While completely geeking out on flashlights and weapon lights at SHOT Show a couple months ago, I came across Nightstick lights. Brian, the Nightstick rep I spoke to, immediately pointed out some of the perks of Nightstick lights, which were quality, price point, brightness and function. One of the coolest features he showed me, though, was how the weapon lights turn on/off, but more on that later. After speaking with him for a bit, Brian offered to send me two models of lights to test for you, our readers. A number of weeks ago I received those lights and have been using and testing them almost daily ever since.

Nightstick TCM-550XL-GL and Nightstick TWM-30. (Author photo)

First Reaction

Upon their arrival, I immediately removed the lights from their well-packed external box and laid out the pieces to see what I was working with for the install. Installing weapon lights such as these is fairly straightforward if you’ve ever done it before; but, I did notice the light came with a couple of additional pieces to ensure proper fitment with a variety of brands and gun models, so I took to the Nightstick website for further information.

The instruction manuals were fairly clear, although I had to look up my specific weapon models online to determine which modular rail insert was appropriate for the two weapons used for testing. That process was straightforward and soon I was busy installing the lights onto two guns; a Sig Sauer P226 and a Glock 23. After brief consideration, I decided to place the TCM-550XL-GL (compact) on the Glock 23 and the TWM-30 on the Sig Sauer P226 since the Sig has a longer barrel than the Glock 23 and it has more usable rail space to accommodate the larger TWM-30. Once I had the right rail insert on each light, installation took roughly 2 minutes. Once installed, I did a final tightening on the lights and then it was time for the fun part…using them!

*For ease of understanding and for reading comfort I’ll now be referring to the TCM-550XL-GL as “TCM” and the TWM-30 as “TWM.”

Products, Features, and Materials

The two different models I tested differ in brightness and in the presence of a laser. The TWM is much brighter than the TCM (more than twice as bright), but the TCM has a beautiful green laser and a 550 Lumen light that makes it a strong contender as well. Let’s start first with the TCM.

TCM-XL-GL installed on a Glock 19 pistol. (Nightstick)

TCM-550XL-GL

According to Nightstick’s website, the TCM boasts the following features:

  • 550 Lumens/1,462 High Candela
  • Drop Rating of 2m
  • Daylight-visible Class IIIa 532nm Green Laser
  • Ambidextrous rear-facing toggle switches operate light, laser or both simultaneously
  • Momentary or constant-on flashlight
  • Aircraft-grade 6061-T6 aluminum housing
  • Type III hard-anodized finish
  • Sharp, focused beam rated at 136 meters
  • IP-X7 Waterproof
  • Impact & chemical resistant

Additionally, the TCM has the following dimensions:

  • Length: 2.5 in (63.5 mm)
  • Width: 1.1 in (30 mm)
  • Depth: 1.6 in (41 mm)
  • Weight: 2.9 oz (82 g)

When comparing the brightness of the TCM to that of the TWM, it is noticeably different. That said, it also possesses an incredible green laser that functions even in bright daylight (it’s not going to illuminate 100 yards away in full sun, but in tight spaces where deadly encounters often occur, I could see the light even when I shot outdoors on a sunny day.) At night, the laser will easily shine on any target in which you could accurately shoot a pistol.