New toy for the gats - Steiner DBAL D2
So initial impressions - I knew about the problems specific to Steiner units going into this like the prolapsing plussy(tm) possibility or the general fat fuckedness of the D2 specifically, and knowing what to expect has definitely made it a bit easier to settle into
The weight is the main and obvious drawback and the remote cable ports work just fine if you aren't gripping and ripping like a moron.
There's still a few things about these I'm not a huge fan of, but mostly just related to the lack of aftermarket
There aren't really any alternative mounts for these short of modifying existing ones to fit
The availability of spare parts (namely spare lens caps) is practically nonexistent
And the fire button on the back, while in an incredibly convenient position, I find rather mushy, no nice tactile click, and it's such a small button with a high guard that it's annoying to press, especially if your fingernails are any less than freshly cut
THAT BEING SAID
These are as close to a military FP laser you can get that you can actually take out repair services for and that makes all the difference for me
The illuminator seems nice and crisp and has a pretty wide range of focus
The fact that I can zero this thing in the daytime using the visible laser which the IR laser is slaved to is a great benefit
Not to mention there are bolt-on front sight blades for these lasers to use in place of a typical FSB or folding front sight
Powerful af for a civ laser
You can actually get customer service for these things
lack of alternative rail mounts
self-removing crane ports (if you're dumb)
For frame of reference, an ancient 1990's AIM-1/DLR somehow weighs less than the DBAL D2 lmao