For this week’s Friday Night Lights we will take a look at Cloud Defensive’s latest entry into the weaponlight market. Last year they unveiled their flag ship light, the Cloud Defensive Owl. It was met with enthusiasm however it was too task focused. Due to its size and shape, it did not share rail space well with others. Check out my review to refresh your memory. Since that time other companies stepped in and came out with some serious competition. Just last week Cloud Defensive showed off their new REIN light.

Cloud Defensive Brings The REIN

The first thing you will have noticed about the REIN is that it is a more traditional weaponlight format. They have adopted a pseudo Scoutlight-style body for the REIN. This is to take advantage of all the mounting options already on the market. REIN stands for Rail-mounted Environmental IllumiNator.

While the OWL takes 18650 batteries, the REIN will as well but they will also make a REIN micro body which will take 18350 batteries. A battery format made popular by MODLITE.

REIN Micro next to full size REIN

REIN Modular Tailcap

Since the REIN is designed like a more traditional weaponlight, the head and tail cap are removable.

The tailcap is of particular interest. It is future proof. They designed the tailcap to eventually have an integrated tape switch. The remote pressure pad will have its own Cloud Defensive Light Control System (LCS) for mounting to a rail. The tail cap switch is held on with a threaded collar. Remove it from the tailcap and you can remove the switch.

Once removed you will notice the tailcap has three slots. This allows you to index the remote tape switch when it eventually comes out. The tape switch will be built into a tail cap switch that way you can use both at any time to control the light.

Cloud Defensive Battery Jack

Cloud Defensive spent a lot of time observing weaponlight batteries under recoil. They cut weapon lights open with cut away sections so they could see what happens to the batteries once a gun fires. They told me they filmed a lot of it in slow motion. Sure batteries bounce back and forth but in some cases they spun around! The abuse to the springs can increase failure in the weaponlight so they came up with the battery jack.

Not all 18650s are created equal. Some are longer than others and due to this discrepancy in length, is the problem in need of a solution. The battery jack solves this problem. The inside of the REIN body tube is threaded. The plastic orange battery jack screws in and pushes the battery foward into the head. This is almost like a reverse version of SureFire’s millennium weaponlight bodies. They had a shoulder for the batteries to press up against. However there was no constant pressure on the batteries in the SureFire lights other than what the tail cap spring provided. This mostly changed though once SureFire switched to LED technology.

Anyway the Cloud Defensive battery jack keeps the batteries in place and so now there is less wear on the springs of the head as well as springs on the tailcap.

The REIN will have 1350 lumens and 58K candela. Whereas the REIN Micro will be a little less at 1300 Lumens and 55k candela.  They will retail for $360 but that comes with the remote tapeswitch and LCS. The tape switch will be similar to the SureFire SR07 tape switch, it will have momentary and a constant clicky button built into it.  If you want just the light then it will be $310 with a clicky tailcap. Check out Cloud Defensive’s website for updates on the REIN.