DBAL-A3

Dual Beam Aiming Laser - Advanced 3

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Available for the commercial market, the first eye-safe IR laser pointer, IR illuminator and green laser pointer in a single compact unit. Features an adjustable IR illuminator for better illumination at longer ranges, dual activation switches and high/low power modes.

The DBAL-A3 civilian model is based on the standard issue DBAL-A3 for U.S. warfighters. And just like the restricted models, this unit offers the latest advances in IR and visible laser technology. The dual-beam infrared laser and illuminator combination is extremely accurate in low- and no-light maneuvers. In addition, the DBAL-A3 is the first to feature new defocused adjustable IR illumination technology to enable both midrange and close quarter target acquisition. The visible green laser's direct diode allows for cold weather operation as low as -20°C.

  • Item 9008: Black
  • Item 9009: Desert Sand

This product is subject to ITAR controls

MSRP: 
$1,864.99 - $2,033.99

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Product Features: 
  • Low-profile windage and elevation adjusters
  • Dual remote cable ports – remote fire and visible override
  • High and low power modes
  • Single laser activation switch – tap and release for momentary activation, tap twice for 5 minute continuous on
  • Activation/Low battery indicator light
  • 6061-T6 Aircraft Aluminum, MIL-SPEC Type III Hardcoat Anodized Body
  • Attach to any Picatinny rail using patented, self-adjusting Quick Release HT Mount
  • Visible green laser
  • Weight (w/ batteries, dust cover, rail mount, and dual cable remote switch)* 7.7 ±0.4 oz. / 218 ±11.2 grams
  • Submersible to 10 m for 2 hours
  • Top choice for military units worldwide
  • Available in black and desert sand

NOTE: The figures in the table below are for guidance only. Range performance will vary depending on ambient light level, atmospheric conditions, target reflectivity, and imaging system performance. These figures are a composite of tests using the highest power settings performed on a variety of occasions. IR tests used a PVS-14 in starlight with no moon or urban lighting. Visible laser tests were performed in daylight under a variety of lighting conditions.

SPECIFICATIONS:

Item No.Case ColorLaser ColorVisible LaserIR PointerIR IlluminatorRestricted
9008BlackGreen-Class IIIA<5 mWClass I, <0.7 mWClass 3R, <4.0 mWNo
IR IlluminatorClass 3R, <4.0 mW
RestrictedNo
Wavelength - Visible Red Laser-
Wavelength - Visible Green Laser532 nm
Wavelength - IR Laser850 nm
Wavelength - IR Illuminator835 nm
Wavelength - White Light-
Peak Illuminance-
Beam Divergence - Visible Red or Green Laser<0.8 mRad
Beam Divergence - IR Laser<0.8 mRad
Beam Divergence - IR Illuminator95 to 195mRad
Range/Visibility (Night/Day)* - Visible Green Laser750m / 15m
Range/Visibility (Night/Day)* - Visible Red Laser-
Range/Visibility (Night/Day)* - IR Laser>250m
Range/Visibility (Night/Day)* - IR Illuminator>175m
Temperature+5 to +55 Celsius
BatteryCR123A
Battery Life (mode dependent)>3 Hours
MaterialAircraft Aluminum
ColorBlack
Weight (with battery)8 oz
Dimensions3.5 in x 2.75 in x 1.59 in
WaterproofSubmersible to 5 m
MountQD HT Mount
Windage and Elevation AdjustmentYes
Activation SwitchIntegrated Push Button
Remote Cable Pressure PadYes
Warranty2 Year
Special Features-
9009Desert SandGreen-Class IIIA<5 mWClass I, <0.7 mWClass 3R, <4.0 mWNo
IR IlluminatorClass 3R, <4.0 mW
RestrictedNo
Wavelength - Visible Red Laser-
Wavelength - Visible Green Laser532 nm
Wavelength - IR Laser850 nm
Wavelength - IR Illuminator835 nm
Wavelength - White Light-
Peak Illuminance-
Beam Divergence - Visible Red or Green Laser<0.8 mRad
Beam Divergence - IR Laser<0.8 mRad
Beam Divergence - IR Illuminator95 to 195mRad
Range/Visibility (Night/Day)* - Visible Green Laser750m / 15m
Range/Visibility (Night/Day)* - Visible Red Laser-
Range/Visibility (Night/Day)* - IR Laser>250m
Range/Visibility (Night/Day)* - IR Illuminator>175m
Temperature+5 to +55 Celsius
BatteryCR123A
Battery Life (mode dependent)>3 Hours
MaterialAircraft Aluminum
ColorDesert Sand
Weight (with battery)8 oz
Dimensions3.5 in x 2.75 in x 1.59 in
WaterproofSubmersible to 5 m
MountQD HT Mount
Windage and Elevation AdjustmentYes
Activation SwitchIntegrated Push Button
Remote Cable Pressure PadYes
WarrantyTwo Year

  Download PDF of Specifications

DBAL-A3 is rated 4.6 out of 5 by 23.
Rated 3 out of 5 by from 2nd repair I bought my Dbal-A3 about a year ago and over half the time ive owned it has been at stiener for repair. It is in service as i am typing this and has been there for almost 3 months. The problem comes when i plug in the pressure switch. This action causes the green visible laser to come on and then dim but remain on. I spent roughly 1200$ in this unit during a sale and Ive been kicking myself ever since. If you are looking for a unit to run with your nods then this is not the product for you. Not only is it unreliable but not as bright as advertised. If youve saved up for it.. keep saving and buy a MAWL and thank me later.
Date published: 2020-08-19
Rated 5 out of 5 by from Outstanding product! For those on the fence, or balking at the price-point, if you are a serious shooter that does any ammount of night shooting with nvd/nods these are worth every penny. Rock solid. The features of this unit, you would be hard pressed to find something that outdoes this without spending a small fortune and or having your own laser r&d shop. The only "bad" thing I can say about them, is that for the money they should come with a LaRue mounting system, but for most and myself included this is hardly a deal-breaker. The stock mounting system leaves a little to be desired.
Date published: 2016-08-22
Rated 4 out of 5 by from Good overall for its price range Good overall product for its price range; however, it does have a couple of issues . The focus for the IR illuminator is very difficult to turn and care must be taken not to damage the rubber lens cover while adjusting . I’ve noticed there seems to be a different variant of the DBAL-A3 that has a longer IR Illuminator exit port that may be easier to adjust . I’m not sure if mine is a older or later model . The other issue is when using the unit mounted fire button , one out of maybe 30 attempts will result in the unit firing but immediately turning off and requiring a second push and hold of the fire button. I may contact Steiner about this particular issue.
Date published: 2020-11-11
Rated 4 out of 5 by from Leaves some to be desired Purchased after a lot of research and am pretty happy with the unit itself. However, the first issue was that the protective cover for the visible and IR lasers broke before I even got to shoot it; I had only flipped it to the side about 10 times between observing the laser in different environments and finally doing a basic zero at 50 yards prior to shooting paper for zero over the course of 2 weeks. Customer service was happy to tell me the proper part number (which I already knew) so that I COULD PURCHASE IT. When I spend over $1k, I expect they would send me a 50-cent replacement or two for free, and not charge $10 each—big thumbs down on service. The illuminator itself really isn't that good so add a standalone one to your budget. Ultimately, however, it feels well-made and the visible green laser was noticeable even in daylight out to about 20 yards.
Date published: 2019-10-11
Rated 5 out of 5 by from Dbal A3 Greatness Got a heck of a deal on this and it is worth every penny! when you sight in the visible laser the infrared laser is also sighted in and the infrared illuminator is bright so you can i.d. your targets. When used with a PVS14 it's a game changer! Great piece of kit!
Date published: 2017-04-05
Rated 5 out of 5 by from Dbal A3 on a Sig MPX I have been using a my new Dbal A3 on a Sig MPX (9mm) for a little over a month now. So far I have fire about 1400 rounds through the weapon with the laser mounted on it and have no had any issues with the laser coming loose, losing its zero or having connectivity issues with the battery (I have read some reviews stating a few people have had battery connectivity issues). Again, I am using this on a 9mm platform so I don't know about things shifting on a larger caliber weapon. The visible laser is excellent and outperforms my mil spec Peq15 by a long shot. I have been able to use the visible laser easily out to 30 yards in the middle of the day. The laser (for me is visible out to about 50 yards during bright daylight although, using a laser outside past a few yards isn't really practical (my opinion). Inside the visible laser on its low and high setting works great. I have not had any issues with the laser flickering on and off, or the zero wandering. The IR setting are fantastic on this device. I have shot with his device twice now at night using NVGs and Im very impressed with it. The IR laser on low works very well from distances out to 50-100 yards. The IR laser on high is very bright and for me, worked easily shooting to 200 yards and I can see it out to 300 plus yards (I haven't shot being 200 yards with it just because Im using a 9mm platform. The IR light/flood is also great and I like it more than my Peq15 as its adjustable so OI can either make it very intense in a small focussed area or I can expand the focus and get a good large area with it. I have no problem using the IR light/flood out to 50 to 150 yards and have been able to pick targets up that were set up in dark shadows with little ambient light hitting them. The controls were a bit more complicated then a peq15 and are not as easy to use but once you do some training with it and get used to it they are not Everly complicated by any means. The pressure pad seems to work well and I have not had any issues with it yet, although pressure pads are generally a failure point for these kinds of devices. I have not had issues with it coming disconnected from he device and the wire appears to be failure robust and doesn't look like it will break near the connection points with out some extensive use. I found zeroing the laser to be easy. I don't really have much else to say on that topic. The laser are slaved so you can just zero the vis or the IR and it will work for the two of them. The laser is lightweight and I haven't noticed it really adding any extra weight to the gun. I am running this device behind a magpul MBUS front sight and I don't have issues with the vis/IR laser or the IR flood hitting the site or causing any splash with Vis or IR. The only negative thing I have to say about this device is that I have had issues with it not working at temps of about 5 to 0 degrees (I live in a cold mountain town). I have only experienced this 1 time and am not sure if it was a 1 time deal for the failure at this temp or not.
Date published: 2018-03-04
Rated 5 out of 5 by from DBAL A3 Received the unit about a month ago and could not be more impressed. Even with the civilian market limitations, this laser out performed competitors that are owned by my friends. The IR illuminator, while not the best (D2), still performs exceptionally well to 100-150yards. The laser, both IR and visible make hitting targets under night vision a breeze. The mount is a QD mount and also held zero under hard use. No complaints whatsoever.
Date published: 2021-05-08
Rated 5 out of 5 by from DBAL A-3 REVIEW I just purchased this device. The laser pointer is nice and bright in the green, vs the red in daylight hours. I haven't had a chance to evaluate the I.R. pointer and illuminator. This looks rock solid and the mount locks on the rail real tight with no play. It is not too big either. On the red dot sight, I did go with a 1/3 cowitness to optimize the field of view on my red dot.
Date published: 2017-07-27
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Is the green laser a direct to green laser diode or is it a diode pumped solid state laser?

Asked by: Tim C
The laser in the DBAL-A3 is a pumped solid state laser. By next year this will be converted to direct.
Answered by: SteinerCustomerService
Date published: 2020-10-28

Do unused input ports (such as inputs for a tape switch or vis override) need to be plugged to protect the device against water and dirt ingress? If so, what do you recommend for a plug?

Asked by: bob29
Nothing is needed. We actually do our water testing with no plugs of any kind in those ports.
Answered by: Steiner Tech Support
Date published: 2023-02-22

Is this item controlled by ITAR? If so, why, if it is a commercial item?

Asked by: Rick
This item is controlled by ITAR regulations due to the specifications that it is built to. We are not able to give legal advise as to why.
Answered by: Steiner Optics JL
Date published: 2017-01-27

i want to use a dbal-a3 on a &quot;mag 58&quot; aero (FN Herstal) with a double handel. i have to fix the device on the barell, and then the swich is realy too short. does it existe longer? how to get it?

Asked by: peyo
We can make a pressure switch at any length you'd like. Contact us at customersupport@steiner-eoptics.com.
Answered by: Steiner eOptics 1
Date published: 2020-10-28

We have a tender inquiry for the supply of dual Laser with Illuminator, qty 500. Please send email address of contact person.

Asked by: Hasnat
Initial inquires can be sent to Sales@Steiner-eOptics.com. They can also be sent to Ron Godlewski, VP Sales and Marketing, Steiner eOptics, RGodlewski@Steiner-eOptics.com.
Answered by: SteinerOptics3
Date published: 2016-11-15

Have these started shipping with the direct laser yet?

Asked by: Dave V
No, we have not changed this unit over to a direct laser. We are in the process of changing all of our green lasers over.
Answered by: Steiner eOptics 1
Date published: 2020-10-28

If you boresight the green laser, does the IR laser follow and also sight in (I.E., do both lasers point at the same spot automatically)?

Asked by: Reacher2
Yes, the lasers are co-aligned.
Answered by: Steiner Tech Support
Date published: 2021-01-11

Is there a technological difference between a3 and D2 other than illuminator distances ? And A3 is 835 nm while D2 is 850 nm what kind of effect does this nm difference make ? And why is D2 more expensive? Thanks

Asked by: Fulcrum Arms
There are no technological differences. The D2 is more expensive because the illuminator is quite a bit larger. As for 835nm vs 850nm the difference would be not distinguishable without the proper equipment to measure the difference.
Answered by: Steiner Tech Support
Date published: 2020-10-28
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