All posts tagged Tactical Lights

Another thing people find hard to shop for online

The thing that made us decide on moving our business from just being an e- commerce business was the demand for something local.  So many people think that Amazon and Ebay have done away with the brick and mortar stores, but this is actually not true.  We’re very much in the understanding that many people prefer to get something from a local business but most people go where they get something for the best price.  There is a battle brewing over internet sales taxes and while many companies have escaped sales tax, the chickens have come home to roost on this one.

We probable have about a 5% return or exchange rate on our clothing but we probable have a considerable percentage of people that never buy from us because they are afraid of getting their sizes wrong.  Recently we had guys order insight flashlights online and only found out after we shipped the product that we were less than 30 minutes from them.   After he realized the light was not what he wanted  he drove back and wanted the Streamlight flashlights instead.  Just being able to hold something in their hands, whether it’s a light or a pair of boots, being able to try it out first is a big deal.

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

Handgun lights that never seem to be out done

I can still think of the time when my Grandfather use to come home from Radio Shack with some new powerful flashlight that was very impressive to a 9yr olds eyes.  That giant flashlight that took those giant D batteries seemed like modern technology was displayed for my eyes only.  Later it was the spoiled rich kids that showed up on camping trips with the expensive mag lites that their parents gave them because they thought you need that much candle power on a camping trip.

 

Well, there’s nothing wrong with a bright flashlight, nothing at all.  The flashlights that I see in stores like the Streamlight Flashlights are so bright and compact that the only draw back is having CR123 batteries in storage and the fact that some of these flashlights are easy to loose.   I have seen many weapons lights on M4 Carbines, but the one hand held flashlight that everyone seems to use is the Streamlight TLR-1.   This handgun light is still the staple for rail handguns and could be used on any shotgun or rifle.  The best thing about it too is most of them can be had for under $120.

Top

Overhauling your home and personal defense flashlights

I don’t think I’ve seen more improvements that have affected my daily life more  than modern flashlight technology improvements.  I remember in Boy Scouts when the guys would show up with their Maglites and their battery sucking monoliths.   Batteries like the D battery are a thing of the past and just from a size standpoint,  the Streamlight Scorpion is probable 1/10 of the weight and 2x’s what some of those flashlights put out.  I find the Streamlight Scorpion to be the best all around flashlight, but it’s a bit too big for me for every day carry.   I also believe this light is the best size for weapons mounting but unfortunately I know of no pressure switch that works with them.

Everyone has  a different reason for for carrying a flashlight and depending on the task at hand we’ll have to choose one that works for us the best.   I Personally prefer the Streamlight Poltac and Scorpion with a Section 8 Tactical utlimate retention device on my Streamlight Flashlights.   This little accessory is also a great thing to have if you do not have a weapons mounted light and was a big hit for the IDPA Nationals Low-Light competition stages.  LED technology means more power and longer battery life and I strongly suggest you consider clearing out any of your older flashlights and stocking up on CR123 batteries because the shelf live is much longer and it’s all part of being organized and prepared.

Top

Flashlights on a gun or hand held?

I think there is going to be a major change in the way we think of lights being mounted on firearms and in my opinion I wouldn’t spend too much money on firearm lights unless they were for my primary weapon.  It’s good to have more than one firearm available or atleast configured the way you want it for self-defense, but flashlights are getting smaller and more powerful and those bulky lights and expensive mounts are going to be a thing of the past in the next decade.   I suspect that in the next few years there will be pencel thin flashlights mounted on firearms that put out 200 lumens at ease.

I always hated the idea of putting flashlight on a handgun because that meant having to go through the holster testing ordeal all over again.   I have a bunch of Elite Survival holsters coming in soon that will get the job done, but Streamlight Flashlights especially the TLR-1 and the newer TLR version are probable the biggest sellers now.   The cool thing about them is you can put them on handguns and rifles but I wouldn’t blow more than $300 on a weapon mounted light just yet unless, like I said it was for a primary weapon.   If you look at how much LED technology has improved and light gathering technology like solar cells, smaller batteries and smaller lights with larger output are right around the corner.

Top

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.

Top

Every day flashlights

There is such a think as an every day flashlight that often gets over looked.   There is nothing wrong with carrying a larger flashlight, but for those in the CCW world, flashlights, knives, guns, spare magazines can really add up in weight and when you go from wearing shorts, pants, jeans and getting ready for a wedding into the mix, All of that gun gear can really affect your comfort level.   One thing you really can think about is keeping your accessories to a minimum.

The whole strobe flashlight thing does work for some situations, but lets be realistic, flashlight that is 150 lumens with a strobe is only going to give you a few seconds if that, of defensive measure.   Streamlight flashlights like the Professional series PT-1 and PT-2 are probable the most popular CCW flashlights we carry, but don’t over look the small and light nano-light from streamlight.

Top

Flashlights with variable power settings

The Streamlight PT 2l flashlight is now my favorite CCW flashlight and has easily replaced my Streamlight Scorpions.   I have had the Streamlight Scorpions for a long time and even had them when they were all Xenon bulbs before LED.   LED Flashlights probable took a big chunk away from the battery industry.    From what we are seeing the CR123 batteries are also out selling AA battery flashlights almost 2 to 1, but sometimes the AA batteries are popular because AA batteries are all over the place.   After the Northeast got  hit by a hurricane, it was funny to see what was left in the gun shops and Home Depots because the flashlights that were left were all the old fashion D and C flashlights.

The great thing about the Streamlight Professional Series flashlights is that they are variable powers.    Click it once for full  power, click it 3 times and hold and you’ve got your low-power setting.   Streamlight Flashlights have really put themselves in a very broad spectrum of the market.   Tactical lights, CCW lights, emergency lights, rescue lights EMS lights, Firemen lights and even key chain flashlights.  While there  are plenty of competitors out there, it’s easy to find a local dealer and show up and hold them in your hand without having to travel a 100  miles to find someone that stocks and ATN tactical light.

Top

Get with the program with modern flashlights

Recent we had an earthquake and a category I hurricane hit the Northeast and it made many residents scramble for flashlights and batteries.   One issue that I have seen some of my friends run into is they did not have many local options for CR123 batteries.   CR123 are becoming very popular in the tactical community but the only downside is they are not as common as AA batteries.   Rechargeable batteries and flashlights are improving, but for long deployments, you need batteries rechargeable or not.

The Professional tactical flashlights are one of my favorites because not only are they small, but not too small, they have different power settings.   The strobe feature on many of the Streamlight flashlights can be useful in some situations, but a low power options in my book is even better.   Too bad the Streamlight Scorpion does not have this option, but it would cut battery consumption considerable.  Remember that some crisis creep up on you and  only having a few hours of battery usage when you might be out of power for a week.

Top

Streamlight and it’s competition

I was at several tactical conferences over the last few months from the NYTOA, NJTOA, and the NRA Convention in Pittsburgh.    I got into using Streamlight flashlights because they were well within my price range and seemed to be more worthy of being used with firearms than anything that Radio Shack had in stock.   I really didn’t  know what I was doing when I purchased a CAA mount on my M4 Carbine, but it got it to work after using a good bit of super glue.   I’ve found that everything you need to mount on a M4 rail needs loctite or super glue.  The mount I got for my Streamlight scorpion didn’t hold and it wasn’t just because of the mount, the rubber cover on the Scorpion didn’t grip the mount well at all.

Streamlight seems to have a good foot in the door for Law Enforcement and Firemen.   I was not impressed with the price margins on some of the Surefire flashlights that I cam across because spending more than $200 on any flashlight is something disturbing if you ask me.  Streamlight flashlights are price well and I still primarily push the Streamlight Scorpion and the Polytac flashlights for weapons mounting.   There are pressure switches you can use, but I have not had the need for them. The Profession Series are really nice for CCW because they are smaller to stow in a pocket but not too small they they need to be on a keychain or easily lost.

Top
1 2 3 Page 2 of 3