Cloud Defensive Parts & Accessories

Last updated and checked October 28, 2026

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If you have looked at a hard-use carbine in the last few years and noticed a weapon light with no pressure-switch cable flapping off the handguard, there is a good chance Cloud Defensive had a hand in it. The Indiana company makes the REIN and REIN Micro rifle lights, the EPL Duty pistol light, the MCH handheld flashlights, and the LCS brackets that clip a remote switch cable to the gun. Here is who they are, what they make, and what is worth buying.

Who Cloud Defensive is

Cloud Defensive is a weapon-light and flashlight maker founded in 2013 by Matt Tenbarge and Sean McCauley, and its listed address is 6045 Wedeking Ave. in Evansville, Indiana. It sells the REIN 3.0 and REIN Micro rifle lights, the EPL Duty pistol light, MCH handhelds, Torrent mounts, remote switches and LCS cable brackets, all under a limited lifetime warranty.

The company started at a dining room table, according to the Evansville Regional Economic Partnership. The order of its patents tells the rest of the story. McCauley’s patent for a tape switch mounting bracket, the idea behind the LCS, has a priority date of August 18, 2016. The patent for the rail-mounted weapon light came nine months later, on May 15, 2017. Cloud Defensive worked out where the cable goes before it shipped a light of its own. You can read the company’s own account on the Cloud Defensive about page.

Its first in-house rifle light was the OWL (Optimized Weapon Light), a big, fully ambidextrous light that reached buyers in late 2018 with about 1,250 lumens on an 18650 cell. The REIN followed on October 6, 2020, after what the company called two and a half long years of development. The OWL is no longer in the Cloud Defensive catalog, though Brownells still listed it at $399.99 on October 28, 2026. As of that date, the Cloud Defensive homepage also says the company is relocating across the country.

On price, Cloud Defensive sits in the premium tier with SureFire and Modlite, well above Streamlight. The company describes itself as an optimization company, and that is what you pay for: high candela, a switch and cable plan that is part of the design, and a warranty that follows the light to its next owner.

What Cloud Defensive makes

REIN 3.0 and REIN Micro rifle lights

The name stands for Rail mounted Environmental IllumiNator. The current full-size REIN 3.0 puts out 1,250 lumens and 100,000 candela, weighs 6.91 oz with the battery and is 6.17 inches long. It runs on an 18650 rechargeable or CR123 cells. The REIN Micro is the short version at 1,000 lumens, 95,000 candela, 5.41 oz and 4.88 inches, running on an 18350 or a CR123. The 2020 originals were rated at 1,400 lumens and 60,000 candela for the REIN, and 1,300 lumens and 55,000 candela for the Micro. The 3.0 generation, announced in December 2022, gave up some lumens for a much tighter, longer-reaching beam.

EPL Duty and RL-100

The EPL Duty (Enhanced Pistol Light) is the pistol-mounted light, rated at 1,200 lumens and 52,000 candela, and sold with an 18350 rechargeable battery and recoil lugs. The RL-100 is the newest rifle light on the Cloud Defensive site, listed at $149.99 with 1,250 lumens and 100,000 candela. It is marked for late fall 2026, and pre-orders were closed on October 28, 2026.

MCH handheld flashlights

MCH stands for Mission. Configurable. Handheld. The current range is the MCH-HC3 (100,000 candela and 1,250 lumens), the MCH-HC Micro, and the MCH Duty-HC and Duty-HO. Every current MCH Dual Fuel model takes either an 18650 or 18350 rechargeable or CR123 cells. Older MCH lights run on rechargeables only, so check the model before you buy spare batteries. Palmetto State Armory had an MCH-HC at $215.99 and Brownells had the MCH-EDC 2.0 Dual Fuel at $239.99 on October 28, 2026. The small Chicro and Chicro XL round out the handhelds.

Mounts, switches and the LCS

The Torrent mounts come in AFR M-LOK, M-LOK SBR, Offset M-LOK and Picatinny SBR versions, plus an Inline M-LOK mount. Palmetto State Armory had the Torrent AFR mount at $53.99. Switches include the REIN Single Constant, Single Momentary, Dual Button and Dual Lead, plus a Crane Lead Dual Switch. The LCS brackets hold a remote tape switch and its cable against the rail: the LCS-MK1G fits the SureFire ST-07, and the LCS-MK2J fits the Streamlight switch. That makes the LCS one of the few Cloud Defensive parts that improves a light from another brand.

Build quality and where it is made

Cloud Defensive says it machines, solders and assembles the vast majority of its lights in the USA. It also says it cannot put a Made in USA label on them under FTC rules, because parts such as circuit boards and LEDs come from overseas. That is an unusually straight answer, and it is the accurate way to describe the lights. The bodies are machined aluminum and are covered by a limited lifetime warranty, which is fully transferable. Batteries and chargers get one year.

The trade-off is heat, and the company states it plainly. Its REIN FAQ says the light is allowed to get hot enough that touching it after long use could make you drop it, and that it may step down or flicker under muzzle heat and blast. That is the cost of 100,000 candela from a body this size. Use the light in bursts, the way you would in a real fight, and it stays manageable.

How Cloud Defensive compares

The legacy names are SureFire and Streamlight. SureFire’s Scout lights have long been the standard rifle light, and Streamlight wins on value. Modlite is the closest modern rival, another premium, high-candela brand that buyers cross-shop with Cloud Defensive. Between those two, the choice comes down to body size, switch layout and which mount system you already run. Cloud Defensive’s edge is the whole package from one maker: light, mount, switch and LCS bracket, designed to work together.

The weak spots are price and availability. Many Cloud Defensive items were marked sold out on the maker site on October 28, 2026, and none of our five trusted retailers had the REIN 3.0 in stock that day. If you want the lowest price, Streamlight is the value pick. If you need a light today, check stock before you plan a build around a REIN.

Who should buy what

• The full-size carbine builder: the REIN 3.0 with a Torrent mount and a REIN switch.
• The short-barrel or lightweight build: the REIN Micro, 4.88 inches long and 5.41 oz.
• The handgun owner: the EPL Duty pistol light.
• The buyer who wants REIN output for less: the RL-100 at $149.99, once it ships.
• The EDC and duty user: an MCH Dual Fuel handheld.
• Anyone running a SureFire or Streamlight tape switch: the matching LCS bracket.

Who should look elsewhere? If budget comes first, Streamlight gives you more light per dollar. If you need a light this week, the frequent sell-outs make SureFire or Streamlight the easier buy. Cloud Defensive is for the shooter who wants the most throw from a small body and is willing to pay for it and wait for it.

The Cloud Defensive philosophy

Cloud Defensive treats a weapon light as a system, not a part. Its patent history shows it: the cable bracket came before the light. The REIN was then designed around that layout, with its own switches, its own mounts and the LCS to hold the cable. The company calls itself an optimization company and says it is dedicated to optimizing your gear. The REIN 3.0 is the clearest example. Cloud Defensive cut the lumen rating and raised the candela by two thirds, because reach matters more than a bigger number on the box.

How to choose your Cloud Defensive setup

Start with the gun. For a 14.5 or 16 inch carbine, the full-size REIN 3.0 gives you the most reach. For an SBR or a lightweight build, take the REIN Micro and accept a little less output for 1.29 inches less length. Next, pick the mount. The Torrent Offset M-LOK keeps the light tight to the rail, and the Picatinny SBR version suits a rail with no M-LOK slots. Then pick the switch: momentary for quick bursts, constant if you want the light to stay on, or dual button for both. Finally, add the LCS bracket that fits your tape switch so the cable stays put. If you already own a SureFire or Streamlight light, the LCS on its own is the cheapest upgrade in the catalog.

The patents behind the REIN

US Patent 10,184,756, “Rail mounted weapon light,” was granted on January 22, 2019, from a filing with a priority date of May 15, 2017. It names four inventors: Sean McCauley, Eric Small, David A. Winge and Matt Tenbarge. Two earlier patents, 9,966,204 and 10,514,235, cover the “Tape switch mounting bracket for firearm” and share an August 18, 2016 priority date. All three are filed under the inventors’ own names rather than the company’s. The OWL also carried a patent-pending Lug-Lok, which let the head and tailcap come off without threads. You can read the light patent in full on Google Patents.

Facts and Figures

• Founded: 2013, by Matt Tenbarge and Sean McCauley
• Listed address: 6045 Wedeking Ave., Evansville, Indiana 47715
• REIN 3.0: 1,250 lumens, 100,000 candela, 6.91 oz with battery, 6.17 inches, 18650 or CR123
• REIN Micro: 1,000 lumens, 95,000 candela, 5.41 oz, 4.88 inches, 18350 or CR123
• REIN launch: October 6, 2020, after two and a half years of development
• EPL Duty: 1,200 lumens, 52,000 candela
• RL-100: $149.99 on the maker site, 1,250 lumens, 100,000 candela, late fall 2026
• Light patent: US 10,184,756, priority May 15, 2017
• Warranty: limited lifetime and transferable; batteries and chargers 1 year

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