New member needs law enforcement combo

[mabutler]

New to the site and law enforcement, but looking to find a good combo to use on the street. Someone has already given me a 5.11 PC3.300 although I haven't used it yet.

I'm looking for something I can carry on my belt. I really like the Surefire's because of the nice holder they make for belts, but want the best light for the price over convience. I would like something with diiferent levels as well. I was thinking about the AZ2, but it is pretty expensive.

I also want a high output that I can use when needed. Something with good throw and different levels if possible.

Please let me know your suggestions. I'm planning on using all three so a good spectrum would be nice.

 

[iqwozpoom]

Eagletac p20c2 mark2; turbo and general modes one twist away, hidden yet easily accessible low, strobe, beacon and upgradeable emitter pill. Quark 123 2 tactical; can program any two modes including strobe etc. Both use cr123 lithium batteries, both have a forward clickie (momentary on possble). Both are pocketable, the quark a little more. And both are bright and highly recommended on cpf. I'm thinking of picking one or the other up in the future.

 

[W.Y.N.I]

I am going to straight copy a post I made in another thread recently about my setup. I like to have a two light combo, a smaller belt light on 1x18650 or 2xcr123, and a bigger light in the bag on 2x18650.

Suspects on premises call, I had two lights with me, a Catapult V2 and an Eagletac T20C2 mkII. Call was a burglary at a rather out of the way industrial unit. I used the Eagletac to find our way to the rear of the premises through a cemetary and down a steep slope. Catapult used to sweep search the surrounding bushes and trees quickly, then lent the Catapult to a female colleague who lit up the entire roof of the unit whilst I and a colleague climbed up a ladder and shuffled along the fragile roof beams, me with my eagletac in my mouth (one of my favourite things about the light, rubber tailstanding cap, allows me to do this without chipping my teeth :laughing. Then used the eagletac to search the interior after dropping through the hole in the roof. FYI the suspects then jumped out of a front window into the arms of waiting plain clothes officers :twothumbs

+1 to the good guys, and I could not be more happy with the way my lights performed. Without them we may not have been able to get to the premises and search the exterior quick enough. Good comments on the lights from several officers present. In hindsight, probably wasnt the risk of climbing up on the roof, but alls well that ends well.

I have only been using the Catapult V2 a few weeks, but every night shift it comes in handy, it has great throw and feels totally solid, which is important for me. I could not recommend the T20C2 mk II more as a primary duty light, I have been using it for a couple of months now. For me, the most important thing about a duty light is it should just do the job needed without fuss. I should be able to put it on my belt at the start of the shift and not have to think about it at all, its just there when I need it and when I do it just works, so I can get on with the job without even thinking about it. In this respect the T20C2 has done a 'Grade A' job so far.

I am sure there are plenty of other lights out there that do the job just as well, but these are the ones that I have real life experience of and can happily recommend to a LEO colleague to rely on. Plus they are both wicked bright

CPF user selfbuilt does excellent, thorough reviews of lights which can be found in the reviews forums. Fyi, his review of Thrunite Catapult V2 here and review of T20C2 mk II here. HTH.

 

[Viper715]

I'm also a LEO. I have carried many lights and my current combination is Malkoff MD2 with a M60 a 2 level switch I find their switch more conveninet then Surefires tailcap or half press switching. I also carry a Zebralight H31 as my third light. My bag light is a 5.11.

 

[Alberta-Blue]

I am going to say that you may want to consider an Malkoff MD2 Turnkey setup with and Hi/Lo ring and M61. They are an excellent, bullet-proff product combo and compatable with both CR123A's and 18650's if you want a rechargable set-up. It is bright as stink and gaurenteed by Mr. Gene Malkoff for the life of the product.

You wont be disappointed :thumbsup:

 

[blasterman]

Make sure it has a low CRI, 7500k emitter for maximum brightness. Having more throw is more important than beinig able to distinguish colors, right guys?

This way when you call in to dispatch that the suspect was in a maroon car it was actually orange and it gives them something to laugh at. Or, not being able to tell a blood stain from an oil stain, or tell if a suspect has blood shot eyes from drugs or allergies.

Again, throw and brightness is more important.

 

[HDS_Systems]

Mabutler,

You might want to take a look at HDS Systems. Depending on your needs, you can configure a 170 lumen light with either CR123 or R17670 for extended run times. The lights are highly configurable to match your needs. These lights are very versatile and have a good reputation.

Also available are Kydex holsters that fit your duty belt and a dress belt. A tactical ring is also available for use with various popular pistol shooting methods. The lights can also be weapon mounted with standard 1" mount.

Henry.

 

[msloshooter]

I am a Deputy in California. I use a Fenix TK11 on my belt and a TK30 as a primary light carried in my sap pocket. One of partners just bought a TK11 R5... wow it is really bright and very usefull.

 

[ToNIX]

As a LEO too, I'm going to suggest the Malkoff MD2 with M61 drop-in and a high/low switch.

It's the size of a Surefire 6P, with a forward clicky and a low output. The size is perfect, the output is perfect, the beam is perfect, the amount of flood is perfect, the throw is perfect and the hotspot perfect (not too bright for close range work).

Honestly, I wouldn't change this light for nothing else. I used the TK11 R5 before, but it's now in the bag for big throw needs because the hotspot was too bright when making interceptions.

 

[DUMDUM]

(This has nothing to do with this great run time test).

We do get just a bit carried away with choices. The LEO line in the NP series has 4 different heads in each
of two metals; Aluminum and Stainless Steel. The FR series has 10 different heads all in Aluminum.
Those heads can match up with any of four different bodies that can handle different battery types and
numbers of batteries. There are even different tail switches including a multiple level computer controlled
tail switch. All of that is also interchangeable with each other with the power outputs ranging from 300 to
1200 Lumens.

(And now back to the original program in progress).

Curt

Check this out with Peak LED Solutions

 

[mabutler]

Thanks for all the replies so far guys. I'm going to do a little research on the ones you have suggested. Keep the suggestions and thoughts coming. I'll let you know what I decide on.

 

[someuser]

I personally will go with any Eagletac flashlights, as they are very well made, waterproof, and have a very good UI.

In a light the last thing I want is to click the button twice or three times to get to low mode. Base on my own personally experiences it really sucks to blind yourself when you are switching to low.

The newest EagleTac stuff won't do that, as you only have to click the button only to get to the hidden modes. It really sucks to click 4 to 3 times to get to the mode you want.

Of course Surefire stuffs are good too, but prepare to send big bucks to remove the "Surefire" from those surefire lights. I can bet you right now most surefire lights owned by CPF member are only like less then 30% surefire. Most people will switch to rechargeable instead of primaries. Most will switch the switch to another switch. (ex: mcclicky) Again thing is most people will not use the p60 lamb module and replace it with a p60/d26 drop in (ex: triple optics drop in, M60, M30 and others). So what left that's really surefire is just the body. haha The thing is with all those things done to the Surefire, you will get the light that you really really really want. For example any color tint, any power and run time, and color combos and so much more.

If you want a quick and easy method to get a upgradeable, brightest, good UI light get the Eagletac new lights. T20C2 is the best looking one and have upgradeable drop in smooth reflectors and more. The light uses rechargeable and if needed primaries CR123as. Foward clicky switch is always good with the user friendly UI.

If you want the light that does the same thing as above and more, you will need to get a Surefire C2,C3,Z2,Z3,6P,9P OR other clones (Solarforce L2P for example) With a Surefire or Clone you can uses whatever after market items you want, and there're a lot of them out there. Mix and match whatever you want or what's new. Although going with this method you will have to learn a lot first before knowing what you want. Then this means you will have to really join CPF and collect lights and spend spend spend! Once you start to know what you can really do, you will always want more and more!:devil:

Anyway happy hunting for your best light to you, and I hope this help you a little bit more.

 

[Chevy-SS]

I'm not a LEO, but I have about a dozen tactical lights. I think you are getting some good recommendations so far.

One of the most important features in any light is the UI (user interface). There are a tremendous number of UI's out there. It seems every manufacturer has a slightly different UI. And I can guarantee that you WILL prefer a certain UI over another UI. But often times you do not discover this until you have bought a light with a less-than-desirable UI.

So, research the UI's carefully and determine exactly what situations you will be using the light. I have a couple of Eagletac (Mark II's) and I like the UI's. A tight head will get max brightness, then a subsequent tailswitch press (can be momentary) will get tactical strobe. Loose head will get slightly reduced brightness with strobe again available on subsequent press. Turn light on, then loosen/tighten head will get you into numerous different modes, including very low. A nice feature on the Eagletac UI is that you can able/disable (10 clicks in ~10 seconds) the tactical strobe, depending on your preference.

OP (orange peel) reflector will have wider hotspot than SMO (smooth). Thus, SMO will throw slightly farther.

Happy flashlight hunting!


EDIT - here's another review of the Eagletac T20C2, plus this site has a ton of other reviews.

-

 

[mabutler]

I like the Eagletac's, Fenix, and Malkoff. One important detail will be access from my belt. I see that Eagletac has some holsters. Does anyone know if the Malkoff's will fit into a Surefire holster since they are supposed to be the same size? Or are there any other hard holsters out there that will fit any of these flashlights?