Brownells has been in the gun parts business for over 70 years and just about every gun enthusiast is familiar with the name. Recently, they have released two their own branded flashlights, the BVL-160 and BVL-280.

The BVL-160 is manufacturer rated at 160 lumens and the BVL-280 at, yes, 280 lumens. Brownells is using an XR-E Cree emitter. Of course, I opted to try out the higher output model. I've been using a Brownells Versatile Light, BVL-280 for a few weeks now. The size, shape and weight of the BVL-280 is similar to other aluminum body lights utilizing two CR123A batteris. Mine weighed in at 6 ounces. The body is contoured and equipped with rubber o-rings to facilitate the "syringe" style grip, primarily for pistol use. There are also anti-roll flats machined into the head of the light. The rear-mounted switch is the "clikcy" type. Momentary on is achieved by pressing the switch and increased pressure clicks the light to the steady on position. The BVL-280 is a straight forward on/off light, with no strobe function or multiple output setting. I'm not a fan of lights, especially weapon mounted lights, that require the user to scroll through a series of options to get to the highest output setting.

Depicted for comparison is the SureFire G2X Tactical LED light, with the Versatile Light.



The box came with the light, lanyard, extra o-rings, batteries and a set of red/blue/green filters. Filter installation is done by unscrewing the bezel from the front, inserting the filter and screwing the bezel back down. The lanyard is secured via a metal ring that isn't closed at the end, giving me the impression that it could disengage from the light if pulled on hard enough. This could be considered a safety feature, in the event that the user gets hung up on something. Likewise, the end of the lanyard itself is fairly think material and would likely break away under heavy load.



I initially carried the light during my patrol shift and also on my own time. It was used for traffic stops, bad guy contacts and even a Christmas power outage at home. I later installed it in an IWC SMC 1" light mount and ran it on a carbine. Brownells indicated that the light is designed to be weapon mounted and so far it has functioned fine.



When talking about lights, the discussion always includes how bright the light is. As listed above, it is rated at a 280 lumen maximum output by the manufacturer. Lumens are only part of the equation. It does not indicate the throw, spill, color, etc. I didn't intend on turning this into a comparison between two lights. However, to give us a baseline, I took a couple photos at night with the BVL-280 and also the SureFire G2X. Keep in mind that photos can be deceptive as to how much light is being produced. The two photos were taken with the same camera settings (ISO 400, F2.8, .8 sec). To me, the BVL-280 had a slightly cooler tint and somewhat more narrow beam. Both lights easily illuminated targets at about 100 feet.



I haven't beat up on the light, but did take advantage of our lousy Puget Sound weather and left it outside in the rain for +24 hours. It powered up fine and remained dry inside. This just confirms that it will stay functional on a duty weapon out in the elements, like on a containment position for an extended period of time.



The Versatile Light is manufactured in China, as are the majority of the LED lights. What does set this light apart from some others is that it is backed by Brownells warranty. They are a great company to deal with if you have any issues.