Flashlight


S

smokeeatr211

New member
This topic is not directly related to concealed carry but in a way it is.. I am looking for a descent flashlight to carry and keep as a reliable tool to use in the event i ever need it in any situation that may present itself. I am looking for something in the range of 40-80 dollars give or take a little and definately want it to have the activation button on the rear for easy manipulation and would prefer it to have a clip to carry in my pocket for quick access instead of fighting a belt pouch or similar carry device. if anyone has any suggestions i would love to hear them if they may help me find what i am looking for.
Thanks in advance for all the help
 

Gearhog had Gunshack P2's for sale for $20. I bought several. They are small, LED, 1 AA battery and bright as the sun. For that price, and I haven't tested longevity of the battery, but you can't lose. I have more expensive Surefires, and everybody wants to be in the Surefire club, but I will put this one up against my smaller Surefire any day.

There is a bright, brighter and strobe function just by pushing the rear cap button. They also have a nice sturdy pocket clip built on to them.

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My humble opinion: A flashlight is useful when you need light. If you get one big enough (like a maglite) you can use it as a club.

BUT - the whole "tactical flashlight" thing is a fad. All the talk about blinding a perp, rendering him unable to act with a strobe, etc - load of overblown BS.

In one of my instructor courses, one of my fellow students was an LEO going on and on about his Surefire. He hit me in the eyes with the strobe, and I demonstrated (without drawing an actual firearm - just my "finger gun") that I could still get the drop on him by simply pointing towards the light.

It's always good to have a flashlight around. But don't buy into all the hype.
 
Lowes has a "Coast" brand that I keep in each car. They are about $45. They are small enough for carry, but not everywhere.
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Treo- I like the Gerber if it is thin.
 
I humbly disagree with Gain on the flashlight being a fad. The couple seconds a self defense flashlight can buy you might be the difference between life and death, and while a maglight can be used as a club, they aren't practical for everyday carry in a pocket. Also you can carry a flashlight in your hand while walking to your car and no one will care, hold your firearm in your hand and it's a different story. I carry an M20 Olight, its rugged, always works when I need it, has an aggressive bezel ring on both ends for hammer style strikes. Here is a link: http://www.batteryjunction.com/olight-2011-holidayset-hunter.html

The flashlight is a great option, and it's always good to have options. I feel a good minimum for SD is 90 lumens. Strobe disorients distance, I do leave my home flashlight on strobe, but keep my edc flashlight on the highest output lumens (250). Like Gain said though, there is a disadvantage that a person can just aim at the light. Like all disadvantages, we must practice and find ways to overcome the disadvantage. A burst of 250 lumens into a perps face when it's dark outside, and then running, he will not be able to track your movements. I also feel bursts of light are better than a constant on, as it will give away your position if you are searching for a bad guy (say you have children in home and you need to get them to safety). There was a article recently on the homepage about different techniques to hold a handgun and a flashlight. I have read other advice about holding the flashlight out at arms length in case the bad guy did have a gun, he will aim at the light away from our body.

Like stated before, CR123/18650/etc batteries will run up some massive $$ if you have to replace them a lot. If you go online at the website I posted earlier ^ they have pretty much every type of battery that is rechargable, and also bulk batteries that help with the cost. Rechargables are a great idea, as long as you keep them on a good rotation to make sure they are always charged.
 
I bought a Nebo light at the local gun shop. It uses three AAA batteries; has a white light, green light, flashing white light and will flash SOS if needed. All in one small light I carry in my pocket all the time. Cost around $20 and gives ample light for anything I use it for.
 
Phillip Gain said:
BUT - the whole "tactical flashlight" thing is a fad. All the talk about blinding a perp, rendering him unable to act with a strobe, etc - load of overblown BS. <snip>

It's always good to have a flashlight around. But don't buy into all the hype.
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I agree 100% a flashlight can be useful but I have never been in a situation where my life depended on having one.

You can go out and drop a week’s pay on some of the flashlights that are on the market today and feel like a real whiz bang operator but what did you really get for your money? Do you really need the titanium fighting bezel?

I already said it up thread but (IMO) get the cheapest light you can find that meets your needs and use it. If it doesn’t measure up then you can take a step up and not be out a bundle (think how pissed off you’ll be if you drop 500$ on a flashlite then lose it)
 
Is is just me or do Maglights suck?? I've owned several of various sizes and they all ended up crapping-out within 6 months or so (usually the on/off switch), and they weren't even subjected to any harsh treatment. I have cheap ones at home and work that I've bought at Walmart or Bass Pro Shops that have lasted for years - dropped countless times and still going strong. I always carry a small light at work so they're rather important to me.
 
Treo said:
I agree 100% a flashlight can be useful but I have never been in a situation where my life depended on having one.

You can go out and drop a week’s pay on some of the flashlights that are on the market today and feel like a real whiz bang operator but what did you really get for your money? Do you really need the titanium fighting bezel?

I already said it up thread but (IMO) get the cheapest light you can find that meets your needs and use it. If it doesn’t measure up then you can take a step up and not be out a bundle (think how pissed off you’ll be if you drop 500$ on a flashlite then lose it)
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A couple of my coworkers are flashlight snobs. They like to show off their expensive, ultra-xenon, super-duper, brighter-than-the-sun pocket lights that they paid $100+ for. I asked them "How ya gonna feel when (not if) you lose it??" They say "That'll suck". And I said "Yeah....when I lose mine I just go out to my truck and grab another because I bought 5 of them for $15". Crazy kids.....
 
Go shop at Lowes or Home Depot and look at the Led lights they have. If you look at the "service grade" (tough duty for working slobs like me) you'll find that for the most part you can get everything a "Tac" light is going to give you for about 1/2 as much. I picked up a 3 pack of aluminum body, 2 AAA cell lights for $13 (I think) they have the fancy scalloped edge around the lens and the push button on the back. They even came with a belt/pocket clip at no extra charge! Bright little buggers and they seem to hold up pretty well.
 
B2Tall said:
Is is just me or do Maglights suck?? I've owned several of various sizes and they all ended up crapping-out within 6 months or so (usually the on/off switch), and they weren't even subjected to any harsh treatment. I have cheap ones at home and work that I've bought at Walmart or Bass Pro Shops that have lasted for years - dropped countless times and still going strong. I always carry a small light at work so they're rather important to me.
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Kind of like the difference between an expensive pair of sunglasses and a cheap pair. In the words of the famous country philosopher Jeff Foxworthy "If you buy an expensive pair of sunglasses, you'll loose them before you get home but you can drop a cheap pair off the side of a boat and some SCUBA diver will come up with them. 'Hey! Somebody loose a pair of cheapies??"

I have a work flashlight I've had for I don't know how many years that I got at Lowes on sale. It's been dropped, dunked, stepped on, kicked down the driveway and rolled around in the trunk and has yet to not light when I need it. I had one of the fancy Xenon bulb jobbers that I could NOT keep batteries in and the darned thing used the most expensive darned batteries on the shelf. The last time I used it, I dropped it, the light head popped off the spring went flying and that was the end of it! Go figure.
 
Firefighterchen said:
I humbly disagree with Gain on the flashlight being a fad. The couple seconds a self defense flashlight can buy you might be the difference between life and death, and while a maglight can be used as a club, they aren't practical for everyday carry in a pocket. Also you can carry a flashlight in your hand while walking to your car and no one will care, hold your firearm in your hand and it's a different story. I carry an M20 Olight, its rugged, always works when I need it, has an aggressive bezel ring on both ends for hammer style strikes.
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So in a situation where your life is clearly in danger - you're welcome to go ahead and **** around with your fancy flashlight trying to blind your attacker. I'll take my chances with my M&P instead.
 
Phillip Gain:285096 said:
Firefighterchen said:
I humbly disagree with Gain on the flashlight being a fad. The couple seconds a self defense flashlight can buy you might be the difference between life and death, and while a maglight can be used as a club, they aren't practical for everyday carry in a pocket. Also you can carry a flashlight in your hand while walking to your car and no one will care, hold your firearm in your hand and it's a different story. I carry an M20 Olight, its rugged, always works when I need it, has an aggressive bezel ring on both ends for hammer style strikes.
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So in a situation where your life is clearly in danger - you're welcome to go ahead and **** around with your fancy flashlight trying to blind your attacker. I'll take my chances with my M&P instead.
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So in a situation where your life isn't clearly in danger, and you can't identify the threat in the dark....you're welcome to go ahead and **** around with your m&p and go trigger happy all over the place. I'll take my flashlight and identify what I'm aiming at before I pull the trigger.
 
I use a flashlight a LOT at work. I need it to be tough, reasonably bright, and easy to carry. It needs to be able to survive a 20 foot drop onto steel or concrete. I think I have found it --Coleman MAX, bought at Walmart for $20something. It uses three AAA batteries. After three months, it looks a little battered, but still works perfectly. I made a sheath of Velcro for it (Sorry, OP, no clip, so it may not fill your needs).
 
Oldgrunt said:
I bought a Nebo light at the local gun shop. It uses three AAA batteries; has a white light, green light, flashing white light and will flash SOS if needed. All in one small light I carry in my pocket all the time. Cost around $20 and gives ample light for anything I use it for.
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Same here good flashlight
 
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