Viridian Weapon Technologies announced a pair of new Reactor laser products for the Springfield Armory XD-E pistol.

The new Reactor products mount to the accessory rail and forward section of the trigger guard. One version is offered with a red laser while the second uses a green laser. Red lasers tend to be less expensive to build, smaller and use less power than green lasers. However, green lasers are much more visible to the human eye. Green lasers can often be seen in full sunlight when a red laser cannot be seen.

In practical application, this means two things: the green laser will be more expensive to purchase and will go through batteries more quickly. The green version of the Reactor will cost $239 while the red version is a more modest $149. (Note: These are suggested retail prices. Dealers set the actual price which is often less expensive.)

Using the laser strobe mode, the red laser will have an approximate battery life of 10 hours. The green laser will have a strobe mode run time of about 2 hours. Both versions of the laser use a 1/3N battery.

Viridian Weapon Technologies uses a system that activates the laser when the pistol is drawn. This has its upsides and downsides, but it does eliminate the need to fiddle with any buttons when you need the laser in an emergency.