The vintage California cop light company thread
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That light you had shown previously... please put it back up.
Yes it is a welcome addition to this thread. Clearly an LA Screw Code 4 look alike. It's always nice to see those. Imitation is flattery.
Yes it is a welcome addition to this thread. Clearly an LA Screw Code 4 look alike. It's always nice to see those. Imitation is flattery.
At the close of 2017, as the fabled Kel-Lite is about to turn 50 years old I thought a photo of then and now was in order. Kel-Lite began in 1968.
A bit of a salute to the original Lego the yesterday and today pic.
The then and now cop lights:
- The then; A 3D Kel-Lite big head circa 1971/2 was quite the beast at the time. Large enough to put out a respectable beam and able to withstand the rigors of the beat cop.... small enough to be easily carried in a foot pursuit. Doubled as a self defense device.
- The now; From the great state of Alley-bamee, the 1x AA Malkoff MDC body with a Valiant Concepts shrunken head, stainless steel bezel down Vital Gear clone clip and a Malkoff M31 warm LED drop in module is a bomb proof pocket carry patrolman favorite according to policeman EDC blogs.
Gene Malkoff is a bit of a Don Keller for the new millenium.
Happy 50th Kel-Lite.
A bit of a salute to the original Lego the yesterday and today pic.
The then and now cop lights:
- The then; A 3D Kel-Lite big head circa 1971/2 was quite the beast at the time. Large enough to put out a respectable beam and able to withstand the rigors of the beat cop.... small enough to be easily carried in a foot pursuit. Doubled as a self defense device.
- The now; From the great state of Alley-bamee, the 1x AA Malkoff MDC body with a Valiant Concepts shrunken head, stainless steel bezel down Vital Gear clone clip and a Malkoff M31 warm LED drop in module is a bomb proof pocket carry patrolman favorite according to policeman EDC blogs.
Gene Malkoff is a bit of a Don Keller for the new millenium.
Happy 50th Kel-Lite.
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Very nice, can't believe they are that old. And, for as old as they are there are still plenty kicking. It reminded me of a similar pic I've been meaning to post for a while but instead of police issue here is 44 years of consumer grade models.
1974 Stud-Lite, 1984 Vari-Beam, and 2017 Lumintop Tool AA Blued Titanium
I haven't had any good acquisitions lately. I really missed out on a 7D Pro-Light and I'm still kicking myself for not bidding more. It's not for lack of trying though. I'm hoping someone will be doing some early spring cleaning soon and I'll have some nice new additions.
1974 Stud-Lite, 1984 Vari-Beam, and 2017 Lumintop Tool AA Blued Titanium
I haven't had any good acquisitions lately. I really missed out on a 7D Pro-Light and I'm still kicking myself for not bidding more. It's not for lack of trying though. I'm hoping someone will be doing some early spring cleaning soon and I'll have some nice new additions.
SmeepyBeeper
Newly Enlightened
- Joined
- Dec 29, 2017
- Messages
- 8
Here's my grandfather's duty light/baton, he was a police officer for ~10 years. It's a Gen I 1974 Kel-Lite C-PL-7. It still works although I no longer have a bulb for it 
.
.
Welcome to the site.
Thanks for adding the great light and a bit of its history.
Kel-Lite turns 50 years old this year.
Thanks for adding the great light and a bit of its history.
Kel-Lite turns 50 years old this year.
Wow, very nice!!! Those 7Cs sure are a rare light too!!
If you're in need of a bulb both a 6 Cell (PR-18 or KPR-118) and a 7 Cell (PR-20 or KPR-120) will work. The 6 cell bulbs are somewhat easier to find although the 7 cells aren't tough to find either.
If you're in need of a bulb both a 6 Cell (PR-18 or KPR-118) and a 7 Cell (PR-20 or KPR-120) will work. The 6 cell bulbs are somewhat easier to find although the 7 cells aren't tough to find either.
konifans
Enlightened
- Joined
- Jan 1, 2015
- Messages
- 254
Use PR-20 bulb (8.63V) for the 7C / 7D!
CEC is still suppling the PR-20 at a good price, but that filament is too long so the spot is not tight. The best PR-20 is the Philips PR-20, which offers a tight spot, just like the stock bulb came from my Kel-Lite 7-cell light (Hollanda).
CEC is still suppling the PR-20 at a good price, but that filament is too long so the spot is not tight. The best PR-20 is the Philips PR-20, which offers a tight spot, just like the stock bulb came from my Kel-Lite 7-cell light (Hollanda).
Kel -Lite: Founded in 1968
The original Lego.
Happy 50th Anniversary
The original Lego.
Happy 50th Anniversary
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Got word last night there is a pre-GT Price LA Screw Code 4 buy it now at eBay.
Oh, forgot to mention; it's brand new, never used NIB.
Shows the actual verbage of the listing for searching
Hopefully it'll land in someone's collection here.
Oh, forgot to mention; it's brand new, never used NIB.
Shows the actual verbage of the listing for searching
Hopefully it'll land in someone's collection here.
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Sold!!! That one didn't last long. A good price for a one of a kind light. Try finding a Maglite from that era NIB. I've only seen a handful. That LA Screw, has to be the only NIB one in existence.
Hopefully it went to a good home. I know it saved me $100 because I was about to pop on it. If anyone here scored it let's see those pics!!!!
For those interested in LA Screw Lights. Sgt 253 here hooked me up with an old LA Screw Distributor who sent me a ton of info, old advertisements, and some parts. I posted most of it on my blog at: http://otherflashlights.blogspot.com/2017/06/gt-price-and-la-screw-code-4-lights.html
Hopefully it went to a good home. I know it saved me $100 because I was about to pop on it. If anyone here scored it let's see those pics!!!!
For those interested in LA Screw Lights. Sgt 253 here hooked me up with an old LA Screw Distributor who sent me a ton of info, old advertisements, and some parts. I posted most of it on my blog at: http://otherflashlights.blogspot.com/2017/06/gt-price-and-la-screw-code-4-lights.html
I finally picked up a nice little LA Screw 2D. It seems like LA Screw made these lights from 1976 to 1985 when they were bought out by GT Price. The 1976 to 1979 ones were stamped Pats. Pend. on the tailcap like below. pretty neat lights!!
Good score.
It seems they made some "Executive" lights that were a Code 4 without the Lego aspect. IE, not a Code 4, nor stamped Code 4, but a black body number available in either 2D or 3D.
Perhaps that one is one of those?
It seems they made some "Executive" lights that were a Code 4 without the Lego aspect. IE, not a Code 4, nor stamped Code 4, but a black body number available in either 2D or 3D.
Perhaps that one is one of those?
Hey, that's interesting! This light does not have the Code 4 stamping but it is stamped "Police Equipment For Police Use Only". I assumed that's because it's one of their early designs before the Code 4 branding came into use.
I think the executives were all polished aluminum. The grip could very well have been from one. It's probably lost to time. It doesn't appear to ever have been anodized. I wish I could figure out the numbering scheme on these switches too.
I think the executives were all polished aluminum. The grip could very well have been from one. It's probably lost to time. It doesn't appear to ever have been anodized. I wish I could figure out the numbering scheme on these switches too.
Is it a clicky?
It seems to me Ed Torr once said early Code 4's had "police use" instead of Code 4, which came later.
The early ones also had a very aggressive knurling. If you compare it to the Smoke Cutter the difference is very pronounced.
It seems to me Ed Torr once said early Code 4's had "police use" instead of Code 4, which came later.
The early ones also had a very aggressive knurling. If you compare it to the Smoke Cutter the difference is very pronounced.
It is not a true clicky. It has the switch protruding out of both side of the barrel. It's almost like a slide switch that goes through the barrel. I thought all LA Screw lights were like this and the later GT Price's used a true clicky.
EDIT: Love the new PK quote too in ur sig!!!
EDIT: Love the new PK quote too in ur sig!!!
Correct. The Smoke Cutter etc used the same switch.
A novel approach to on and off prior to Tonys famous switch assembly.
I did not know when the clicky version actually occured.
A novel approach to on and off prior to Tonys famous switch assembly.
I did not know when the clicky version actually occured.
Recently acquired a 90's California Cop Light from a retired cop in Arizona. It was kinda-like SureFire's answer to an SL20 in a way.
The 6R
It was a near double length number (but not quite large enough for 4 cells) that utlized a proprietary battery that was 6 volts.
Used an R60
Rated at 50 lumens the R60 provided a better run time between charges than a 65 lumen P60.
Much smaller spot
The throw is virtually the same, yet it's a pencil beam light where the additional 15 lumens of a P60 place more spread causing a P60 equipped light to seem a lot brighter.
Tex Shoemaker holster
Where Don Keller was teamed up with Bianchi holsters, Dr John Matthews teamed up with Shoemaker holsters.
This particular light will be stored with other California Cop Lights of various brands instead being part of a SureFire display since it carries very much like those larger lights but has a girth like a golf club handle instead of a Lousville Slugger.
3 pencil beam'd classics
L to R:
- A 1973-ish Kel-Lite CPL-2 with LifePo4 18500's and a Mag 4 cell bulb puts out about 100 throwey lumens
- A 1977-ish Bianchi B-Lite, runs on 2D cells and the Mag bulb, ultra clear glass with the B-Lite reflector put out about 45-50 throwey lumens.
- A 1999-ish SureFire R6 with stock setup puts out about 50 throwey lumens.
The 6R
It was a near double length number (but not quite large enough for 4 cells) that utlized a proprietary battery that was 6 volts.
Used an R60
Rated at 50 lumens the R60 provided a better run time between charges than a 65 lumen P60.
Much smaller spot
The throw is virtually the same, yet it's a pencil beam light where the additional 15 lumens of a P60 place more spread causing a P60 equipped light to seem a lot brighter.
Tex Shoemaker holster
Where Don Keller was teamed up with Bianchi holsters, Dr John Matthews teamed up with Shoemaker holsters.
This particular light will be stored with other California Cop Lights of various brands instead being part of a SureFire display since it carries very much like those larger lights but has a girth like a golf club handle instead of a Lousville Slugger.
3 pencil beam'd classics
L to R:
- A 1973-ish Kel-Lite CPL-2 with LifePo4 18500's and a Mag 4 cell bulb puts out about 100 throwey lumens
- A 1977-ish Bianchi B-Lite, runs on 2D cells and the Mag bulb, ultra clear glass with the B-Lite reflector put out about 45-50 throwey lumens.
- A 1999-ish SureFire R6 with stock setup puts out about 50 throwey lumens.
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By the 1980's California Cop Light makers Maglite, and Streamlight were downsizing the flashlight to a keychain sized number. Everybody remembers the Solitaire. But even Streamlight forgot about their incan Keymate and 2xAAA Pocketmate.
I did a thread about a Keymate vs Solitaire, but when the crowd kept groaning about how dim the Solitaire used to be I asked for it to be closed.
Point was about nostalgia, not how dim the 1xAAA light of the 1980's was.
http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb...can-war-mag-solitaire-vs-streamlight-key-mate
Click on the icon to see the pix
I scored a nice blue Keymate recently.
Here it is with some others of the era.
A VareBeam, a Pocketmate, 2 Keymates and a minimag.
Note the triple A minimag is an LED type. My incans are all stashed away.
Blue one next to a black one.
Another view
The blue one is clean, clean, clean
Now in those days the krypton bulb was putting out much brighter light with multi-cell numbers. With a single triple A, well you got the brightness of a fat birthday candle with a fat wick instead of the usual 2-6 lumens. And with Streamlight using a slightly larger head the beam was nicer than a Solitaire.
These were probably great for a tooth hold while officer O'Reilly looked around for a dropped hand cuff key, or perhaps made his way to bed after pulling a double without waking Mrs O'Reilly.
I did a thread about a Keymate vs Solitaire, but when the crowd kept groaning about how dim the Solitaire used to be I asked for it to be closed.
Point was about nostalgia, not how dim the 1xAAA light of the 1980's was.
http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb...can-war-mag-solitaire-vs-streamlight-key-mate
Click on the icon to see the pix
I scored a nice blue Keymate recently.
Here it is with some others of the era.
A VareBeam, a Pocketmate, 2 Keymates and a minimag.
Note the triple A minimag is an LED type. My incans are all stashed away.
Blue one next to a black one.
Another view
The blue one is clean, clean, clean
Now in those days the krypton bulb was putting out much brighter light with multi-cell numbers. With a single triple A, well you got the brightness of a fat birthday candle with a fat wick instead of the usual 2-6 lumens. And with Streamlight using a slightly larger head the beam was nicer than a Solitaire.
These were probably great for a tooth hold while officer O'Reilly looked around for a dropped hand cuff key, or perhaps made his way to bed after pulling a double without waking Mrs O'Reilly.
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Turning things a bit more modern, in the SureFire age, this post is about a pair of California companies who entered into the SureFire aimed market and did it with a bang heard all across the state.
Pelican and Pentagon.
Shown is a variety from both.
I tossed in a couple of LED numbers to show how they had begun to enter the LED market at an early point.
I'll start with Pentagon.
Based out of the San Fransico area they were making some pretty good stuff. Now like many before them, they were not above producing items that infringed on patented ideas without permission. At first they quietly went about out SureFiring SureFire in some ways. Durable coatings, super bright bulbs, and inovative approaches to the electric fire on a stick. They made lights based on the old SLR camera battery too. They built shock isolated bulb modules, placed thick o-rings at each end and glass lenses. They built weapon mounted lights too.
The x1 was a light similar to the famous 3P was and was a big seller that had a decent output for a 1 cell flashlight.
The x2 was a direct competitor to SureFire's 6P, and Streamlights Scorpion (that was also a 6P competitor). It featured a good output with twisty tailcap, that unfortuneatly used a patented lockout feature owned by SureFire. (Strike 1).
The x3 shown was a 9P competitor that used a larger front end to cast light farther than the 9P. Both the x2 and x3 used an innovative clip that allowed bezel down carry on a belt, yet still allowed it to slide into a holster.
The K2, which featured a bezel that could be rotated to expose a near knife sharp ring of crenalations. It was slimmer, lighter and featured a near silent clicky.
All were natural hard anodized to a dull finish similar to olive drab. The Pentagon Light company went after some military contracts SureFire had spent years (and millions of dollars for R&D) trying to obtain. (Strike 2.)
The ex2 was a cop light. Plain and simple. Now unlike the 6P, it was smooth-ish round body. Some knurls but the chosen coating was like teflon. Ease of holster deploy. It featured a twisty activator and had a pretty good beam. Not as broad as the 6P, but was more of a thrower. In side by side the 6P was much nicer, but the ex2 was cheaper. So for an officer on a budget that was a boon.
Pentagon made good holsters too. They featured a plastic cap that was glued over snap parts inside the holster that prevented the light body from being scratched. Now the button required a firm tug to open the top and a firm push to close it. And Pentagon tailcaps were stiffer to activated. But their lights were cheaper than SureFire (and Streamlights). Cheap is good, right? Well not always, yet to folks making peanuts for wages it was a definite selling advantage.
At some point Pentagon entered the LED arena and did some pretty good stuff there. Using the same sized heads as incans they did some stuff that was to this day hard to beat in terms of beam tint and color rendition. Smooth, ring free output that appear brighter than the numbers suggest. The Lx2 for example at 65 lumens has a modern looking tint and the later 90 lumen version is one of my favorite LED cop lights. Batteries go in upside down from the norm in these. Now Pentagon claimed they were 100% US made items. (Strike 3.) It turns out that their LED's were not US made, but were apparently coming from Korea.
The little Molle light shown was apparently made of Korean parts and pieces too. Nice little right angle 1x AA light that was a portable number aimed at special ops folks. Available in tan or black and featured colored filters that mounted onto the bottom of the light when not in use and a cheesy little compass that on paper was a good idea. Yet it sucked at accuracy. Plus, unlike Eveready who placed a compass across the bulb to see at night the Pentagon compass was buried in the bottom so the only time one could see it was in daylight (or lit by another flashlight).
Folks at SureFire had been steaming mad about Pentagons approach for a few years. Now lawyers being lawyers, they said "wait until they get big and you'll win lots of money". So when Pentagon went after a big contract in Texas the SureFire lawyers hit them with a lawsuit claiming the company was falsely claiming US made lights to win a contract that required lights to be 100% US made. For good measure they added the patent infringement(s) showing where the ideas belonging to SureFire had been duplicated by Pentagon without prior permission. A judge agreed that Pentagon was taking shortcuts that violated certain verbage requirements in the contract and sided with SureFire's lawyers. They were awarded a big dollar amount but SureFire management agreed that if Pentagon would cease operations that would be enough. Pentagon agreed and quietly ceased operations for producing more lights but stayed in business a bit longer to honor warranties. It is rumored that they continued producing parts briefly so that warranties could be honored.
Like SureFire, Streamlight, Maglite and others, the lights were serialized. But early on they placed them on heads instead of the battery holding body. Also like SureFire and Streamlight, they produced their own brand of batteries for the 123 sized lights and included them with the lights. Unlike SureFire and Streamlight, Pentagons came with a glow in the dark sticker and used a clam shell package that allowed the light to be stored in original packaging when not in use.
They nearly pulled off a coup in the world of California Cop Lights. Some of their lights are still available NIP and another outfit in Australlia opened under the name producing direct G2 rip offs. To me that is a shame because Pentagon did some really good products for a market that could not afford SureFire lights. It's too bad they used some false claims in the process.
Next post I'll talk about a company that is still quietly going about producing some pretty good flashlights and remains viable in a crowded market loaded with gimmickery.
Pelican and Pentagon.
Shown is a variety from both.
I tossed in a couple of LED numbers to show how they had begun to enter the LED market at an early point.
I'll start with Pentagon.
Based out of the San Fransico area they were making some pretty good stuff. Now like many before them, they were not above producing items that infringed on patented ideas without permission. At first they quietly went about out SureFiring SureFire in some ways. Durable coatings, super bright bulbs, and inovative approaches to the electric fire on a stick. They made lights based on the old SLR camera battery too. They built shock isolated bulb modules, placed thick o-rings at each end and glass lenses. They built weapon mounted lights too.
The x1 was a light similar to the famous 3P was and was a big seller that had a decent output for a 1 cell flashlight.
The x2 was a direct competitor to SureFire's 6P, and Streamlights Scorpion (that was also a 6P competitor). It featured a good output with twisty tailcap, that unfortuneatly used a patented lockout feature owned by SureFire. (Strike 1).
The x3 shown was a 9P competitor that used a larger front end to cast light farther than the 9P. Both the x2 and x3 used an innovative clip that allowed bezel down carry on a belt, yet still allowed it to slide into a holster.
The K2, which featured a bezel that could be rotated to expose a near knife sharp ring of crenalations. It was slimmer, lighter and featured a near silent clicky.
All were natural hard anodized to a dull finish similar to olive drab. The Pentagon Light company went after some military contracts SureFire had spent years (and millions of dollars for R&D) trying to obtain. (Strike 2.)
The ex2 was a cop light. Plain and simple. Now unlike the 6P, it was smooth-ish round body. Some knurls but the chosen coating was like teflon. Ease of holster deploy. It featured a twisty activator and had a pretty good beam. Not as broad as the 6P, but was more of a thrower. In side by side the 6P was much nicer, but the ex2 was cheaper. So for an officer on a budget that was a boon.
Pentagon made good holsters too. They featured a plastic cap that was glued over snap parts inside the holster that prevented the light body from being scratched. Now the button required a firm tug to open the top and a firm push to close it. And Pentagon tailcaps were stiffer to activated. But their lights were cheaper than SureFire (and Streamlights). Cheap is good, right? Well not always, yet to folks making peanuts for wages it was a definite selling advantage.
At some point Pentagon entered the LED arena and did some pretty good stuff there. Using the same sized heads as incans they did some stuff that was to this day hard to beat in terms of beam tint and color rendition. Smooth, ring free output that appear brighter than the numbers suggest. The Lx2 for example at 65 lumens has a modern looking tint and the later 90 lumen version is one of my favorite LED cop lights. Batteries go in upside down from the norm in these. Now Pentagon claimed they were 100% US made items. (Strike 3.) It turns out that their LED's were not US made, but were apparently coming from Korea.
The little Molle light shown was apparently made of Korean parts and pieces too. Nice little right angle 1x AA light that was a portable number aimed at special ops folks. Available in tan or black and featured colored filters that mounted onto the bottom of the light when not in use and a cheesy little compass that on paper was a good idea. Yet it sucked at accuracy. Plus, unlike Eveready who placed a compass across the bulb to see at night the Pentagon compass was buried in the bottom so the only time one could see it was in daylight (or lit by another flashlight).
Folks at SureFire had been steaming mad about Pentagons approach for a few years. Now lawyers being lawyers, they said "wait until they get big and you'll win lots of money". So when Pentagon went after a big contract in Texas the SureFire lawyers hit them with a lawsuit claiming the company was falsely claiming US made lights to win a contract that required lights to be 100% US made. For good measure they added the patent infringement(s) showing where the ideas belonging to SureFire had been duplicated by Pentagon without prior permission. A judge agreed that Pentagon was taking shortcuts that violated certain verbage requirements in the contract and sided with SureFire's lawyers. They were awarded a big dollar amount but SureFire management agreed that if Pentagon would cease operations that would be enough. Pentagon agreed and quietly ceased operations for producing more lights but stayed in business a bit longer to honor warranties. It is rumored that they continued producing parts briefly so that warranties could be honored.
Like SureFire, Streamlight, Maglite and others, the lights were serialized. But early on they placed them on heads instead of the battery holding body. Also like SureFire and Streamlight, they produced their own brand of batteries for the 123 sized lights and included them with the lights. Unlike SureFire and Streamlight, Pentagons came with a glow in the dark sticker and used a clam shell package that allowed the light to be stored in original packaging when not in use.
They nearly pulled off a coup in the world of California Cop Lights. Some of their lights are still available NIP and another outfit in Australlia opened under the name producing direct G2 rip offs. To me that is a shame because Pentagon did some really good products for a market that could not afford SureFire lights. It's too bad they used some false claims in the process.
Next post I'll talk about a company that is still quietly going about producing some pretty good flashlights and remains viable in a crowded market loaded with gimmickery.
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