Correctional Officer Light

[blub]

Hey, a friend is graduating from Correctional Officer training and I'd like to get a light for her as a graduation present. Anyone know which light would be best for around $100? I think it should be about 1" diameter and 5" long? What are you guys using? Which battery type,beam……do you prefer? Thanks!

 

[mcnair55]

A quick search of the makers will sort you out as there are dozens to choose from or a trip to Walmart.

 

[880arm]

Show her how much you care and get a turn-key Malkoff MD2 (review). It's $99 standard and $119 with the High/Low bezel switch. Has a 1" diameter body and measures 5.1" long.

She can run it with 123A primary batteries or use an 18650 Li-Ion for really long runtime.

 

[PJD642]

It depends on what she's gonna be using the light for, really. The Malkoff MD2 is always a good choice, but is gonna require a belt holster and takes CR123 batteries. Being that's she's going to be working in a jail/prison, there really shouldn't be a time that she's in an unlit area and needing a lot of light unless she's patrolling the grounds around the perimeter of the place, and even then she'll most likely have a vehicle or at least a big issued flashlight.

For every day carry & use (checking cells for contraband, etc.), I'd say she'd be better off with one of the AA LED lights with a pocket clip - a Streamlight ProTac 2AA would fit in the pen flap of a uniform shirt, goes from very bright 150+ lumens to night time "see your way down a dimly lit corridor" 11 lumens, and use batteries that are much cheaper than CR123s.

 

[Ryp]

Fenix PD32 - $65, 5" long, 1" in diameter.

 

[RI Chevy]

Show her how much you care and get a turn-key Malkoff MD2 (review). It's $99 standard and $119 with the High/Low bezel switch. Has a 1" diameter body and measures 5.1" long. She can run it with 123A primary batteries or use an 18650 Li-Ion for really long runtime.

X2 on the Malkolf. :thumbsup:

 

[sgt253]

x3 on Malkoff. Very bright. Extremely reliable. A must for this dangerous environment.

 

[ZNickey]

PD32UE. I liked my 500 lumen SureFire until I got that. It's ability to use the highest power 18650/16340 at all three of the most common voltages, or disposable CR123s, IMHO, gives it the best power option set for a flashlight ever.

 

[rednek]

As a corrections officer myself I would defiantly recommend a light with more than two output settings. There is some debate about needing a light to turn on in the highest setting every time in case it is needed for an emergency but personally I find using a continuously variable control the best option. if she is going to be working on the night shift primarily then she will defiantly find the need for lower levels to do paperwork in the dark and higher settings for searches and bed checks.

Most of my fellow officers think that I overdo it but I carry an eagletac D25C in my pocket; a nitecore SRT7 on my duty-belt; and I keep a Fenix PD32UE in my lunch box for backup. what they don’t know is that in my truck I also always have a Thrunite TN30 and a Modified NightMaster from the One Stop Throw Shop.

But I would defiantly recommend rechargeable batteries for whatever you get her.

 

[N8N]

+1 on rechargeables; if she doesn't already have any consider setting aside a portion of your budget for a charger. A Nitecore i4 V2 will suffice for Li-Ions (18650, RCR123A/16340 etc.) and will run about $30-ish. Oddly, the Maha C9000 which I use for "regular" AA and AAA NiMH cells is more expensive at about $50, but is awful nice (and once I started buying LSD NiMHs it was shocking how many alkalines I got rid of around the house... and good riddance!)

I'll let others more specifically in tune with the needs of corrections to recommend a specific light.

 

[bright star]

Jetbeam pa 40. 4 setting,s turbo of 468 lumens. No strobe .. No sos.. just a good rugged light.. Or fenix pd41. Just upgraded to 680 lumens.

 

[blub]

Thank you all. I ended up getting the PD35 will two rechargeable 18650s and charger for $78, she can also use CR123s if she wants.

 

[Ryp]

Thank you all. I ended up getting the PD35 will two rechargeable 18650s and charger for $78, she can also use CR123s if she wants.

The Nitecore P12 is a better version of the PD35.

 

[dj:litestick]

The Nitecore P12 is a better version of the PD35.

Not necessarily so until proven guilty, unless you mean better by terms of pricing. Fenix has proven over the years to be reliable and accurate on their description of their lights.