Need Police Duty light with Strobe-- H2X II?

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mmbeller191

Newly Enlightened
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Jan 23, 2008
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Hey all, this is my first post but I have been lurking a while. I am cop that works the night shift and I would like a superbright LED flashlight with a strobe function for general duty. I know the Pelican 7060 and Fenix T1 are great lights but it seems neither has a strobe and that is a feature I want especially for directing traffic. I could get a Stinger LED but it seems there are much brighter lights out by now. I saw the upgraded Insight Typhoon H2X II which supposedly has 170 lumens which I am thinking about. I would prefer a rechargeable option but will pay for CR123s if I have to. This would be a belt carried light so I don't want something that is huge and bulky. Any and all advice would be appreciated. Thanks.
 
I haven't seen the H2X II in person, only advertised. The Gladius/H2X are picking up a bit of a following. I personally carry a Fenix P2D Q5 as an "admin/backup" light, and a Surefire 6Z (or a U2) as a combat light.

A few guys on my department are currently T&E ing the Firstlight Liberator's right now, and the response has been OVERWHELMINGLY positive. Not the hot ticket for dodging traffic at night, but you can do THAT with just about anything.

We issue standard Stinger's, but very few people use them anymore. Buy your 123's from Surefire. At a retail store, you're looking at around $15 +/- (around here) for 2, and you're looking at around $25/dozen from Surefire.
 
Most lumen ratings as quoted are bogus.

That being said, there's only a few lights w/strobe capabilities that are suitable for duty use: The Night Ops Gladius and the Insight Typhoon (made by Insight under license from Night-Ops; it's a Gladius clone).

The Typhoon II uses a Seoul LED that's an upgrade from the standard 3 watt Luxeon LED that's used in the Gladius and Typhoon I.

I have an updated Gladius with the Seoul LED and I'd estimate the out-the-front lumen rating is about 70-90. It's an efficient light, so the cost of running non-rechargeable 123's is negligible. The lights will not run correctly on 3 volt rechargeable 123 size cells.

I can recommend it, and it is effective for traffic control, speaking from experience.

I have a Typhoon II enroute, with the smooth tailcap (no more flanges to shred the uniform!).


-dan
 
Despite the new brighter Cree and Seoul the Gladius is very bright and quite focused with a lot of throw - not too much spill but has Strobe and a great user interface for LE.
 
I carry a Insight Typhoon with the Seoul mod, it's great. dano just curious where did you order your Typhoon II?. Also do you have any pictures of the Typhoon II with the smooth tailcap? I use the Tenergy 900 MaH 3.0 volt CR123's in my Typhoon. I did a 3 runtime tests and got an average 1 hour and 15 minutes before the light started to blink.
 
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I almost dont want to mention where Ive seen the new version with the smooth cap due to many complaints about the site but Botach Tactical has them.
Just call in the order and confirm stock before ordering,the web ordering is not reliable.
 
Timdog68 said:
I almost dont want to mention where Ive seen the new version with the smooth cap due to many complaints about the site but Botach Tactical has them.
Just call in the order and confirm stock before ordering,the web ordering is not reliable.
Click to expand...


Yeah I figured as much. I just checked their web site and saw it for less than MSRP. Wonder if anybody else is carrying them yet? Wonder if the new version is as bright as the Seoul modded version I have?
 
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I absolutely love my modded Gladius, I have owned the standard Gladius for some time now and find the UI to be about the best around!

Just recently ordered a new Gladius with the Seoul upgrade, sure wish I would have known about the H2X II, I would have been all over that. Come to think about it, I'll probably still be all over that! :naughty:

Anyhow, being the Gladius and Typhoon are twin brothers I would say jump all over the H2X II, you will love it!

PS thanks for doing what you do everyday, I don't think you brave souls here that enough anymore... :thumbsup:
 
Stinger and Pelican are big names and they earned them. Either light would be good, stinger obviously has a long running base of accessories to go along with it. I carry the Pelican and I love it so far. It's a great light with great throw. Use the lights on your car if you want a strobe effect, otherwise buy the best light you can get. The 7060 is a good compromise between, light, cost, and durabilty. Everyone knows that flashing lights just cause drunks to drive into them anyway. I'd rather have someone smack my squad than me.
 
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I don't do traffic control that often, but I did understand intuitively the desire for a flashing effect when cars are coming at me. This was before strobing flashlights were the fashion.

With momentary switches, you can thumb the light on and off. That would get tiring after a while though. You can also rotate the light left and right to achieve a 'lighthouse' flashing effect on the drivers. I've done that with my Surefire M6. Then, I'd put the light right in their eyes to get them to go from 65 mph to a dead stop.

I've got a Liberator ST (strobe) that I carry. I'd bet that it will do everything the Typhoon/Gladius will do, with a partially hands-free ability. In its pouch, it takes up about 5 horizontal inches of space, which could be a problem on a belt with other stuff. I put mine on my vest, or in a large coat pocket.
 
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Another vote for the Olight T-20. It fits in my minimag pouch easily. Very bright with good throw. It also has the strobe function.
 
Hey guys, thanks for the great advice. Just what I needed. After looking at all the suggestions I have to say I'm leaning towards the Olight T20 Q5. Beamshots look pretty bright, and I can buy that one and save enough over the Typhoon II to keep me in batteries for years. I also like the interface on it where you twist the front for brightness and use the tailcap for mode. Thanks again, Mike.
 
The 120P might be an option for you as well, you can configure it to have strobe accessible from any setting, on, off, or any other light level. In addition to that you would have 3 light settings accessible with a few clicks. Perhaps a good backup light?
 
Just got a Wolf Eyes Thunder 3 x Q5 from Liotec. They were a pleasure to deal with. I'd say if size is not a problem (this light is smaller than a 2 D cell M@g light, and about 20% bigger than a 2 C cell light) this light deserves your consideration. Because this is a multiple cell light (either 2 x 18650 or 4 x 123), however, it does require extra attention to ensure that batteries are matched. This light is built like a tank and costs a bit more than Beastmaster's recommendation below at $220.

This is the only strobe that ever gave me a headache, and it did it immediately. The light only turns on in high mode, but you can bypass high and toggle to another output. Medium is like a 2 x 123 with premium SSC and is a nice general purpose out door light. Its low is fine for going through cupboards in the dark. And the high on this light... is like turning on daylight within a 60 yard radius.
 
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Another vote for the Wolf Eyes Sniper. I carry the q5 cree version with the 2 mode high/strobe switch. I am a Deputy Sheriff on the midnight shift and have had nothing but excellent luck with the light.

Get it at Pacific Tactical Solutions, Mike is a great guy to deal with and gives CPF members a discount.
 
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