FOG HORN a Twobirds Flying Publication
31 December 2010
By: Sal Palma (Follow me on Twitter)
Supe Up Your Insight Technologies X2 or X2L Into a
Blazing Tactical Light.
Insight Technologies, now an L3 company,
requires little in the way of introduction.
Since the early 80’s, the company has been
producing advanced weapon sights and
weapon mounted lighting. Their M3X and
M6X have a dominant position in the
Special Forces Community and they have
built a sterling reputation for quality,
reliability and customer service.
More recently, the company recognized a
need for a more robust and waterproof
mini red dot sight and addressed it with the
introduction of the, now, highly regarded
Insight MRDS.
The company’s M3 and M6 / M6X weapon
mounted lights attached to any available
Picatinny rail; however, their larger
footprint required more real estate than the
smaller frame pistols entering the market
could provide. Insight responded by
introducing two subcompact models, the X2
and X2L.
The lights were quickly accepted and found
their way to a variety of configurations and
Copyright 2011, Sal Palma, d.b.a. Twobirds Flying Publication, All Rights Reserved.
platforms where tactical lighting
requirements are less demanding.
The X2 and X2L (laser equipped) are
especially compact and use an incandescent
bulb that produces 40 lumens of intensity.
This is not much more than an incandescent
flashlight; however, it served the needs of
consumers or users needing a small
footprint over high intensity.
On the other hand, we know from countless
training and combat scenarios that light
intensity is a harnessable advantage, and in
numerous instances a less lethal solution to
a potentially lethal confrontation.
In 2010, Insight Technologies recognized
the need to beef up the X2 and X2L,
especially in light of Streamlight’s TLR-3 and
introduced two new models the X2 L.E.D.
and X2L L.E.D.. The offering accomplished a
number of things.
First, it gave Insight Technologies a more
competitive offering; secondly, it delivered
a significant increase in intensity from a
wimpy 40 lumens to a whopping 80 lumens.
It also increased the light’s run time,
durability and overall reliability.
The new X2 L.E.D. and X2L L.E.D. are a great
improvement; however, they leave the
legacy X2 and X2L customers holding the
proverbial bag, and shortly after the L.E.D.
models were introduced Insight announced
an upgrade kit for legacy X2 and X2L owners
– a brilliant move, I thought. However, the
production gods had a different thought in
mind and here we are, into 2011, with no
upgrade kit to be had.
 FOG HORN a Twobirds Flying Publication

correctly they have to be biased

As luck would have it and through the
kindness of Insight Tech Gear, I was able to
obtain an X2 L.E.D., which I quickly
dissected after its arrival.
appropriately.
Here, Insight demonstrates their maturity
by clearly labeling the module so that a
child can install it properly.
There are no special requirements when
handling the module; however, I suggest
that you ground yourself to mitigate the risk
of a static charge damaging the L.E.D. or its
circuitry.
The next component that differs from the
legacy X2 or X2L is the bezel and parabolic
reflector.

Figure 1. L.E.D. Module Exposed

The X2 L.E.D. retains its compact footprint,

but where there once was an incandescent
lamp now lives an L.E.D. module in a circuit
pack that is about .5 inches high. The
module houses all of the electronics needed
Figure 3. Bezel, reflector and L.E.D. module.
to regulate the light, and produces a
glorious 80 lumens of kick-ass tactical
lighting. The reflector is a highly polished and steep
parabola tightly focusing the beam to
produce an excellent hot spot with an
abundance of peripheral lighting.

Figure 2. L.E.D. module outside of the housing.

Note the RAIL marking on the top of the

module; it indicates how the module is to
Figure 4. Hot spot and peripheral lighting
be oriented in the housing.
Remember that light emitting diodes are
solid-state devices and they are polarity
sensitive; in order for them to operate

Copyright 2011, Sal Palma, d.b.a. Twobirds Flying Publication, All Rights Reserved.
 FOG HORN a Twobirds Flying Publication

Exactly when the L.E.D. upgrade kits will become available is

yet to be determined. M.S.R.P. was rumored to be at or
around the $60 price point, but I wouldn’t hold my breath.
Insight is well aware that the upgrade kit will cut into their X2
L.E.D. and X2L L.E.D. sales, so we may not see an upgrade kit
until the L.E.D. models have matured a bit more.
This would be a downright shame, and a game I hope Insight
will not play; there is a real need and subsequent demand for
L.E.D. upgrade kits for both the X2 / X2L and M6 /M6X
families. This is Insight’s chance to say to its customers, “we
won’t burn your investment.”
I can speculate to my heart’s content but it’s too soon to say, with any degree of certainty, what
path they’ll take.
My money is on Insight. They are a class act; miracles have been known to happen, especially
after a SHOT Show.
One can only hope!

-SP

Copyright 2011, Sal Palma, d.b.a. Twobirds Flying Publication, All Rights Reserved.