Tactical flashlights

RMBROWN

Member
May 20, 2010
631
Brooklyn.MI
I own a surefire 6p original light that i've had for about 4 yrs now 65 lumons. they make one hell of a tac light any of them are super bright and indestructable..heres a link http://www.surefire.com take a peek :D :D
 

andrewsim

Member
Jun 15, 2010
316
Northeastern, IL
We need more information. What size are you looking for? battery type that you would prefer(AA, Lithium 123a, Rechargeable)? LED or Other? Type of switch (tail, normal button, both)? What is your use?
 
Jul 14, 2010
1,639
S.W. Ohio USA
Surefire 6p is hard to beat. If you are going to use it daily, the CR123 batteries will get expensive.


I bought a Streamlight Strion LED a while back. It is amazing. Rechargeable, 160 lumens, strobe mode, very small and rugged, and crazy bright. It also has a dimmer with two other less intensity beams. About $125 with AC and car chargers, but worth it in performance and battery savings. Whatever you choose, LED is the only way to go! I can't remember how many times I dropped my old Surefire and had to replace the $22 light assembly module.


If you go with either, L.A. Police Gear usually has great deals. Amazon too.
 

andrewsim

Member
Jun 15, 2010
316
Northeastern, IL
crescentstar69 said:
Surefire 6p is hard to beat. If you are going to use it daily, the CR123 batteries will get expensive.

I bought a Streamlight Strion LED a while back. It is amazing. Rechargeable, 160 lumens, strobe mode, very small and rugged, and crazy bright. It also has a dimmer with two other less intensity beams. About $125 with AC and car chargers, but worth it in performance and battery savings. Whatever you choose, LED is the only way to go! I can't remember how many times I dropped my old Surefire and had to replace the $22 light assembly module.


If you go with either, L.A. Police Gear usually has great deals. Amazon too.

+1 on the LED Strion, worth every penny. I use it more than my LED Stinger now that I have it.
 
May 21, 2010
109
El Paso,TX
andrewsim said:
We need more information. What size are you looking for? battery type that you would prefer(AA, Lithium 123a, Rechargeable)? LED or Other? Type of switch (tail, normal button, both)? What is your use?

Would prefer LED, would like a tail switch, would like it to be one of the shorter lights, and the local sheriffs dept is opening a explorer type program for people outside of high school and they require you to have a tactical flashlight and i would like it to last to carry over into me being a officer at a later date!
 
May 21, 2010
109
El Paso,TX
andrewsim said:
Battery type? How long do you think it will need to run between recharging or battery replacement??

We meet 1 time a week for 4 hours and do various training and until the first week of November we will be doing traffic at a local haunted house from 6:15PM to 4AM Friday and Saturdays.
 

andrewsim

Member
Jun 15, 2010
316
Northeastern, IL
Alright, i would recommend the LED Strion, very compact, unfortunately only a 2 hour run time. Second I would recommend the LED Stinger, it also has a 2 hour run time, but has the option to have a piggy back charger so you can have a spare battery charging while the flashlight itself is charging. Given the need for this flashlight to last around 8 hours of use, I think the Surefire 6P is a good idea, you can carry spare batteries with you.


Unfortunately over the life of the light any non rechargeable flashlights will cost you a lot more in the long run. As a point of reference a box of 12 CR123a batteries (common in tactical flashlights) will run you between $20 and $25. The 6P will get between 2 and 3 hours of run time using the standard bulb that comes with it. There are cheaper options from Surefire, for example the Surefire G2 LED which is around 75$, very bright, and available at Lowes, the G2 also uses CR123a batteries.


I have personally found that Streamlights seem to be very comparable to Surefires and are cheaper. Streamlight also has better rechargeable options.


A cool website to check that is really good for sorting lights by your requirements is http://www.brightguy.com


Also:


http://www.surefire.com


http://www.streamlight.com


I have never used one but a friend of mine has said good things about


http://www.fenixlight.com
 

cory y

Member
May 21, 2010
1,614
how are you only getting 2 hrs of run time?


first off heres an idea... Turn the damn thing off, that really increases run time. nobody turns a flashlight on and leaves it on for 2 hrs.


2nd if you do leave it on, dim the beam, it more than triples the battery life up to over 7 hours.
 

andrewsim

Member
Jun 15, 2010
316
Northeastern, IL
The times I listed are possible. I don't know how he plans on using it during that 4 or 8 hour period time, if he is using it non stop than that number is important. But you are correct, dimming will increase it dramatically.
 

Stendec

Member
May 21, 2010
816
It's really too broad a question, like "which ice cream is best?" For starters, you actually need 2 lights- an administrative light and a fighting or emergency light. The administrative light can be a Photon or Inova that can be used for looking for dropped objects in the dark or finding spare batteries for your other light. I belive that Inova has a combo pack which includes the light, and a "traffic wand" that essentially turns it into an electric Cyalume light. The LED minimag is a larger, old-school admin light that will also accept a traffic wand.


That light gets teamed with a serious light, for which the sky's the limit. BUT, the Streamlight Polytac LED is probably the best entry level light out there at an affordable price point.


Rechargeables lost their luster to LEDs. If I'm hunting someone in the woods for hours, my lithium powered LED will last much longer than a lithium powered Xenon, and I can carry a slew of spare batteries.
 

andrewsim

Member
Jun 15, 2010
316
Northeastern, IL
Stendec said:
Rechargeables lost their luster to LEDs.

That's an opinion based of usage, I personally don't need to use my rechargeables beyond their battery life so it makes more sense for me to own rechargeable for my day to day use. Someone who needs the ability to use it hours and hours on end needs a non rechargeable so they can carry spare batteries, I use a G2 LED and a standard Maglite while searching for that exact reason.
 

GaryErrol

Member
May 28, 2010
308
Indianapolis
If your looking for something the same basic size as a Surefire 6P, why not look at a Solarforce L2 or L2P. About half the price of the Surefire. Same size as a Surefire 6P, parts will interchange. If you want something shorter, the Solarforce L2M is about half the length of the L2 and uses a single CR123A. L2P has a harder (more durable) finish than the L2. You can get an LED element (bulb and reflector) with 5 modes, low, medium, high + strobe and SOS modes. Strobe mode is nice with a traffic cone (Surefire has one for $10 plus shipping) that slides right on. Also Solarforce tube is bored so that you can use CR123A batteries or 18650 that you can get in high capacitive rechargeable batteries.


I have a Surefire 6PD LED Defender that I love. I paid about $85 for it. I brought a Solarforce L2P body (everything less the element) for about $24, you probably can get an L2 standard finish for a little less. The element, an XP-G R5 5 mode was about another $15. Rechargeable 18650 batteries (depending on capacity you want). Then all you might need is a holster.


Solarforce is a Chinese made light. I brought everything on eBay. Shipped from China and received within 2 weeks.


Not saying Solarforce is for the true professional who life very well could depend on his flashlight working but for the occasional user I see no reason to not take a look at one. I replaced a Pelican LED that I had two tailcaps fail (were replaced by Pelican under warranty at no charge) with the Solarforce L2P and that is my standard in my pants pocket every day carry flashlight (I've carried a flashlight of some sort every day for 30+years.


Only two things I don't like on the Solarforce. One is the standard bezel seems to be a tactical head instead of a flat face bezel (you can purchase a flat face replacement that replaces the tactical part). The other thing is that the clicky tailcap is a reverse one. On the Surefire, you press on the button partway to temporally turn the light on and off. On the Solarforce, it is the opposite, press the tailcap to turn on the light and then partially press the button to momentarily turn the light off. However when you let go of the button the light turns on again. When you actually become an LEO, buy a Surefire but for now try a Solarforce. If you don't like the tailcap, you can replace it with a Surefire one.


Oh, and I brought an L2M in silver to carry when I have my Sunday go to meeting clothes on.
 

Phillyrube

Member
May 21, 2010
1,272
Flatistan
Only problem with Streamlights, especially the SL20 series, is they eat batteries like crazy. I have one that sits in a charger in my garage, probably gets used 15 minutes a year and still needs a battery. Tried leaving them out of the charger unitl they started to dim and then charge them, and they fry the battery.
 

whatevah

Member
May 26, 2010
388
Delaware, USA
For a small-ish bright light, I like the Fenix PD30. I like that it's cheap ($60 on amazon) and very bright but still has the dim modes for normal work. You can find the specs on their website. Uses two of the CR123 batteries, but they seem to last a while. I'm an EMT so I don't really need the full power reach a lot.
 
Jul 14, 2010
1,639
S.W. Ohio USA
Anyone have any experience with the Fenix LD 20 R4? It has multiple modes and uses 2 AA batteries. 205 lumen max output. Looks nice. $57.50 buy it now on Flea Bay with free shipping.DSC00224.JPG[/attachment:35834vey]

DSC00224.JPG
 

rwo978

Member
May 21, 2010
5,196
ND, USA
Another vote for the Strion LED. Nice light. Good battery life, I can go for 2-3 weeks between charges, and I work nights.
 

Jarred J.

Lifetime VIP Donor
May 21, 2010
11,580
Shelbyville, TN
maglite XL100
 

PJD642

New Member
May 20, 2010
1,543
east of Cleveland
Honestly, for someone who doesn't own one already, I don't think I'd recommend a Stinger. The Strion LED is smaller and at least as bright if not brighter. The Surefire 6PL series likewise IMO.


If I was gonna recommend a light to a youngster just starting out I'd say either the Strion LED, or an incandescent Surefire 6P with the caveat that they would immediately swap the factory bulb for a Malkoff M60 or M61 lamp. Actually, I'd recommend they skip the Surefire altogether and but a flashlight body from Malkoff too - same size as a 6P but has a built in clicky switch recessed on the bottom, so you don't have to buy one from Surefire and make the light longer. Then tell 'em to get some (4) 1000ma rechargeable CR123's and they'd be good to go. Spend a little more money up front and have 'em last for years. I've got an old SL-20 with a slide switch that has to be 25 years old by now.


Having said that, I do have a stinger in my cruiser. It's used exclusively for directing traffic and the orange cone is actually siliconed in place so it can't get lost.
 

Fenn

Member
May 28, 2010
228
Ocean County, NJ
i've carried surefire 6p for almost 3 years. Its a great light. I had a problem with the led a few months back and i sent it back to surefire and they repaired it for free and sent it back to me.


I also have a surefire x300, another awesome light.


my stinger sits in my duty bag as a backup
 

rwo978

Member
May 21, 2010
5,196
ND, USA
Along these lines.... weapon mounted LED lights. What are people using? Looking at getting one for my bag. It won't be permanently mounted, just thrown on when clearing a building, so quick detach is a must. And, different prices for such. Looking for sub-$100.
 

Fenn

Member
May 28, 2010
228
Ocean County, NJ
rwo978 said:
Along these lines.... weapon mounted LED lights. What are people using? Looking at getting one for my bag. It won't be permanently mounted, just thrown on when clearing a building, so quick detach is a must. And, different prices for such. Looking for sub-$100.


i have a surefire x300 on my glock 21 with a dg-11 pressure switch.


its extremely bright and quick on and off although with our hoolsters we leave them on.


the dg-11 switch is great. really nice accessory. Instead of putting your finger up to use the momentary switch you use your middle finger on the pressure switch.
 

Rofocowboy84

Member
May 20, 2010
1,161
Centre County, PA
Definitely another vote for the Strion LED. I use it at my job and couldn't be happier. So much performance from such a small light! And you can't beat not having to buy batteries for it....


Crescentstar, where are you getting 160 lumens though? Thought it was 120?
 

mike

Member
May 23, 2010
61
usa, california
dont judge a lights output by a manufactures advertised lumens ratings. most companies rate the lumens rating at the led emitter, not at the front of the light with the lens and the reflector.


it has been common for streamlite to over rate their lumen rating by 20 lumens or so, where companies like surefire drastically underrate their lumen rating by almost 40 lumens ofn their led lights


link to actual lumen ratings


http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/sho ... p?t=260659


more lumen ratings


http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/sho ... p?t=229135


also check out different tints in led beams, warm tint, nuteral tint, cool tint


http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/sho ... p?t=227176


http://candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=283966


http://www.sliderule.ca/flashlight.htm


http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/sho ... p?t=277090
 

Forum Statistics

Threads
53,963
Messages
449,806
Members
19,102
Latest member
Hilux01

About Us

  • Since 1997, eLightbars has been the premier venue for all things emergency warning equipment. Discussions, classified listings, pictures, videos, chat, & more! Our staff members strive to keep the forums organized and clutter-free. All of our offerings are free-of-charge with all costs offset by banner advertising. Premium offerings are available to improve your experience.

User Menu

Secure Browsing & Transactions

eLightbars.org uses SSL to secure all traffic between our server and your browsing device. All browsing and transactions within are secured by an SSL Certificate with high-strength encryption.