All posts tagged Tactical Flashlights

Surefire Flashlights, Weapon Mounted Lights, X300U, or mount a G2X

579There have been many improvements across the board with various flashlight companies.  Ever since LED technology advanced, you are getting flashlights with the same SKU, UPC Code, and price that you got it for 4yrs ago but a much better light.   I think there is a ceiling for many of these advancements. there is absolutely such a thing as too much light.   The real thing to consider is if you are using a firearm indoors, or might be using it for outdoors.  Recently I was attending a low light shoot.  I watched the majority of people use flashlights in the 110-200 lumen range and at 50yds, it was good at lighting up a target.   I took my LWRC M6A1 with me and tested out my Streamlight TLR-1 which is 300 lumens and even though it didn’t have the beam I would like to have, it really did an excellent job of lighting up a wide field in front of me so I could see just about everything I wanted it.

For indoors  over 200 lumens can be an annoyance and somewhat of an inhibitor because you will get so much reflection off of shiny objects that it can actually ruin your vision in low light.  You want the light to light up what you are pointing at, and not a whole bunch coming back at you.  One thing I’ve known for a long time is have just enough light to see an object is better than lighting up everything, you have to give you eyes time to adapt to the lighting changes and given the majority of most people’s needs, 200 Lumens is a good.  There are several Surefire Flashlights that are considered hand held lights but they actually make excellent weapon mounted lights, one of the main reason I say this is they have hi and low power settings,  I don’t know why Surefire and Streamlight haven’t incorporated this into the X300U and TLR-1 lights but I think once you get to that 300-500 Lumen range, you might be better off with having the ability to drop down in power the majority of the time, and only use full power when needed, probable outdoors.

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Streamlight Flashlights from the Protac 2L to the rechargeable Strion and Survivor

Streamlight LED FlashlightsStreamlight is one of those “staples” in this industry and even though Surefire is pretty much the comparison to Streamlight, there is always a niche that one does better than the other.    There have been some price drops for some of the Surefire G2 models and it’s basically due to the improvement of technology and manufacturing ease.    I went through that xenom flashlight faze and all of the LED upgrade but now that LED has been around so long, there are newer generations with much larger output.   Even though flashlights are considered bullet magnets, if the flashlight is damn bright you aren’t going to see anything if you are close to it.  Sure at distances you are drawing attention to yourself and if somebody sees that they might fire on you, but we’re not talking about SWAT tactical or Military operations.  For close situations something like the Streamlight Protac 2L which I highly recommend with the CR123 battery type is a 260 Lumen flashlight.   The strobe features are nice if you train with it but can also be very annoying for non-tactical or defense purposes.

The size of the flashlight, the make up of the body and the output and run time are making flashlights, lighter, stronger and better.     What usually throws a monkey wrench into the reputation of some flashlights are when you are putting mounts on them or running pressure switches.   I have had a higher failure rate with some click on and off flashlights compared to the screw on cap lights, but no where near what pressure switches have.   Pressure switches need better mounting to avoid breakage and excessive wear and so many people don’t pay attention to that.  Get a cord that gets the job done and don’t allow it to be able to bent back and forth.   There are some interesting ways of running them through handguards so read up on it.    The HL or High Lumen flashlights like the Strion HL have the perfect size Streamlight LED Flashlights for most Law Enforcement, the Streamlight Survivor is heavily used in Fire and Rescue.

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Streamlight Profession Series 2L

I have been looking to replaced my Streamlight Scorpion flashlight for some time now, but I didn’t really have a clue from where to start.   I see so many flashlights being sold as CCW lights, but I really can’t justify spending $100 or more on something that is easy to loose.   I’d rather tote a $40 flashlight that is just a bright, but I know where it is at all times and it doesn’t disappear.   You’re reading from a guy that has lost gear inside a few tactical vests before because it’s just too easy to do.

I walked into a local gun shop and checked out a few Streamlights and the reason I have stuck with this brand is because I’ve never had a real reason to go to anyone else.  Streamlight flashlights don’t burn a whole in your pocket and the Profession Tactical series has a strobe that I find fun to use on guests as well as use it for CCW.  The prices are reasonable and I didn’t have a very good experience with a Surefire G2 that I first mounted on an M4 Carbine.

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LED Flashlights for firearms

Flashlight technology has advanced more than most other items in the last few  years and LED technology really should make the average home owner, Concealed Carry holder and average citizen think about cleaning out the house and tossing  your older Mag-lite flashlights.   You can get far more out of a CR123 than you  use to get from several D batteries and the same flashlight that you use to take camping is the same one you can mount on your M4 Carbine.

LED technology has advanced so much in recent years that it truely is time to clear out your old flashlights and replace your home and traveling white lights. Fore handguns and Carbines we highly recommend Streamlight Flashlights for home or street defense.  The TLR-1 is one of biggest selling handgun tactical lights and is easy to mount and easy to use. If you are looking for a light and laser combo, the TLR-2 tac-light is what you’re looking for. The Streamlight Scorpion PolyTac is a good companion for traveling or for mounting on your M4 Carbine.

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How much of a Flashlight do you need to carry?

I  have asked myself that question for several years now and have actually enjoyed learning about all of the options that are available.  One of my primary rules for carrying a flashlight is it can’t be too small or I’ll end up losing it.  There are plenty of very powerful flashlights that cost close to $200 and can fit in your pocket, but to me that is a one heck of an expensive thing to loose.   Flashlights should be small if you are carrying them all the time, but there is such a thing as too small.   If it is really small you might as well put it on a keychain.

Even though I’ve been impressed with the Streamlight Nanolights and how powerful they are, I don’t like the idea of putting them on a keychain.  I carry a  lot of keys already and having another thing hanging in the ignition like the Streamlight Flashlights that are on a keychain makes keys kind of clunky.    I find the Streamlight Polytac to be a very nice light for all around purposes because it fits my hand very well, but it’s too big to keep on a belt or in a pocket all the time.   I’ve been carrying a Streamlight PT-2  or ProTac-2.  There is a smaller version called  the PT-2 but that is a little too small for me.   The PT-2 is in the Warranty office right now because I dropped it and cracked the lense, but the flashlight still worked.

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Flashlights drop and roll

All flashlights are capable of falling out of your hands and that’s why you’ve always seen head mounted flashlights.  Many of my mechanic buddies use head mounted lights because things can get dropped into engines which can become a nightmare situation.   I actually know someone that was in a lawsuit with an auto repair place after someone dropped off a car to get a speedometer and spark plug change and ended up with a destroyed transmission.   The mechanic apparently tried to hide the fact that he dropped a screw into the engine and then turned it on.

Firearm and police can give you plenty of situations where lights have failed or broke on duty and each style of flashlight has its pros and cons.  Streamlight flashlights for sale can give you a selection of anti-roll and drop protection but not everything will work in every situation.   I have been a fan of flashlights like the Professional Series PT-2L for ccw but recently discovered that the one that I carry has a cracked lense.  Not too happy about that since it’s only been carried for a year, but we’ll see how much of a headache repairing it is.

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Streamlight Polytac 90 flashlights

The Streamlight Sidewinder has an obvious purpose other than what a regular handheld flashlight is used for and if you need a flashlight like that, there aren’t a lot of options.   Finding a flashlight that gives you the lighting you need is going to get easier and easier these days and they are making them lighter and more powerful every day.   The Streamlight Polytac 90 is slightly shorter in length than the standard Polytac flashlight but it has a unique clip on the back to keep it in place, or  hand it on a belt or vest.   This smaller flashlight runs on 2 CR123 batteries.

Streamlight has an edge over other flashlight companies for firemen and emergency response primarily because Streamlight put the time into developing rechargeable flashlights that held up.   The Streamlight flashlights that we sell the most are the rechargeable and followed closely by the Streamlight Poltac 90.   I wish Streamlight would put a little more thought into the M4 Carbine world because although their flashlights are nice, they are not on par with what Surefire flashlights has out.    Surefire has a solid edge over weapons lights.

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Sometimes those small tactical and CCW lights don’t cut it

The Northeast recently got hit by an Earthquake and a Hurricane and several family members have come to our Employees and asked them about some of the flashlights that we sold.   We’ve told them  that the Everyready flashlights that they had 30yrs ago are beyond out dated and the technology in the flashlights has advanced tremendously.  LED technology has so improved flashlights that we are now able to use flashlights for hours that are 5-20x brighter then what we had even 10yrs ago.   One thing has not changed though and it is something to consider if you are keeping extra flashlights around the house for non-tactical reasons.

The size of a flashlight is still very important to the average citizen.   The flashlights that use to hold 2 D batteries are about the size that most people expect to use when they think of flashlights and for older people and younger people the size of the flashlight is really a comfort thing.   People want to be able to grasp the whole thing and if they drop it.   The Streamlight Flashlights that we usually recommend are the Poly Stinger or the Streamlight Strion.  Even though most of our tactical operators are using the Streamlight Scorpion or Polytac on their guns or for CCW, those are not what many of your family members are going to want around.

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Is pepper spray and mace a thing of the past?

I have been fortunate to have attended plenty of tactical conferences over the last year and it came up several times during training sessions that there is a move away from using mace like Sabre Defense products and towards  using tasers.   Tasers don’t have the blow back that mace has and of all of the times I have every trained with pepper spray or mace, my lips and eyes always got a little bit of it.   It’s still a very good thing to have on you if you want a less lethal and lower legal liability to use in a bad situation.   If I could name all of the times I have ever felt uneasy dealing with someone or was in a hostile situation, it was almost in or around a place serving alcohol.

Now that there is a lawyer  hiding under every rock, if you choose to carry a firearm for self defense you better be prepared to deal with the legal consequences of every action.   Streamlight flashlights are even being sold as defensive weapons for the strobe feature or the striking bezel.   Until tasers become smaller and more compact, I find them to be  a little too impractical to carry, but the time will come.  One of my favorites to this day is the Kimber Guardian II which looks and feels more like a gun but lasts much longer than bottles pepper sprays.   They are going to cost you more, but they are worth it.

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Putting flashlights on all of your firearms

Since we have been in the holster business, we’ve seen a lot of changes in the designs of holsters, many customers have unfortunately found out the hard way after buying a holster thinking it would work for their gun just because it says it is for a Sig 229.   Well there are many things that can change your holsters fit with a firearm, one of them is changing the sights, and the other is putting a light or laser on it.   There are plenty of good reasons to mount a flashlight on a firearms, but there are also reasons not to.    For Carbines and home defense weapons, yes, they can be helpful, but many people don’t realize that now that your firearm has a light, you better watch out that you are not violating an of the safety rules.

If you have to move through your home and you are using your gun mounted flashlight, you will be pointing the gun at everything your flashlight is.   Something like the Ultimate Retention Device from the now defunct Section 8 Tactical is a nice device and you can still get them from us.   These work very well with the Streamlight flashlights like the Streamlight Scorpion or Streamlight Polytac.   I’d give the edge to the Polytac or possible the Surefire G2 Flashlight.  The harder surfaces seem to grip the device a little better.

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