New Surfire costs for LEO's too expensive?

[dougie]

Like everyone here I'm genuinely excited about the new lights that Surefire are bringing to market but wonder how many LEO's will actually buy and use them as a primary duty lights?

The cost of these lights ain't cheap and whilst you can't put a price on your own safety I know that many folks won't want to carry a flashlight which is that expensive whilst at work.

Many of my colleagues at work believe in the mantra that if the service don't supply it then why should they?

This attitude seems to be even more prevalent in the UK police where hardly anyone I know would fork out their own money for a flashlight no matter how good it is or how potentially useful it might be.

Whilst the advantages of these new higher powered LED's are obvious to us as CPF members because we are flashlight aficionados many professionals take the view that a light is a light is a light!

I wonder how you could try to persuade a LEO to layout maga- bucks on a high powered LED which only uses primaries against a lower specification rechargeable light or even a comparable but much cheaper incandescent?

It seems to me that our enthusiasm for these lights may be less than from ordinary LEO's?

It will be interesting to hear your views?

Doug

 

[djblank87]

I would have to say that some LEO's I know use the same light they went threw the Academy with. Reason behind it, muscle memory, drawing it with a firearm and deployment have been pounded into there heads and it has now become something that is what one could say is "Normal".

New lights are very appealing to officer's out in the field, I let a friend of mine take many of my lights out on his shift and while he finds them to be extremely bright he still falls back on his trusty SL Strion as he stated.

So I think there is a safety blanket (so to speak) when using something day in and day out and it has never failed you, plus all of your training with a flashlight evolved around this one particular light.

Some people do not like change and others welcome it. As far as cost goes I feel that it doesn't play as big a factor as most might think. It comes down to what feels right and what is the best tool (flashlight) for its intended application.

 

[lightemup]

you can't put a price on your own safety

:thumbsup:

 

[FlashSpyJ]

The official cop light here are the ASP Triad I or II. And some have surefires gun mounted lights too! dont know the word, riot-cops or something, have those in a leg holster (Safariland?)

Many attach the triad on their ASP baton! This is to me very ugly and seems really awkward using!

I would rather have a ASP Triad over an old MagLite dangling like a third leg... But If I could decide I would go SureFire for sure!

I guess they use the ASP light because its approved by some committee, and that it attaches to the baton.

I think they just likely could have been issued SureFires! I dont know If a cop here is allowed to use anything else thats not approved by whoever approves their equipment, but if they are allowed they probably would have free batterys!

 

[precisionworks]

Much depends on the individual officer. Some invest in the best, others use something that's just good enough to get by. Many people, including police, don't realize the difference between a M*G and a Surefire ...

 

[ja10]

For $35 to $125, there are quite a few SF offerings that LEOs might find interesting - E1B, L1, Defender, 6P/9P, G2/3, and the E1/2L. The $200+ lights probably won't often be seen on a cop's hip, but I'm sure a few will still spring for them.

I talked with a cop last week about the Nighthawk Custom 1911 he had on his hip. It was certainly not department issued ($2500 gun), but he was willing to fork over the money for it.

 

[Beastmaster]

Here's my take on it as a former LEO instructor.

1) It all depends on your department. If your department issues you a flashlight, you tend to use what they give you. If your department doesn't issue you one, then you're free to use what you can get.

2) As an instructor - train with what you know and stick with it. I've used the same 6P since I entered the instructor academy. This is why I like the SureFire 6P platform - it's upgradeable and it's flexible. My daily use 6P is abused, used, been run over, and it still works.

3) If I have to stake my life on it - buy the best you can afford. This includes firearms, handcuffs, flashlights, and other stuff. In my case - I had to provide my own firearm and flashlight.

Here in the U.S., you're going to find that most officers will pay for a better light. Officers go through low light training and the brighter and better the light is, the safer they are providing they follow their training.

To get really nitpicky - Get a SureFire G2 for $35 USD. Get a BugOutGear Q5 drop in for $50. For $85 USD you have a flashlight that totally kicks some serious tail and it's affordable for most people. Or get a Fenix T1 for about the same cost.

So - I'll reiterate what someone else said on this thread...how much is your life worth? I've trusted my life to SureFire (and Streamlight, and Pelican) for years. Why? Their stuff works, it's proven itself to me, and it's proven itself to others.

-Steve

 

[bagman]

I will be looking to get one of the new offerings and carry it at work but I just hope they come with a lanyard attachment point

I am hoping for tactical V70 type holsters for them as well.

I am a sad jamie though and spend far too much money on kit (especially shiny kit) as it is.

lots of my fellow officers wont spend any of their own money on kit and some even claim they are happy with their issue AA mags :ralmao:

 

[Outdoors Fanatic]

Most SureFire dealers offer great discounts for LEOs and the military community.

 

[dano]

The LEO duty light market is dominated by Streamlight. SF is a minority in this market as compared to Streamlight and Mag. In my Dept, Stingers (both incan and LED) are the primary lights used, and they're not issued. Strions are also highly represented. Issued light used to be a Mag 3cell, but now is a 3cell Pelican. SF's are a rare sight, mainly 6P's and G2's.

Surefire dominates the weaponlight market and the military.

This isn't going to change with any new SF models.

--dan

 

[Beastmaster]

Actually, if you combine LEO and Fire use of Streamlight combined with Pelican's use in the Fire arena, they will likely have greater per-capita volume than SF will.

 

[Lightraven]

True. I rarely see any coworkers or even those from other agencies carrying a private purchase Surefire. When they do, it's a G2 50% of the time.

For us, Mag Lites are more common than all the other private purchase lights combined. Interestingly, Mag Lite owners sing their praises! They don't say, "It's all I could afford."

Of all the coworkers I have met, only one was a true Flashaholic--he owned a Surefire M6 and U2 and carried them in the field. Everybody else has their priorities screwed up--a house, family, retirement, etc.

 

[Daekar]

I can second the Streamlight use in the police forces that I've seen, mostly because they specifically design their lights for such uses. If Surefire came out with an equivalent to the Ultrastinger or Stinger with the cradle charger then they might start to sell some, but without rechargables LEO aren't going to be interested.

 

[Beastmaster]

Of all the coworkers I have met, only one was a true Flashaholic--he owned a Surefire M6 and U2 and carried them in the field. Everybody else has their priorities screwed up--a house, family, retirement, etc.

(Snort) - I have a house, family, retirement, other toys that go boom, and I still have time for flashlights too.

-Steve

 

[Lightraven]

Really? I just have my flashlights. My precious, precious flashlights!

 

[OMNIHUGE]

Mag, SL, and surefire definitely dominate the market for leo's. Most of the people I work with carry some form of a sf 6p or z2 as a small light, and a SL stinger or mag for duty. The mags are cheap, we get free batts, and they are durable and cheap to replace. SL's are just easy to recharge and they really do stand up well to time.

I carry my m3x on my glock, which is excellent, along with my pelican 7060 on my hip, and a mag led dropin in my kit. That covers me, and the output blows away most of my co workers, as they still have the Stingers.

Cost is a factor to some, but most just can't justify replacing a light that works fine. They aren't that into it. Some are, I'm one of them. But my wife thinks I'm nuts too. The only people I give a hard time to are the ones buying duty lights at walmart etc. Like another poster said, how much is your life worth.

 

[Sgt. LED]

Thanks for this not turning into a crap fest of bashing! This is rare on CPF and I'm not coming back to this thread so I can live with the happy memory of a Surefire thread with no b*tching. An actual discussion, WOW.

 

[light_emitting_dude]

We are issued an annual clothing/equipment allowance which can be spent on uniforms and equipment including flashlights! I tend to buy SF and SL lights

 

[swampgator]

I can second the Streamlight use in the police forces that I've seen, mostly because they specifically design their lights for such uses. If Surefire came out with an equivalent to the Ultrastinger or Stinger with the cradle charger then they might start to sell some, but without rechargables LEO aren't going to be interested.

Gotta agree with this. Streamlight wins due to the rechargeable capability. Both agencies I worked for issued lights. The municipal PD originally issued Magchargers before going to Streamlight Stingers. The state agency I worked for issued Streamlight SL-35s before switching to the Stinger.

 

[enLIGHTenment]

I may be crucified for saying this, but I suspect the primary market for SF's high end lights lies with the kind of people who pay $300 for hammers, the kind of people who bill $300 for a hammer, and the kind of people who want to look like they would bill $300 a hammer. If you get my drift. The non-paramilitary LEO market isn't something SF seems interested in, so it's unlikely that pricing their lights out of the LEO market entered SF's decision-making process.