<<...it is not related to "punch"...>>
Nope. Its related to being able to see farther.
We went on a raid last night; I was supposed to be on the inside group, but ended up out back poking around in a cluttered back yard/woods area. I had neglected to bring my issue Stinger, only having my two-speed L4.
My partner had his Stinger; it simply allowed him to see a LOT farther into the woods than the L4 on high did for me.
In absolute darkness, or areas of very low ambient light, a good LED can't be beat for lighting up your surroundings. But if you need to reach out to see what might be lurking out of sight (IOW, "tactical", as junior put it), a good incan is necessary.
The SF X200 LED weapon light does this well. Alas, that makes it less than desirable for its intended purpose... /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/icon3.gif But my point is that some LED lights may indeed be able to approach the reach of powerful incans. I haven't seen what the L5 or L6 can do, so perhaps they are viable for "tactical" use. I can tell you that the L2 and L4 are NOT.
I really like my two-speed L4, and if I could only have one light it would be my choice. It shall remain my EDC, along with an ARC AAA. But the Stinger and a G2 are always in the war bag close to me.
I don't do much "tactical" work these days; last night was an aberration. But it did show me that I've gotten too comfortable with being an office pogue, and have become too enamored of LED lights. Everyone, regardless of avocation, should have a good, powerful incan in their battery.
Hey... was that a pun???