Review - INFORCE 6VX & 9VX tactical flashlights.

(These products provided by the manufacturer for review.)

Now that we've looked at the weaponslight from INFORCE, let's go ahead and take a look at a more traditional category of flashlights, the typical handheld tactical flashlight. INFORCE offers several different models, but today we're going to take a look at their entry-level offerings, the 6VX and 9VX respectively. 

Having a number of features in common with the WML, these lights are immediately recognizable as being INFORCE lights, due to the distinctive design features of the polymer-bodies and the vented, exposed heatsinks. 

As is becoming common in our reviews, we're going to look at both video and detailed pictures, but before we get to that, let's list the specifications for these lights. 

INFORCE 6VX specifications:

Light Output:
High Setting: 200 lumens
Low Setting: 40 lumens
Strobe: 200 lumens

Run Time:
High Setting: 2h
Low Setting: 10h

Bezel Diameter: 1"
Length: 4.85"
Weight w/ Batteries: 3.3 oz.
Batteries: 2 x 123A Lithium

INFORCE 9VX specifications:

Light Output:
High Setting: 300 lumens
Low Setting: 60 lumens
Strobe: 300 lumens

Run Time:
High Setting: 3h
Low Setting: 15h

Bezel Diameter: 1.25"
Length: 6.15"
Weight w/ Batteries: 4.75 oz.
Batteries: 3 x 123A Lithium

Right off the bat, we can see here that the primary differences are in the output and runtimes. Let's take a look at the video and explore further from there. 

The 6VX. Note that the body and head are all one unit and maintains the same diameter through-out. Both the 6VX and  the 9VX use a  fiber reinforced polymer material for the body. Incredibly lightweight and durable, it is also impervious to most chemicals. 

The crenelated bezel ring, which allows you to see if the light is on, when it's standing on its head. Being that it is hard plastic, you could also use this as an impact-device. It is however not sharp in the slightest, but that also means that it won't raise the ire of the TSA if you have to travel with the light. 

The tailcap button. Note that the button cover is ultrasonically sealed to ensure water-resistance. 

It is unknown at this time to what depth you could reasonably take this light, but it survived the sink test with no water ingress. 

The 6VX in the hand. Note that the light, while under 5 inches long, is still long enough to be used reasonably well as a fist-load. 

Here you can see the trademark exposed heatsink. 

The business end of the 6VX. The lens does appear to be glass, and is quite clear. I am unsure which LED is actually being used here, but I would speculate that it is one of the recent CREE LEDs. And that has now been confirmed by INFORCE, they are using CREE LEDs, quite likely the CREE XP-G

The pocket clip is made from stainless steel and the mounting point allows for attaching a 550 cord lanyard. Note that the screw mounting points are reinforced with a threaded steel insert. 

The threads are polymer, but as was mentioned in the video portion of the review, they are impressively smooth in action. 

The inside of the tailcap. I believe most of the control circuitry is located in the tailcap. This tailcap is not designed to be user-serviceable. 

Close-up of the threads. Despite their odd appearance, they work very well. 

Here you can see the inner metal sleeve of the battery tube and the negative pole at the bottom. 

The longitudinal ribs provide some grip but also interface with the INFORC weapons mount. 

The INFORCE lights have an almost science fiction vibe to them, with the strict, geometric lines of their design.

The beam profile of the 6VX. This uses a second-generation TIROS optic, which does an admirable job of providing a useful beam. Nice, wide spill with a well-defined central hotspot. There are some minor rings in the beam, but nothing that has proven distracting.

And here we have the 9VX. The difference in size and shape should be immediately apparent. 

Note that the exposed heatsink here appears quite a bit beefier with deeper fins and more area exposed.

The 9VX also uses a glass lens and a second-gen TIROS optic, this one being slightly larger. Note that the crenelated bezel ring here is not hard plastic but a dense rubber. 

Identical clip mount on the 9VX. Note here that the clip on the 9VX functions far more reliably than on the 6VX, due to the longer length of the 9VX.

Threading and tailcap are also the same on the 9VX as they are on the 6VX. The tailcaps are even interchangeable. 

Here you can see the smooth transition from the 1-inch diameter body of the light to the 1.25 inch diameter head. Almost any 1 inch light mount should work with these.

On both of these lights, the quality of the machine work is quite high. I suspect that molds of this quality cost a small fortune. 

The crenelated bezel on the 9VX, being made from rubber, would not serve quite as well as an impact  weapon as the harder plastic on the 6VX does. It does still allow you to see if you left the light on. 

The beam profile is quite similar, with the 9VX having a slight edge in throw.Yes, that is a toe in the picture and yes, I am wearing Fivefingers. 

The 6VX on the right and the 9VX on the left. Despite the smaller size of the 6VX, the incredibly light weight of the 9VX and better center of gravity relative to clip placement, means I carry the 9VX a lot more. It almost disappears in the pocket. 

6VX on high output. 

9VX on high output. Note that these pictures absolutely do not do these lights justice when it comes to output. 

Lastly, a few pictures illustrating how the 6VX looks mounted on an AR. The mount used here is a very low-profile GG&G  1 -inch mount. 

Clearance above the rail is minimal and the weight does little to alter the balance of the weapon.

This one is mostly because I thought it looked cool...

While I do have a couple minor complaints when it comes to these lights, I'm overall quite pleased. They're lightweight, to the point where you almost forget that you're carrying them, and they provide a very nice feature set backed up by above-average performance. Yes, you can get lights of roughly similar size that will output far more lumens, but lumens really isn't everything. That is almost shocking to hear coming from me, I know. 

The VX series of lights are easy to use, provide an easily customizable interface and outstanding build quality, all from an American made product. They are also exceedingly tough and are well-priced, starting right at a 100 dollars for the 6VX and 125 for the 9VX. 

That all being said, let's take a look at my complaints. 

The tailcap button while serviceable really could do with being a little less stiff. I could potentially see that being a problem for someone with reduced function from an injury or even just poor hand-strength. A slightly softer button would go a long way to alleviate that. Admittedly, use does seem to soften the button a little. 

The use of PWM to control the power consumption of the light, while a serviceable enough way to do it, could do with some improvement. Current-controlled lights generally handle power a little better and more efficiently and they do so without the flickering that can be extremely noticeable to some people, particularly when the light is moving. Another option would be to increase the speed of the PWM, to make the flickering less noticeable. 

 I would like to see the clip on the 6VX redone. As it is, carrying the light clipped inside your pocket could easily result in you losing the light, as it is very prone to flopping over the edge of your pocket. Unless you're wearing quite tight pants, this is potentially an issue. The clip does work quite well on MOLLE webbing. 
Also, I would really like to see better integration with rechargeable batteries. As it is, I've found that I can run the 9VX on two 17500 Li-Ion batteries and it works exceedingly well. However, the 6VX isn't quite so flexible. Being able to run it on a single 17670 for instance would be immensely useful, especially for soldiers on the far end of supply chains. One of the more useful gifts I gave a friend when he deployed was a set of rechargeable CR123s and a compact charger. Power is something they can get access to most of the time, if only from the outlet in a Hummer. Supplies of fresh batteries, not so much. 
And lastly, having a dimmer low setting would be very useful. Something along the lines of 10-15 lumens would be perfect. That's just about right for not destroying your night vision and still being more than able to both navigate and use for up-close tasks, again without being blinded by backwash. 

The 9VX has quickly become my EDC light. Despite its size, it rides easily in the pocket of almost any pair of pants I care to use and is unobtrusive throughout the day. Keeping the above caveats in mind, these lights are otherwise highly recommended. 


You can see these lights and others at INFORCE.