Best Torch for Police?

[127.0.0.1]

klarus Xt11 hands down

reading documents in interceptor = check
lighting up perps = check
looking for bodies = check
dazzling combatants instantly from any mode = check
reach 250 meters deep = check
2xcr123 or 1x18650 = check
weapon mountable/ dual spring = check (no mounts though, need your own)
easy to sit in interceptor with holster = check

it is really the dual switch design that makes it great for police work

 

[High Lander]

I'm pretty new to the world of flashlights but my advice would be to not be scared of a 18650 cell based unit. These li-ion units are amazing. I use my Fenix PD32 every day for something or other but my recharge interval is weeks or even months. In the medium to long term, the cost of a decent charger and 18650 cells is a preventative spend compared with lithium batteries.

 

[user73]

I'm pretty new to the world of flashlights but my advice would be to not be scared of a 18650 cell based unit. These li-ion units are amazing. I use my Fenix PD32 every day for something or other but my recharge interval is weeks or even months. In the medium to long term, the cost of a decent charger and 18650 cells is a preventative spend compared with lithium batteries.

Whats the voltage of a 18650?

 

[Gunner12]

It's usually 3.7v nominal and 4.2v freshly charged.

BTW user73, most of this info is available online and around the forums.

 

[user73]

It's usually 3.7v nominal and 4.2v freshly charged.

Thank you. I have to learn a lot

 

[matt4350]

I'm a police officer, I got annoyed with no "issue" torches being available on busy nights so I bought my own torch. The station issues mag rechargeables. I bought a Led Lenser X14. I've been doing this work for about 7 years now, so I was pretty sure I knew what I needed. And I LOVE this thing.

It easily fits into your back pocket when you get out of the car (it came with a belt clip, but I'm not that keen on it).
It runs on AA batteries (always available at the station, but not expensive if I was to buy my own).
You have the choice between energy saving mode and constant current (constant is great, stays bright throughout the battery life).
You can focus the beam to a brilliant spot if you want to illuminate a person out to a couple hundred meters, no problems!
You can adjust the beam to flood, I find this is outstanding in dark rooms (even very large rooms, warehouse sheds etc.)
You can adjust the brightness to low with a press of the button, this is perfect for reading/writing at the side of the road at night, or entering yards when you don't want to disturb neighbors, or going into small spaces to search.
The beam is bright enough to easily view what's inside a car with tinted windows (important!), and powerful enough to disorient an offender (emergency only, of course...).

I haven't made any effort to time how long the batteries will last, but you get a series of 3 flickers to warn you well before a change of batteries is needed. A spare 4 AAs is very easily carried anywhere.

Oh, and it has a strobe/self defense function. I thought this was a bit odd and maybe unnecessary at first, but I have found it EXCELLENT to keep large dogs away from me (I shan't guarantee it works on every dog, but so far, so good).

I only use the spot and flood at both ends of the possible focus (haven't found a necessity for anything in-between), and it's very easily done, even with one hand.

The thing seems solid, it's been dropped on cement/asphalt without anything bad happening to it. Don't be put off by its appearance, in my opinion this is a great torch for work. I won't comment on anything technical, because I've not much idea about lumens/lux/voltage etc, I'm just an end-product user. I imagine the rechargeable version would be very good too, it appears a little smaller but I've never used one.

I won't address the issue of mounting a torch on a weapon, I suggest you don't worry about that until you go to a specialist unit.

Hope this helps.....

 

[Korgath]

If I was a policeman, I would definetely carry a pocketable flashlight that runs on common cells aka AA/C with multi modes with a high mode being 'high' and a low enough mode to read stuffs (eg driving licences) in pitch dark without killing my eyes.EDIT: All modes should be easily accessible. For eg 47's tactical flashlights are annoying to change modes and I am sure would not work as great for LEO

 

[High Lander]

Thanks for the anti-dog strobe trick, very useful to know

Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk 2

 

[roadkill1109]

Thanks for the anti-dog strobe trick, very useful to know

Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk 2

Haha! I've used this too so I can vouch that it is effective against animals that might try to attack you at night. The strobe destroys their night vision giving you enough time to pick up something in self-defense and scare the animal perp away.

 

[FlashLion]

I also use strobe against dogs and it really works,even if I light to the ground no in the eyes.Klarus XT11 is a good choice.I like Klarus RS11.Its body is very thick and heavy.The strike bezel is also pretty good,thick and you can use it.You can charge RS11 in car without removing the battery.
But RS11 is not a tactical flashlight and has mode memory and electronic side switch.

 

[user73]

I'm a police officer, I got annoyed with no "issue" torches being available on busy nights so I bought my own torch. The station issues mag rechargeables. I bought a Led Lenser X14. I've been doing this work for about 7 years now, so I was pretty sure I knew what I needed. And I LOVE this thing.

It easily fits into your back pocket when you get out of the car (it came with a belt clip, but I'm not that keen on it).
It runs on AA batteries (always available at the station, but not expensive if I was to buy my own).
You have the choice between energy saving mode and constant current (constant is great, stays bright throughout the battery life).
You can focus the beam to a brilliant spot if you want to illuminate a person out to a couple hundred meters, no problems!
You can adjust the beam to flood, I find this is outstanding in dark rooms (even very large rooms, warehouse sheds etc.)
You can adjust the brightness to low with a press of the button, this is perfect for reading/writing at the side of the road at night, or entering yards when you don't want to disturb neighbors, or going into small spaces to search.
The beam is bright enough to easily view what's inside a car with tinted windows (important!), and powerful enough to disorient an offender (emergency only, of course...).

I haven't made any effort to time how long the batteries will last, but you get a series of 3 flickers to warn you well before a change of batteries is needed. A spare 4 AAs is very easily carried anywhere.

Oh, and it has a strobe/self defense function. I thought this was a bit odd and maybe unnecessary at first, but I have found it EXCELLENT to keep large dogs away from me (I shan't guarantee it works on every dog, but so far, so good).

I only use the spot and flood at both ends of the possible focus (haven't found a necessity for anything in-between), and it's very easily done, even with one hand.

The thing seems solid, it's been dropped on cement/asphalt without anything bad happening to it. Don't be put off by its appearance, in my opinion this is a great torch for work. I won't comment on anything technical, because I've not much idea about lumens/lux/voltage etc, I'm just an end-product user. I imagine the rechargeable version would be very good too, it appears a little smaller but I've never used one.

I won't address the issue of mounting a torch on a weapon, I suggest you don't worry about that until you go to a specialist unit.

Hope this helps.....

This X14 seems to be a good light. I also looked up the X7R, which has the same length, less runtime but only the half weight (the X14 has a proud weight when wearing in the back pocket I imagine). If you could go back, would you again buy the X14 or rather the X7R?

I also use strobe against dogs and it really works,even if I light to the ground no in the eyes.Klarus XT11 is a good choice.I like Klarus RS11.Its body is very thick and heavy-it's good to hit something.The strike bezel is also pretty good,thick and you can use it-you know for what...

I bought a P7, and after it fell down 1x from a table to wood-parquet, the focus is distorted/asymetrical. Maybe this was just misfortune, but would you guys strike rather with the bezel or with the handle?
(lets say when the officier is in a NOT life-threatening situation e.g. when someone several times jostles or grabs/attacks with bar hands. Or when a dog attacks. You might want a precious several-hundert-dollar-flashlight to come through undamaged => most attackers will probably not be so kind to replace a police officiers damaged flashlight afterwards. Better use bezel or handle?)

 

[FlashLion]

I am not sure why you quote me...With good strike bezel police officers can break windows if necessary.
If you ask-Did I hit something with a flashlight? Not yet,but maybe someday I will need it.

 

[user73]

I am not sure why you quote me...With good strike bezel police officers can break windows for example.
If you ask-Did I hit something with a flashlight? Not yet,but maybe someday I will need it.

You said its good to hit something. Would you hit this something with the handle or the beezle?
(btw my translator doesnt translate/know "strike bezel". Are these bezels especially designed for striking/hitting?)

 

[FlashLion]

You said its good to hit something. Would you hit this something with the handle or the beezle?
(btw my translator doesnt translate/know "strike bezel". Are these bezels especially designed for striking/hitting?)

The bezel is stainless steel,so it's better to use the bezel.

Reference to using a flashlight as a weapon removed - Norm

 

[Jash]

As a police officer, your life and the life of others could depend on you having a dependable light. There are few lights out there that can match Malkoff lights for quality and durability.

My vote would be the Hound Dog with an MD3 body and a couple of 18500 AW IMR cells (don't forget a set of spares). Sure this setup will cost you a few hundred, but you won't regret it, and you'll have one of the baddest lights on the planet with you at all times. Plus Gene's no questions asked lifetime warranty.

Save yourself the trouble of spending hundreds of dollars on cheap lights while trying to fing 'the one' and just go straight to the good stuff.

 

[Stellar_00]

Hi Guys. I am looking for something small enough to fit on a utility belt yet super powerful. Must have a good throw but also a clear flood function with little or no black spots. Cost is not so much an issue if it is something that will last years so exceptional build quality is a must. So far the winner is the LED LENSER P7 Can anyone vouch for this or throw some other contenders in the mix? Thanks in advance.

I got a laugh out of your initial question. We had to carry the Streamlight SL-20. Can you imagine running with what felt like a table leg on your side whacking you in the thigh? lol

 

[user73]

@everybody: What is the meaning of "strike bezel"? (e.g. "detachable stainless steel strike bezel")



@Matt:

Thanks for your review. Your X14 seems to be a good light. I also looked up the X7R, which has the same length, less runtime but only the half weight (the X14 has a proud weight when wearing in the back pocket I imagine). If you could go back, would you again buy the X14 or rather the X7R?

 

[matt4350]

@everybody: What is the meaning of "strike bezel"? (e.g. "detachable stainless steel strike bezel")



@Matt:

Thanks for your review. Your X14 seems to be a good light. I also looked up the X7R, which has the same length, less runtime but only the half weight (the X14 has a proud weight when wearing in the back pocket I imagine). If you could go back, would you again buy the X14 or rather the X7R?

I'm very happy with my X14. Maybe I'm just old-fashioned, but I appreciate the confidence of something "solid" in the hand (especially when it's dark, you're alone, and you might have to react quickly to a threat). I barely notice the weight of the light in my back pocket, it's something I've got used to very easily. I would not buy the X7R only because it seems lightweight, but I really wish the X14 was rechargeable.

 

[03hemi]

Streamlight stinger with a malkoff or the terralux drop in.

 

[MaNCuBuS]

I got a laugh out of your initial question. We had to carry the Streamlight SL-20. Can you imagine running with what felt like a table leg on your side whacking you in the thigh? lol

When I hired on in LE in 1994, I had a SL 20 as well (still have it and it is quite beat up). I beat the light up over the years, but even dropping it on concrete, I never busted a bulb! I carried a Streamlight stinger (incandescent) as a backup, then changed that to a SF Z1 incandescent. In 2008, my brother in law got me a Pelican 7060 LED, bright and throws good (although an outdated LED per these forums). The 7060 has dual switches (nice), hexagon for anti roll (nice), and a holster, although cheap IMO, but I was able to grab/holster the light quickly while on bike patrol. The 7060 is very tough as it has been dropped numerous times and continues to work flawlessly. A few months ago, my brother in law got me the new SL-20L (LED) flashlight... Lots of candela's (awesome throw)...but now I am used to the smaller lights, although the smaller lights do not throw as well.

However, after reading these forums for well over a year I have upgraded to a EagleTac G25C2. I have purchased a lot of flashlights over the past few years and have tested several that I own, including the Fenix TK 15 and Klarus XT-11, on patrol. In my personal opinion, I would trust all three on critical incidents, as so far none have failed me. I noticed a lot of people prefer the XT11 due to it's UI, but I like the G25C2 UI as well, since I always keep it in Turbo mode, so I don't have to worry about using two hands to twist the UI. I also like the beam pattern of the Eagletac the best (balance of throw/flood). I haven't really used the strobe function often, as it is too hard for me to determine what an object in a suspect's hands are. I like the bright light to quickly determine if the object is a cell phone vs knife or gun. I have used the strobe in training and for traffic control.

Bottom line: Based on my experiences, and flashlights I own, my favorite duty lights are the G25C2 and the XT11. All have multiple brightness levels for different aspects of the job: turbo for car stops, room clearing; high or medium to search for objects (evidence) dropped by subjects outdoors; medium for vehicle searches, residential searches, where the scene is static (safe) and you just need enough light for your search (and to conserve batteries). I suggest you try to handle all the lights suggested here, to determine which one works best for you. In general, I prefer 18650 lights that can use CR123 batteries as well. PM me if you want my pros/cons for the XT11, G25C2, TK 15.