Suggestions Appreciated/Fireman's Gift

SayHey

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Nov 29, 2006
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Greetings,

I've read for the past couple months and decided to join to learn some more. I'm a retired police officer who appreciated fine quality duty lights. My son is a firefighter/paramedic. He mentioned recently that he would like a useful flashlight to carry on his duty belt for general purposes in his daily work in EMS and firefighting. I have a pretty good understanding of lights that worked best in law enforcement, specifically patrol duties. I'm seeking input on what equipment members would recommend for this purpose. I would think the most important requirements would be: relatively small size and durability. I was strongly considering this as a Christmas gift, and hope to find a light that does not exceed the $50-$100 range in cost. Also, a source for any hard-to find models would certainly be welcomed. Thanks in advance for any recommendations!
 

JimmyM

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No recommendations here. Many other more knowlegeable members will help you there.

Thanks for serving. My father served and retired. New York State Police. I waited too long to realize that I too should have. See your PM.
 

matrixshaman

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Welcome to CPF! I'm sort of drawing a blank on this for some reason but I'm thinking a 2 level LED light and I'd like to say Surefire brand but your not likely to find one quite in that price range in Surefire. The L2 is 2 level but a bit big. Possibly one of the Nuwai models that has a couple levels but they are not quite the same quality. If you could find an HDS Basic 60 that might fit at close to your price - high quality, small size and multiple features/brightness levels. I'm sure others will have some good ideas here - good luck in your choice and thanks for your service.
 

dw51

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Iowa
Where to begin? There are so many choices. Speaking as a LEO and firefighter, the first thing that comes to mind from what you describe would be a Streamlight Strion. IMO, it's a good all around light(small, bright, rechargeable, reasonably priced) and would be well suited for the task you describe. I take it from your description that this light wouldn't necessarily be used for firefighting itself, but more as a belt light. If it would be used in firefighting, then there are others that may be more suited for the task, such as some of the Pelican variants. Please let me know if I'm off base with my assumption of what this light will be used for. There plenty of other lights out there that would be well suited as well, it's just the Strion came to mind first as a good candidate. Good luck.
 

schiesz

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I've been wanting to get a few lights for a few local FD/Paramedics for a few years now. When I have the funds available for this, these are the ones I will probably get. I have two different situations in mind, so I have two suggestions.

1) High output, short battery life. Surefire G2 (yellow) with pouch, Surefire P90 bulb (or equivalent), 2 RCR123 batteries, and a DSD charger. You can get this whole setup from lighthound.com in your price range ($83+shipping for the whole deal). Batteries won't last long between charges, but it is a stunner while its going.

2) Quality, dual output. Surefire L1. Last forever on low, decent output on high. Much better suited to things like checking pupils, etc. This light is perfect if he doesn't need a lot of lumens. Almost in your price range if you use our discounts from opticshq.com (https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/56067)

Hope this helps a bit, or gives you a few options to look into.

schiesz
 

Sigman

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On the belt for general purpose...I'd say go with a Surefire L1 or E2L and add an F04 beamshaper for nice flood if needed. (pretty versatile that way)
 

rik

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It's worth doing a search of the forums to find out at what level of light the pupil response test is at, and to try to find a multi-level light that can be that dim, in addition to bright enough to use. I am also aware that in a smoky environment, the more light you throw out, the more the smoke lights up and throws glare back, meaning that you actually see less, after a point.

I know it's way out of the price-range, but I can tell you that the Gladius will perform all of these functions, as well as going up to a tactical brightness. I can also tell you that I haven't been more than an arm's length from mine since I got it a few months ago.
 

pec50

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You have some great suggestions, might I add a few more. If my memory serves me correctly, some flashlights can be safety rated for a particular environment such as class 1, 2 or 3, where class 1, flammable gasses, is potentially the most volatile. Within the classification, the most stringent rating is Div 1, areas where volatile substances can exist all or some of the time. Hence, a flashlight with a Class 1, Div. 1 approval is safe for use in situations rated Class 2 or 3. That said, I might recommend the Underwater Kinetics Fire LED flashlight which tends to produce a more focused beam for cutting smoke. I use this as a helmet mount, but it is small enough to use as a general carry.

While certainly not in universal practice, I also use a headlight for medical work as it leaves both of my hands free for patient care. I might suggest the Princeton Tech Quad or EOS as they are both waterproof and can be fairly easily cleaned after use. And, either is small enough to be stuffed into his medical bag or belt. These headlights are also useful should he do wildlands work as they have extended runtimes.
 

SayHey

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I thank you all for the input! I bought my son a Pelican "Little Ed" for firefighting use last Christmas, and he is quite happy with it. The light I hoped to buy this year would be more for "general" use outside of working fires....crash scenes, medical emergencies, rescuing cats (!), etc. I like the Streamlight PP 4aa Lux, but I consider it just a bit long for daily wear on a belt. The headlight idea is interesting, but I regard something close at hand, at all times, a little more practical.
 

jezzyp

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Surefire G2 and a stack of batteries (don't pay retail for those cr123 batts). Or I second the lighthound rechargeable kit, but if you discharge the rechargeable batteries too much you will ruin them.
 

greenLED

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SayHey said:
I would think the most important requirements would be: relatively small size and durability.
Quick question: what is your son going to use the light for? Scene illumination (for which I guess he'd need lots of light) or patient exams (for which a dimmer light will be better).

A good dual-purpose light would be a Pila GL2 with the optional LED tailcap. He can use the LED's whenever he doesn't need full power, and the incandescent beam when he does need all the light he can get. Pila lights are built super tough, and can accept rechargeable li-ions or 123's. jsburlysflashlights.com has the lowest prices on Pila products.

For incandescent only, I think a Strion would be a good choice. For LED, maybe one of the Fenix lights would be OK.

Oh, and check the CPF Specials thread, for discounted prices on whatever you choose.
 

carrot

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As a firefighter he might appreciate tightly focused lights more than we normally do -- so my suggestions are for the Surefire E2L, Surefire L1, or Inova T3. Tightly focused lights cut through fog and smoke much better than the typical flashlight beam.

Edit:
By the way, welcome to CPF!
 
Last edited:

Neil

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Mar 2, 2006
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an E2l on rechargables is a nice general use light and free lumens!
 

SayHey

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A couple questions concerning the Surefire G2...does a three watt "drop-in" lamp module require the use of different batteries, and does this reduce runtime? How much of an increase in brightness is obtained with a bulb switch?

Also, if used as a "stock" unit will it take a few bumps or drops without killing the incan bulb? It's my understanding an LED will absorb much more abuse-is this a legitimate worry if the light takes an occasional knock?
 

schiesz

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Different drop ins require different batteries, it it depends. Most 3 watt drop ins would use 2 CR123 batteries, like the stock light.

As far as brightness of bulbs, P60 is 65 lumens, P61 120, P90 105, P91 200. The other brands are similar regarding labelling and output. A 3 watt drop in is probably slightly less, like 30-50 lumens. There are a lot of factors to determine this, so it could be as high as 120 lumens for a drop in.

My experience with surefire lamps is that they are pretty tough, but a hard fall (5-6 feet) to concrete could bust one.

Hope this helps a bit,

schiesz
 

SayHey

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In comparing many different lights, I noticed that the Pelican M6 3320 is pretty similar to the G2 in terms of size and features. It appears this is the polymer version of Pelican's older M6 2320. Anybody familiar with this particular light? How does it compare to the Surefire? I like the idea of both these lights being right around 5" in length, and very light in weight......
 
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