In this review of the GRITR TL1c, Clayton Walker takes a look at this intriguing compact weapon light. It fits perfectly on any number of self-defense pistols including the author’s Hellcat Pro. But, how does it perform? That’s something Walker examines in this hands-on evaluation. The weapon light was provided by the company for review.
Quite a few of us are old enough to remember a very different consumer landscape when it came to tactical flashlights. For quite a while, weapon-mounted lights gave shooters the worst of both worlds: they were overly bulky when mounted to a defensive arm, and at the same time surprisingly fragile. Things began to change in the early 2000s, though you could count the names of trustworthy manufacturers on half of a hand.
Today, the flood gates are open, and a person can hardly keep track of all of the companies virtually tripping over one another to offer us increasingly smaller units with escalating levels of illumination power at progressively cheaper prices.
To be honest with you, however, I’ve felt fully comfortable with that particular technological arms race. There’s a surprising amount of thermal and chemical energy in a typical flashlight battery, and when it comes to high-drain devices — including those that I store in my nightstand and on my own body — I can think of a couple things more important than saving a few bucks.
Thankfully, GRITR’s TL1c compact weapon light is the kind of value-driven product I can get behind, and it availed itself well on my Hellcat Pro.
A Little Bit About GRITR
To better understand the product, a few words are in order about where it comes from. GRITR isn’t just a gear manufacturer — locals to the Dallas / Fort Worth region know the brand from its massive retail storefront (and combined shooting range).
As the tale is told by Adam McAuley, GRITR’s lead product developer, the genesis of every product bearing the company’s namesake — from their holsters to this weapon light — was borne of a desire to provide their retail customers with quality gear at affordable prices. Essentially, products that can compete with the established names in the firearms accessories world, but without the name brand premium. Certainly, we’ve all heard similar pitches from similar companies, so skepticism is warranted.
The difference is in the people and the testing environment. At GRITR’s headquarters, the team consists of a variety of instructors and license-to-carry trainers with law enforcement and military backgrounds (including a former Green Beret), and their facilities include a real-deal shoothouse frequented by the local police department. The company’s brain trust is further enhanced by a number of very experienced shooters and competitors who call the GRITR Sports location their local haunt.
Simply put, what GRITR offers to the rest of us goes through all of these guys first. Adam adds that not only has the TL1c been pressure-tested by a cadre of very experienced men and women, but as an engineer himself, he’s opened the guts of these units up to make sure the wiring and electrical components are solid, and that the quality of the pre-production samples is identical to what’s coming off the line today.
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The takeaway from my conversation with Adam: GRITR doesn’t do “cheap.” Unlike a number of the faceless brands ready to sell you a $30 torch from destinations unknown, which may or may not perform as advertised, this light has been assiduously vetted. An American company consisting of enthusiastic shooters and Second Amendment supporters stands behind the product — and they back it with a lifetime warranty.
Features
I’m always appreciative of tactical lights that are dummy-proof. Here, GRITR gives you absolutely everything you need with none of the features I would describe as “fiddly.” A single tap on the activation button turns the light on; one more turns it off. The button can be held for a momentary activation mode and “double-clicked” to engage the strobe feature. Though there’s a lot of lateral surface area on the buttons themselves, the light engages by pushing them from the rear in a forwards (rather than a sideways) direction. I was over the learning curve in about three seconds and found the buttons just as comfortable to engage with my right index finger or left thumb when shooting.
As for the light itself, there’s just one power setting. On a fresh battery, the TL1c will throw 500 lumens of light at 3000 candela, with a maximum beam distance of 100 meters. After the unit has run for somewhere between five or 10 minutes, the power will drop to about 400 lumens and stay at that intensity for about an hour and 15 minutes of additional operation, after which the brightness will progressively begin to decline.
In real-life testing, I found the light level to be just about perfect for indoor environments. When it comes to light, sometimes less is more. While the output is echelons better than the 80-lumen tactical lights that were once state-of-the-art in the mid-2000s, it’s not enough to blow out all of the details in a darkened room or cause the wielder to become disoriented when used in total darkness. 400 to 500 lumens is an excellent “sweet spot.”
I liked that I never had to wonder about what was happening internally, thanks to the multicolored power indicator. If it’s green, you’re good to go. The blue light kicks on when the unit has between 10% to 35% battery life. If the light is red, it’s a sign to stop what you’re doing and swap to a new battery.
Speaking of batteries, the GRITR TL1c is powered by a single CR123A. While that’s been the industry standard for some time as far as tactical lights go, over the last 10 years I’ve seen many products hit the market with a USB-rechargeable internal battery. That said, I’m swinging back around to replaceable batteries. As the saying goes, time is money: when the indicator gets low, I can switch out the CR123A and get the unit back to full power in less than thirty seconds, as opposed to plugging a unit in and checking every few hours to see if an indicator light has turned green or stopped blinking at me.
On a personal level, I also liked the light for a few situations far beyond matters of pure defensive utility. The unit is designed so that it will sit flat not just on the rails, but on its tail buttons as well. If you’ve ever wanted a light to stay put while you’re working underneath something, or to sit on a shelf to provide a little extra light for a work space, the TL1c can make do in a pinch. Unlike a conventional flashlight, and even most tactical flashlights, it won’t roll away when placed on a flat surface.
Construction and Durability
Out of the box, it’s clear this is a quality light. the GRITR TL1c is made from a 6000-series aluminum alloy with a matte, tungsten gray finish. It’s a dark color that should look good alongside just about any black firearm. Additionally, all of the branding on the light is embossed, which adds to the “stealth” feel. What’s more, the color is achieved through hard anodization, not paint or a plastic shell.
Close inspection reveals very good machining throughout the weapon light. There are no sharp angles anywhere on the unit, so it won’t chew up garments or compatible holsters. The lens itself is made of tempered glass, and the TL1c has been drop tested at a height of one meter. The light also has an anti-abrasive finish, so it should wear pretty well even several years down the road.
The GRITR TL1c also meets IPX7 Waterproof specifications, which means that the light can be completely submerged in water up to three meters deep for up to thirty minutes and it will keep working. The unit also has a service life of 50,000 hours: if you were wondering, that’s nearly six years of operation. At least for the tasks I’m using it for, I’ll very likely die before this light does.
The Wrap Up
Retailing for just a hair shy of $100, I think the GRITR TL1c is worth every penny of the asking price. While I tested the light on my Hellcat Pro, the unit comes with a number of rail keys to ensure an excellent fit to just about every Springfield Armory handgun, including the Echelon, Prodigy, XD series and railed 1911s.
Again, there are a lot of choices in this product space. However, the GRITR TL1c is a solid little weapon light with excellent build quality made by a company that cares. It’s found a permanent home on my Hellcat Pro, and I think you’ll be similarly happy if you choose give it a whirl.
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