The ABTOMAT Police Flashlight Collection

ABTOMAT

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The other day I realized I hadn't been active in the scene for a while, and people from half a decade ago were still waiting for pics of these lights. So, to kill two birds with one stone, I've started photographing my entire flashlight collection for the benefit of CPF.

I'll be slowly posting them as the get the photos taken, and have the time to resize and upload them all.

Kel-Lite 26" Batonlite. These lights use 5C cells plus an aluminum spacer rod. Without the spacer, this one holds 12 C-cells:
YK4jaaI.jpg


Kel-Lite 22" Batonlite. The silver bezels are made of solid stainless steel, for durability:
VlIcxUv.jpg


Mag-Lite 7D. They stopped making these in 1989:
rHt0ySB.jpg


Kel-Lite 7D. Medium head models were a mid-'70s addition:
u5Y9hTa.jpg


Bianchi B-Lite 7D. A post-Kel-Lite Don Keller design:
r16VUlx.jpg


New Products Development Co. Tru-Grit 7D. Each knurled section unscrews to vary the length. I believe these guys ran afoul of John Waynee's lawyers around 1972:
9WImpb9.jpg


Pro-Light 6D. Another Don Keller design:
zmUiDYa.jpg


Mag-Lite 6D. Recent production--I bought this new around 2004:
eNMSCOv.jpg


Streamlight 7C. With a surprise...
xkudVtV.jpg


Trouble with unruly suspects or hippies? Well...
Oxl0RuE.jpg


Out pops an ASP baton! It takes up four cells' worth of space in the light. This was actually made for a Mag-Lite and doesn't fit correctly:
tmV8Ztg.jpg


Streamlight 5D. Streamlight made a whole raft of D/C-cell flashlights in the '80s based on late designs they got when they bought Kel-Lite:
gPXrlUm.jpg


Brinkmann 5D. I believe Brinkmann's series of similar lights use the design from LA Screw Company's Code-4 models:
vCdha4c.jpg


Mag Instruments Vari-Beam 5D. This was an '80s Mag-Lite sold through commercial suppliers. Designed to be hard to lose in dark places:
yRelr2F.jpg


To be continued...
 
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ABTOMAT

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Re: The ABTOMAT Collection

It's probably pretty obvious, but I should mention the focus of the collection is vintage police flashlights. Most of them are from the 1968-1984 period before the market shook itself out.

Kel-Lite 7C with Judo Head tailcap:
LVoZnDw.jpg


Same light, tail end. Designed for certain types of defensive fighting tactics. Kel-Lite used the same shape for a yawara stick they made at the time:
5kkzX4q.jpg


Streamlight SL-35. Early production:
rpnWWu5.jpg


Mag-Lite 6C:
pL1G1i9.jpg


Brinkmann 5-3-2. It unscrews into segments of various lengths, just like the earlier Code-4:
Yv4Xg1A.jpg


B-Lite 5D. B-Lite used two main head sizes on their D-cell lights:
GYuFFx4.jpg


Kel-Lite 5D. This has some wild stories from the original owner:
9CGKyGI.jpg


Kel-Lite 5D. Covina-era:
TTyJLJR.jpg


Pro-Light 5C. Pro-Light often used a lot of plastic in their lights. This one has a metal barrel with plastic ends:
e7q7sIy.jpg


Streamlight 5C:
DWmhw8Q.jpg


Kel-Lite 5D:
9UDuqZ2.jpg


Kel-Lite 5D:
JYH4ehd.jpg


Kel-Lite 5D:
JfJshm9.jpg


Mag-Lite 5C:
fuSYYEw.jpg


To be continued...
 
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ABTOMAT

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Re: The ABTOMAT Collection

Longtime CPF members'll notice I'm not using the famous leather couch any more. Collection outgrew that for group shots.

Gem-Lite 2D. As far as I know, these were made independently by a Bianchi supplier, using parts designed for the B-Lite. This one has a surprise, too:
LwJQ7Au.jpg


A canister of Curb tear gas fits into the tail end:
fOZfh9o.jpg


Detail of the spray itself:
dkHW9Zb.jpg


Kel-Lite 6C:
c1iINHK.jpg


B-Lite 4D:
ydWIBKi.jpg


Kel-Lite 4D with a rare rechargeable tailcap:
nNFI4ZA.jpg


Pro-Light 5C. This one's all-plastic:
LkAntWQ.jpg


B-Lite 4D:
TqtKYpP.jpg


Kel-Lite 5C. This one has a storage tailcap--uncommon on C-cell models:
O4PKBPj.jpg


Pro-Light 5C. I made the tailcap on my lathe--it originally had a rounded plastic cap that disintegrated:
NeRka8K.jpg


The new tailcap:
MxKXzJl.jpg


Streamlight 4C:
ZFG6MIW.jpg


B-Lite 5C. For some reason, they sold many fewer C-cell than D-cell lights:
zcxuwDg.jpg


Safariland Polaris. Bet you haven't seen one of these recently. It's a poorly made, all-plastic rechargeable that uses a magnetic reed switch. Built like a dive light so it's probably waterproof. I'd guess designed to compete with early rechargeable Pro-Lights and Streamlights:
wIo9dXq.jpg


Kel-Lite 4D. Very clean:
Db3qw6w.jpg


Kel-Lite 4D:
K6ivNON.jpg


Kel-Lite 4D. Very early production. Probably pre-Covina. San Dimas, maybe. This was the first vintage police flashlight in my collection:
w9XhkTr.jpg


To be continued...
 
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boss429

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What a great collection-My compliments! Do have a "in" for vintage police lights? You just don't see most of those heavies often(or ever!).
 

BIGLOU

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Wow! Sick collection! I love the Mace light. Thanks for sharing these photos. I read the other thread were you guys broke it down on the history of these companies. I now stop a yard sales and ask if they have old school flashlights and they look at me all wierd.:twothumbs
 

ABTOMAT

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What a great collection-My compliments! Do have a "in" for vintage police lights? You just don't see most of those heavies often(or ever!).

Thanks. No "in," just time and legwork. Some cool people have donated to the collection. I have limited resources so I don't add new lights often.

And moving on...

Mag Vari-Beam 3D:
tbeDt2v.jpg


Streamlight SL-20. This was the flashlight that basically put everyone else but Mag out of business. Totally new technology and design:
HyklFFb.jpg


Kel-Lite 5C. The Illinois State Police bought massive quantities of these things. You see them everywhere. Probably the most common Kel-Lite size:
e4MVlg8.jpg


Kel-Lite 5C:
ktiCYYq.jpg


Streamlight SL-20. Well-used:
SzLKc7B.jpg


Pro-Light rechargeable. While all Pro-Lights were designed to be rechargeable, this one was designed _as_ a rechargeable, along the lines of a Streamlight SL-20:
WpkkfZE.jpg


Pro-Light 3D. Hazard color scheme:
xmewrUh.jpg


Gem-Lite 3D:
wPVL15c.jpg


Streamlight SL-15. Smaller brother to the SL-20, all plastic, not made for as long:
ss6fFl9.jpg


Mag-Lite 3C. Need to replace the switch cover:
C4NUgKi.jpg


Kel-Lite 3D:
cYO9VXD.jpg


Stud-Lite 3D. What's a Stud-Lite? It's a Kel-Lite made for sale to truckers. Dunno why they were so specific, but they were trying to branch out from police sales at once point:
NMjANcU.jpg


Citation:
txBTGEY.jpg


To be continued...
 
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swampgator

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Great thread!

A couple of questions now come to mind.

Given a certain large company has a well known reputation for using litigation to protect their patents, how is it that their head is almost the same shape as the Bianchi?

Also how many companies was Keller directly involved with?

When did Kel go to the internal push button switch?

And the last, did the Streamlight SL series pre-date their acquistion of the Kel-Lite brand?
 

ABTOMAT

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Given a certain large company has a well known reputation for using litigation to protect their patents, how is it that their head is almost the same shape as the Bianchi?

I'm not up on my legal details, but I'd assume that wasn't something Bianchi cared about. And going the other way, Mag's issue is typically with the lettering around the heads and not the shape itself. They took down Streamlight and Brinkmann over that.

Also how many companies was Keller directly involved with?

Off the top of my head, Kel-Lite, Bianchi, Pro-Light, Mag-Lite, ASP, Brinkmann, and Nordic.

When did Kel go to the internal push button switch?

And the last, did the Streamlight SL series pre-date their acquistion of the Kel-Lite brand?

The pushbutton Kel-Lite was from somewhere around 1982-83. Right before Streamlight bought them. Streamlight's SL series started in the mid-late '70s. They only made rechargeables until the Kel-Lite buyout.
 
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ABTOMAT

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When I get around to it, I also have a bunch in their boxes, plus all kinds of odd accessories and paperwork.

Kel-Lite 3D. This one was painted at one point:
XBOLMv4.jpg


Kel-Lite 3D:
JFfUIjK.jpg


Kel-Lite 3D. Another early production one. You can tell these by the thin switches, no tailcap markings, and "KEL-LITE" directly behind the switch:
ZLkJITe.jpg


Mag-Lite 2D. This is very interesting, for a Mag-Lite. A 1980 production model before they finalized the design everyone knows. Has a very different switch with a large button, and says "PATEN PENDING" (misspelled) on the side:
1tMbKsI.jpg


GT Price Code-4 2D. GT bought the basic design from LA Screw as far as I know. This one has a movable red filter for night use:
CQNFw2O.jpg


GT Price Smoke Cutter 2D. Fireman's model with an anti-glare lens:
91mtv0Y.jpg


Pro-Light 2D:
GKsgvT2.jpg


B-Lite 2D:
oOikEHs.jpg


Kel-Lite 2D:
UjqpXjl.jpg


Kel-Lite 3C:
PkzXUQn.jpg


Pro-Light 2C:
UTZAS0I.jpg


Kel-Lite 2D:
YHp0PQf.jpg


To be continued...
 
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N10

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the 2D Mag you have looks shorter than the present production one..like a cutdown....very nice(impressive) collection!
 

ABTOMAT

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Thanks. I think that's just the angle of the photo--my 2D Mag is within 1/4" of the current one.

This the last of the used lights for now. I'll see about getting photos of the new ones and the other stuff soon.

Kel-Lite 2C. With a Judo Head tailcap:
XhX3mjC.jpg


A view of the tail end. Before I got a real one like this, I made one of these tailcaps myself using photos as a reference. I'll post that further down.
AqtY1eW.jpg


Kel-Lite 2C:
YqpXWCx.jpg


Kel-Lite 2C. This one has a polished front bezel. I've never seen another:
2U2Qiz7.jpg


Kel-Lite 2 1/2D. The smallest Kel-Lite made. It was designed to use two 1/2D-cell batteries, but many people call it a "1D" light for simplicity. These days you'd be better off getting a 3AA adapter and a brighter bulb. It's also another very early production example:
7RGxuSL.jpg


Two Streamlight 2C. I don't have very many details on these. The bodies and tailcaps are machined like an early C-cell Kel-Lite. I'd guess Streamlight wanted to use the tooling for something and cranked out these simple lights. Twist bezel to turn on/off:
cz7tLos.jpg


Same lights, other ends:
SFp6X5H.jpg


Healy Coach Works 2C. It's nearly identical to the Streamlight 2C but with Healy markings, shorter head, and longer knurled section. Made under contract, I assume. Missing the reflector assembly:
su5UcWR.jpg


To be continued...
 
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3000k

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What is the Vari-Beam maglite, was that the first focusable maglite or just a special name for the color combination?
 

ABTOMAT

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What is the Vari-Beam maglite, was that the first focusable maglite or just a special name for the color combination?

Just that color combination. The modern Mag-Lite design had been around for ~3 years before. Might have been the first non-black Mag, though.
 

Niteowl

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Awesome collection. My favorite is the B-Lite 5C. I've got my 4C sitting here on my desk.

Any chance for a group pic?:poke:
 

RedLED

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I have a 3 D cell Mag Lite in the blue like yours, and bought it in a truck stop in 1982-83 or 84.

Still have it. Put an lED in it, and it serves as an emergency light in my studio, clipped to my production bench with the mag clips.

Looks like new. I think it cost $25.00 then.
 
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ABTOMAT

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Moving on...

Mag Magcharger. This is probably the best flashlight Mag ever made, and it's still my favorite police rechargeable. Came out around 1982 to do battle with Streamlight's SL-20. It's a beautifully engineered light, and incredibly durable:
3vgcU0s.jpg


Now a few of the new lights.

Bianchi Super B-Lite 2D. This was Bianchi's final flashlight design, from right before they left the market around 1984. Shows some Streamlight influence, but a little more compact:
V6Gl4W8.jpg


Super B-Lite 4D. Funny story: A surplus company was selling these things at discounted prices a few years ago. I mentioned to a fellow collector I was planning on buying one, then mysteriously the next day their entire inventory had been bought by someone with his name before I had a chance to get one.
V3bjAK1.jpg


Spec-Lite 6D. The Super B-Lite designs from when Bianchi bailed out were bought by an outfitting company and produced as Spec-Lites in the 1980s:
wTLu8e4.jpg


Grendel Grendelite A-2 8AA. This is the weirdest and one of the rarest flashlights I have. Grendel was an '80s firearms company known for high-tech but poorly designed and built handguns. The founded (George Kelgren) later founded Kel-Tec, another firearms company known for high-tech but questionably designed and built handguns, rifles, and shotguns. What you have here is a high-tech but poorly designed and built flashlight. It takes eight AA batteries, and has two brightness settings via a resistor:
Powkqm2.jpg


One of the switch end:
OXdAhGx.jpg


To be continued...
 
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bla2000

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The Grendel Grendelite A-2 8AA must have been the inspiration for the Fenix TK40 :rolleyes: Can it fit the standard cup holder in a car and was designed to do so? No matter what the reason for the design I like it.
 
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