $70, can this light deliver the performance at this price point?

Right off the bat, first impression the light has a tight hot spot and a good throw for a pistol light, but what about the rest of the light?

Let's check it out!

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What's Included In The Packaging

The light comes in a very simple packaging. It includes:

SlideRail XWL light
2 CR123A batteries
1 allen wrench

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What Is This Light Best Used For

glock 17 with lapg sliderail xwl pistol light

The LAPG SlideRail XWL is a clone model of the Streamlight TLR 1 pistol light. It's great for:

Range use
Force on force training

Where XWL Stands - Comparison Chart

	Surefire X300U	Streamlight TLR 1	Olight PL Pro	LAPG SlideRail XWL
Lumen	1000	1000	1500	800
Throw (Useable)	90 m	120 m	120 m	80 m
Wide Spill	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Weight	113 g	122.5 g	92 g	133 g
Battery Life	1.25 hrs	1.5 hrs	1.5 hrs (USB Rechargeable)	1.5 hrs
Strobe	No	No	No	No

SlideRail XWL Core Performance

Lumen & Candela

LA Police Gear XWL sliderail car search low light

The SlideRail XWL has an impressive 800 lumen LED and 10800 candela at 1 meter.

The light does what a Streamlight TLR 1 can to lit up a scene, and it can throw as far as ~380 ft outdoor with usable light to ID subjects in the dark before it completely fades off.

For a pistol light at this price range, the throw & beam performance is very impressive even more so than the Olight PL Pro and the Surefire M600DF.

Beam Pattern Comparison

The light has a similar light beam pattern as a Streamlight TLR 1 HL with a wide flood and a tight hot center so it can illuminate everything from 10 o' clock to 2 o' clock position, and the shooter won't miss a thing in the dark.

The smooth reflector keeps the hot center very tight so it doesn't diffuse quickly as the distance increase. This serves as an important feature for checking out things down a hallway, warehouse aisles with enough usable light to ID targets or blind threats.

LAPG SLIDERAIL XWL definitely has a tighter hot center and cast hard shadow on the outer flood ring

Streamlight TLR 1 HL has the hot spot, but less than LAPG SlideRail.

Here is the light beam comparison among Surefire X300U, Streamlight TLR 1 and Olight PL Pro at CQB distance & up to 50 yards.

Overall Durability

The light feels pretty solid when you pick it up. We tested the light on a 40SW, a 308 and a 12GA by putting the light close to the muzzle where the recoil impulse is the sharpest to see if the light can hold up.

The light stayed on and continued to work, so there isn't any problem there.

As far as drop testing goes, we dropped the light in realistic ways without intentionally damaging the light on its sides. However, the lens bezel isn't thick enough to protect the lens from cracking.

Overall the light holds up very well at this price point under normal use.

Mounting System

The SlideRail XWL uses a thumb screw to lock on Glock spec rail and other similar polymer rails. You can lock and unlock the screw using a flat head, a quarter or a shell casing just like the Streamlight TLR 1.

The part we liked the most that we wish other pistol lights offer is the adjustable position rail slot tab to fit on any pistol frames if they don't align.

Once it's aligned, you can tighten it down.

It's very similar to the new Olight PL 3 's adjustable slider mount concept, but it doesn't move the whole light further nor closer to the trigger guard for better finger reach.

Modes Of Operation

Momentary
Constant On/Off
No Strobe

The Ambidextrous switch works just like the one on the Streamlight TLR 1. On the right side switch, the user can toggle the light switch up or down with one hand operation.

The switch is very responsive and positive for bare hand operation or wearing gloves.

The only down side to the switch is that the mode of operation isn't mirrored for both sides, which can be confusing at times.

Right Side

Up & hold - constant on
Down - momentary on/off

Left Side

Up - momentary on/off
Down & hold - constant on

Currently the SlideRail XWL doesn't the ability to accept any aftermarket tail cap accessories for long gun applications until LAPG start making these parts. If you want to mount something like the SlideRail XWL on a long gun, we recommend going with the Streamlight TLR 1 or TLR 2 instead.

Size & Weight

LAPG sliderail xwl vs streamlight tlr 1 hl

The LAPG XWL light feels as light as a Streamlight TLR 1 for range session training or conceal carry.

Battery Performance

lapg sliderail xwl door access locking mechnism

The light uses 2 traditional CR123A batteries that lasts about 1.5 hrs, and it has very similar performance to Surefire X300U and Streamlight TLR 1.

At around 40 mins of constant on, the light begin to dim down as usual. We recommend top off the battery as soon as it starts to dim to keep it working at its peak performance.

For future LAPG SlideRail releases, it would be awesome to see a USB rechargeable model at this price range, so that the user can train with the light as much as they like without having to spend money on CR123A batteries.

Holster Selection

The LA Police Gear SlideRail XWL shares the same body profile as the Streamlight TLR 1, so it fits in any light bearing holsters that work with the TLR 1 or TLR 1 HL.

Having this feature enable the user to shop TLR 1 light bearing holsters freely without concerning that it won't be compatible.

Please check out these top TLR 1 light bearing holsters: