My dream police duty light--Dual P7s

[mmbeller191]

My dream police duty light--Dual P7s

Let me first go into my flashlight background a bit. I had always used a SL Stinger XT on duty until I found this website and the various super bright LEDs available for a reasonable price on various related websites. My first purchase was an MX Power 3 Cree and some rechargeable CR123s. I loved this light and enjoy taunting my fellow officers whenever I bring it out and they see how bright it is. :nana:
Next I got an EX10 which stays on my duty keychain as a backup light. Having that around makes me a little more comfortable in carrying Chinese made lights on duty. I also have a TLR-1 on my Glock 22. After studying every P7 related review I could find, I finally bought the MTE P7-D 1 x 18650 5 mode light on DX. I am pleased with the quality of the light and the smooth floody beam. It has an overall lumen output that is better than the MX Power, although the MX throws further. I love the way the floody beam lights up the entire interior of a vehicle on a traffic stop. However it wasn't the world of difference I was hoping for when going from 400 to 900 advertised lumens. So I carry the MTE but am still hoping for more....

NOW TO MY DREAM LIGHT
I feel like the 3 x 18650 side by side lights are a little thick for carry on a duty belt and prefer the 2 x 18650 in-line arrangement. Yet I see no reason to get a 2 x 18650 light that uses just one P7 when this setup gives you marginal improvement in output over the single cell MTE I now carry. Battery life is not as big a concern as output since I can charge after each shift and have spare batteries anyway. So what I want is a 2 x 18650 light like the WF-1000l but with two P7s arranged in-line like the Foxfury Hammerhead. Perhaps about 1400 real lumens with about 50 minutes of runtime on high.
(As an alternate idea why not 3 x MC-E arranged just like my current MX Power 3 cree but powered by 2 x 18650)

MODES and SWITCHING
Mid (400lm)-High(1400 lm)-Strobe(400lm + hidden Turbo Strobe(1800 lm)
I like the MX 3 mode tail switch that I can lightly tap to advance to the next mode. But why not make it with a turbo strobe mode accessed by pushing harder and further on the switch no matter what mode you are in. Imagine walking up to a car on an unknown risk traffic stop. You might start out in mid power to prevent searing eyeballs but then if someone makes a furtive movement you would press harder for a temporary dazzling turbo strobe. This could exceed recommended LED current specs since it would generally be used for 30 seconds or less. Also it seems like the heat issues would be reduced since the light is off half the time, so why not push each led hard. Release the switch and the light would revert back to the previous mode. The turbo mode would be natural to access because clenching your fist is what most people do when startled anyway.
The "stay on" 400 lm strobe mode would be more appropriate for directing traffic and not tactical use like the turbo strobe. I'll admit I am not an engineer and don't know how to build this switch, I just think it would work well for what I do.

SO WHAT DO YOU THINK? As for me I want Olight or Fenix to build something like this yesterday

 

[Jarl]

400 lumens is quite a lot for a strobe, you'd probably want it at a lower frequency (5hz?) for directing traffic, and 15hz or so for the disorientating strobe. The surefire aviator A2 uses a switch much like you describe, but with a high mode rather than a strobe when you push harder. I'd say it should be possible, PM one of the established modders such as milkyspit and see what he says. Don't expect it to be cheap though! The head would probably have to be custom made, with it's own problems and challenges, not to mention making a driver that can do what you want it to.

As for overdriving, you can easily take the quad die LED's to 1.5A/die, though heat becomes a bit scary at that point (though, not much more than 750ma/die constant since it's off half the time as you said) and life might be shortened a little bit.

 

[MrGman]

I like the entire concept :thumbsup:

Just wondering if a second P7 is actually needed. If you are going to just have temporary overdrive, the one P7 could be driven up past 1200 lumens on overdrive in strobe mode. Would not need to have a bulky hammerhead design. Most of the time you aren't going to need more than 900 lumens which is what it could put out in steady state high off of the 2X18650's in a good current design with a good driver. This would make it more reliable and less bulky.

But if 2 P7's are what's called for, I say, Is it out yet???

 

[Yucca Patrol]

My new headlamp will have two P7's but they won't be driven quite as hard, and combined will put out 450 lumens. . .

For me, the P7 is about efficiency more than it is about maximizing lumens. . .

 

[shomie911]

Peak LED Solutions was making a gun mounted dual P7 setup, you should talk to them about it, maybe they could make your idea happen.

 

[mmbeller191]

Thanks for the comments guys.

I wonder which do you think would work better between dual P7s in a hammerhead configuration or the 3 x MC-E in a round head. (MC-Es here due to their smaller size) I guess with just two 18650s powering three MC-Es plus the inevitable power loss through a driver, the second option would underdrive the MC-Es.

Shomie911-a dual P7 weapons light sounds awesome. Can't wait for that to come out. I really think with the new LEDs there is a big future for tactical use lights that deliver well over 1000 lumens on a temporary basis, especially as a strobe. This has applications for a duty flashlight, a handgun mounted light, or a bigger light on a rifle.

For example why not take a M3, TLR, or X300 style light and put two MC-Es in it, each one direct driven by an IMR 16340 battery. Yes the output would be awesome, the heat buildup excessive, and the run time about 5-10 minutes. But I've carried a TLR for years and have never used it for more than about four minutes of building clearing. Even then it is being switched off intermittently. If the bad guy is blinded by your light, you have a big advantage. If you add a turbo strobe mode option this might extend your runtime and would only add to the debilitating effect.