Inforce, that’s a name that can occasionally ruffle feathers. They are an American light company that has been a mix of innovative and controversial. I recently got my hands on the Inforce WILD2, their newest handgun light. I’ve never handled or used an Inforce light extensively, and the WILD2 seems promising. Since I don’t have any experience, good or bad, with Inforce, I think I can approach the review with an unbiased opinion.
Why is Inforce controversial? Their innovation led to some of the first lights designed for compact handguns. They also used innovative switch designs, as well as low-profile lights that were less bulky than the competition. The problems came with their designs.
The common complaints are parasitic drain from the batteries and poor durability due to the polymer construction. Weak points around the rail clamp were common. Inforce also faced some criticism for their weaker than the competition output. To be fair, this wasn’t due to any deception. They publish their candela and lumen data right on their website and boxes.
The WILD1 and WILD2 look to be a light designed to address and fix the flaws of previous Inforce lights. Today we plan to find out if the WILD2 is a worthwhile light.
The Basics of the WILD2
The WILD2 does away with the polymer construction of previous Inforce lights and opts for an all-aluminum design. This will surely address durability concerns from a material perspective. This new model comes with 1,000 lumens of light backed by 25,000 candelas. It’s not groundbreaking, but fairly powerful and up to par with other professionally oriented weapon lights.
The design is waterproof up to 66 meters and seems to be extremely well sealed. This ups the durability to include a dustproof design. The light runs on two 123a batteries and has a battery life of 1.5 hours. The light comes with both a 1913 rail adapter and a Glock rail adapter. Swapping from one to the other is very simple.
In terms of size, the light is 3.5 inches long, and the bezel is 1.1 inches wide. The light weighs 4.7 ounces with batteries. It’s fairly basic for a full-sized light. The price point of 179 makes it fairly affordable as well.
The Ergonomics
The good news about the WILD2 is that the complaints about unresponsive and squishy controls are gone. The ambidextrous paddles are firm and tactile, with great feedback overall. The WILD2 delivers an excellent degree of control over the light and allows us to easily manipulate the light’s momentary, constant, and strobe modes.
The 4.7 ounces at the end of the gun are noticeable, but it’s not a downside as far as I’m concerned. It helps with recoil, and on this long-slide Arex Delta pistol, it’s a good fit. Controlling the light is simple, and it provides a much better button solution compared to the APL series of weapon lights.
We Live by Night
A nice moonless night awaited me and the Inforce WIDL2. We greeted the night with fire and cast beams far and wide. The beam gives us a noticeable hotspot with a good degree of spill that provides eye-filling vision. The combination allows the light to reach fairly far and also helps fill the peripheral vision of the user. Handguns are not long-range engagement devices for most of us, so the spill can be valuable for those close-range, rapidly moving engagements.
For a pistol light, that focused beam does give you a nice range. Out to 25 yards, it’s plenty of light to spot and identify targets. If it’s a known threat, you could reach out to 50 yards fairly easily. The WIDL2 throws a light further than I’d likely take a shot. Even out to 100 yards, I could spot something. I wouldn’t be comfortable taking a shot, but I can identify that a person, deer, dog, or whatever is out there.
I also put the WIDL2 up against the photonic barrier created by my car’s headlights on bright. It’s blinding to stand in front of, and as the pictures illustrate, you can’t see inside the car initially. When I activated the WILD2, the beam cut through those bright LED headlights and shined right into the car’s cockpit. It defeated a fairly powerful photonic barrier without issue.
How does the Inforce WILD2 perform indoors?
Weapon-mounted lights are a must-have for home defense. I wouldn’t say they are a must-have for concealed carry, but they are a great tool. However, for home defense, they are nonnegotiable, in my opinion. I tested the light indoors, much to my cat’s chagrin. I cast the bright white light down the hallway, in the living room, and from end to end.
The big hotspot kicks through shadows and leaves nowhere to hide. The light is bright enough to bounce off the walls and roof to provide indirect light as necessary. The spill also helps not only fill your vision but to bounce light and create usable light without having to potentially flag a nonthreat.
Ultimately we have more than enough light to deal with indoor’s use and for identifying cat from foe.
What about parasitic battery drain?
It doesn’t appear to be an issue. I’ve left the batteries in the light for a month now, and it’s just as bright as it was on day one. Even after heavy testing uses well within its battery life, and there is no noticeable drain.
I’ve been testing an optic on top of the gun, and while testing the optic, I’ve kept the light attached the entire time, and it’s withstood several hundred rounds of daytime live fire. To check the light, I set up my camera in selfie mode and filmed while firing with the light on. I didn’t film every single shot, but in my observations, the light never flickered or failed. From double taps and long strings or rapid fire, the light never stuttered or failed.
Redemption Inbound
I think the WILD2 does a lot to satisfy the needs of weapon light users. The WILD2 solves the complaints many users had with the classic Inforce lights. It provides competitive power, output, a nice beam design, good controls, and a more durable construction. It’s clearly more thought out but still retains that Inforce style. I’m pleasantly surprised.
