I would likely be using an LED based lighting tool due to all kinds of artificial lighting causing all kinds of weird shadows. As an inspector I carry a clipboard, temperature gun, tape measure and celphone so hands and pockets are spoken for. If my role is walking all night a 2cell light is ok. But if the role also involves laptop (and sitting) work I opt for smaller.
Now I have a hard hat dedicated to night work, so it has a headlamp by Streamlight I like. The double clutch has a high/low interface with a lens option that provides a spot or a honeycomb for pure flood, which is great for lighting up the laptop keyboard.
For urban settings with things like manholes, valve boxes or overhead trees I have an assortment of pencil beam lights that get picked based on the tint of artificial lighting. Example would be the blue-ish tint of a Coast HP7 zoomed to spot provides an easy to see beam for identifying overhead items so operators and drivers can get a fix on their location. If I'm peering into a manhole one with a wrist lanyard gets picked. No "droppsees" there.
For highway use a throwey light is picked. When working on high speed roadways distant likighting is often needed. I started using an ML50 last summer and found it works great while easily fitting in my back pocket. I don't do holsters.
Nearly everywhere I go a PK PR-1 is in my pocket. So tiny, yet so grippy and bright. Great lighting tool in a general sense, but if I need to see down into a valve box a pencil beam like a Mag XL50 is better for that. My truck is usually no more than 50-100 yards away, so if the light(s) I have on my person don't do the trick there are others more suited not very far away. The workers often ask "just how many flashlights do you have?" lol. I respond "why do you have so many wrenches in your tool box?"
I found Malkoff lights are more slippery than I prefer. Especially with gloves on in cool/cold weather. Same with many of my lighting tools. So at those times either large girth Maglites or PK's max grippy numbers get picked. The FL2 is about the size of a 6P yet when runtime is the issue its low setting gets it done. Last summer I carried a 6 volt modified Kel-Lite 2C a few times for nostaglia purposes.
It looks like this year I'll be the ersosion control inspector on a big @$$ bridge project so sunscreen will probably be used more than flashlights. But at some point I'll check inside a pipe for build up or something so perhaps a pencil beam will be handy at times.
In the meantime....
State of the California Cop Light collection lately.