Definition of a "tactical" light?

Pardon my ignorance but I'm still new here.

I see the term "tactical" light used a lot here. I'm still unsure what the definition of a "tactical" light is?

Is my Fenix L2P a tactical light? How about a 4D Mag light? How about a THOR spotlight?

Is it the price, toughness, brightness, or size that makes it a tactical light?

Thanks

there's many meanings of tactical lights, unfortunately it seems to have morphed into a sales/moichandising term now....

i think the "classic" definition is a light that emits a powerful beam of light, capable of disorienting/blinding the subject

Isn't it obvious? A tactical light is black first of all... And it is expensive. That's a must! And it probably has more sharp edges and point things and a wider variety of flat AND round surfaces rather than just one or the other... It should be bright, but for most tactical lights, just the mention of it being bright is usually enough and you don't really have to back up the claim.

Tactical...

I teach handgun defensive courses. In fact, it's where I developed my fascination with lights.

The first light I purchased, a Surefire 6P was astounding, the brightness of a 4-5 cell Mag-lite with small size.

You mature a bit.

You can very quickly tire of CR123 Lithium batteries appetite for going belly up very quickly.

I've mellowed to the point of realizing that in the "DARK", 30 lumens (half of a 6P) can be "blinding". And in ambient light, 150 lumens isn't enough.

I think the important thing is to realize, that illuminating an area, separates you from the "food", the easy targets that cruds prefer.

Be alert, carry a decent light, and carry a pistol, if your location permits it.

In the "dark", a Fenix L1P can be a "tactical" light.

I'm no expert, but to me, 'tactical' when it came to any genre meant it was made in a superior manner to the standard. Heavy duty, specialliy designed, lifestyle specific, or all of the above. With flashlights, careers that demand lighting in dark areas requires something more than a simple torch you'd stash in a drawer. Let's say, a police officer. He needs something for constant use, day after day, that will last enough to match his budget while giving off enough light to illuminate dark alleys, yards, houses, and in many cases it has to be bright enough to give one an advantage in dangerous situations. That's just performance. Odds are, if the companies went so far as to create something that performs, it also has to have handy little tricks for the most likely user. For instance, hexagonal rings to prevent rolling, filters, different designs of switches, holster compatibility and belt space, and even a clip so you can slap it on something.
When I was given my first light that had a clip, I just managed to smile and not roll my eyes. Great, it has a pocket protector clip, I sure use those a lot...
Now, every light, knife, multi-tool, and all my other other rugged gadgets have to have clips. Backpacking, tradework, home repair or construction, sperlunking, from extreme to simply out of the ordinary, I need the thing to stay attached to me. That's why most tact lights have clips. They're handy.
Now, let's say some guy with too much money bought a Mag accessory kit and put the anti-roll ring and the clip on his new Mini Mag, and maybe kept the red/bue filters in a drawer somewhere. Is it a tactical light? Not if it just takes up drawer space.
Now, let's say he used the MM base body. He put in a high-power LED, popped in state of the art cells instead of alkaline cheapies, even reworked the reflector and lens design, maybe even added a tail switch. And, of course, the roll ring and clip from the accessory pack. Sure, it is most definitely no Surefire, and it doesn't have 'TACTICAL!' bubble action bubbles all over it, it's superior to the average light, and is tailored to the user's purpose. I used the standard and somewhat gaudy mini Mag as a basic example, the same could be said for a Surefire or any high-ranking brand, I chose the standard model to demonstrate design compared to use.
Tactical, simply means to fulfill a specialized purpose. Most companies slap it on there to make the cop-wannabes and gearheads buy one to look like a SWAT member. Slap a clip on it, paint it black, whatever, but if it's just a drawer stuffer, it's not tactical. It's just more expensive. It's not what the box says, it's how you use it. Just ask those 'Wand Massager' companies.

JohnK said:

I teach handgun defensive courses. In fact, it's where I developed my fascination with lights.

The first light I purchased, a Surefire 6P was astounding, the brightness of a 4-5 cell Mag-lite with small size.

You mature a bit.

You can very quickly tire of CR123 Lithium batteries appetite for going belly up very quickly.

I've mellowed to the point of realizing that in the "DARK", 30 lumens (half of a 6P) can be "blinding". And in ambient light, 150 lumens isn't enough.

I think the important thing is to realize, that illuminating an area, separates you from the "food", the easy targets that cruds prefer.

Be alert, carry a decent light, and carry a pistol, if your location permits it.

In the "dark", a Fenix L1P can be a "tactical" light.

Click to expand...

I've taken a bunch handgun defense courses...close to a dozen. Who knows, maybe even John K's class. I think his is the
best summary of the subject I've read on this forum to date.

Agreed, I just wasted more space to make up for inexperience.

So many ways to answer this...

1) "Tactical" is a word that manufacturers / marketers apply to anything in order to make it seem more interesting. For example: http://www.lapolicegear.com/5taso.html

2) If you are in the marketing department and you want to sell your product to gun enthusiasts, you describe your product as "tactical." It's required. Otherwise nobody will take you seriously. This may be true for other target markets as well, but the word has infected the gun community like a virus.

3) If a flashlight is small, bright, and has a tailcap switch, it's tactical. If the bezel is scalloped like hole saw, it's extremely tactical.

In theory you can distract an evildoer by shining a light in their eyes (a tactic for which tactical flashlights were devised). If that doesn't work you can beat them with it (especially if your tactical light has a tactical bezel). If that doesn't work you can use tactical footwear to run away, then dial 911 on your tactical cellphone.

Personally I can't speak the word in public in this context. I prefer "defensive," because that term hasn't yet been used to describe socks.

"Tactical" just means something is intended to be used with some kind of tactic. Normally that is taken to mean "combat tactics."

The use with a handgun is the most well-known tactic, but that is only one tactic. There are other tactics that would require a light that was unsuitable for use with a handgun.

It doesn't have anything to do (necessarily) with size or color or cost, etc. It has to do with use.

Scott

Everytime I see or hear that word—since I refrain from using that term—first thing that pops in my mind is SureFire! Followed by SF.6P, SF.6Z, SF.9P, SF.M2, SF.M3 and the SF.M6. . .I don't know why but it just does. Maybe because SureFire (or someone else) coined that word "tactical" with said product(s).