Multipurpose LE duty light

[mcbeet1]

Starting my career as a LEO next month. I need something that's gonna be useful for searches/warrants/raids/spot checks in homes, vehicles, buildings, and heavily wooded areas. I'm not really sure how much light I actually NEED.

1) How would you prefer to purchase the light?

____I would like to purchase the light in person from a brick and mortar store. I am located in ______________.
X__This will be mail-order or Online (location doesn't matter).


2) Budget: An easy question, but you may change your mind after answering the rest! 

____I don't know yet
____Up to $25.
____Up to $50.
X___Up to $100.
____Up to $200.
____Up to $300.
____Essentially unlimited.


3) Format:

X___I am not sure, please help me decide.
____I want a flashlight (hand held/self contained).
____I want a self-contained headlamp.
____I want a headlamp with an external pack/power source.
____I want a mounted light (typically for a bicycle or vehicle)
____I want a lantern/area light.
____I want a portable spotlight (it may have an external power source).
____Other ____________________________________________


4) Size:

____MICRO - Keychain size.
____TINY - Every day carry (2-4 inches).
____SMALL - Every day carry (4-7 inches).
____MEDIUM - Holster/belt ring carry. (>7 inches)
____LARGE - Big enough to need its own travel case.
X____I don't know/I don't care.


5) Emitter/Light source:

____LED (known for efficiency, longevity, and compactness)
____Incandescent (known for superior color rendition)
____HID (known for max output, but often at the expense of size)
X___I don't know.


6) Manufacturer:

X___I want to buy a light from a large/traditional manufacturer that is ready to go out of the box.
____I would like a light from a specialty manufacturer (Possibly limited run/Custom).
____I am interested in assembling my own components. (for example a "host" or flashlight body from one manufacturer, and a "drop-in" emitter from another source).


7) What power source do you want to use?

____I intend to use "Primary"/Disposable Alkaline batteries based on the usual AAA/AA/C/D sized cells common to most stores.
____I intend to use "Primary"/Disposable Lithium batteries based on the usual AAA/AA/C/D and CR123 sized cells common to most stores (often a cold weather or long storage choice).
____I intend to use Rechargeable cells (NiMH or NiCD) based on the usual AAA/AA/C/D sized cells common to most stores.
____I intend to use Rechargeable cells based on less common formats (18500 or 18650 Li-Ion, RCR123, et-al).
____I want a light with an integrated rechargeable battery pack.
X___I don't know/I need more information on power sources.

7a) If you have selected a rechargeable option
____I want a light that plugs directly into the wall (literally with prongs built into the light)
____I want a light that has a recharging adapter (your typical "wall wart"
____I want a light that snaps into a cradle (usually mounted on a wall)
____I want a separate/stand-alone charger (this involves removing the batteries to charge)
X___I don't care


 How much genuine out the front (OTF) light do you want/need? Sometimes you can have too much light (trying to read up close up with a 100 lumen light is not a happy experience).

____I want to navigate a dark room or read a map (1-10 lumens).
____I want an indoor "blackout" light (15-50 lumens)
X___I want to confidently walk around an unlit/unpaved rural area (60-150 lumens).
X___I want to illuminate my entire backyard or a campsite (150-300 lumens).
X___I want to illuminate an entire field, the neighbor's front yard several houses down, impress my friends and neighbors, etc. (300-700 lumens).
X___I want search and rescue type illumination (800+ lumens).

X___SPECIAL NOTE: Burst/Turbo mode Category - There are several lights that will run at a super bright maximum for a very limited period (usually 5-10 minutes) and then will "step-down" to a lower level for thermal control. Check here if this is acceptable.


9) Flood vs Throw: Flood covers an area, Throw reaches out to a distance.

____All Flood: I am doing "arms length" tasks like reading and campsite cooking.
____Wide Flood: I want a defined flood area for semi-close tasks like after-dark campsite tasks or working on a car.
X___Narrow Flood: I want a sharply defined flood area that will project some distance for tasks like trail walking.
X___Wide Throw: I want a beam with a noticeable hot-center for distance throw and a significant amount of "side-spill". Good for rough trail hiking, search and rescue, and general distance work.
X___Narrow Throw: I want a beam with a very tight "hot center" and minimal "side-spill". Good for distance viewing, fog, and looking through dense undergrowth.
____Turbohead: I want a far-distance projector with a sharply focused spot of light and minimal or zero side-spill. Good for extreme distance and impressing your friends.

9a) Distance: How far away will you typically need to see with this light (check all that apply)
____Less than 1 yard/meter (reading, other close work)
____Less than 5 yards/meters (looking for something inside a dark shed/garage/basement)
X___5-20 yards/meters (check out a noise in the backyard)
X___30-50 yards/meters (I have a big backyard)
X___50-150 yards/meters (I live in a very rural area/farm with wide open spaces)
____150+ yards (I am searching from a helicopter)

10) Runtime: Not over-inflated manufacturer runtime claims, but usable brightness measured from first activation to 50% with new batteries (Measured on maximum continuous output).

____Up to 30 minutes (I want the brightest [and potentially smallest] light for brief periods)
____30-60 minutes (I have plenty of batteries just ready to be changed)
X___90-120 minutes (Runtime is moderately important, but still not critical)
____3 hours + (I critically need this light to run on max for extended periods in between battery changes/charges).




11) Durability/Usage: Generally the old phrase "you get what you pay for" is very accurate for flashlights.

____Not Important (A "night-stand" light).
____Slightly Important (Walks around the neighborhood).
____Very Important (Camping, Backpacking, Car Glove-box).
X___Critical (Police, Fire, Search & Rescue, Caving, Survival).
____I don't know.


12) Switch Size, Type, and location (choose all that apply):

X___Any size switch will do.
____I need a BIG switch (I'll be using gloves or have very large hands or coordination issues).
____I want a forward clicky (Helpful for momentary activation and signaling).
____I want a reverse clicky (For use with multi-mode/level lights).
____I want a momentary switch (Predominantly for use with signaling and short bursts of momentary light only).
____I want a twisty switch (Tighten the head/tailcap to activate, and the light will stay on until the head/tailcap is loosened).
____I want a body mounted switch (near the head, like on a Maglite).
____I want a tail mounted switch (found on the majority of today's high end lights).
____I want a remote switch (usually found on high-end bicycle headlights)
____I don't care.
____I don't know.
____Other, please specify____________________.


13) User Interface (UI) and mode selection. Select all that apply.

X___A simple on-off with only one output level is fine for me.
X___I want 2 light levels. (Brighter/short runtime and Dimmer/long runtime.)
____I want multiple light levels. (Some lights have 5-16 light levels.)
____I want a programmable light.
____I want a selector ring.
X___I want a strobe mode. (Oscillating pattern to confuse/blind aka "Police Mode"
____I want SOS mode. (blinks in ---...--- emergency pattern)
____I want a beacon mode. (Regular flashes at full power to show location.)
____I don't care.
X___I don't know.


14)Material/Finish/Coating

____Plastic/composite body (this may limit your choices significantly).
____Anodized Aluminum – either type II or III (Hard Anodized) (Aluminum, specifically HA, is the most common material/finish for today's higher end flashlights).
____Stainless steel (durable, but much heavier than aluminum)
____Titanium (durable and nearly as lightweight as aluminum, but can be moderately to significantly more expensive).
X___I don't care.
____I don't know.
____Other, please specify____________.

15) Water resistance
____None needed
____IPX4 (Splash resistant)
X___IPX7 (Waterproof to 1 meter/30min)
____IPX8 (Submersible to greater than 1 meter for 4 hours)

16) Storage conditions
____In house (temperature/climate controlled environment)
____Emergency kit (long standby periods)
X___Automobile glove-box (wide temperature swings, long standby periods, critical reliability)
____Other_____________________________________________


17) Special Needs/extras: Is there anything else you want or need that hasn't been mentioned? Select any/all below.

____Red filter (for preserving night vision).
____Other filter colors (Amber, Green, Blue, _________).
____Dedicated R/G/B secondary LEDs.
____"Hybrid" light (bright incandescent combined with long running LEDs)
____Pocket/belt clip
____Holster
____Wrist/Neck Lanyard
____Crenulated bezel
____Non-sparking, Intrinsically Safe (IS) for use in explosive environments

 

[cjmorris]

Lots of other Barney Fife wannabes have asked the same question recently. Search is your friend.

 

[P_A_S_1]

Within your budget;
Malkoff MD2, $99.

Over your budget;
Surefire Fury, $140
Stream Light Stinger (rechargeable), $160

All would be good for LE work. Used the MD2 for such and was happy with it. Many guys had Streamlight Stingers, they lasted through most guys careers, good light.

 

[Taschenlampe Dude]

Hi,

The Surefire P2X Fury and the Surefire 6PX Defender are within your specified price range and would be good general purpose lights which would easily fit in a belt holster. Both lights use CR123A batteries which are very common in law enforcement.

If you can stretch your budget a bit, the Elzetta ZFL-M60-LF2D is an excellent light which also uses CR123A's.

There are many more lights out there but these should give you a starting point in your quest. Good luck and congratulations on your new job!

 

[Norm]

Lots of other Barney Fife wannabes have asked the same question recently. Search is your friend.

Let's keep it friendly. A search of CPF.

Norm

 

[cjmorris]

I definitely meant a cpf search
Seems like a lot of cops asking for lights they will use as weapons . I personally am a law a bidding citizen that has never been in trouble. That said I still don't support cops in general. I don't like them coming to cpf asking for help. I know a lot here would be offended by that. I have a hard time passing up the opportunity to razz a cop when given the chance lol.

 

[Jeffg330]

I didn't see the OP mention needing a light to use as a weapon. Good luck with your sometimes thankless career

 

[Mmassey338]

+1 for the Malkoff.
Very durable, lifetime warranty
Welcome to the forum, and please excuse the FEW folks who are less than hospitable.

 

[cland72]

In your price range, I'd suggest the Surefire P2X (Dual Mode) Fury. If you're willing to spend up to $200, an Elzetta configured to your liking would be a great option too.

 

[P_A_S_1]

Mcbeet1, sorry about the posts by the above member, it's not indicative of CPF.

 

[NotRegulated]

Ask around where you are going to work. See what they are using. I would recommend one light permanently carried on the belt and another larger light for general use. The belt carried light would be smaller and run on primary batteries. Some popular and reliable choices would be the Surefire Fury series in 2x123 or 3x123, the Elzetta series in 2x123 or 3x123, the Streamlight Protac HL 2x123 or 3x123 lights. Your main larger light should be rechargeable. A popular choice is the Streamlight Stinger series.

 

[Norm]

I definitely meant a cpf search
Seems like a lot of cops asking for lights they will use as weapons . I personally am a law a bidding citizen that has never been in trouble. That said I still don't support cops in general. I don't like them coming to cpf asking for help. I know a lot here would be offended by that. I have a hard time passing up the opportunity to razz a cop when given the chance lol.

cjmorris please do not post off topic and keep your thoughts and prejudices to your self this isn't the correct forum to air them here - Norm

 

[matt4350]

Ask around where you are going to work. See what they are using. I would recommend one light permanently carried on the belt and another larger light for general use. The belt carried light would be smaller and run on primary batteries. Some popular and reliable choices would be the Surefire Fury series in 2x123 or 3x123, the Elzetta series in 2x123 or 3x123, the Streamlight Protac HL 2x123 or 3x123 lights. Your main larger light should be rechargeable. A popular choice is the Streamlight Stinger series.

+1 on this. I carry this sort of setup for work, covers everything you're likely to need. May I suggest you wait until you get "on the road" before you consider your larger light, they can be relatively expensive so you wanna be sure what characteristics you want before you fork out the cash.


As a cop, I don't find the comments by cjmorris particularly offensive, lotsa people don't like us. Just the way it is. OP's gonna need a thick skin in his chosen profession

 

[wichaka]

I carry two small lights on every shift, both Surefire. G2ZX and a P2ZX both in the combat light configuration.

The G2ZX goes on the belt, and the P2 goes in the cargo pocket. They both have added rings for multi-position use. Here's a pic of an older SF I used to carry, but the ring configuration is still the one I use;

The large light I have on hand is the Streamlight SL-20LP. It goes on the loop holder if needed.

Can never have too many lights on hand.

 

[Robocop]

Welcome to CPF mcbeet1 and cjmorris as I am one of those who you do not seem to support I will take the high road and welcome you to CPF as well. My only advice to you would be please if you have nothing nice or positive to say simply say nothing at all.

Mcbeet1 I will give you my take on this from 17 years of street patrol. Keep in mind that all 17 years have been on night shift and as such my light is my single most used tool other than my ink pen for reports. I have also trained to this point 29 recruits and have watched each one over the years arrive with the latest and greatest gizmos on all kinds of duty lights. Over time I have seen every recruit gradually move from their multi mode over complicated lights to a simple high power single level main duty light.

I have found the best light for my usage to be a simple one level main duty light. Simple one click on and one click off in the 2x18650 battery set up. I have had all types of brands from Surefire, Wolf-Eyes, Nite-Core, Streamlight,...ETC. It took me years to convert to LED however with todays advancements in tint there is simply no reason to not use a good quality LED rather than incandescent.

Runtime is improved with LEDs and most importantly the ruggedness is improved with bulb failure under stress not nearly as common as an incandescent. I have always carried the 2x18650 set up however if you want smaller you could go with several options that allow a single 18650 set up. Personally as much as I use mine I like the 2x18650 for nothing more than runtime. I also advise to always carry a smaller back up light in the single 123 size or even a single 18650 back up as again there are many good choices to choose from.

Personally I advise against multi modes for your main duty light as simple is smooth and under stress you would be surprised as to how hard it is to do even simple tasks. If you do go with a multi mode main light (strobe, high, med, low) make sure it has the ability to lock in your single high mode and not have to fumble with several clicks under stress. Just tonight we had night fire qualifications as my state requires this every 2 years along with our usual firearm qualifications. A young officer to my right on the firing line was using a modified 2 hand surefire style grip while shooting. It was a 50 round course and his first shot caused his finger to bump his switch and he went to strobe by accident.

Now this of course ruined his other shots as he lost time fumbling with his light and he went from strobe to low trying to finish the course. This was under a controlled setting and you can imagine if it were in real life with real gunfire from a suspect. I have no idea what type of light he was using however I do know he now plans to change his duty light.

Most of todays better lights have the lockout feature of turning the head of the light to one side for constant high. This allows simple on and off always in high and has done me well for years. My current main duty light claims to be 1000 lumens and 800 to 1000 is common for many of todays lights. I have several Surefires and yes they are worth the cash however honestly there are many others that are just as well made if cost is an issue. My current set up is a Nite-Core MT40 for main duty light and a secondary solarforce host with XML P60 drop in and 18350 battery. I also have an ArmyTek single AA XML clipped in my pants pocket just for giggles.

My back up has saved my butt as the single biggest problem I have found with newer lights, and batteries, is the protection circuits of todays better batteries. Do some research on batteries and do not go cheap with batteries as good ones will give you longer service life and better safety. My main light uses 3400 MaH cells with protection circuits that will simply shut off the light at a certain voltage to avoid damage. Now of course if you pay attention to your usage and charge often you can get around this. I have had a few nights of hard use where I simply lost track and late in the shift my light would simply cut off when the circuit tripped rather than slowly dim with an unprotected cell.

It only took me a few times under stress with a light that suddenly quit to learn to change my batteries often even if the light was still running fine. I keep at least 4 18650 cells in my duty bag and every few days check their voltage so as to always be ready. As a fellow flashaholic I simply enjoy all kinds of lights and as an officer I learned to be very picky with my duty lights vs my hobby lights. Good luck and do some reading here and ask all the questions you need as we do have some amazing members among us.....and in spite of what some may believe we have some pretty decent cops here as well.

 

[bdogps]

Hello mate, I am not a cop, but I am
a security guard. I do use flash lights a lot when I work at night. I agree with what the other fellow cpf member said, stay away from those multimode flash lights, they are annoying, specially those lights with one button function. I love the thrunite Tn11s, instant strobe button and only three mode settings. The T30s v2 is pretty good and is the same as the tn11s, without the strobe function being mode options. I too use the olight m3x triton as my distance thrower light. Uses two 18650s and only three modes, 400, 1200 lumens and strobe. I know the Surefires are the Rolexes of the torch world, but these are the lights are Casios of the torch world, and they are reliable. I would suggest to try out your cop buddies torches out to see which one suits you better and wont disturb you when you sit your car. When put it the torch in your belt.


Sent from my iPhone using Candlepowerforums

 

[radiopej]

Howdy!

I agree with trying to keep it simple. The Nitecore SRT series has a host of features, but can be a pain when all you want is bright light coming out of the end.

I personally love Olight and Fenix. I would suggest carrying 2 lights - the Olight M10 is probably my favorite single CR123 light (also accepts rechargeable RCR123) has what I consider the best user interface. This can be your back-up or the main light you use for little tasks. The M18 is the 2x CR123 or 1x 18650 version and puts out a little more light. Both are great and very small.

The Olight M20 has a similar interface to the M10, but also has instant strobe via a button on the side of the tail. Puts out 550 lumens with a fairly narrow beam. It comes with a diffuser you can add on.

Between using the M10/M18 for short range and the M20 for longer range you'll be fine.

Both lights memorise the last mode you used, so you can set it to whatever. However, a quick double press on the tailcap turns it on to high and a triple press goes straight to strobe (though you could set it to start on high or strobe). The M series all have similar UI and it's great.


If you don't know about batteries, 18650s are lithium-ion rechargeables. Get at least 2 and you'll be set as you can top them up regularly. Using CR123 is fine, but I find I'm always wondering if I should change to fresh ones and then feeling guilty for wasting them.

 

[radiopej]

The Fenix TK22 also takes 18650 and is a great light. Some don't like the side mounted switch for quick use, but I think it's a very solid light.

 

[RI Chevy]

Welcome to the Forum! :welcome:

As a fellow LEO, I recommend the you stick to a light that is simple to use (one mode) for duty use. When the proverbial SHTF, you revert to your training and do not want to be shifting between modes (H-M-L) at the worst of times. With that said, the Malkoff with the 2 mode (H-L) ring installed will give you a controlled high mode and a lower mode when you do not need the high power. You have a few options as far as drop ins are concerned and are not limited to just one. The new Surefire P1R Peacekeeper is also a nice option, as is Elzetta.

Some excellent reviews here by fellow member Jim! http://flashlightguide.com/ Click on reviews. Good luck in your career and be safe! :thumbsup:

 

[TheVat26]

LE here. Robocop, excellent write up.

I personally love my P1R Tactical (with P1R click switch, not the twisty) as primary, and a Malkoff MD2 high/low for secondary/backup. I am itching about getting the new Malkoff 18650 hound dog as it has the power and runtime surpassing the P1R. Guess I just have to fork the cash to see if it really is "better", but there's no beating the Malkoff quality and the high/low interface.