Recommend me a light for. Night police work

Burtingam

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Jul 9, 2012
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Hi guys, first sorry for my English, my main language is French but i'll work hard on my English to be understood.
I was reading on CPF and i'm really impressed how you guys know everything about flashlights.
As the title said, i'm looking for a tactical light. I pasted the question and specifications of the flashlight i would like to have.
Thanks for your time


1) How would you prefer to purchase the light?
____I will be mail-ordering or buying online, so this doesn't matter.


2) Budget: An easy question, but you may change your mind after answering the rest! :)


____Less than $50 maybe 60$



3) Format:

____I want a flashlight.


4) Flashlight-specific format/size:

____Every day carry medium (4-7 inches).
____Holster carry.



5) Emitter/Light source:

____I don't know.


6) Manufacturer:

____I want to buy a light from a traditional mass producing manufacturer that is ready to go out of the box.
____I would consider getting a light that is pieced together (for example a "host" or flashlight body from one manufacturer, and a "drop-in" emitter from another source). Under the right circumstances, this path can provide more options to the consumer to meet specific needs, and can often be easily upgradeable as technology improves.


7) What battery type do you want to use? (RECHARGEABLE)

____I intend to use rechargeable nickel chemistry (NiCad, NiMH, NiZn)
____I intend to use rechargeable lithium (li-ion) chemistry. Feel free to specify a size if you know which size you want (14500, RCR123/16340, 17500, 17670, 18650, etc.)
____I want a light with an integrated rechargeable battery. (Note: these choices may be very limited unless you are looking at spotlights)


8) How much genuine out the front (OTF) light do you want/need? Sometimes you can have too much light (trying to read up close up with a 100 lumen light is impossible).

____I want to illuminate my entire backyard or a campsite (150-300 lumens).
____I want to illuminate an entire field, the neighbor's front yard several houses down, impress my friends and neighbors, etc. (300-700 lumens).
____I want ridiculous amounts of lumens (800+ lumens).


9) Throw vs. Flood: At what distance will you be most likely to use this light? Select all that apply.

____5-20 yards/meters (check out a noise in the backyard)
____30-50 yards/meters (I have a big backyard)



10) Runtime: Not over-inflated manufacturer runtime claims, but usable brightness measured from first activation to 50% with new batteries (Measured on maximum output).

____90-120 minutes (Runtime is moderately important, but still not critical)
____3 hours + (I critically need this light to run on max for extended periods in between battery changes/charges).


11) Durability/Usage: Generally the old phrase "you get what you pay for" is very accurate for flashlights.

____Critical (Police, Fire, Search & Rescue, Caving, Survival).


12) Switch Type and location (choose all that apply):

____I want a forward clicky (Helpful for momentary activation and signaling).
____I want a reverse clicky (For use with multi-mode/level lights).
____I want a momentary switch (Predominantly for use with signaling and short bursts of momentary light only).
____I want a body mounted switch (near the head, like on a Maglite).
____I want a tail mounted switch (found on the majority of today's high end lights).



13) User Interface (UI) and mode selection. Select all that apply.

____A simple on-off with only one output level is fine for me.
____I want 2 light levels. (Brighter/short runtime and Dimmer/long runtime.)



14)Material/Finish/Coating

____Anodized Aluminum – either type II or III (Hard Anodized) (Aluminum, specifically HA, is the most common material/finish for today's flashlights).
____Stainless steel (durable, but much heavier than aluminum)
____Titanium (durable and nearly as lightweight as aluminum, but can be moderately to significantly more expensive).



That's it, thank you for your help. If you have ne question, feel free to ask
 

madecov

Flashlight Enthusiast
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Houston, Texas
I would up your budget a little and look at the Klarus XT-11
For a belt carried light it is pretty hard to beat.
 

rambo180

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Apr 1, 2012
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Australia
I would up your budget a little and look at the Klarus XT-11
For a belt carried light it is pretty hard to beat.

Shiningbeam blaze. Similar to the XT11, but not by klarus. The Blaze is a VERY high end flashlight from a mid-range company. $60. the XT11 is very great, but usually $90 minimum.
 

Outdoorsman5

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Mar 10, 2011
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North GA Mountains
I like the Olight M20S-X or M21X (both run on either two CR123's or one 18650.) I have a friend that has both the M20S-X and the Klarus XT11. He likes the XT11 better. Still these lights are more than you wanted to spend though, but worth it.

To keep it closer to your budget you may want to consider a 2 x AA light like a Quark Tactical QT2A. One of my favorite all around lights. You could even get the 1 x AA version and run it on a 3.7v Li-ion 14500 rechargeable battery for the same output as the 2 x AA quark (this is my edc light, and I love it.) Runtimes are still quite good even with only one AA sized Li-ion battery.
 

Chowser

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Oct 7, 2007
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I bought an Olight M20S when they were on sale for $50 last winter. It uses the 18650 (or two CR123/RCR123) battery. On high output, it will last about four hours. I work twelve hour shifts (6p-6a) and the battery will last me all night. Granted, if I'm stuck searching the woods, I will switch to medium output and extend the battery life if I forgot to bring a spare battery. The holster that comes with the M20 has pouches for spare batteries. I usually keep spares in my gear bag.
Before the M20S, I had a plain old M20 that I was using for a long time. Run time was important so I stuck with the M20S over the other one that is brighter but with less run time. 320+ lumens otf is bright enough. I did change reflectors so I could get more throw with the light.
 

fiberguy

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Feb 23, 2012
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Shiningbeam blaze. Similar to the XT11, but not by klarus. The Blaze is a VERY high end flashlight from a mid-range company. $60. the XT11 is very great, but usually $90 minimum.


The blaze is back up on Scratch and Dent too. For about $30 you can have this puppy. I highly suggest taking the opportunity to grab one up if it seems like what you desire. They've been doing a scratch and dent sale but the lights are in "like new" condition by all accounts I've heard.
 

Chevy-SS

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Rhode Island
I would up your budget a little and look at the Klarus XT-11
For a belt carried light it is pretty hard to beat.


I own maybe 40 lights, all shapes and sizes. I recently bought a Klarus XT-11. I gotta think this light is just about perfect for law enforcement work. It has great UI (user interface), and a wonderful beam pattern. I bought a package-deal on eBay for $90, which came with the light and a charger and two 18650 batteries. I have since bought two more of those package-deals and gifted the lights to buddies.

This is almost a no-brainer IMHO. You can't go wrong picking the Klarus XT-11 for policing work.
 

ToNIX

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Nov 21, 2006
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Montreal, Canada
I own maybe 40 lights, all shapes and sizes. I recently bought a Klarus XT-11. I gotta think this light is just about perfect for law enforcement work. It has great UI (user interface), and a wonderful beam pattern. I bought a package-deal on eBay for $90, which came with the light and a charger and two 18650 batteries. I have since bought two more of those package-deals and gifted the lights to buddies.

This is almost a no-brainer IMHO. You can't go wrong picking the Klarus XT-11 for policing work.

I still haven't decided to buy this light because it only comes in cool tint, which is a total turn off for police work IMHO.

Do you plan to use the light for LEO work or you only need/want a tactical light?
 

Chevy-SS

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Rhode Island
I still haven't decided to buy this light because it only comes in cool tint, which is a total turn off for police work IMHO.

Do you plan to use the light for LEO work or you only need/want a tactical light?


I'm not a LEO. But I have lent some of my lights to LEO buddies. Their favorite was a Surefire 6P modified with 18650 battery and Nailbender direct drive SST-90 emitter, measured at 1200 lumens. But that light only had one mode, plus it was VERY floody.

The XT-11 is almost as bright as that modified 6P, but the XT-11 has a more functional UI, and it has more throw.

RE: the tint on the XT-11........ I wouldn't call it 'cool'. If you use this CREE image for comparison, the tint is definitely 'NeutralWhite'.
CREEtints.jpg


-
 

ToNIX

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Montreal, Canada
I'm not a LEO. But I have lent some of my lights to LEO buddies. Their favorite was a Surefire 6P modified with 18650 battery and Nailbender direct drive SST-90 emitter, measured at 1200 lumens. But that light only had one mode, plus it was VERY floody.

The XT-11 is almost as bright as that modified 6P, but the XT-11 has a more functional UI, and it has more throw.

RE: the tint on the XT-11........ I wouldn't call it 'cool'. If you use this CREE image for comparison, the tint is definitely 'NeutralWhite'.
CREEtints.jpg


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Yeah well my fav one is obviously the Malkoff MD2. Can we get some beamshots comparison for the tint with Neutral lights?
 
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