Weapon lights are getting brighter by the day. Manufacturers are constantly amping up their capabilities, and that’s a trend we can all get behind. Nightstick has committed to amping up their lights, and the new TWM-30-T is going into turbo mode. Seriously, the “T” stands for Turbo.
The only thing this light has more of than candela is hyphens in the name. The TWM-30-T is Nightstick’s entry into the world of powerful duty weapon lights.
For those already asking: yes, it’s compatible with Safariland holsters. Nightstick designed the light to match the TLR-1 footprint, so it drops right into existing holsters built for Streamlight’s popular platform.
The TWM-30-T — All The Power
The recent surge in new weapon lights has focused on putting the brakes on lumens and pressing the gas on candela. There’s a saying floating around lately: “Advertisers talk lumens; professionals talk candela.”
While that might sound a bit elitist, the reality is that there has to be a balance of both. Usually, there is a give-and-take when it comes to lumens and candela. Typically, one has to take a backseat to give the other an advantage.
With the TWM-30-T, the lumens are reduced to 900, but the candela increases to 66,000. For context, the original TWM-30 threw out 1,200 lumens but offered less than 10,000 candela.
The difference is stark. Lumens are a measure of pure light leaving the emitter, while candela is the light’s ability to propel those lumens into a concentrated beam. The more candela you get, the more power you can push out to longer ranges.
More Than Candela
The TWM-30-T keeps the power source simple. The light doesn’t need fancy proprietary rechargeable batteries. It uses standard CR123A batteries that can be replaced with ease.
Battery life measures out to an impressive one hour and forty-five minutes—plenty of runtime for a light with this much output.
The light comes with four adapters that allow it to function with multiple guns. Since Glock rails differ from M&P rails, and some rails are longer than others, these adapters make it easy to adapt the light to various guns.
The TWM-30-T is the exact same size as the original TWM-30, which keeps things simple.
Built to Take a Beating
The TWM-30-T and its high candela improvements are a solid surprise from Nightstick. They’ve managed to build a light that sits at a borderline affordable price point without the typical downsides of “budget” brands. Other companies have produced high-candela, turbo-powered lights, but they come with a heavy price tag. The TWM-30-T comes in at about $150, which is an insanely fair price.
Not only is it fairly priced and powerful, but it’s pretty darn tough. It has a two-meter drop resistance, and I gave that a fair run. Since two meters is about six feet, and I’m a little taller than that, I dropped it from chest height on both sides and the front. It took the hits and got filthy, but it stayed locked to the rail and functioned perfectly every time. Repeated drops didn’t change the results.
With an IP67 waterproof rating, the TWM-30-T is fully protected against dust and can handle submersion in up to a meter of water for 30 minutes.
To test it, I dropped it into a Tupperware container for half an hour. Not only did it get the dirt off from the drops, but it proved the light can take a little water and still run and gun. It came out clean and fully operational. While it’s unlikely you’ll be diving with your duty or defensive firearm, rain happens, puddles exist, and life is messy.
In the Dark
What can 66,000 candela actually do for you? It creates a long-range handgun light with a focused, intense hotspot. This beam gives you the reach necessary to establish positive identification (PID) at longer ranges.
The beam provides excellent range—well beyond what you’d typically need for a handgun.
At 75 yards, I was able to clearly see and engage a steel target. While some might argue that 75 to 100 yards is “excessive” for a pistol, that extra power isn’t just about distance. High candela is your best tool for defeating photonic barriers. These are things like rain, smoke, fog, or even competing light sources that can deflect or “wash out” a weaker beam.
If you’ve ever been blinded by an oncoming car’s high beams, you’ve experienced a photonic barrier—their light overpowered yours. The TWM-30-T flips the script.
It’s literally more powerful than my car’s headlights, making it easy to identify whoever is behind the wheel. It can cut through fog, rain, and similar barriers thanks to that candela power.
Up Close
A tightly focused beam isn’t the best up-close option, but it’s not bad. There is still enough spill to provide solid peripheral vision in the dark. The powerful beam can be bounced off walls and the ceiling and provide spill to avoid flagging anyone while looking through the darkness.
It’s certainly suitable for use indoors and for home defense. That power does have its place in the close-range urban environment, and it’s an asset to law enforcement who have to work in such dynamic environments.
The 66,000 candela also serves as a defensive tool in its own right. The intensity of the hotspot is incredibly difficult to look at, buying the user a critical window of “photonic blindness” against a potential bad guy.
The New Contender
The controls are intuitive and ergonomic. Single-motion presses and the controls are ambidextrous. A long hold is your momentary mode, and a quick press is for constant. You can even activate a kill switch that makes activating the light impossible. This is perfect for traveling or stowing the gun, because CR123As are too expensive to waste sitting in a case.
Bringing this much power to a light at this price point is a bold move. By bridging the gap between high-end performance and budget-friendly pricing, the Nightstick TWM-30-T has officially made itself a serious contender.
