Stand by for LED cop light "goodness"

[hsa]

^Here's a little more info. You may be thinking of 9an. Read post #2.

Picked up a Surefire 9N(not 9AN).

I picked up a used Surefire 9N this weekend at a garage sale for $15 with charger. The only thing wrong with it is the main(high power) lamp assembly is broken but the lower output lamp works just fine. Was this a good pickup? There are just minor dings and the lens is scratched lightly. How...

www.candlepowerforums.com

 

[ABTOMAT]

I think the 9N came with the cell-only charger in the box. Probably a lot of people never had the light charger. I should pick up a 9N one of these days. They're one of SF's orphan lights that never became collectible like the 6 series did.

 

[Olumin]

On the box of mine is says 9N330, it also mentions the "constant current charger". Included is the standard cell-only charger. The contact rings are so far apart I always tought they were just aesthetic (think of the mag-charger).

 

[bykfixer]

I got my Lumens Factory 800 lumen Stinger Classic upgrade. She's a NOPE!

First page it comes with says it will get hot around 20 minutes in. So hot they recommend SHUTTING IT DOWN TO COOL.

I'm done with "upgrades". Anything upgraded just means it's not meant for the light and will get so hot it will meltdown. Unless you wanna use it for 5 minutes at a time.

Also the two wires that plug into the light are so thin they are already bent enough to where I can't get them to line up to install.

Sending it back.

To me 500 was the limit in the 6" 6 volt light for practical use without all that heat. The 650 mark was pretty good too but heat began to creep into the mix, but above that things have to step down to about....500 lumens. A well designed optic or reflector method can produce an output that rivals the 4 digit output numbers.

Lumens Factory has been a great support for keeping yesterday's legends still relevant in today's super nova output requirements to keep the market from yawning.

 

[ABTOMAT]

I always tought they were just aesthetic (think of the mag-charger).

How do you mean? The Magcharger's rings are the charging contacts as well.

 

[Olumin]

How do you mean? The Magcharger's rings are the charging contacts as well.

yeah but they're right next to one another, not on opposite ends on the light. Same with Streamlight, both contacts in one place. I thought that's how everyone did it. Didn't make any sense in my head to space them out like that. Still doesn't.

 

[ABTOMAT]

yeah but they're right next to one another, not on opposite ends on the light. Same with Streamlight, both contacts in one place. I thought that's how everyone did it. Didn't make any sense in my head to space them out like that. Still doesn't.

I think it has to do with Surefire's tailcap switch. The classic SF switch (which touches one terminal of the battery) doesn't make an electrical connection to the body until it's turned on. So they put the charging contact on the switch instead of engineering a new circuit. In contrast the Magcharger and SL-20 bodies are always electrically "live" and the Stinger/Strion batteries have both terminals at the head end.

 

[chillinn]

9N is very cool yet almost inadvertantly designed for obsolescence with complicated lamp assemply and non-standard battery. I think A2 Aviator is a much better design for similar high/low function, but really a different beast altogether. Though I suppose Aviator came much later.

 

[Olumin]

The 9N takes 3 standard sub-C NiMHs. I think Lumens factory sells a LED lamp for it, but no low mode on that one, which kinda defeats the point.

 

[bykfixer]

What a great thread you have going here @michiganstud

 

[knucklegary]

^ second that.. This thread has me digging out my old incan lights.

 

[rwolfenstein]

I know this sounds terrible, but I am planning on selling all my old surefires so I can get a new cop light lol. The EDC DFT 1, well once I actually see it for sale of course. Its crazy to me how many I have in a drawer at home. Makes me look like a flashaholic.

 

[letschat7]

Strobe on a flashlight can be used as a distraction, however most Police departments don't train with it, except the Dutch.

ANyone have training materials I can read about this or videos from Youtube or Dailymotion?

 

[sgt253]

ANyone have training materials I can read about this or videos from Youtube or Dailymotion?

This might be of interest...

Police Study of tactical use of Strobe

With this article I’ll try to share with you the knowledge we have about handheld Tactical Lights (to name TL) in general and the use of the Strobe specifically. 1.Why do I think this is needed and 2. How come I (we) have this knowledge? Much reactions I hear about the use of Strobe...

www.candlepowerforums.com

 

[aznsx]

This might be of interest...

Police Study of tactical use of Strobe

With this article I’ll try to share with you the knowledge we have about handheld Tactical Lights (to name TL) in general and the use of the Strobe specifically. 1.Why do I think this is needed and 2. How come I (we) have this knowledge? Much reactions I hear about the use of Strobe...

www.candlepowerforums.com

Thanx for posting that link. I believe I had read at least the OP of that thread previously, but I just read it again to be sure. It was worth reading again.

 

[tech25]

Aren't high CRI lights used by EMTs? I remember something from years ago about they'd continue to use incans because LEDs didn't show colors on the body accurately.

If I were in that field, I would likely never use anything <90CRI - certainly not today.

EDIT: This might make a good EMS light?:

Dualie® 3AA Color-Rite® | Intrinsically Safe Flashlight | Streamlight®

On the ambulance, I used to carry an incandescent Minimag and 3D maglight. When trying to upgrade, I first went to the new (at the time) LEDs and the blue tinge was horrible, washed out skin tones and had no throw so I stayed with what I had. At some point I was gifted a Surefire G2L and the major increase in brightness and runtime made me suck it up (still carried the minimag as well for skin assessments) until I splurged for a Malkoff M61L which was much better than the Surefire LED) I eventually got an M61N and was very happy with the combination of a decent CRI with a good color temp.

I used to get caught up in chasing high CRI but I find as long as the CRI is decent, it works well enough.

 

[bykfixer]

@tech25 My first G2L was so awful my red truck looked purple. It was the plastic head version.
Later one I picked up at the CPF marketplace had a really nice tint. It was the metal head kind.

My eyes have always preferred the white LED where there is no bias like so many so called hi cri lights that have a twinge of yellow or red that confuses my eyes. It's more about intensity. Too much light of any tint washes out colors and not enough does not allow my eyes to distinguish colors well.

To confirm what I suspected I used an unscientific method with a digital camera since no developing is required. Using flashlights for lighting, then viewing the photos on a calibrated monitor I saw what was already suspected. The photos lit with a floody 6200 tint flashlights looked natural where other, warmer tints required white balance adjustments to get the colors correct. Even incandecent lit pictures. Having the light evenly distrubuted made a difference too.

 

[KITROBASKIN]

Can't help thinking that fixer evaluation was confounded by the limitations/bias of the monitor. Color calibration is an attempt rather than an absolute, thinking.

I've been using a 5000K Samsung LED in the Frazlabs qt partly because the ground is covered with snow while the 4000K flashlights that we more often use make the snow somewhat distracting until we get used to it.

While difficult to obtain, a Frazlabs would make a fine secondary torch for LEO or Security to those who find its advantages outweigh the nature of its function (simple twist for intensity with one hand or two)

 

[The Hawk]

I started my law enforcement career in 1980. We were issued Maglite flashlights with 4 D cells and incandescent bulbs as LED's were not a thing yet. I retired in 2008. It is amazing to see how flashlights have improved since then.

 

[chillinn]

It is amazing to see how flashlights have improved since then.

In quite a lot of ways, certainly. But for the most part, since you carried your Mag4D, many many flashlight models have appeared that are far worse, and, I would conservatively estimate, most. The choice selections are few and far between. Incan Mags really haven't gotten worse, though the newer incan Mags can't be hotwired because the socket will melt.

IMO, the most advanced flashlight ever designed is the Surefire A2 Aviator. They don't make those anymore. I suppose the Zebralight SC5x Mk II is pretty advanced for AA, and they're still somewhat available. IMO the very pinnacle of flashlight technology was the first and second generations of Surefire E2e. They're also no longer manufactured, and for some time. I think now what we have is hundreds if not thousands of flashlight makers that make crap, and about a dozen or two manufacturers that "get it," or nearly, and produce quality products. Maglite is still one of them, in their space and price range.