Home defense flashlight

[Treeguy]

Hello,

Just FYI, I own a nylon Surefire G2, 60 lumen. And I love it. I have a bias, however unreasonable or unwarranted, for Surefires. I guess their ads just got me.

I've been cruising the sites, looking at different flashlights, but the more I look the more undecided I am. I want a flashlight that will, as its primary function, serve as a home defensive tool. But I am uncertain as to how many lumens is enough lumens and how many is too much (if there is such a thing). First I thought a 500 lumen Surefire Fury would do, but then 4Sevens has a 1200 lumen light, and then Surefire has a 900 lumen M6 that looks very nice, though pricey. Then again you can get a 300 lumen light for peanuts. Decisions, decisions.

Criteria

Most important:

Powerful enough to disorient/overwhelm an adversary
Durability/Quality
Ease of use (An On switch that works would suffice)


Secondary considerations:

Portability
Price (+/- $400 max, less is good)


Don't care:

Duration or cost of batteries


Thanks :)

 

[MatthewSB]

I've been cruising the sites, looking at different flashlights, but the more I look the more undecided I am. I want a flashlight that will, as its primary function, serve as a home defensive tool. But I am uncertain as to how many lumens is enough lumens and how many is too much (if there is such a thing). First I thought a 500 lumen Surefire Fury would do, but then 4Sevens has a 1200 lumen light, and then Surefire has a 900 lumen M6 that looks very nice, though pricey. Then again you can get a 300 lumen light for peanuts. Decisions, decisions.

The SF Fury is devestating. Mine is brighter than a co-worker's "840 lumen" chinese light. You can also buy them for $108, which I think is the minimum allowed price.

What I like most about the dual mode Fury is that the modes are instantly selectable, no "wait one second" like my E1B and other lights. The low mode gets used 99% of the time (batteries last forever it seems) but high mode is a millisecond away if I need it. I see dual modes as an absolute necessity at this point - you don't always want to broadcast your position with a spotlight.

I can't think of a better nightstand light.

 

[Poppy]

Remember, the use of a flashlight may give you a temporary tactical advantage provided you were awake when the perp entered your bedroom, but beyond that, you
had better know how to use that advantage, and how use your hands.

Read this for a better discussion
http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?356772-Police-Study-of-tactical-use-of-Strobe

 

[Labrador72]

Most important:

Powerful enough to disorient/overwhelm an adversary
Durability/Quality
Ease of use (An On switch that works would suffice)

Disorienting is a somewhat general term. These days you can get lights bright enough to disorient people to different degrees provided their eyesight is adjusted to night vision but there would be other factors to take into consideration. To "overwhelm" somebody with brightness you'd probably need something that is not really portable.

Hello,
Secondary considerations:

Portability
Price (+/- $400 max, less is good)
Striking capability

Discussing flashlights as striking tools is against forum rules I believe. As suggested by the other poster, I would not bother with flashlights that have anything jagged, sharp, or pointed: in my opinion pure marketing hype. If in your jurisdiction you'd be legally allowed to carry such accessories, in all likelihood you are allowed to carry "tools" that are designed and work much better for that side of self-defense.
IMHO, flashlights can be can be extremely valuable self-defense tools but for nothing else than their illumination capabilities to detect and identify potential threats.
For self-defense I would look for high reliability, ruggedness, and an intuitive UI: the Surefire Fury suggested by the other poster seems to offer these. I'd totally ignore useless and overrated accessories such as pointed or sharp bezels, IMHO they have nothing to do with the primary self-defense use flashlights.

 

[Treeguy]

Thank you for the replies. I will avoid the discussion of the flashlight as a striking tool as it is not important to me and possibly against forum rules.

When I say disorient/overwhelm, by this I mean for it to give me a few seconds of physical advantage and to put an adversary at a psychological disadvantage. What happens next is another discussion.

To make this brief: assuming that effectiveness is my sole concern, that I will stay with a Surefire light, and that 30' is max range - is a 500 lumen Fury adequate to the task, or is it worth the money to get a light of the 900 lumen M6 Guardian variety? Will the extra $250 between a Fury and Guardian be of "tactical value", or will it just buy me a cooler flashlight?

Thanks again.

 

[MatthewSB]

Thank you for the replies. I will avoid the discussion of the flashlight as a striking tool as it is not important to me and possibly against forum rules.

When I say disorient/overwhelm, by this I mean for it to give me a few seconds of physical advantage and to put an adversary at a psychological disadvantage. What happens next is another discussion.

To make this brief: assuming that effectiveness is my sole concern, that I will stay with a Surefire light, and that 30' is max range - is a 500 lumen Fury adequate to the task, or is it worth the money to get a light of the 900 lumen M6 Guardian variety? Will the extra $250 between a Fury and Guardian be of "tactical value", or will it just buy me a cooler flashlight?

Thanks again.

I would stick with the Fury. Lumens ratings aren't everything. I use my Fury often at work, searching 50+ foot trailers. The high mode blinds me, just from the light reflecting off of things and not even from a direct blast. Our 200' storage garage can be lit up using this light, as if someone turned all the lights on. It really is that bright.

At close range, getting blasted by the Fury would be impossible to deal with, and would definately reset someone's OODA loop long enough for you to figure out what to do next...

 

[sidecross]

I would not consider any flashlight a home defense tool.

Under stress the time and practice to use any tool for self-defense would be needed and with that amount of practice I would not choose a flashlight.

 

[Ragnar66]

There is a ton of chat about strobes and if they work or not. I have used mine as a police officer many times. There is not much doubt in the right scenario it works very well but most of the time its simply a shot of bright light that does the job. I have had crowds turn and leave at the first shot of a TK 75, Swm t60cs etc. Bright flood lights hitting an intruder will likely give you an advantage but it may not be for what you think. Anonymity goes down once you have been lit up......and generally speaking that will send a person out the door, back over the fence etc. MOST are coming in under the assumption no one is home or they will not be seen while people sleep. The few that are coming in and expect a confrontation are going to be less put off. My honest opinion is that it is worth it to get a good size 2000 lm ish light and keep it bed side. It can be an effective deterrent. Make a plan and decide what you are going to do as far as where you are going to keep it and stick to it. It should be a simple bright light as under stress complicated lights are useless. my 2 cents

 

[alpg88]

get a 12xml light, internet is full of them. i tell you from personal experience, when 8000+ lm hits you in a face in a dark, you will be blind for a good minute, and forget where the front of the room is and where the back, and your relative position in that room. they also large heavy lights, you can knock him\her ourt with that thing, tie them up and wait for cops.

 

[Lou Minescence]

My light for home is the TK70.
It's bright enough to cover the whole yard like daylight. It's also long and heavy. Easy to carry and not heavy using the shoulder strap. I have a few lights and the TK is the clear choice for me.

 

[Ragnar66]

get a 12xml light, internet is full of them. i tell you from personal experience, when 8000+ lm hits you in a face in a dark, you will be blind for a good minute, and forget where the front of the room is and where the back, and your relative position in that room. they also large heavy lights, you can knock him\her ourt with that thing, tie them up and wait for cops.

Reminds me of a great story, a Thai Boxing world champ had a guy break into his house, snuck up on him, put him down and disarmed him but not out, big....heavy.....LAMP! Out like a light......lots of puns there. To top it off the cops come through the door and being he just got outta bed and was naked. When the bad guy got up with the lights on he saw nothing but Champion Thai belts and trophys. Was very funny

 

[Treeguy]

There is a ton of chat about strobes and if they work or not. I have used mine as a police officer many times. There is not much doubt in the right scenario it works very well but most of the time its simply a shot of bright light that does the job. I have had crowds turn and leave at the first shot of a TK 75, Swm t60cs etc. Bright flood lights hitting an intruder will likely give you an advantage but it may not be for what you think. Anonymity goes down once you have been lit up......and generally speaking that will send a person out the door, back over the fence etc. MOST are coming in under the assumption no one is home or they will not be seen while people sleep. The few that are coming in and expect a confrontation are going to be less put off. My honest opinion is that it is worth it to get a good size 2000 lm ish light and keep it bed side. It can be an effective deterrent. Make a plan and decide what you are going to do as far as where you are going to keep it and stick to it. It should be a simple bright light as under stress complicated lights are useless. my 2 cents

Thanks for the post. And I agree with the simplicity factor. A tail switch that turns on a single power is my choice.

I realize a flashlight is not the final word in home defense, simply one more tool in the toolbox. I want to make sure, though, that if I am to use a flashlight as part of a defensive plan, that it does what I want and understand it to do. I want something that will give me an immediate, if not lasting, advantage and deterrent capability. I've been in the tree business for a long time, and I have no shortage of tools that can serve a secondary purpose, so that part of the plan isn't a concern. I simply want a flashlight that will clearly produce an "Oh ****!" reaction on the part of the person on the receiving end.

I have to admit, as much as the Fury is inexpensive, I do fancy that Surefire M6 Guardian.

 

[sidecross]

There is a ton of chat about strobes and if they work or not. I have used mine as a police officer many times. There is not much doubt in the right scenario it works very well but most of the time its simply a shot of bright light that does the job. I have had crowds turn and leave at the first shot of a TK 75, Swm t60cs etc. Bright flood lights hitting an intruder will likely give you an advantage but it may not be for what you think. Anonymity goes down once you have been lit up......and generally speaking that will send a person out the door, back over the fence etc. MOST are coming in under the assumption no one is home or they will not be seen while people sleep. The few that are coming in and expect a confrontation are going to be less put off. My honest opinion is that it is worth it to get a good size 2000 lm ish light and keep it bed side. It can be an effective deterrent. Make a plan and decide what you are going to do as far as where you are going to keep it and stick to it. It should be a simple bright light as under stress complicated lights are useless. my 2 cents

That is very good advice.

Make sure the light is in whatever output mode you choose and practice from where you are to access the light and turn it on.

Under stress and adrenaline your ability concentrate will be diminished.

 

[dss_777]

After much thought (and one or two discussions here), I've decided to use a flaming torch.

While it might take a moment to get fired up, think of the defensive advantage of a half naked man running down the hall at you with fire on a club. It'd be awesome.










Or, a Fury.







Attached to a firearm.

 

[Ragnar66]

Thanks for the post. And I agree with the simplicity factor. A tail switch that turns on a single power is my choice.

I realize a flashlight is not the final word in home defense, simply one more tool in the toolbox. I want to make sure, though, that if I am to use a flashlight as part of a defensive plan, that it does what I want and understand it to do. I want something that will give me an immediate, if not lasting, advantage and deterrent capability. I've been in the tree business for a long time, and I have no shortage of tools that can serve a secondary purpose, so that part of the plan isn't a concern. I simply want a flashlight that will clearly produce an "Oh ****!" reaction on the part of the person on the receiving end.

I have to admit, as much as the Fury is inexpensive, I do fancy that Surefire M6 Guardian.

Nice light for sure........just make sure its the floody version.......If I'm not mistaken there is an aspherical type and a reg one......

 

[Treeguy]

Nice light for sure........just make sure its the floody version.......If I'm not mistaken there is an aspherical type and a reg one......

Say what?

So which is the good one - aspherical or regular?

 

[Ragnar66]

Say what?

So which is the good one - aspherical or regular?

You want a floody beam as an aspherical beam you will have to aim........I think surefire calls it a focused beam. And on the site I only see the focused beam.......the other may be an older incandescent model.

I would really have a look at the TM 26 type stuff. Much cheaper than a surefire although I get the attraction to them and have two on my duty belt. Tough to beat 3500 lumens of flood that you just turn on and point.

 

[Treeguy]

You want a floody beam as an aspherical beam you will have to aim........I think surefire calls it a focused beam. And on the site I only see the focused beam.......the other may be an older incandescent model.

I would really have a look at the TM 26 type stuff. Much cheaper than a surefire although I get the attraction to them and have two on my duty belt. Tough to beat 3500 lumens of flood that you just turn on and point.

As I mentioned, I have a bias for Surefire, but I'll keep an open mind. But I cannot abide poor quality in tools and I don't mind paying extra to get that quality. As Surefire's "Made in the USA" quality seems to be above question, I'm leaning towards them. Also, I saw that Surefire is coming out with an 800 lumen P3X Fury, but I haven't seen it on sale anywhere yet. That looks like a good start.

But if people here vouch for the build quality of other company's lights, I'll listen and give them a look.

 

[Ragnar66]

There are some high output surefire for sure.....Like I said I carry 2. The lumen output with surefire is very honest I am told.......and I would say that is consistent with what i have seen. I would never talk someone out of a surefire.

 

[Labrador72]

I wouldn't hold my breath for the P3X Fury to come out soon - it might but Surefire have a reputation for repeatedly postponing their release dates.

Considering your budget, if you like Surefire get the Fury now and when the P3X get that one too: it's always good to have more than one of anything, especially since you want the light for self-defense.
Just in case one light stops working, you always have a back-up or if you go a few days away and take one light with you, you can still leave one behind for the family. You can even keep one on your night stand and another one in a different strategic locations in the house. As they say one is none and two is one! :)