My next light...which tactical?

[FlameOn]

OK...my ITP A3 is on the way....but I have to admit, I really like the look of some of those tactical lights with the scalloped bezels...been vacillating between a 2 AA, single AA or a single 123...but maybe i should just look for best bang for the buck...I like the Fenix and Nitecore models but any other suggestions are welcome...

 

[JCD]

Do you want tactical or tacti-cool? They are two different classes of lights, both of which are marketed as tactical, unfortunately.

 

[OCD]

A great-bang-for-the-buck "tactical" light is the Quark. Unfortunately for you, the only thing "tactical" about them are the modes...no crenelated bezels. BUT, you can buy a 2AA light and then buy separate single AA and single 123 bodies and use what ever battery type you have available.

 

[DimeRazorback]

I personally wouldn't consider the quarks as a tactical light, either.

 

[Flying Turtle]

Check out the abilities of the LiteFlux lights. Maybe a LF3XT is a good next light. Fully programmable for a custom setup and it also has a slightly crenelated bezel.

Geoff

 

[tre]

What exactly is a tactical flashlight?

I'm looking for ligts that use one 18650 and I'm finding most are "tactical". The manufacturers (Eagletec, Fenix, etc.) all make what looks like the exact same light in their "personal" series but the light uses CR123A batteries. I have to get the tactical version of the light because that is the one that uses an 18650. So my question is, what exactly is a tactical light? The only difference I can see is the weight (heavier). Is that it? Is a tactical light just built better?

 

[Dennis]

I personally wouldn't consider the quarks as a tactical light, either.

I actually consider the Tactical Quarks one of the most tactical lights out there next to the two level Surefires. The Quarks are light, handy, bright and offer guaranteed light levels when activated which is pretty much the #1 reason for a tactical light.

If you mean they don't have a "tactical bezel" then our definitions of a tactical flashlight are waayyy different.

Dennis.

 

[FlameOn]

A friend of mine says he can get Surefire and Streamlight for wholesale plus 15 percent....but after lurking around here for a while, I have become attracted to tne Fenix and Nitcore line...and the Fenix is a pretty good price point to start with...so I don't know if wholesale on the Surefire or Streamlight would be any real deal over a standard priced Fenix in the same category. Seems like Surefire and Streamlight have faded into the background...12 years ago, when I got my Scorpion, those were the only two brands I knew...seems like they are being eclipsed as of late.

 

[Lobo]

Do you want tactical or tacti-cool? They are two different classes of lights, both of which are marketed as tactical, unfortunately.

+1
Any light can be tactical depending on how you use it. The word tactical has become such a marketing buzz word that it's ridiculous. Are you going to use the light with a gun or do you just want something that looks (tacti)cool?

And using a flashlight as sole defense(either to use small light with strike bezel or try to blind an opponent) is more likely to give you an unpleasant surprise.

 

[JCD]

...seems like they are being eclipsed as of late.

That's definitely not the case. I own a couple Fenix lights, and I own a few Surefires. My brightest light is a Surefire. My favorite light is a SureFire. My most used light is a Surefire.

Don't let tech specs in the marketing fool you SureFire is still a very relevant flashlight manufacturer, and they are still the standard by which others are measured.

 

[FlameOn]

+1
The word tactical has become such a marketing buzz word that it's ridiculous.

I know...I'm a reswerve officer and have used the Scorpion and Strion for many years...not very tacti cool..but the newer designs just call to me..

 

[KingCanada]

...seems like they are being eclipsed as of late.

Streamlight and Surefire are both different beasts compared to the crap sold at 47's. SL and SF's only competitors are each other...

 

[FlameOn]

I guess I should have clarified....I know Surefire and Streamlight are top notch...but it seems I don't read much about them here with all the other brands being touted and reviewed...I have a Surefire X300 coming to me for my P2000...I know they are built like tanks and Surefire customer service is top notch....it just seems that Fenix and some others make some really good lights at very good prices...

 

[stallion2]

Do you want tactical or tacti-cool? They are two different classes of lights, both of which are marketed as tactical, unfortunately.

well put....highlights how broadly the definition of a tactical light has been stretched.

if you want a hardcore, balls-out tactical light then forget about using alkaline batts...too unreliable for such an application. i would also forget about using just one CR123. a 6V system (or single 18650) will make your light that much more capable in both output and burntime. my 2 leaders in this category:
-Malkoff MD2 w/ M30 or M61
-Surefire C2 w/ 1.5A XP-G pill from Thrunite

if you want something a tad more civilian then Surefire's LX2 and 4sevens Quark Turbo 123^2 are my favorites.


...don't underestimate 'lego lights' in general. some sort of decent P60 host can provide you an array of lights just by swapping one part for another as the situation demands.

 

[Dances with Flashlight]

Re: What exactly is a tactical flashlight?

I have wondered the same thing, but am not at all sure that battery size/type is a factor. Given a well-defined (and perhaps limited) application, most any light might be used effectively for at least some "tactical" purposes, like this Peak 10180 Eiger:

​

http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=240119

However, as others in CPF have pointed out, the term "tactical" is in some/many cases little more than the flashlight marketing equivalent of a racing stripe on a VW bug.

 

[entoptics]

Re: What exactly is a tactical flashlight?

I think "Tactical" means shock/recoil proof, crenelated strike bezel, protruding forward clicky switch, and 1" diameter body.

Bash 'em and blind 'em (by hand or mounted to a universal weapon light mount).

Honestly though, I wonder the same thing tre, since several "tactical" lights and "personal" lights mix and match these traits.

Does anyone know if the P20C2 will run an 18650? I suppose maybe not, since it calls for 6 volts from 2x123, but who knows since the T20C2 can run from 4 volts to 6 volts. With an 18650, I think that sucker would be "tactical" as hell.
:D

 

[Noctis]

I'm a little confused by the meaning of the word "tactical" nowadays. I just don't get what criteria a light needs to fill before it's considered "tactical".

Though there are a few things that come to mind when that word is brought up, and I think this light sums it up nicely:
http://www.surefire.com/E2DL

Strike bezel for a last-ditch weapon(still better than your bare fists I bet you). It's more or less guaranteed that high mode is the first mode accessed if the light is turned on. 200 lumens which is sufficient to destroy "night adapted vision". Small enough to fit in a pocket, and a clip to ensure quick and easy access(with practice).

Though my idea of a "tactical" light would be a Surefire 6P with a pocket clip, crenellated steel bezel, and an SST-90 Direct Drive Single Mode running off one IMR 18650 battery.

Surefire lights are made rock solid, but they place little emphasis on the latest and greatest emitters. Which might make sense as 200 lumens would be more than enough "usable" light when it's pitch black. Therefore bored Surefire hosts with a custom drop-in would be a way to have the best of both worlds.

The fine print on Surefire marketing you have to pay attention to is where they say "night-adapted vision". In a dark environment with only BARELY enough light to see your immediate surroundings slightly(moonlight), the 200 lumens from a Surefire E2DL would be very blinding indeed for a short while. But on the sidewalk at night under a bunch of streetlights, 200 lumens of light wouldn't be as "blinding" as the light from the headlights of cars. Indoors would be a moot point, that ceiling light would put out more light than your little flashlight.

As far as blinding anyone goes, I don't believe you can completely impair a person's vision without the risk of permanent eye damage as well. Not to mention, it's not all that hard to stare directly at the sun even though it DOES cause eye damage, and I doubt anyone could describe it as "blinding". However, an interesting thing to note is that if there was a plane flying almost directly between you and the sun(but not so that it blocks the sunlight from reaching your eyes), you probably won't see it. Which is probably where the actual use of "tactical" lights is.

In a well-lit room when pointing my light at the mirror from about 15 ft away, the glare from the light more or less obstructs the view of the top half of my body. If there was a taser held in my other hand, I wouldn't be able to make it out at all, especially if it's held close to the light itself. I suspect there would be much more of an affect if it was done in a dark area from less than 10 feet away. It would be possible for a group to surround one person and hide their actions as well. Hell, if you hold the light off to one side of your body, you could even hide where you're actually standing(not so far fetched with the standard all-black uniform that cops use).

 

[carrot]

Re: What exactly is a tactical flashlight?

Tactical doesn't mean anything.

It depends on who's using the label.

For instance, 4sevens' Tactical label simply means the light has two programmable levels and a forward clicky.

 

[Lobo]

I know...I'm a reswerve officer and have used the Scorpion and Strion for many years...not very tacti cool..but the newer designs just call to me..

Don't get me wrong, I'm not ragging any brand or are of the opinion that you must buy a certain brand to use with a weapon. As long as the light functions as it should and have your desired requirements, I count it as tactical. It's just that there are so many lights out there with ridiculous strike bezel and what not. And you question how much use a strike bezel is on an single AA/CR123 light. And then there are the abundance of newbies who are looking for a light for self defense and are under the impression that a strobe or blinding light will take out an attacker/dog etc with just the sheer power of light. Don't bring a light to a knife/gun/pretty much any -fight.

But as you see, brand loyalty is already showing up in this thread. I wouldn't count Surefire that much more bomb proof than Fenix, 4Sevens etc. Dig up the Surefire and Fenix clicky failures poll here on CPF if anybody wants to take up that debate. Any light from any manufacturer can fail.
And same thing with the lumens claims from manufacturers. Surefire tends to underrate theirs and use minimum guaranteed out the front lumens, while many other manufacturers use emitter lumens which sounds a lot more. 4Sevens on the other hand also use OTF-lumens as Surefire.
If you want actual output, there are a bunch of reviewers who provides that(as well as the sticky thread on this forum with actual lumens readings in a IS with a variety of lights).

Anyways, apologizes for derailing your thread. These You seem to have a pretty firm grasp on what you really need. If you want some really good lights in small size for good prices, 4sevens Quark tactical series is pretty popular. 4seven also has their Nitecore models on sale(they discontinued Nitecore after some tiff with the manufacturer, batteryjunction is now the official seller, but they have some left at discount). This one might interest you. But it's pretty big for a CR123light, although it has a nice switch ring and some mean throw for it's size.
http://www.4sevens.com/product_info.php?cPath=93&products_id=1623
review here
http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=237014

 

[Lobo]

Re: What exactly is a tactical flashlight?

It's just a buzzword that's been used by marketing for ages. It's better to concentrate on what you actually are going to use the light for. Going to mount it on a shotgun, in hand, which grip etc.

Generally though, here on CPF it means that it has a forward momentary on switch with no complicated UI(no modeswitching when pressing) and is at least 60 lumens(IIRC that was what Surefire used to have as a criteria for a "tactical" light).