Recommendation for inner city cop.

[LondonCop]

Hi All - new here and just started working as an inner cop in London.

I do not require anything to be weapon mount compatible but some sort of belt holster or (better yet) vest clip mount compatibility is crucial.

Lot's of modes are not crucial for me but neither do I mind having them; within reason of course. Most use is for searching cars / gardens but also occasional foot chases in industrial areas with very large open areas as well as searching for thrown knives / drugs / other thing people try to hide.

I have had a look fo the following which are all very easy to source in the UK; any thoughts on these ? I would prefer to spend under £140.00 GBP.

[FONT=&quot]Nitecore: [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]—> i4000r > 115.00 INCLUSIVE Holster [/FONT]
https://www.torchdirect.co.uk/nitecore-hand-torches/nitecore-i4000r-rechargeable-led-torch.html


[FONT=&quot]
[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Olight:[/FONT]

• —> R50 Pro Seeker LE. 139.00 DISCOUNTED to 99.95 (FULL KIT WITH HOLSTER, CAR CHARGER, MOUNT)
• Warrior X Pro - 129.99 https://www.olightstore.uk/warrior-x-pro-black.html

[FONT=&quot]
[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Fenix: [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]—> PD40R —> 135.00[/FONT]
https://www.torchdirect.co.uk/fenix-professional-torches/fenix-pd40r-rechargeable-led-torch.html

 

[adnj]

I believe that partnered with spare batteries, any of those would be fine.

Personal preferences will be important with respect to how the light works. I prefer no memory and being able to go straight into the highest level (such as single push) and the lowest level (such as push and hold). Momentary on is an excellent feature for my uses, also.



Sent from my LG-V520 using Tapatalk

 

[Dave D]

Welcome to the forum, I retired from the job 7 years ago, you main problem in the UK is the lack of availability, I could real off lights that are readily available in the USA but that wouldn't help much.

I carried Surefires for 20 years and they are certainly outdone these days in the lumens race but how many lumens do you really need.

My recommendation would be 600 - 1000 lumens, tail switch activation, 18650 powered (but 2 x CR123A as well), although a 21700 battery would offer more runtime it will limit you choices.

I've not used Fenix lights myself but they have a loyal following on this forum and are available in the UK.

The Fenix TK09 got a mention on the forum recently and may be worth having a look at. It's comes with a holster and can be powered by a 18650 battery (3500mAh would be ideal) and then carry a pair of CR123A's for back up.

I think the Warrior X Pro looks a bit too tacticool!! LOL

I would have a seperate clip-on light for your vest to keep both hands free when checks documents etc.

Hopefully someone will be along to give you some recommendations on the lights that you linked.

 

[archimedes]

Please do not post external sales links in this Recommend forum, as highlighted at the top of this page.

 

[peter yetman]

I think you should have a look at Stramlight's Protac range of lights.
I normally buy and use the most robust lights I can lay my hands on such as Malkoff and HDS, so I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of my Streamlight Protac 1L-!AA, they do bigger lights don't worry.
It's a tough light and you can program the modes to Low - High, High - strobe or straight High.
I ordered mine from the States, on Amazon US, making sure the seller was Streamlight. Ordered on a Friday and in my hands on the following Monday.
I couldn't believe it either.
The Streamlight shop on Amazon.com also sell holsters.

Anyway take a look at the Streamlight site, it's a big one so maybe search for Streamlight Protac.
Good luck, and please don't buy an Ebay Special, I'll worry.
P

 

[NotRegulated]

The steamlight protac X series has usb rechargeable 18650 batteries with the ability to use CR123’s. It has a clip on it you could attach to your vest/pocket. They also have holsters for your belt. Options for a metal body or plastic. Worth a look.

 

[LondonCop]

Please do not post external sales links in this Recommend forum, as highlighted at the top of this page.

Apologies - I have removed the links accordingly.

 

[LondonCop]

- Seems I am actually unable to edit my post to remove the link; oops..

Thank you for all the recommendations - will be doing a bit of homework on Streamlight range. Quite a few of my colleagues seem to be pretty loyal to LEDLenser but Ive always found them a bit 'meh' at best. The more I look the more I seem to want to spend especially as I would much rather buy once and then only make future purchases out of pleasure rather than necessity.

It's a shame the high end SureFire models seem arbitrarily expensive (and somewhat difficult to source from a UK store) compared to their US Prices. Having said that I think I am going to end up wanting to spend around £150-200.

Would common and more learned opinion here be that around 1000 lumen with a reasonable run time would be more than enough ? I think seeing the hype of 3-4k Lumen turbo modes may have slightly go me looking at this the wrong way...

 

[Dave D]

I think a flashlight with 600 - 1000 lumens will certainly meet your needs.

I have a few different lights and would be happy to recommend some above your initial budget.

If you can source a Streamlight Stinger HL DS (left in above photo) then that would be a good option however it is getting a big for 24/7 carry, ideal for nights but a bit big for earlies and lates.

The Streamlight Strion HL DS model is more compact than the Stinger but I've never tried one.

My personal favorite for 24/7 belt carry is the Malkoff M91T MD3 (5th from left), powered by either 2 x 18500 rechargeables (90 mins) or 3 x CR123's (30-45 mins), built like a tank, very good output but better with the optional high/low ring.

Good options from Surefire are the G2X LE (600/15 lumen model), which comes on in High mode and a second click reduces to a low output, iot can run on the supplied 2 x CR123's or a 16650 Li-ion rechargeable.

If you can source an old Surefire 6P (far right in above photo) then there are drop-ins available that will bring it right up to date which will also run on rechargeable batteries. The Malkoff M61 is very good and the Sportac P60 drop-in's are available in the UK.

We had an LED Lenser in the aircraft on Air Support and I personally didn't like it, I think it ran on AAA's IIRC. I've no experience with any of their other products. It was replaced by a Surefire G3 LED.

Blinky modes are just a distraction technique, if you don't train with it then I wouldn't bother with them.

If there any any questions that I can assist with then pm me or I'll try to monitor the thread.

Stay safe!

 

[bykfixer]

The Stinger/Strion combo is outstanding if you can afford both. I'd start with a stinger if not as it is fairly light weight and about the size of an old fashioned 3C cell flashlight. Good size for armpit hold. Strion makes a great backup.

 

[FlashKat]

Fenix just came out with their new version of the Fenix PD40R V2

 

[lightfooted]

Personally I would recommend a Klarus XT11GT. Size wise it sits pretty much smack in the middle of Dave's lineup. Leaning more to the right (slightly shorter than the 9P at about 5.5 inches) and in fact I compared the dimensions of it directly with a Surefire Fury Dual fuel. The steel bezel Klarus puts on them adds an eighth of an inch to it. The dual switch on the tail is what I find to be most useful. It always has instant turbo with the main tail switch but you can also set it to have instant low on the paddle switch. The main turbo overrides whatever it was on and it will shut off once the main switch is turned off.

 

[polizeifritz]

Not sure if you have made your choice yet, however I was in your shoes not long ago looking for a good light as I was never impressed with the performance of my issued kit. While I have made quite a few light purchases, I feel like the best light for the job was the Malkoff M61 MD2HOT. Very reliable, bright and simple operation. If can be purchased with the High/Low which gives you a usable low mode but I prefer to keep it simple with high mode only.

I do also have the standard MD2 with High/Low which has grown to be my favourite personal carry light, but I found it just doesn't have the power to punch through dark tints on a car. I just don't feel comfortable walking past dark tints I have not looked through to make contact with a driver. Excellent for indoor use in warehouses and other abandoned buildings though.

Here in Canada, it seems to me at least that the standard cop light of choice is a Fenix PD 35 V2.0 when officers go and spend their own money on one. Not a Streamlight or Surefire. I see more PD35 V2.0s sticking out of pouches on belts, vests or even with the tailcap popping out of officers lunch coolers or duty bags as a backup. I have one of those in my collection too and while I don't carry it on patrol, I would have no major issue doing so and it is a very competent light which you should have no issues sourcing in the UK. Just beware it can be a gateway into collecting other lights.

The above said though, you should always carry more than one light on your person at work, two is one and one is none. A light is a crucial part of your kit and it seems things have the tendency to fail at the worst possible moment. There also may be a time when you are next to another officer searching for a subject and their light fails, it is nice to be able to pass one off to them as well.

 

[P_A_S_1]

.....

I do also have the standard MD2 with High/Low which has grown to be my favourite personal carry light, but I found it just doesn't have the power to punch through dark tints on a car. I just don't feel comfortable walking past dark tints I have not looked through to make contact with a driver. Excellent for indoor use in warehouses and other abandoned buildings though.
....

MD2 with m61w was my duty light until I retired. It was very good but it's lack of throw was evident in some situations. Nonetheless I was happy with its balance of power, runtime, size, and simplicity. I also prefer single li-ion configurations over multiple. Had many lights over my career but that was my favorite.