All posts tagged CCW flashlights

Concealed Carry Flashlights, this time we’ll tell you what to buy

We always get asked for advice from customers about sizing and durability, but like many things, it really is mostly about preference and the job you need to perform that drives the gear you want to use.   There are so many options out there for holsters and firearms and at points, the New Products that we see come out really stress us out because it means adding them to inventory, having to learn about them, and waiting to see if they are any good and people actually buy them.   The new .380 pistol rave is still going strong and we have had to pickup new product lines just to stay on top of the holster buying.  The Smith & Wesson Body Guard seems to have almost caught up with the Ruger LCP.

One of the most common questions we get when customer walk in our stores is do we carry knives and flashlights.  The next most common question is do we have any flashlights like the Streamlight Flashlights available that they can hold in their hands.  I personally prefer the Streamlight Professional series flashlights and we keep them around the store for customers to hold and try  out.  The best feature about them is the hi and low power option.  For concealed carry it is nice to have a flashlight that can really light things up, but you don’t always need that much power to find the car keys you just dropped or to find the keyhole in your backdoor.

Top

Surefire Vs. Streamlight

I guess that sounds like the beginning of a gun forum post but we get asked about this all the time.  There are many things that I prefer to not divulge to customers because so much of this is about preference and the job at hand.   If you are going to be using a flashlight for any length of time, and you have access to a charger, then you obviously want a flashlight that is rechargeable and has the appropriate battery packs.  Most of the Police around here are using the Streamlight Strion and Streamlight Stinger because they can charge them in their vehicles or the office and know where they are starting from, unlike batteries that have been in the flashlight that are already diminished.

If you have serious use of a flashlight, the differences between having a flashlight at 80% vs 100% is considerable.  If you are using streamlight flashlights for more than 8yrs, you’ll be able to relate to the improvements that have taken place with LED technology.   I originally had a Streamlight scorpion with a xenon bulb that only lasted a few battery changes before it need to be replaced.   I’ve had every ready Radio Shack flashlights that were tougher than that, but things have changed.   Surefire came in stock because of all of the requests for Carbine and Shotgun lights.  The Streamlight TLR-1 Flashlights are still king in this business, but Surefire has the hold on most AR15 and shotgun mounted lights.   We are actively monitoring requests for Veridian lights, but we’ve had very little experience.

Top

LED Flashlights are a big step forward and the next is variable power

I’ve been trying to educate myself about some of the flashlights that are available and recently I got a hold of some of the Insight Flashlights.  I tried to watch some Youtube clips about the product line but couldn’t find a lot of good ones.   My primary flashlight right now is the Streamlight PT-2 because i’ve found it to be the best balanced flashlight for every day carry.  I’ve carried the Surefire G2 flashlight and the Streamlight Scorpion on occasion but they are too big to toss in a pocket.   The Ultimate Retention Device from the now defunct Section 8 Tactical is a great match for the flashlight that size.

The Streamlight ProTac -2L fits very nicely in the Tru spec tactical pants pocket and it does not get in the way of your hands.   The Streamlight flashlights like that have a hi and low option but I’m messing around with the Insight Flashlights that we just got in.  You can adjust your run time from 10% to 100% which really makes you save battery time.  There have been times I’ve used  my lights to look in a closet and I felt guilty running the flashlights on full power because I was wasting a defensive flashlights battery life.

Top

Suggestions for CCW Flashlights

There are always people that carry products that are outside the norm and everyone has a different reason for carrying what they want.  I knew a guy that carried a Desert Eagle and it wasn’t because he was a nut job, he actually worked on a farm and had issues with gators eating his dogs.   That’s not something I would expect my Sig 239 to  be dealing with but on the flip side, I also heard a story on the local news about a guy that just got his CCW and discharged his Desert Eagle into his hand and to this day it amazes me he has a hand.   There are always idiots in every flock but the vast majority of the product elements of society are very responsible and deserve to have access to the things they choose to carry. Pocket knives also vary and although I think Swiss Army knives are nice, clip on knives are more practical than something floating around in your pocket.   When I am looking for a flashlight that has  a proven track record there are very few companies I will place my money with, my Streamlight Flashlights are my primary home and CCW flashlights although I do have some of the Surefire flashlights on my M4 Carbines.   I am still in a testing stage for weapons mounted flashlights but according to all of the local Police Departments the Streamlight TLR-1 is their pistol flashlight.

Top

Streamlight flashlights and CCW

I am finding harder and harder to not justify carrying a flashlight all the time now.  I finally found a light that doesn’t take up much room and has been holding up to lots of dropping and fumbling.   And the best part about the flashlight I settled on is that I’ve had it for over 2 months and didn’t lose it.   I’ve been seeing NRA specials on flashlights that cost close to $200 and with my luck, I’d just loose one of these things in a movie theater or camping trip and wish I just brought my Every ready radio shack flashlight with it’s clumsy D batteries.

The Streamlight Professional Series tactical light has a whopping 180 lumens which has more blast than my Streamlight Scorpion LED and it’s a lot smaller.   I could have gone with the PT 1AA but I thought that would be too small.  There are key chain flashlights, but  I have used my cell phone as a flashlight in really dark situations and if I’m going to carry a flashlight to spot wild animals or ID threats, I want Streamlight flashlights with 125-180 lumens.   I also love the strobe feature because it really does give you a good option for drunks or assholes that you might run into.

Top

Sometimes CCW can be as simple as simple can be

Trying to find the right kind of flashlight to carry while that won’t take up much pocket space and still allows me to wear the least amount of layers of clothing is what Summer CCW should be all about.   As the weather warms up around here, it becomes harder and harder to carry a firearms in any way other than IWB or pocket carry.     One issue that I run into when pocket carrying is that since I’m left handed, my keys go in the left pocket normally, but when I pocket carry, my gun goes in that same pocket, well not at the same time, but it can get confusing if I’m not consistent about which gun I am going to carry.   Jumping back and forth between modes of carry isn’t a good idea unless you do it enough to know that you constantly have to adapt.

I have been moving away from trying to mount all of my gear on the belt line because I’ve found that people do brush up against you and having knives and flashlights on you usually is a heads up that you are a cop.   I recently got that question from a friend I had not seen in a long time and I had to say no, I wasn’t and then was in the awkward position of trying to explain when I carry a flashlight like I do.    There are some really cool Streamlight flashlights that will fit into a pocket, but be warned, you better be careful that you aren’t turning them on unknowingly killing battery life and switch life.   Sometimes the best thing to do is do the simplest things, like put a small flashlight on a key chain and keep your gun in the other pocket.

Top
Page 1 of 1