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[Video+Review] Modlite PL350: Best Pistol Mounted Light?

Modlite PL350
We've got Modlite's new PL350 and we took it out for some night shooting to see if this weapon-mounted light is really that impressive...
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    Adding a light to your handgun is easily one of the most popular first upgrade steps you can take to immediately increase your firearm’s versatility.

    Weapon mounted lights allow you to illuminate both your target and surroundings in a bad situation.

    Modlite PL350
    Lights are pretty handy at night.

    If a pistol is a part of your personal or home defense setup in any meaningful way, it probably makes sense to ensure that you can still use it effectively when it’s lights out.

    While there are plenty of lights on the market, Modlite is one company that immediately springs to mind when talking illumination.

    We’ve covered them before, so we were stoked to get to try our hand at one again, this time in the form of the Modlite PL350.

    Modlite PL350
    Modlite PL350

    So, today, let’s take a tour of the Modlite PL350, talk about its features, pros/cons, and get it out on the range at night to see how it does.

    If you want to skip the article or see the Modlite in all its glory, check out the video below.

    As always, be sure to head over to Pew Pew Tactical’s YouTube channel for more guns and gear.

    Table of Contents

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    Lumens vs. Candela

    First things first, we need to get some terminology out of the way.

    Chances are if you’ve encountered any discussions of weapon lights elsewhere, you’ve likely heard the phrase “lumens.”

    Lumens are the most common unit used to measure brightness over a given area — where one lumen is approximately equal to the brightness of one candle.

    Modlite PL350
    Lumens is a measure of how bright a light is.

    Though most casual shooters can get by just fine throwing down the cash for a 1,000-lumen light, there’s more to the story here…and it’s become a big part of the conversation surrounding weapon mounted lights.

    Modlite PL350

    While lumens are a measurement of brightness, candela is a measurement of luminous intensity in a direction. Basically…how much light makes it to your target.

    So, while light with a high lumen rating is great, ideally, you want to make sure you’re able to throw that light downrange. This is where having a high candela rating comes in.

    Modlite PL350

    On to the goods…

    Modlite’s PL350 is unique among pistol weapon lights in that it’s fully compatible with Modlite’s existing rifle light heads.

    But for this review, we’re focused on the PHL2V it shipped with.

    Modlite PL350
    Modlite PL350

    The PHL2V boasts 1,350 lumens, putting it neck and neck with the other titans of the handgat illumination category from Surefire and Streamlight.

    But a staggering 54,000 candela compared to the Streamlight TLR1 HL’s 20,000 and Surefire X300’s 11,300 candela is what we’re interested in testing out.

    Most Versatile Pistol Light
    $329
    at Brownells

    Prices accurate at time of writing

    Prices accurate at time of writing

    Available Coupons

    Installation: Easy When You Read the Instructions…

    We got the complete PL350 package which includes:

    • light body
    • PLHv2 head
    • 18350 battery and USB charger
    • inserts to fit the light to your weapon
    • toggle switches for the light’s activation levers

    Because I didn’t read the instructions before hopping in, I mounted the PL350 and started banging away.

    Modlite PL350

    Then the light fell off about three times before I realized I needed to pop the Glock insert into the light body to get it to stay in place. Oops.

    The plus side is it survived three unintentional drop tests.

    Modlite PL350
    And there she goes…oops.

    How Does It Feel?

    On that note, first impressions here are quite stellar, and the PL350 feels rugged as hell.

    I don’t quite know how to explain it, but the light’s got this sort of simplistic, almost brutalist flair that I didn’t quite dig at first.

    Modlite PL350 Surefire Streamlight
    Streamlight TLR-H1, Modlite PL350, and Surefire X300

    But it’s grown a lot on me during the time I’ve spent with it.

    Not that aesthetics should be anywhere near the forefront of your decision-making process when it comes to choosing a weapon light.

    Modlite PL350
    Wasn’t necessarily a fan of the look but looks aren’t everything.

    But my gun looked dumb as hell with both this thing and the Deltapoint Micro on it.

    You’ve probably noticed that the PL350 does have a good amount of standoff distance from the barrel itself on a standard G17.

    $359
    at GrabAGun

    Prices accurate at time of writing

    Prices accurate at time of writing

    Available Coupons

    So, if that’s not your thing, or you’re considering the light for concealed carry stuff, you might want to look elsewhere.

    One of the bigger selling points here is the modularity between other slim Modlite products. Swapping heads on the fly is a breeze if you need to do that for whatever reason.

    Modlite PL350
    You can swap the heads.

    The toggle switches notably lack a momentary-on feature, but honestly, after a few mags getting used to it, it didn’t bother me at all.

    Its toggle switches have this really pleasant tactile click when flipped either up or down, with both directions locking the unit into the “on” position and throwing angry photons downrange.

    Modlite PL350
    Toggle switches

    However, I feel like the toggles are slightly too short.

    I really had to reach to manipulate the stock toggles. When I could reach them with my trigger finger, I didn’t generate a ton of force to adequately flip the switch off without some overtravel.

    Modlite PL350

    Luckily, the fact that the complete light package includes different length toggles means you’ve got options at least.

    Honestly, I’m probably going to wind up popping the longer ones on to see how I feel about them.

    Modlite PL350
    You got options.

    Beam Me Up…

    Given that most of my night shooting experience is under night vision and not with a weapon light, there were certainly some learning curves at play here – so keep that in mind.

    Daniel Defense MK18
    Usually, I’m in these bad boys…

    The light that normally lives on my Glock is a Streamlight TLR-1 HL.

    $163
    at Amazon

    Prices accurate at time of writing

    Prices accurate at time of writing

    Available Coupons

    I’ve been more than happy with it thus far, but sometimes you don’t know what you’re missing until you’ve got a side-by-side comparison.

    While the TLR1’s throw is decent at longer ranges and provides a fair amount of ambient light that radiates outwards, the PL350 provides areas of “segmented” light with a brilliant “hotspot” in the center.

    Modlite PL350 Surefire Streamlight
    Modlite PL350 vs. Surefire X300 vs. Streamlight TLR-1

    It offers a slightly less luminous outer ring that winds up downrange and a slightly dimmer area near you that softly illuminates your immediate surroundings.

    Additionally, at closer ranges, that hotspot, in theory, is going to give you just a tad bit more feedback when rushing to get a shot off in an emergency.

    Impressively, you’re also not getting a ton of light bounced back at you for the increase in candela even up close.

    Modlite PL350
    The Modlite offers a little extra oomph

    And although the beam is still very powerful, it doesn’t overwhelm or saturate the target to the point of obfuscation.

    That said, I noticed that gas and carbon thrown into the air when firing winds up getting between you and the target visually to a much higher degree than with the TLR1 or X300.

    Modlite PL350
    You’re going to see dust, gas, etc.

    I suspect that the increased candelas and their measurement of just how much light is in a beam are at play. It feels like when you throw your high beams on in the fog.

    It’s not a huge deal, but it’s something to be aware of.

    That extra candela also brings along the ability to overcome or punch through photonic barriers.

    Modlite PL350 Phototonic Barrier
    Take that bad, knife guy dummy person.

    While I won’t bore you with the nitty-gritty on this one, having a weapon light capable of overpowering other ambient light sources — like streetlights, headlights, etc. — is probably a good idea.

    To that end, the Modlite PL350 performs admirably.

    There’s Always a Downside

    Now that I’ve sung its praises, here are a few potential downsides.

    As noted, the PL350 runs on a single rechargeable 18350 battery and features a runtime of anywhere from 30 to 40 minutes.

    Comparatively, a TLR1’s dual CR123A power source gives it approximately 90 minutes of run time.

    Modlite PL350
    Battery life is less than the Streamlight.

    That, of course, is the price you pay if you want a light capable of throwing light this hard.

    We also had another issue that popped up with my PL350.

    Out in the desert, the light worked fine — no issues — but I was using aftermarket batteries. But upon coming back to the PPT studio and swapping the original batteries in…the light failed to work despite the battery’s apparent full charge.

    Modlite PL350
    We had some battery issues.

    I had no reason to suspect that the battery and charger were malfunctioning, so I initiated an RMA on the original PL350 body. Modlite got us a replacement within a few days. (Kudos to their customer service reps.)

    I received the unit, hooked it back up to our light head, and it worked fine.

    It sat on my desk for a week, and again, just before filming, as I went to make sure it was functional…I got a weak beam that flashed on and off at a fixed rhythm about four times…then shut off.

    Terry Crew What Does It Mean

    Exasperated, I threw in spare 18350s I had, and the light worked great…which made me think my original RMA for the light body may have been unnecessary.

    I’m not sure if it’s a defective battery or the USB charger that’s messed up (because it indicated the battery was fully charged) nevertheless it’s worth mentioning here.

    Modlite PL350
    It worked our entire time in the desert though.

    By the Numbers

    Reliability: 3.5/5

    While we’re pretty sure the issue was with the batteries or USB charger and not the light, due to the fact we had some hiccups, we’re knocking down the rating here advising that you pick up some spare batteries.

    Modularity: 5/5

    The ability to swap out heads makes this a versatile option.

    Modlite PL350

    Ease of Use: 5/5

    It was easy to install and easy to use. Other than the battery situation mentioned above, the light was a breeze.

    Looks: 4/5

    Admittedly, I didn’t like the looks, but looks aren’t everything…

    Value: 4/5

    Coming in at $330 for the whole shebang with a PLHV2, it’s significantly pricier than the TLR1 and about the same as the Surefire X300. I don’t see a reason not to spring for PL350 if you’ve got the means to do so.

    Most Versatile Pistol Light
    $329
    at Brownells

    Prices accurate at time of writing

    Prices accurate at time of writing

    Available Coupons

    Overall: 4/5

    I really liked it and think it’s a decent option for those looking for a WML.

    Conclusion

    The Modlite PL350 fits great in my existing Safariland 6534 DO holster, throws more light down range than any previous setup I’ve played with, can quickly swap heads, rechargeable batteries in a handgun-centric package is welcome.

    Modlite PL350
    Modlite PL350

    In short, I really liked it and think it’s a clear winner.

    Personally, I think I’ve found my new go-to handgun light, even if it makes me slightly sad to replace my TLR-1.

    Modlite PL350

    Again, to see it in action, check out the video below.

    What do you think of Modlite’s PL350? Let us know in the comments below. For more illumination, also read up on some of our other pistol light recommendations.

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    5 Leave a Reply

    • Flea

      Too bad it's longer than the barrel. I wonder how the exterior will look after a few thousand rounds blasting out over it.

      Innovative for sure, but I'd be far more impressed if it accomplished that in a footprint half its size like some current lights possess.

      I'll stick with Olight.

      November 18, 2021 5:24 pm
      • Ryan

        Oof.... Big oof.... You may want to get educated on weapon mounted lights, their specific design purpose as well as doing some research on olight.... Olight has been proven to be complete junk, horrible lifespan, severly inferior run time, battery life and horrible candella & lumen count. They claim to have high lumen count but those lumens drop to 500 after less than 2min of use. There's also a good reason why you would want your WML to stick well past the crown of your barrel for multiple defensive uses as well as an assistance to keeping the slide from being pushed out of battery. You also can use it as a spot to brace the pistol by driving the head of the light into a blockade....

        September 13, 2022 1:44 pm
    • B.Monroe

      Awesome review. Effective data points, for evaluation

      November 18, 2021 4:14 pm
    • John

      $319.00 ?

      WAYYYYYyyyyyyyyyyy! over priced, period.

      No, no excuses... it is way over priced, period.

      November 18, 2021 3:43 pm
      • Ryan

        With how the light is designed and it's ease of modification not only are you getting a platform that can be setup for your specific use but also GREATLY Increases the life of the wml for practically your entire lifetime, especially with their awesome warranty. This light alone will outlast MULTIPLE streamlight tlr1 hl's but will also give you the leading candella & lumen in the market. If you keep your eyes on the market you can easily find this entire light package from 230-280 bucks which is an amazing price for such a light....

        September 13, 2022 1:49 pm
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