LEO in search of light

[boloson]

hi all

new leo member here in search of a new flashlight. ive used the search function and find it too be very overwhelming & hard to keep up with some of the terms used, technology, etc. led is considered new technology to me so it gives you an idea of where i'm coming from. i've used the duty/ on belt stinger by streamlight that died years ago and am currently using the larger version of it that is also meeting its end. lasts about 5 traffic stop's worth then it starts to dim. i bought these 2 way before led's were produced.

in the market to get 2 lights at once, a larger 1 as a back up in duty bag & a primary lighter smaller version on my belt. most important features i'm looking for are as follows:
- runtime
- brightness
- rechargability
- durability

options are not important and price is not a factor. recommended forum vendors would really help also since i'm not familiar with any of the reliable/ trusted ones.

so please help an outdated leo out :mecry:

 

[nosuchagency]

a couple of lights that would meet your requirements for duty bag are the pelican 7060 or pelican 8060. a couple of portable, edc-type lights worth looking at are surefire e1b backup and surefire e2dl defender; however, these wouldn't meet your requirements for rechargability. what's nice about the surefires is they both offer 2 levels; high & low, as well as momentary. good luck in your search and welcome to cpf.

 

[LightJaguar]

:welcome:
You could start by buying a Surefire C2 and modifying it. You may want to get it bored or buy one from the market place already prebored to fit an 18650 cell from AW. Then buy buy a Malkoff M60 or M30 drop in and you got an outstanding, dependable and bright flashlight.
Electron Guru cells some prebored C2s and you can find AW's sale thread in the CPF Marketplace.
You can also find the Malkoff drop ins over at malkoffdevices.com or you can look around the Marketplace for one but you are going to have to be quick about since they sell pretty quick.
Alternatively Amazon.com has a sale on the Fenix TK11 R2 for $54 plus shipping. http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001NWSQ3M/?tag=cpf0b6-20
Thats a pretty good, solid, efficient and bright light at a great price. I believe that it takes 18650 batteries.
Good luck and as soon as you find what you wanted I suggest that you leave this place and never come back. Otherwise your wallet will regret the day that you showed up here asking for flashlight help

 

[Chauncey Gardner]

Take a look at these & look over some of Selfbuilt and other's reviews:

http://www.batteryjunction.com/premium-olight-m20-warrior.html

I am pretty impressed with the versatility of the M20 and it is built like a tank. Liion or primary batteries.

http://www.cpfmarketplace.com/mp/showthread.php?t=215604

Weapons switches & a complete line of accessories is also available.

Selfbuilt's review: http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=209384


For the smaller light, the NDI is popular and runs on liions or AA's.

A lot of us use the Ultrafire WF138 charger that can be had for 15 to 16 bucks most places. Sent you a longer pm regarding.

 

[jhc37013]

You could get the Eagletac T20C2 MKII as your primary light and use a single rechargeable 18650 battery. As for a backup I would suggest the Surefire E1B.

T20C2 MKII- http://www.eagletac-usa.com/products/product.aspx?pid=1-3-6861

Batterys and charger- http://www.eagletac-usa.com/products/product.aspx?pid=5-6-6671

 

[Brigadier]

a couple of lights that would meet your requirements for duty bag are the pelican 7060 or pelican 8060.

excellent suggestions!!! 7060 on the belt, 8060 in your bag.

And welcome to CPF

 

[Lighthouse one]

The Eagletac has a red/green/blue filter kit for $10 extra. Good quality light, and very bright. 3 modes. The 60 lumens middle is just right for close up and in car work. It also has the newest XPG led- which is very efficient.

 

[boloson]

i know we all have different types of hobbies but moding a flashlight? now i've seen it all lol. thats soooo cool that 1 flashlight can take different types of batteries. wouldnt moding it void the warranty though? either way this flashlight thing looks like a new hobby for me :sigh:

i'll research all your suggestions more before making a decision & appreciate all the help. the larger backup light is fairly easy to decide but the smaller duty belt light is whats holding me back. weight is also a big issue for me since my entire belt probably weighs 25 lbs & up.

thanks again & looking forward to being a flashaholic

 

[dano]

A weekly topic. Click here: http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=137823

Scroll down to the huge three part thread about LEO lights.

 

[Chrontius]

When you're building hardware bespoke in your garage, do you expect a warranty?

Lots of mods are simpler than that, just part swaps. The most famous example is Surefire's P60 lamp and reflector assembly for an LED based one, around here usually the Malkoff M60 (now superseded by the M61).

 

[sfca]

With this CPF specials page in mind:

1) Rechargeable back-up light: Olight M30
From 4sevens, or if you can wait Battery junction (and I would wait and sleep on it a couple weeks if I could).
There's a smooth tailcap switch apparently produced after request by LEOs.

2) Rechargeable primary light
Bored Surefire C2 HA Gray $123
Bored Surefire C2 HA Black $139 (twisty) or $159 (clicky)

3) Drop-ins for C2
a) Malkoff M61
b) Nailbender's XPG or Linger Special
c) Anto's XPG

If you can skip rechargeable for the primary light, you can get the C2 (combat grip is great with and without gloves, and sweaty hands)
OpticsHQ :thumbsupcheck contact email @ discount page)
and Spyder Tactical Supply:thumbsup: (check CPF discount page)
- Surefire E2DL is also a great non-rechargeable light

I imagine this might cost you more then intended, including the cost of good rechargeable batteries and a good charger.

 

[DuncanHynes]

Do you need a 'strobe' function? If not, for your duty belt just get a Malkoff MD2 with a M60 LED drop-in or M61 if you find one in stock by the time you get to his site. I have stated over and over for newbies that Malkoff is the way to go for durability and simplicity. You'll need a good lithium-ion charger for any high end light don't forget (Pila's IBC chager is great, $49ish). The best route for starting out is something that takes just one cell like a 18650; these are large but lightweight as they are lithium and handle 3.7 volts or more for a long time (2 or more hours on 'high'). A single cell light would be better for someone just starting out as you may not tend to check a light using multiple cells for mated voltage (you don't want to mismatch too much with li-ion, it's a hazard to oneself.)

MalkoffDevices.com MD2 body/switch $49, the M60 is $59ish (harder to find now, replaced by M61 difference is optic/reflector respectively.) http://www.cpfmarketplace.com/mp/showthread.php?t=181841 CPF coupon code page for members saves you a few. Good Luck.:wave:

 

[dano]

All these suggestions for modified or hard to get modular pieces isn't practical, nor do they offer the expected reliability needed for police related duty.

Keep it simple:

Streamlight Strion LED for the belt

Pelican 80-60 for the bag. The Pelican is good as a full size back up because it can use its rechargeable battery stick or normal alkaline batteries.

 

[pwatcher]

+1 for Strion. Not familar with Pelican, but lots of choices of Surefires for backup. Do some word searches for your profession for more ideas?

 

[TMedina]

As people have noted, there are lots and lots of recommendations for LEOs - and not one universal preference.

Based on your equipment description, just about anything you buy now will blow your current equipment out of the water.

Surefire C2 or Z2 are popular - buy an incandescent module and, as suggested, upgrade the bulb to a Malkoff M60 or M61. If you want a better run time, the M60L sacrifices a little output for a longer run-time.

Another P60-style drop-in for consideration is the TNVC q5.

The Fenix TK20 has been adopted by a police department in Canada, I believe - runs on two AA batteries. It lacks the "tactical grip" design, but puts out a respectable amount of light for a AA package. The only drawback - Fenix lights have a very pronounced hotspot with little or no spill, so it may not be the optimal choice.

The Fenix TK 10-12 series of lights have been mentioned favorably.

The Pelican 7060 and 8060 have gotten generally good reviews and have been adopted by various police agencies, including the LAPD.

-Trevor

 

[jimmy1970]

Go to: http://www.malkoffdevices.com/ and consider the following:

1. Malkoff MD2 body HAIII $49.00
2. M61 module $59.00 Around 300 lumens!!! (When available - soon we've been told)
3. Hi/Lo ring $22.00
4. Belt Clip $25.00
5. Acrylic window and 'O' ring $ 4.00
Total = $159.00 + shipping.

The HI/LO ring really makes this combo IMHO!! Having a low mode for up-close use increases it's usefulness no end.

You can run this light on 2 x CR123's or 2 x rechargable RCR123's but with a reduced runtime. You will probably have to change out the rechargable cells after each shift but at least, you can start the next shift with fully charged batteries.

Having a light that is compatible with rechargable cells is the key here - a lot of lights aren't!!

Go to: http://www.4sevens.com/index.php?cPath=53&osCsid=225d382ddfdd80493f9c1a5f02bf27e1 and check out the AW ICR123's $9 each and the Ultrafire 3.7v charger with spacers $18.50 with free shipping.

If you don't mind a larger light, then the MD3 body with 17600 x 2 rechargable cells will give you extra runtime.

Now the MD2 with the above options + AW quality cells and a suitable charger - that is a GREAT COMBO!!

Pretty hard combo to beat in my opinion - I've got two - minus the M61's unfortunately!!!

Good luck,

James....:thumbsup:

 

[boloson]

hey guys can we keep it simple and fill in the blanks for me?

boloson should buy ______ because it is the best of the best & most reliable light.
lovecpf

i have lots more research ahead of me & i just read the thread about the light that exploded due to batteries? threw a monkey wrench into my whole buying process.

 

[Brigadier]

I would also recommend the Jet-III M.

Fixed mode of high - 225 torch lumens - with the head tight. Forward tactical clicky switch. http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=262484



Losen the head 1/8 turn for a user adjustable level - anywhere from barely on to full power, tactical strobe[you pick the frequency], beacon, SOS.

Tailstands.

Runs on 2xCR123, 2XRCR123, 1X18650.

From BugOutGear, use discount code cpfjet and get a heck of a deal.

 

[TMedina]

hey guys can we keep it simple and fill in the blanks for me?

boloson should buy ______ because it is the best of the best & most reliable light.
lovecpf

i have lots more research ahead of me & i just read the thread about the light that exploded due to batteries? threw a monkey wrench into my whole buying process.

Exploding battery syndrome comes from cheap batteries with little or no quality control - stick to name brands and you'll be fine.

"Best and most reliable" are a matter of taste.

Go buy a Pelican 7060/8060. They'll do everything you want, both models are widely accepted by multiple law enforcement agencies and both models will far exceed your current equipment.

-Trevor

 

[BigHonu]

boloson,

I'm not in LE, but the post by jimmy1970 would be a great choice IMO. Only issues are:

1) Availability - high demand makes picking up the M61 difficult at this time.
2) LOUD clicky switch - no matter how slowly you click it on or off, it is relatively loud. I don't know if that matters to you, but may be a consideration.

Good luck in your search!