# I HAVE SHAMED ALL OF CPF...SORRY ALL



## FASTCAR (Jul 24, 2007)

Was at the local shooting range. Capped off a few rounds on the new .50 cal DE...talk about kick !!!


Few of us started chatting about flashlights we used.Guys started pulling out lights from all over !!!.Mags, pelicans,surefires the list goes on ( Streamlight stinker seemed most carried)

Size for size no 1 could hang with me.We had a 50+ light shootout in back of Rey's sport shop.Had T5,6a/cree 9a/cree and 13v wolf eyes.
Heck I think my tiny T5 bested all of the other lights regardless of size.

B4 I left I went to the car and grabbed the PL24 H.I.D.( they assumed was a mag) Mostly to show off to be honest.Those of yall that have HIDs know the reaction you get from people new to HID.

Well that took the cake..or so I thought.

A state trooper commented on how nice my "little" PL24 was!!! YES HE SAID "LITTLE"...mumbled about how it is a nice cheepie HID.

He left and came back 2 mins later with a light I thought was a rumor.

Surefire "BEAST"

Well I have been humbled finally.

He claimed it is worth 4000$+ new.A PL24 is like 300 bucks.Was it 13 times better then the PL...no.Lol I think it took like 15 or so 123s ( really).

I must say it was DAMN bright.PL is rated at 1300ish lumens. This beasty was maybee double.

If any here own this "Beast", I bow to you :thumbsup:

B4 I left I said lets arm wrestle HID for HID. ( joking)
In typical cockey state trooper fashion he said :
#1 you got 150lbs on me
#2 I would'nt want to win that "thing"



***1 question..is that "Beast" really only 24W ? I cant figure how its roughly 2x more lumens with the same wattage.


Sorry I let yall down :mecry:


My 2cents


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## DaFABRICATA (Jul 24, 2007)

You let no one down.....look at the price comparison!!!
I certainly don't have $4000.00 to spend on a single light!
The "BEAST" is bad-*** though.....wish I coulda seen it in person


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## carrot (Jul 24, 2007)

I remember hearing stories about PK telling people to throw the Beast in the air as hard as they could and confidently watching it fall to the ground.


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## FredM (Jul 24, 2007)

There are beam shots comparing the 2 somewhere around here.


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## Gunner12 (Jul 24, 2007)

Wow, sounds like you needed a Barnburner,

Must have been impressive to see the Beast in person.

What if you had a Polarion Helios?


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## FASTCAR (Jul 24, 2007)

I have owned /tested well over 100 lights.
I can say hands down this beast was the best made light I have ever seen.

Not sure I would throw it, did look like it could take a beating though.


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## TigerhawkT3 (Jul 24, 2007)

I sure hope it was the trooper's personal property, and not paid for by taxpayers.


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## 270winchester (Jul 24, 2007)

I have seen the Beast once and it probably is worth every penny.

I just can't afford it. Not sure if I will ever spend 4000+ dollars on a light.


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## 270winchester (Jul 24, 2007)

TigerhawkT3 said:


> I sure hope it was the trooper's personal property, and not paid for by taxpayers.



Ditto.


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## toolboy (Jul 24, 2007)

Too bad you weren't closer, I could have brought the Barn Burner and the trooper would have been the one wishing he had purchased differently. He has a nice light but he paid for it in spades and doesn't have the lumens/dollars that you or I have. You let nobody down, there is always someone with something bigger, and even bigger than the Barn Burner. Enjoy your light.:thumbsup:


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## matrixshaman (Jul 24, 2007)

Don't let it happen again   :laughing: Get a Mag623 right now and you'll flame that Beast good. Just tell him it's a regular $20 Maglite but runs special batteries. Refuse to show him the batteries but hint they are new special ops nuclear based power cells. 
Sounds like it was a fun time at the range


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## Trashman (Jul 24, 2007)

To answer your 1 question, the Beast is a very powerful 35w HID. (versus a less powerful 35w HID). I think the new ones are supposed to be rechargeable (The Beast II). I didn't think they were $4,000, though. I thought their retail price was about $3000, but I guess a lack of available could drive the price up.


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## Walt175 (Jul 24, 2007)

TigerhawkT3 said:


> I sure hope it was the trooper's personal property, and not paid for by taxpayers.


 

I don't know which is worse. Spending my tax money on it, or paying the trooper so much he could afford one!  :laughing:

Ray's huh? Haven't been there in a while. Maybe I need to change that.


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## XeRay (Jul 24, 2007)

toolboy said:


> Too bad you weren't closer, I could have brought the Barn Burner and the trooper would have been the one wishing he had purchased differently. He has a nice light but he paid for it in spades and doesn't have the lumens/dollars that you or I have. You let nobody down, there is always someone with something bigger, and even bigger than the Barn Burner. Enjoy your light.:thumbsup:


 
Toolboy, IM waiting for you, about a month old.


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## matrixshaman (Jul 24, 2007)

Walt175 said:


> I don't know which is worse. Spending my tax money on it, or paying the trooper so much he could afford one!  :laughing:
> 
> Ray's huh? Haven't been there in a while. Maybe I need to change that.



Spending tax money for a department to buy it would suck as they can't realistically justify such an expensive flashlight. Paying the trooper enough so he could afford it himself would be by far the best choice as I don't think you can pay LEO's enough for what they have to do.


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## tvodrd (Jul 24, 2007)

I was present at the Cambria CPF get-together, and witnessed pk's Beast toss! I have mine!

Larry


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## skalomax (Jul 24, 2007)

Yep, I was at the So.Cal Get-together and witnessed PK launch the Beast II I believe, about 6-7ft In the air and drop without a flicker.


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## paulr (Jul 24, 2007)

The original Beast ran on 20x cr123a's. Surefire sold a few dozen of them to the public for around $3K apiece and several CPF'ers got them. I'm not familiar with the PL24 but I don't expect the Beast to especially overpower other hids in its size and power class (e.g. X990). It's just a heck of a lot more rugged, and sexier looking, and has some special hot-strike capability so you can turn it on and off quickly (compared with other hids) without damaging it.

I'm entirely in favor of paying troopers enough to buy their own Beasts. It beats giving the tax money to certain other government-financed sectors that, shall we say, do less worthwhile things than troopers do.


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## chakrawal (Jul 25, 2007)

FinishHard Anodized Black *Performance*​Power in Lumens
12 (LED) / 2,000 (HID)
Runtime in minutes

Lithium​90 (HID) / 1200 (LED) Li-Ion Rechargeable Handle​120 (HID) / 1920 (LED) Battery
CR123 (x20) / Li-Ion Rechargeable Handle 
Lamp Assemblies included
LED (5mm x 12) / 35W HID D1SLength
15.5"
Weight4.5 lbs Bezel Diameter4 "


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## SaVaGe (Jul 25, 2007)

TigerhawkT3 said:


> I sure hope it was the trooper's personal property, and not paid for by taxpayers.


 
RotFLmao  LOLZZZZZZZZZZZ


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## tvodrd (Jul 25, 2007)

skalomax said:


> Yep, I was at the So.Cal Get-together and witnessed PK launch the Beast II I believe, about 6-7ft In the air and drop without a flicker.



The pk Beast toss was at the Cambria get-together in September, 2004.
Kinda preceeds you a little?

Larry


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## FASTCAR (Jul 25, 2007)

35W and 2000 lumens. That would explain it.


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## KingGlamis (Jul 25, 2007)

$4000+? WOW! Might as well be $2.5 billion, as in, most of us could never afford it. If I was mega-rich, absolutely I would own one, or ten of them.  But I really can't see how that light is "worth" the money. Other than bragging rights, and to me bragging rights are not worth $4K.

It's absolutely a bitchen light, but it's like a Ferrari, fun to own but not very practical.


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## mtbkndad (Jul 25, 2007)

The Beast is usually $4800, but Optics Planet has it on sale for only 
$4160.

http://www.opticsplanet.net/surefire-beast-rechargeable-flashlight-br1.html


FASTCAR,

You need to buy or make a LarryK light. 
Just in case you do not know, a LarryK light is a mod that puts a 600 watt aircraft landing light into a cheap Harbor Freight spotlight body.

That way the you could tell the trooper "Wow my cheap Harbor Freight light is WAY brighter. Are you sure that is all the brightness you get for $4,800?"    

Take Care,
mtbkndad :wave:


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## RadarGreg (Jul 25, 2007)

TigerhawkT3 said:


> I sure hope it was the trooper's personal property, and not paid for by taxpayers.



I disagree. What difference does it make if a police department chooses to purchase some quality gear? Did you notice your taxes go up because they bought the light? Would you prefer them to only carry around Mag lights? Using that same logic, it would be ok for their department to carry round obsolete .38 special revolvers instead of purchasing a more modern, and powerful, handgun. 

I've seen Soldiers using HID lights to spot IEDs on the side of the road in Iraq. I'll bet a SF Beast would come in handy for roadside accidents or to stun a potential threatening suspect. Unfortunately, as the average citizen, we don't get a whole lot of say in how our tax dollars are spent. I cringe at some of the waste I've seen in the military, but it isn't our decision how the taxes are distributed. Would you rather buy a cop a SF Beast, or pay a park Ranger to manage a camp area? Is it better to pay an air traffic controller's salary, or to send financial aid to a foreign country?

I would only hope that whoever the procurement officer in the police department is knew enough to buy the rechargeable Beast so they could save some bucks on batteries. With what most law enforcement officers get paid, I doubt the trooper bought it himself, unless he knew he couldn't count on his department to fund it.


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## LuxLuthor (Jul 25, 2007)

I bet that trooper was waiting until the day he could whip it out and trump someone's "bright light." That must have been fun for him. It is pretty amazing now how many Maglite mods, other HID's, Larry14K lights have come out with such dramatic lumen output since the Beast was made.

Despite the lumens of these other mentioned lights, nothing has the durability (or price) of the Beast. Ya gotta always give that feature to it...which is no small engineering feat.


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## 270winchester (Jul 25, 2007)

well, today, a 38 revolver would cost around 3-500 dollars, while a modern Glock would cost about 500 when the LE agency is buying it. Most modern handguns are acutally much cheaper to produce than the old fashioned revolvers and the profit margin is higher.

And despite what the rumors are, America is not littered with IEDs to be discovered on a daily basis.

On that thought, if his department bought it, shouldn't it be locked away at the department and wait for IED duty instead of being carried around in a car and shown off to civilians?



RadarGreg said:


> I disagree. What difference does it make if a police department chooses to purchase some quality gear? Did you notice your taxes go up because they bought the light? Would you prefer them to only carry around Mag lights? Using that same logic, it would be ok for their department to carry round obsolete .38 special revolvers instead of purchasing a more modern, and powerful, handgun.
> 
> I've seen Soldiers using HID lights to spot IEDs on the side of the road in Iraq. I'll bet a SF Beast would come in handy for roadside accidents or to stun a potential threatening suspect. Unfortunately, as the average citizen, we don't get a whole lot of say in how our tax dollars are spent. I cringe at some of the waste I've seen in the military, but it isn't our decision how the taxes are distributed. Would you rather buy a cop a SF Beast, or pay a park Ranger to manage a camp area? Is it better to pay an air traffic controller's salary, or to send financial aid to a foreign country?
> 
> I would only hope that whoever the procurement officer in the police department is knew enough to buy the rechargeable Beast so they could save some bucks on batteries. With what most law enforcement officers get paid, I doubt the trooper bought it himself, unless he knew he couldn't count on his department to fund it.


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## windstrings (Jul 25, 2007)

I know the Beast if very rugged, but Machining just doesn't cost near that much... It must be priced accordingly for those that will pay, ie: military etc.

To someone thats never seen brighter, 1300 lumens is quite impressive.
But now that I'm used to playing with the 8600 lumens of blanketing white daylight the barnburner puts out, I can't imagine going back to playing with a mere "flashlight".

I suppose the brightness isn't that important to some and usability for their specific job application is. 

Once upon a time, 1300 lumens was the cats meow, but I expect when the cat gets out of the bag that there's much more, they will have to fatten the cat more to get it to continue to meow! :huh:


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## RadarGreg (Jul 25, 2007)

270winchester said:


> well, today, a 38 revolver would cost around 3-500 dollars, while a modern Glock would cost about 500 when the LE agency is buying it. Most modern handguns are acutally much cheaper to produce than the old fashioned revolvers and the profit margin is higher.
> 
> And despite what the rumors are, America is not littered with IEDs to be discovered on a daily basis.
> 
> On that thought, if his department bought it, shouldn't it be locked away at the department and wait for IED duty instead of being carried around in a car and shown off to civilians?



Let's see...accident investigations, searching for lost/missing persons, stopping drunk or hostile drivers, need I go on? Obviously he was pretty happy with the fact his department bought a useful tool for his use, as he was showing it to other flashlight enthusiasts.:shakehead


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## f22shift (Jul 25, 2007)

TigerhawkT3 said:


> I sure hope it was the trooper's personal property, and not paid for by taxpayers.


first thought in my mind.

they have one at my local victorinox to try. definitely an eye catcher.


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## windstrings (Jul 25, 2007)

f22shift said:


> first thought in my mind.
> 
> they have one at my local victorinox to try. definitely an eye catcher.



Thats ok.. if the local police don't spend it, the military will!


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## mtbkndad (Jul 25, 2007)

The Tiger light is a tough light. It can be thrown long distances in a parking lot WITHOUT external rubber bumbers and keep working. The Beast should have credit given where credit is due. In other words, the Beast has large well designed removeable rubber bumbers. When somebody can take a Beast, WITHOUT the rubber bumbers, and throw it around like the owner of Tiger light did with a Tiger light, then I will consider it super tough. 

http://www.tigerlight.net/getVideo.php?videoName=Durability

With the bumpers in place, all that the Beast demos demonstrate is how well the shock obsorbing bumbers work, not how tough the light is.
Take them off and then we can see how tough the light is.

Don't get me wrong the Beast is a great light, but with external removeable bumpers, it is only super tough as long as the bumpers are on. Without people understanding this somebody may seek to take them off so it looks less like a Playschool light and now they will have a cool looking and not super tough HID light.

Take Care,
mtbkndad :wave:


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## Patriot (Jul 25, 2007)

Haha...good story Fastcar :thumbsup: I think you "represented" just fine.

Sounds like a 64623 couldn't have hurt either. :naughty:


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## 65535 (Jul 25, 2007)

They are nice lights, I had the pleasure of playing with on for awhile, feels great, if I had $4k to blow I would buy one, but more powerful HID's can be had cheaper, get yourself a ANSV1 (tank light)(???number???) put it on a cart with some deep cycles and look for the trooper.

In your defense he did probably get it from your taxpayer dollars.


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## Hodsta (Jul 25, 2007)

How does the SF Beast compare to SF Hellfighter. If we can wup the sheriffs *** with a group buy of a Hellfighter I'm willing to contribute $$$s. Obviously it will need a home at the end of the passaround, it can live at mine rent free.


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## Illum (Jul 25, 2007)

carrot said:


> I remember hearing stories about PK telling people to throw the Beast in the air as hard as they could and confidently watching it fall to the ground.



lets ask the major weenie to join the board on this one.

where did you hear about this?:duh2:


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## Samuel (Jul 27, 2007)

270winchester said:


> On that thought, if his department bought it, shouldn't it be locked away at the department and wait for IED duty instead of being carried around in a car and shown off to civilians?



Does that really make sense to you - to leave a possibly needed tool "back at the station"? If you were out patrolling and something or someone needed spotting in a hurry, would you rather have equipment with you or would you rather drive back to the station (perhaps a lengthy drive away) to sign for it and check it out from whomever is supposed to be "guarding" it? 

I recently bought a Sam's club HID (my first HID) and I'm planning on buying an X990 soon. Why? About a month or two ago, we got a call of a guy who "fell over a cliff". Several other units and Fire roll to the location. It's pitch black in the canyons. The subject's two girl friends say they were all drinking - their buddy falls off a wall, rolls down a slanted 10 foot ledge, and over the side of the canyon wall. They said they could initially hear him after the fall and he advised them he was bleeding. After that, nothing. 

We start shining our lights, magchargers, ultrastingers, sl20xs, pelican m11s, streamlight liteboxes (incand), etc - nothing - we can't even see the other side of the canyon or the bottom. We get two helos to search with spotlights and FLIR, nothing. After about 30 minutes, one of them finally locates the guy not all that far down the cliff but about 100 yards sideways from where he went over the edge. We can Barely make him out with the liteboxes. And he's conscious and breathing and not as bad as you would think he would have been from the fall. They eventually had to rope down and retrieve him.

If we had had a decent 24W or 35W HID (or better), I think we may have been able to spot him earlier. If the situation had been more emergent and if I had had to make a 30 minute code-3 round trip to go back to the station to pick up a piece of equipment that should have been deployed out in the field...

The other week, I used the Sam's HID to help illuminate an industrial complex that 3 guys had reportedly entered to burglarize - the HID put our a-pillar spotlights to shame...


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## TigerhawkT3 (Jul 27, 2007)

There are plenty of lights that are almost as good as a Beast, if not better, and surely a lot less expensive. I don't think police departments should buy $5000 flashlights, even if it is a SF.

Think about it... five grand... a precinct could buy around ten decent firearms for that much, or Kevlar vests, or some BarnBurners, or at least two of any other HID out there, or...

You'd really want that many taxpayer dollars going into a single flashlight?


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## Samuel (Jul 27, 2007)

TigerhawkT3 said:


> There are plenty of lights that are almost as good as a Beast, if not better, and surely a lot less expensive. I don't think police departments should buy $5000 flashlights, even if it is a SF.
> 
> Think about it... five grand... a precinct could buy around ten decent firearms for that much, or Kevlar vests, or some BarnBurners, or at least two of any other HID out there, or...
> 
> You'd really want that many taxpayer dollars going into a single flashlight?



I'm ASSuming you're responding to my post? If so, the issue I was debating was the deployment or storage of a Beast, IF it were available for duty use - Not whether or not a Beast would be a logical LE purchase. Two separate issues.

Now as far as your tax dollars being spent on LE equipment, do you have an axe to grind with LE? IMO, there are a Lot of areas wherein my tax dollars are being spent that I don't agree with (in much much higher dollar amounts than outfitting a few high priced flashlights to the public safety sector) - and those are just the ones I happen to know about. 

E.g. I'd be much more annoyed/concerned/pissed-off about my tax dollars being sucked up by services for illegal immigrants or just the fact that the government is going to try to tax the money I'm planning on leaving for my family after I'm dead (after paying taxes the first time around).

As far as equipment is concerned, IMO, when it comes to public safety, I want people responding to help me out to have the best training and equipment possible. If some piece of equipment should fail or not perform as well as desired, when lives are at stake, the last thing I would want is to know that there was something better that I could have been using. My own department is so far behind the technology curve and issuance of new gear that it's laughable/cryable. If I hear that other agencies have this or that, I may be envious but I'm not going to begrudge them on their fortune.

As much as I dislike hearing stories about military or (larger) government spending, our front line guys/gals out there somewhere handling their business so we can live our lives freely back here in the states? I want them to have the best gear possible too - I'd be willing to pay a little more in taxes or have a larger amount of my tax dollars go to equipping them to better increase their odds of making it back to see their families, etc...

Also btw, IF that Beast was an issued item, I wouldn't have enough info on their logistics to comment on the practicality of their purchase. That being said, IF it was a choice of buying just 1 Beast for one car Or 10 X990's for 10 cars, all else being equal, I'd probably go with the 10...


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## TigerhawkT3 (Jul 27, 2007)

Samuel said:


> ...
> IF it was a choice of buying just 1 Beast for one car Or 10 X990's for 10 cars, all else being equal, I'd probably go with the 10...


This is EXACTLY my point. Ordinary police precincts don't need to spend five grand to get a reliable HID.


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## Samuel (Jul 27, 2007)

TigerhawkT3 said:


> This is EXACTLY my point. Ordinary police precincts don't need to spend five grand to get a reliable HID.



Ok. No comments on any of my other arguments/points?

IF they indeed got Beasts issued to them, what's the big deal to you??!! Are you jealous or "hating"? If they are within their budget (and not asking to raise taxes for more budget) and they decided to allocate some of their monies to purchasing Beasts, so what? Does it "Really" affect you financially? If so, how? What if the Beasts were purchased through a federal grant or by a contract city for that particular agency? If by the use of a Beast, a life was saved or serious bodily injury was averted, would you still soapbox that it should have never been purchased/issued? Just curious.


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## TigerhawkT3 (Jul 27, 2007)

Can you not understand that it's a FIVE THOUSAND DOLLAR flashlight? You might as well issue the officers Titans as duty lights.

I didn't think I'd have to come out and say it, but the SF Beast is ridiculously overpriced, and anyone who thinks they're getting a good value for their money has been bamboozled by "teh SF."

:shakehead


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## flashfan (Jul 27, 2007)

My first thought upon reading the opening post, is that the state trooper is more likely than not, a CPF member. At the very least, a lurker... Show thyself, please.


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## carrot (Jul 27, 2007)

The Beast may be ridiculously overpriced... but.. uhh... I want one. :naughty:


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## griff (Jul 27, 2007)




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## 270winchester (Jul 27, 2007)

Samuel said:


> Does that really make sense to you - to leave a possibly needed tool "back at the station"? If you were out patrolling and something or someone needed spotting in a hurry, would you rather have equipment with you or would you rather drive back to the station (perhaps a lengthy drive away) to sign for it and check it out from whomever is supposed to be "guarding" it?



the light was being shown off to a bunch of civilians, not riding in a patrol car. Common sense would dictate that the ones most mobile should be the one carrying it, ie on duty patrol cars. If all the troopers in the state are issued beasts, that's one rich state.



> I recently bought a Sam's club HID (my first HID) and I'm planning on buying an X990 soon. Why? About a month or two ago, we got a call of a guy who "fell over a cliff". Several other units and Fire roll to the location. It's pitch black in the canyons. The subject's two girl friends say they were all drinking - their buddy falls off a wall, rolls down a slanted 10 foot ledge, and over the side of the canyon wall. They said they could initially hear him after the fall and he advised them he was bleeding. After that, nothing.
> 
> We start shining our lights, magchargers, ultrastingers, sl20xs, pelican m11s, streamlight liteboxes (incand), etc - nothing - we can't even see the other side of the canyon or the bottom. We get two helos to search with spotlights and FLIR, nothing. After about 30 minutes, one of them finally locates the guy not all that far down the cliff but about 100 yards sideways from where he went over the edge. We can Barely make him out with the liteboxes. And he's conscious and breathing and not as bad as you would think he would have been from the fall. They eventually had to rope down and retrieve him.
> 
> If we had had a decent 24W or 35W HID (or better), I think we may have been able to spot him earlier. If the situation had been more emergent and if I had had to make a 30 minute code-3 round trip to go back to the station to pick up a piece of equipment that should have been deployed out in the field...


so what's wrong with a mere 600 dollar x990? not good enough?



> The other week, I used the Sam's HID to help illuminate an industrial complex that 3 guys had reportedly entered to burglarize - the HID put our a-pillar spotlights to shame...



once again, you are using the merit of HID to justify the cost of a Beast. An HID is a superior tool for search and rescue. hmmm, a 600 dollar x990, or a 5000 dollar Beast. hmmm.

It's like saying a motor vehicle is essential for police work, so a 120,000 dollar Mercedes S600 would be reasonable rather than a 30,000 dollar Crown Vic.

as long as you pay the difference of 4400 dollars, go ahead and use the Beast.


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## 270winchester (Jul 27, 2007)

Samuel said:


> Ok. No comments on any of my other arguments/points?
> 
> IF they indeed got Beasts issued to them, what's the big deal to you??!! Are you jealous or "hating"? If they are within their budget (and not asking to raise taxes for more budget) and they decided to allocate some of their monies to purchasing Beasts, so what? Does it "Really" affect you financially? If so, how? What if the Beasts were purchased through a federal grant or by a contract city for that particular agency? If by the use of a Beast, a life was saved or serious bodily injury was averted, would you still soapbox that it should have never been purchased/issued? Just curious.



okay, let me put it this way, this is the story of my Dad.

my Dad paid taxes in the 6 figure range, federal, state, county, city, sales, property, social security, etc. He paid so much tax that he has no money left after the mortgage and food. So even though he paid over 100,000 dollars to the government last year, he couldn't afford a 40 dollar Arc AAA, and I had to buy him one for his birthday and it's the most prized light he has. My Dad is a honest, tax paying, American who does not complain about forking over his hard earned money to the government. He trusts that the government will spend the money most wisely with the public's need in mind. He has never owned a new car in his life until he was 55 years old, when he bought a Toyota Camry on clearance for 15k two years ago. He never dodged a penny of taxes and never complains.

so to thank him, the local sheriff gave him a 254 dollar ticket for not stop completely at a stop sign. I was in the car. He stopped for "only" 2 mississippi rather than three so the light-bar lit up behind him. The car in front of us didn't even stop. You know what my dad said? "I deserved it, he did it for public safety." He wished the sheriff a good afternoon with the citation in hand. 

That's my dad.

so I would invite you to looks him square in the eye and tell him that 5 grand is reasonable expenditure for a light when a 600 dollar light can do the job just as well.

just a thought, have you ever seen a X990 in action? it's not a bad light. seriously.

BTW you can get an X990 here for 400, or 430 with tax in CA.

http://www.brightguy.com/products/X990_HID_Light.php

I can't afford it either. Most of my money from my part time job went to taxes as well. I'm just a student going to a school and pay about 20k a year to the state for the education.


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## FASTCAR (Jul 27, 2007)

I.M.O.

As a Marine scout AND a LEO,no regular cop on planet earth needs a beast.I know of no and have never heard of any cop needing a beast or similar.

I can see maybee a park ranger needing a HID..even then its a stretch.


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## TigerhawkT3 (Jul 27, 2007)

Hey griff, if you're going to post a picture, shouldn't it have at least SOMETHING to do with flashlights? I mean... oh wait... never mind.


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## Samuel (Jul 27, 2007)

TigerhawkT3 said:


> Can you not understand that it's a FIVE THOUSAND DOLLAR flashlight? You might as well issue the officers Titans as duty lights.
> 
> I didn't think I'd have to come out and say it, but the SF Beast is ridiculously overpriced, and anyone who thinks they're getting a good value for their money has been bamboozled by "teh SF."
> 
> :shakehead



Yeah, I understand it's a very expensive flashlight - one that I will most likely never own or be issued or even get to play with. If it has "hot strike" capability, I would love to see a cheaper HID with the same feature. At the same time, if someone (LEO or not) owns one or an LEO is issued one, I'm not going to ***** and moan about sour grapes or belittle someone's choice of purchased light...


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## Samuel (Jul 27, 2007)

270winchester said:


> the light was being shown off to a bunch of civilians, not riding in a patrol car. Common sense would dictate that the ones most mobile should be the one carrying it, ie on duty patrol cars. If all the troopers in the state are issued beasts, that's one rich state.
> 
> * Maybe I misunderstood. From the OP's post, I got the impression that the state trooper had retrieved the light from his patrol car. If common sense would dictate that the ones most mobile should be the one carrying it, then why were you suggesting that it should be kept on the shelf in the station?  *
> 
> ...



I think you'll be happy to know that I can't afford a Beast...


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## TigerhawkT3 (Jul 27, 2007)

Samuel said:


> Yeah, I understand it's a very expensive flashlight - one that I will most likely never own or be issued or even get to play with. If it has "hot strike" capability, I would love to see a cheaper HID with the same feature. At the same time, if someone (LEO or not) owns one or an LEO is issued one, I'm not going to ***** and moan about sour grapes or belittle someone's choice of purchased light...


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## Samuel (Jul 27, 2007)

270winchester said:


> okay, let me put it this way, this is the story of my Dad.
> 
> my Dad paid taxes in the 6 figure range, federal, state, county, city, sales, property, social security, etc. He paid so much tax that he has no money left after the mortgage and food. So even though he paid over 100,000 dollars to the government last year, he couldn't afford a 40 dollar Arc AAA, and I had to buy him one for his birthday and it's the most prized light he has. My Dad is a honest, tax paying, American who does not complain about forking over his hard earned money to the government. He trusts that the government will spend the money most wisely with the public's need in mind. He has never owned a new car in his life until he was 55 years old, when he bought a Toyota Camry on clearance for 15k two years ago. He never dodged a penny of taxes and never complains.
> 
> ...



Well, given the story you've related, your views/opinions of LE is understandable. I just don't happen to agree with you. I don't have a problem looking ANYONE square in the eye - especially myself in the mirror - but I don't need to talk to your dad. The way you talk about your dad sounds like how I feel about my dad - although my dad never made as much as your dad. 

"Starving college student"? BTDT too. In fact, I'll do you one better, one of the reasons I never finished college was due to insufficient finances. Now I'm too old and stupid to go back... 

Thanks for the link. I'm actually trying to get ahold of John at SUVLights to see if he's got any X990's left... To reiterate, for my "needs", I believe an X990 would be just fine. If I were on my department's elite search and rescue teams or SEB teams, however, I might want something better...


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## Samuel (Jul 27, 2007)

TigerhawkT3 said:


>



You might want to take some Ibuprofen or Vicodin for that little problem there... lol


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## Samuel (Jul 27, 2007)

FASTCAR said:


> I.M.O.
> 
> As a Marine scout AND a LEO,no regular cop on planet earth needs a beast.I know of no and have never heard of any cop needing a beast or similar.
> 
> I can see maybee a park ranger needing a HID..even then its a stretch.



How many lights do people (including you) have, especially on this board, that are a result of "need" only? You claim to have fast cars - do you "need" all that performance? 

As a light enthusiast and, supposedly, an ex-LEO, why are you suggesting that only a park ranger would need an HID??? You should know that an HID would benefit Anyone needing hi-powered illumination.


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## TigerhawkT3 (Jul 27, 2007)

Samuel said:


> You might want to take some Ibuprofen or Vicodin for that little problem there... lol


 
Oh, sure! I'll just wash 'em down with some Kool Aid. Got any?

(Recommending another poster take medications... nice. :ironic


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## Samuel (Jul 27, 2007)

TigerhawkT3 said:


> Oh, sure! I'll just wash 'em down with some Kool Aid. Got any?
> 
> (Recommending another poster take medications... nice. :ironic



Hey, you're the one banging your head against the wall... :shrug:

And nope, no Kool Aid. Blue Monster...


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## XeRay (Jul 27, 2007)

Samuel said:


> Yeah, I understand it's a very expensive flashlight - one that I will most likely never own or be issued or even get to play with. If it has "hot strike" capability, I would love to see a cheaper HID with the same feature. At the same time, if someone (LEO or not) owns one or an LEO is issued one, I'm not going to ***** and moan about sour grapes or belittle someone's choice of purchased light...


 
The only HID's that don't have hot restrike capability are ones with cheap or unsophisticated electronics. Both the Polarion, 1/2 the price of the Beast, which is both better looking and more powerful and the XeRay line at 1/4 the price, will significantly outperform the beast in the output department.


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## 270winchester (Jul 28, 2007)

Samuel said:


> Well, given the story you've related, your views/opinions of LE is understandable. I just don't happen to agree with you. I don't have a problem looking ANYONE square in the eye - especially myself in the mirror - but I don't need to talk to your dad. The way you talk about your dad sounds like how I feel about my dad - although my dad never made as much as your dad.
> 
> "Starving college student"? BTDT too. In fact, I'll do you one better, one of the reasons I never finished college was due to insufficient finances. Now I'm too old and stupid to go back...
> 
> Thanks for the link. I'm actually trying to get ahold of John at SUVLights to see if he's got any X990's left... To reiterate, for my "needs", I believe an X990 would be just fine. If I were on my department's elite search and rescue teams or SEB teams, however, I might want something better...



so you are implying that I'm better off than you?

that's cute, play the poor card. We pay everything thing out of our own pocket. Did college cost 20k a year when you were going? mind you I work as well as being a full time student, don't give me that "you are more privileged than I was" crap. :thumbsdow

My Dad's take home pay after taxes of all sorts is so low it's scary. He is self employed and pays through the nose for everything, and on top of that, no pension whatsoever, no medical insurance of any kind, not safety net, has no union to lobby for him. 

He would chuckle if anyone said that we are better off than other people.

And what about my view of the LEs? did I say I don't like them? Don't recall. Did I say I don't want them around? never said that. I just told the facts as it is.


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## Samuel (Jul 28, 2007)

XeRay said:


> The only HID's that don't have hot restrike capability are ones with cheap or unsophisticated electronics. Both the Polarion, 1/2 the price of the Beast, which is both better looking and more powerful and the XeRay line at 1/4 the price, will significantly outperform the beast in the output department.



Good to know. Thanks.


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## Samuel (Jul 28, 2007)

270winchester said:


> so you are implying that I'm better off than you?
> 
> * Nope. Dunno why you took it that way, unless you've got some kind of complex... *
> 
> ...



You told One Side of a Story. The rest is the feeling I get from your posts.


Sorry all for the major drift. I'm done sidetracking this thread...


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## 270winchester (Jul 28, 2007)

> so you are implying that I'm better off than you?
> *Nope. Dunno why you took it that way, unless you've got some kind of complex... *


well, because you said:



> "Starving college student"? BTDT too. In fact, I'll do you one better, one of the reasons I never finished college was due to insufficient finances.


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> It's like saying a motor vehicle is essential for police work, so a 120,000 dollar Mercedes S600 would be reasonable rather than a 30,000 dollar Crown Vic.
> 
> * If you are suggesting a Crown Vic is the best choice for police vehicle no matter what or where the intended usage, then you are sadly mistaken. *


*

you assume a lot, I have no idea where you found those words to put in my mouth, but you assume a lot of things. 
*
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


> *Just out of curiosity, how does your dad pay $100,000.00 in TAXES but not have enough money left over to buy a $40 light? *


here is how it happened:

he paid around 75% of his income on various taxes. Then they have mortgage. then they have to pay for food and utilities. then there is health insurance payments(no medicare or medicaid for us). With all that 25-30k does not go that far these days. If a man considers a 15k car to be a luxury that can be finally afforded at age 55 , a 40 dollar is astronomical amount for a light. I didn't have a maglite until they finally bought me one for going-away-to-college present. Up to that point they only had one maglite in the whole house. You gotta understand that a lot of people pay a lot in taxes that are hidden and have no choice but to comply with the tax code, and take home very little pay.


> * Don't patronize me kid. I paid my way as long as I could as well. College may not have costed 20k/year but the value of money was also different. Just out of curiosity, how does your dad pay $100,000.00 in TAXES but not have enough money left over to buy a $40 light? *
> *...
> You make it sound like he's paying 90% income tax or something... ?? Btw, if he's even paying 60% income tax, he's making more in a year than my folks ever did. *


so whatever happen to the difference in the value of money?

FYI I often work until as late as 3 am to make ends meet. It's not fun but it gets the bills paid.



> Sorry all for the major drift. I'm done sidetracking this thread...


I agree this thread has been sidetracked enough. The point I was trying to make is a lot of folks work really, really hard to pay their taxes while barely make a living. Therefore I don't think it's too much to ask the government to spend money where it counts and have restraint on spending on equipment. I would rather a department use the 4400 dollars on more hours for the cops(that's 220 hours at of extra patrol at20 dollars/hour) and use a mere 600 dollar light for search and rescue.

you gotta give me a break for thinking the LE folks should have 600 dollar lights when the task calls for a useful, durable, bright illumination tool. most people, including many politicians and administrators in the LE agencies, would consider that to be too much and use give the street cops much less.


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## Phaserburn (Jul 28, 2007)

TigerhawkT3 said:


> I sure hope it was the trooper's personal property, and not paid for by taxpayers.


 
Actually, my first thought was that the Trooper was one of US. Since when does a Trooper salary lend itself toward a light this expensive? Unless.... he's already here on this forum. Or somehow knows PK.


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## FASTCAR (Jul 28, 2007)

This thread has changed alot as usaual.This will be my last post here as this is getting crazy.


" You claim to have fast cars - do you "need" all that performance? "

The answer is..yes.

As the owner of a speed shop AND a pro drag racer,actually I do need all that performance.80% of my living is from this.


I.M.O. 99.9999999999999999 % of all LEOs can get by with a 100$ or less light. Heck, cars here all have a built on 100W spot thats not shabby at all.


3000-5000$ light for LEOs seems silly.Unless you want cops to wear $2000 Gucci shoes and gold plated guns.If a LEO wants to spend his/her own cash on a beast thats fine.


On a side note as a marine: I Am not fond of $5500 toilets or a screw driver thats 500 bucks. You hear about common items that cost 5-50x normal for the armed forces.

As usual this fun thread has been taken over by the arm chair quarterbacks.Sad


My 2 cents


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## 2000xlt (Feb 10, 2008)

Thats a cool story, I personally would not throw a multi thousand dollar light, but i am a believer that it was dong, however a video of that would be quite nice in a demonstration???


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