shooter521
Certified Glock Nut
Hey, INGOers!
I have owned, used and liked the Insight Technology (and later Streamlight) M3 tactical lights since back when they and the SureFire Nitrolon were about the only game in town.
Figuring "if it ain't broke, don't fix it," I continued to use the M3s on my Glock 35 (house gun) and Glock 34 and 17 (range/class guns), even as many newer and supposedly better LED lights came to market. In fact, ALL of my weaponlights, both handgun and long gun, remained previous-generation incandescent units until fairly recently, when I scored a killer deal on a bunch of Cree Q5 LED drop-in units for SureFire 6P/G2/etc, and converted all my long gun weaponlights and handhelds to LED. That left the M3 pistol lights as my only incandescents, and they quite literally paled in comparison to the LEDs.
I had known for some time that Insight offered an LED conversion kit for the older M3s, but put off ordering until last week. The conversion kit is a simple affair, containing a new bezel/reflector assembly, an LED on a circuit board, and instructions. Price should be in the sub-$50 range from most retailers.
Here are the LED conversion kit components (left), along with the incandescent components they replace (right):
Installation is very simple. Unscrew the original bezel and remove the bulb/spring assembly, then insert the LED board so that the word "RAIL" is located at the top, and screw on the new bezel. Done.
The new bezel is constructed of metal rather than polymer, and features lengthwise grooves all the way around. Both of these features are presumably to allow the bezel to act as a heat sink.
The LED conversion head slightly increases the length and weight over the standard incandescent M3, but does not adversely affect the gun's handling characteristics, or interfere with fit in light-bearing holsters designed for the M3.
In comparing the incandescent and LED beams side-by-side, the LED is obviously brighter and whiter, with a larger center "hot spot" and a much more defined spill area.
In lighting up a room (or in this case, a stairwell), the incandescent M3 casts a "warm" or yellowish light over a large area, much like turning on a lamp inside the room. The LED illuminates a somewhat smaller area much more intensely with a "cold" or blue/white light, like a searchlight probing the night sky.
Incandescent:
LED:
In closing, the Insight LED conversion kit breathes new life into older incandescent M3 pistol lights, putting them on par performance-wise with contemporary products such as the TLR-1. I like the design, construction and controls of the M3 and have several holsters molded for them, so going the conversion route made more sense to me than moving to a different make/model of light. IMO, it's money well-spent.
I have owned, used and liked the Insight Technology (and later Streamlight) M3 tactical lights since back when they and the SureFire Nitrolon were about the only game in town.
Figuring "if it ain't broke, don't fix it," I continued to use the M3s on my Glock 35 (house gun) and Glock 34 and 17 (range/class guns), even as many newer and supposedly better LED lights came to market. In fact, ALL of my weaponlights, both handgun and long gun, remained previous-generation incandescent units until fairly recently, when I scored a killer deal on a bunch of Cree Q5 LED drop-in units for SureFire 6P/G2/etc, and converted all my long gun weaponlights and handhelds to LED. That left the M3 pistol lights as my only incandescents, and they quite literally paled in comparison to the LEDs.
I had known for some time that Insight offered an LED conversion kit for the older M3s, but put off ordering until last week. The conversion kit is a simple affair, containing a new bezel/reflector assembly, an LED on a circuit board, and instructions. Price should be in the sub-$50 range from most retailers.
Here are the LED conversion kit components (left), along with the incandescent components they replace (right):
Installation is very simple. Unscrew the original bezel and remove the bulb/spring assembly, then insert the LED board so that the word "RAIL" is located at the top, and screw on the new bezel. Done.
The new bezel is constructed of metal rather than polymer, and features lengthwise grooves all the way around. Both of these features are presumably to allow the bezel to act as a heat sink.
The LED conversion head slightly increases the length and weight over the standard incandescent M3, but does not adversely affect the gun's handling characteristics, or interfere with fit in light-bearing holsters designed for the M3.
In comparing the incandescent and LED beams side-by-side, the LED is obviously brighter and whiter, with a larger center "hot spot" and a much more defined spill area.
In lighting up a room (or in this case, a stairwell), the incandescent M3 casts a "warm" or yellowish light over a large area, much like turning on a lamp inside the room. The LED illuminates a somewhat smaller area much more intensely with a "cold" or blue/white light, like a searchlight probing the night sky.
Incandescent:
LED:
In closing, the Insight LED conversion kit breathes new life into older incandescent M3 pistol lights, putting them on par performance-wise with contemporary products such as the TLR-1. I like the design, construction and controls of the M3 and have several holsters molded for them, so going the conversion route made more sense to me than moving to a different make/model of light. IMO, it's money well-spent.
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Original thread here: https://www.indianagunowners.com/fo..._retrofit_kit_for_insight_streamlight_m3.html
Original thread here: https://www.indianagunowners.com/fo..._retrofit_kit_for_insight_streamlight_m3.html
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