Product Review - Wilcox RAID XE vs L3 NGAL Lasers

This post will compare the Wilcox Raid Xe to the L3Harris NGAL aiming laser. For context, this will be from an end-user perspective. I'm not an engineer, and I don't know how to do the scientific testing to really nerd out on these devices. I'm going to speak from using them both in a wide variety of drills, training, and what I can see through a set of BNVD night vision goggles. 

I purchased the L3 NGAL first because a bunch of agencies we work with use and carry this device. I wanted to become familiar with it and teach any tricks I could find to give our clients an advantage. It's also on the SOCOM contract, so if real operators are using it, it must be the best, right? As far as output goes, yes, this laser is intense. No more petri dish-looking floods, and no more big, bulky units on the rails. Instead, it has a super small, high-output laser with an easy interface and finally a visible override. I have heard some FAGs (Former Action Guys) talk about how a visible override is not needed. One commented, “If the visible laser is seen, it could give away your position”. True, but there’s one issue, If you're casting a visible laser chances are you're casting white light with it. I understand that some military units do everything on NVG, but not all do. In a dynamic setting, I want white light in a house, but that's just me. Domestic law enforcement, however, needs a white light solution. Therefore, a visible override gives me the ability to cast white light, aim, and not get behind my optic. I can stay in that “active” position. The buttons are set up the same way as an ATPIAL AN/PEQ-15.  I have used a fair amount of those, so the transition was easy. 

Now the downside… warranty and cost. When I bought this unit, it was just over $5k retail. It’s by far the most expensive laser on the market.  The Unity Switch is right around $300. Honestly, if our agencies didn't have it, I wouldn't buy it. 

A couple of months back, I was training with a group who issues the NGAL. During a demo, my laser shut off. I thought that was weird and then the students said, "That's what ours do. ” What!  They currently had half of their units down because their lasers would randomly shut off. So I called L3, and they advised me that my unit was two months out of warranty, and it would cost $204 for them to look at the unit. Then you have to pay whatever it costs to fix the issue. So I did a little research and called a buddy. He advised me that they had the same issue and switched to the AA battery instead of the CR123. They had no problems after that. I have since then made the switch and have had no more problems. If you are curious, the battery cap replacement is $229.71 on TNVC. Someone, please make a report because I was robbed! 

Now, on to the Wilcox Raid XE. I had the opportunity to meet with some of the people who work with Wilcox and put them through our Lights Out - Night Vision shooting course (this information will be important later). Those guys are outstanding people, by the way.  They were using the Raid XE, and I was really impressed with it. I then got a unit for myself and started doing some testing with it. Side by side with NGAL, it's the same laser, but not really. The size, weight, output, and buttons are very similar.  One thing the Raid has over the NGAL is a dedicated room illuminator. On most IR floods, the flood circle is inside the width of the goggles in a CQB scenario. With the room illuminator, the flood is cast out 40 degrees from the unit, so the entire room lights up, and the light goes beyond the night vision tubes. You can toggle from the room illuminator to the long throw with the touch of a button. The high power is really clear, and even better, you can adjust the intensity of the aimer so you don't blow out your targets. In fact, the flood is adjustable from both a size and intensity perspective as well. To adjust the size, just turn the knob on the back. All of the other adjustments are done through a HUD on the back of the device. You can also customize the entire unit to your mission. If you thought that was impressive, they have a three-button programmable switch, too. This means you can program three buttons however you want. I set my first button to VIS laser- oh yeah, it has a visible override too that can be either red or green, second button to Dual Low, and third to Dual High. The only issue is that I would have to push the white light button on my flashlight concurrently with the VIS laser to get them both to come on. 

Now, remember how I said the Wilcox guys took our class? In this class, the students found out how valuable a white light plus a VIS override can be, so they’ve engineered a junction box to be used with the Unity SYNC switches! That's customer service right there,  and you're welcome! The cost is right where it needs to be for a high-output laser, too, right around $3500. To boot, the company is very customer-focused, meaning they will fix stuff if it breaks. However, if you’re abusing it, that’s a different story.

I’m sure I’m missing some tech specs, but for a thirty-thousand-foot view, here you go. My money goes to Wilcox! It’s better on the budget, has a better user interface, and has a better overall performance.

L3 NGAL:

Wilcox RAID XE: