Best law enforcement flashlight under $200?
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Dave D
Flashlight Enthusiast
Let us know how you get on with it, in the real world, and if it's reliable etc.
I will.
I have an olight and Nitecore and had 1 problem each with those that I never had again. Have a few different Fenix lights and haven't had a problem yet.
Streamlight Protac series. https://www.streamlight.com/en/products/detail/index/protac-hl-usb and https://www.streamlight.com/en/products/detail/index/protac-hpl-usb I'm looking at this one for myself https://www.streamlight.com/en/products/detail/index/protac-hl-5-x then seeing if I can get it to take 20700 cells with a little work. Streamlight is tough enough to be abused. I still carry a Solarforce 18650 host with this drop https://www.pflexpro.com/PFlexPRO-P60-XM-L2-LED-Drop-In-p/p60-3.04-3.8-22m.htm in 3.8 amps.
add an "assbeam" to your collection :ironic: lol
Beard Man
Enlightened
- Joined
- Sep 2, 2017
- Messages
- 306
So,any updates with your light?
Tachead
Flashlight Enthusiast
I personally would stick to Surefire, Malkoff, & Elzetta for mission critical situations like yours. HDS Systems is another reliable, high quality option if you want to get fancy. But, imo fancy is not what you want in a high stress situation. In this use case you need a simple light that always comes on in high and has no more then 2 modes(many prefer one). And, the second mode(should you want one)should be hard to get to so you cannot accidentally go into it when your life is on the line and you need high. Consider a momentary switch as well so if you drop the light it will go out instead of projecting your position. Skip the strobe too as they are pointless in most situations(more of a Hollywood kind of thing)and it is just another mode to accidentally go into when you may be under fire and need constant light.
Stay away from cheap overseas manufacture lights that lack potting and/or conformal coated electronics and ask yourself if your life is worth saving a few bucks. All things can fail but, in my experience the brands I listed are much more reliable then most(likely all) other brands on the market and that is why they are chosen by LEO, MIL, & Government Agencies around the world.
Sent from my SM-N975W using Tapatalk
Stay away from cheap overseas manufacture lights that lack potting and/or conformal coated electronics and ask yourself if your life is worth saving a few bucks. All things can fail but, in my experience the brands I listed are much more reliable then most(likely all) other brands on the market and that is why they are chosen by LEO, MIL, & Government Agencies around the world.
Sent from my SM-N975W using Tapatalk
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A resounding ^^^THIS^^^ to Tachead's post above.
I recently worked with a warrant officer on recommending a light for his needs. He had tried many top-tier lights for the work he does, which is primarily warrant arrest involving forced entry. He carries a SF EDCL1-T for administrative tasks but wanted a light dedicated entirely for the more dangerous uses.
He ended up with a Malkoff M91T head (no high/low bezel switch) on a MD3 body with the standard straight tailcap. He runs the light on a pair of 18500 20000mAh cells and carries spare cells with him. After using the light for a few weeks and based on his feedback, I sent him a tailcap with the McClicky modified for momentary only.
He is beyond pleased with the results. He has found the TIR lens focused light to be extremely effective at denying suspects visual reference (blinding them) and the build of the Malkoff host robust enough to withstand the rigor of what can turn into hand-to-hand combat subduing uncooperative suspects (think violent drug dealers). The light has a simple, foolproof UI: depress the switch to activate at maximum output, let go of the switch to turn it off. There is no possibility the light will inadvertently activate on anything other than "all the lumens right now" and no chance the light will be inadvertently activated constant-on. The light can be dropped without fear of causing a malfunction and can be used as a blunt force instrument if needed.
While a light configured this way may not be gee whiz geeky-cool, it is extremely well suited for this kind of use. As is usually the case, picking the right tool for the task at-hand pays huge dividends.
I recently worked with a warrant officer on recommending a light for his needs. He had tried many top-tier lights for the work he does, which is primarily warrant arrest involving forced entry. He carries a SF EDCL1-T for administrative tasks but wanted a light dedicated entirely for the more dangerous uses.
He ended up with a Malkoff M91T head (no high/low bezel switch) on a MD3 body with the standard straight tailcap. He runs the light on a pair of 18500 20000mAh cells and carries spare cells with him. After using the light for a few weeks and based on his feedback, I sent him a tailcap with the McClicky modified for momentary only.
He is beyond pleased with the results. He has found the TIR lens focused light to be extremely effective at denying suspects visual reference (blinding them) and the build of the Malkoff host robust enough to withstand the rigor of what can turn into hand-to-hand combat subduing uncooperative suspects (think violent drug dealers). The light has a simple, foolproof UI: depress the switch to activate at maximum output, let go of the switch to turn it off. There is no possibility the light will inadvertently activate on anything other than "all the lumens right now" and no chance the light will be inadvertently activated constant-on. The light can be dropped without fear of causing a malfunction and can be used as a blunt force instrument if needed.
While a light configured this way may not be gee whiz geeky-cool, it is extremely well suited for this kind of use. As is usually the case, picking the right tool for the task at-hand pays huge dividends.
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