Strobing Tactical Light

[InHisLight]

Can anyone suggest a good strobing tactical light? I'd like to find one that has at least 200 lumens, and a light spring for the tail-cap thumb switch.

Thanks!!

 

[SureAddicted]

Tac lights don't have a strobe, or multiple outputs for that matter. Companies will say otherwise, but they are just trying to sell their product.

 

[InHisLight]

I used the Blackhawk Gladius last night, which seemed like a great light. It had the strobe, momentary, constant on, and the dimming feature. It also had a light spring for the tailcap.

I was just curious if that's the best light to get for those features, or if there was a better option. Like the Optimus, if it ever comes out.

 

[Northern Lights]

Many models of P7 lights have strobe effects, some with just the strobe mode in addition to off/on and others with 8 or more mode. search key work P7 on Dx and Kd for models. I like the 52 mm head for shoulder weapons mounted lights and the 26 thereabouts for those I use with a tactical band that I put on the light that helps secure it in the classic cigar hold for pistols.
The tactical use for a light in my experience should be nothing more than to illuminate a threat area so that the appropriate weapon can be accurately utilized or threat neutrallized.

 

[InHisLight]

A lot of the other officers at my department are sold on the Gladius, but I'd like to see if I can find something better, that has similar features. I don't really know alot about lights, so I'm not sure how to custom build lights, or what specs to look at.

Any help would be appreciated. A good light can save an officer's life!!

 

[Stephan_L]

Hi InHisLight,

here are some thoughts from Germany about tactical strobing lights:

The Gladius Night Ops is, as far as I have had the lights in my hands, the ultimate light in this sector. The Gladius has really everything you need: Momentary on, Constant on, Dimming and Strobe in a very effective frequency.
But the Gladius is expensive. And the output is not the best in the meantime. NightOps lost their way when they did not make a "Gladius 1.2" with a higher output (just my opinion).

Alternatives:
As someone told you: there are several P7 lights that have a strobe funcition, but I can not tell you about the frequencies and nothing about the UserInterface.

I use a Fenix PD30. And I am very satisfied with this light. It is small, but it gives you a wall of light (if you want it). If you don't need maximum brightness, the PD30 offers different levels of output. You will be able to choose the output that fits to your task. That saves batteries and sometimes, it saves you from blinding yourself. The strobe is in a good frequency of 15 Hz (for more about the correct frequency: search about "Bucha - Effect").

I would recommend the PD30 because I am that satisfied!

Greetings from Europe

Stephan

 

[TrainCop]

As I understand it, Insight Tech-Gear made the Gladius, also known as the Insight Typhoon, for Blackhawk/NightOps. You may be able to find an eBay deal for a Typhoon 2, which is rated at 120 lumens.
The original Typhoon was rated at 80 lumens, which is still a pretty bright light, but the Typhoon 2 makes it look kinda pale by comparison. I ended up with one of each, and am thinking of having the "T1" upgraded with a Seoul P4 LED by one of the guys here at CPF.
The Typhoon seems to have disappeared from Insight's Website, apparently replaced by the H2X Arcturus rechargeable. MSRP for the Arcturus is $149.99, and it can be mounted on a long gun. (Mount not included.)

No, I don't work for Insight, nor for any of their retailers. I just like their products.

 

[Jeffa]

SureAddicted:

I reserve my right to disagree. Tac lights, in my opinion do have multiple settings, They must be coordinated logically and set up practically but in my opinion they do.

As I am sure you are a user of lights for "Work" so am I. I think the ultimate combination of lights is the Gladius with the upgrade which I have purchased along with the Pelican 7060 and replacement batteries carried in a spares carrier.

I have not yet used the strobe at contact but have used the dimmer settings to an extreme and when necessary the brightest setting.

A blanket statement such as yours is unfair as there are those of us who do use various settings for purposeful reasons in potentially tense situations.

I respect your differing opinion.

 

[Wattnot]

The JetBeam III IBS is just what you are looking for. It's over 200 lumens (I believe) and has 3 fully programmable slots. If the strobe is that important to you, you can set it to come on FIRST. You can also choose the frequency of the strobe too. Not only that but you can get it with a reverse or forward clicky! If that's not enough . . . it runs on 18650's.

 

[Justin Case]

An upgraded Gladius, as others have mentioned, can approach your 200 lumen criterion. An SSC P4 LED upgrade is probably in the 160-170 lumen range.

Another alternative is the OpticsHQ reverse multifunction tailcap and LED drop-in kit for the SureFire 6P family.

See my review here.

IMO, the OpticsHQ user interface is superior to the already excellent Gladius UI.

The downsides of the OpticsHQ tailcap IMO are:

- Buttons use glow in the dark caps (target indicator -- I'd blacken them out with a permanent marker).
- Tailcap is not universally compatible with other LED drop-ins (for example, it doesn't work right with my Deal Extreme 6090).
- Tailcap is designed to work with the current generation of SureFire bodies. If you use the tailcap on any old, roundbody style SureFire 6P, you may need to add a washer/spacer to ensure electrical contact.
- Tailcap side button is glitchy when trying to get into the lowest brightness setting. A very quick button press results in the light turning on for a few seconds, and then suddenly turning off by itself. A longer button press results in entering a brightness mode 1 or 2 steps above the minimum level, but at least the light doesn't turn off by itself.
- Tailcap draws power even when the light is off (OpticsHQ claims 5-10 mA, which seems rather high to me)

I can live with the first three items, the fourth one gives me pause (immediate max brightness mode and immediate strobe are reliable, which are key for me), but the last one may be a dealbreaker.

If the power draw really is 5-10 mA, then that translates to 120-240 mAh per day. Since Li-ion rechargeable 123A sized cells typically have capacities around 550 mAh, that means battery life of only ~2-4 days, and that's assuming no use of the light itself.

(Edit: OpticsHQ has informed me that the power draw for their tailcap is 0.5-1.0 mA when in the OFF state)

I've experienced some apparent short life recently with my OpticsHQ setup, but am not 100% sure if the light was accidentally left on or not. So, I'm running some daily measurements of cell voltage. So far, the light has lasted about a week without running down the AW-brand 123A cells, so maybe the tailcap power draw is less than 5 mA.

 

[SureAddicted]

SureAddicted:

I reserve my right to disagree. Tac lights, in my opinion do have multiple settings, They must be coordinated logically and set up practically but in my opinion they do.

As I am sure you are a user of lights for "Work" so am I. I think the ultimate combination of lights is the Gladius with the upgrade which I have purchased along with the Pelican 7060 and replacement batteries carried in a spares carrier.

I have not yet used the strobe at contact but have used the dimmer settings to an extreme and when necessary the brightest setting.

A blanket statement such as yours is unfair as there are those of us who do use various settings for purposeful reasons in potentially tense situations.

I respect your differing opinion.

I think the big difference here is what your using the light for. Northern Lights summed it up in once sentence.

 

[depusm12]

Tac lights don't have a strobe, or multiple outputs for that matter. Companies will say otherwise, but they are just trying to sell their product.

Sorry but as a Law Enforcement Officer, SureAddicted I will have to disagree. I carry a Insight HX2 Typhoon on duty and it has all of those modes. Contrary to what some have stated in other threads of this type I have used the strobe effect to disorient bad guys on several occasions. It may not work on everyone but if it distracts somebody for a few seconds so they can be cuffed or disarmed I'll use it. Bottom line is if it helps me do my job without having to kill someone outright or injure them and allows me to go home at the end of my shift without any extra holes or injuries, I'm all for it. As a side note 4 other officers on my department carry the Insight/Gladius as well as all 25 members of our Tactical Unit are issued one. But these are just my humble opinions as a LEO with over 8 years experience on the job. Also I know of several soldiers that have been deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan that have used the Typhoon/Gladius to good effect while searching rooms and at roadblock/checkpoints.

 

[SureAddicted]

I hear you depusm12. I have other means of disorientating bad guys in my arsenal. The last time I looked SWAT were using flashbang, Incendiary and smoke grenades. I don't expect the average LEO to have that kind of gear in their arsenal. Anything that helps you to do your job without having to kill/injure someone is a plus. I'm really not surprised why SF lights don't have a strobe.

 

[depusm12]

I hear you depusm12. I have other means of disorientating bad guys in my arsenal. The last time I looked SWAT were using flashbang, Incendiary and smoke grenades. I don't expect the average LEO to have that kind of gear in their arsenal. Anything that helps you to do your job without having to kill/injure someone is a plus. I'm really not surprised why SF lights don't have a strobe.

I didn't say that our Tac Guys didn't have flash bangs exct., but they do have the Gladius as well and have used both depending on the circumstances.

 

[tattooedwhitetrash]

I guess I'm what's refered to as a "lurker" as I mostly read what's being posted as opposed to posting myself, but this topic has peaked my interest. I'm a LEO and have been working a midnight shift every 3rd week for the past 20 years. My primary flashlight is an old Surefire P6 with a LED Dropin, Red flip top filter and a lanyard. I've experimented with different multi function dropins and different gadgets for this light. I've found the the KISS method works the best for me. The LED drop in gives me more light then a stock MAGcharger, the red filter gives me the low light that I need for stealth and the lanyard keeps the light secured to my person. Which is very handy when you have to drop your light to reload or grab something. I've recently been playing around with the Safariland RLS Light Mount. Interesting little piece of equipment but the jury's still out.

 

[Jeffa]

SureAddicted,do you mean this line? "The tactical use for a light in my experience should be nothing more than to illuminate a threat area so that the appropriate weapon can be accurately utilized or threat neutrallized."

If so you are 100% correct as the most important use to identify a threat, but I continually use mine tactically on the very low settings when not wanting to be seen.

I have used the strobe in training to disorient quite a bit but in the field I always seem to hit them with the solid brite lite in the eyes then quickly advance.

Perhaps because I can preset my Gladius at low and flip to high in advance and just push in the button for that wall of light when necessary.

What is the difference between the Typhoon and the Gladius?

 

[greenLED]

What is the difference between the Typhoon and the Gladius?

Nothing really. Just be aware that new stock lights have brighter emitters than the earlier builds.

 

[JNewell]

In general I think strobe mode is useless. However...not all strobes are the same. Frequency matters a lot. If you run down the research and information that led Ken Goode to develop the Gladius, which has an overdriven and relatively slow strobe, there is some (limited) value there. We've done some informal experimenting (won't call it testing) with strobes and the slowish frequency of the Gladius seems to allow the pupils (eyes, not students) to cycle a lot, compared to the faster strobes you mostly see, which are fast enough that the pupil just treats is as a PWM effect and stops trying to open and close to accomodate the light source/changes.

Having said all that, I think that "tactical" use of lights is hugely over-rated in general and use of strobes as a magic bullet is even more over-rated. There are limited times and places where it will help, and having another tool in the box is fine as long as training supports it and it doesn't get in the way. Basically, the post above that says tactical lights are for illuminating targets is about right.

 

[InHisLight]

The JetBeam III IBS is just what you are looking for. It's over 200 lumens (I believe) and has 3 fully programmable slots. If the strobe is that important to you, you can set it to come on FIRST. You can also choose the frequency of the strobe too. Not only that but you can get it with a reverse or forward clicky! If that's not enough . . . it runs on 18650's.

Thanks for telling me about the JetBeam III!! Looking it over, it sounds like that may be the light I want. Are you familiar with the JET-III M/LE?? I'm trying to see what the major differences are between these two models, and which would be better suited for my needs.

So, I may have my search narrowed down to the Jet-III (either the IBS or the M), the Fenix PD30, and the Gladius/Typhoon.

 

[matthew127]

I'd like to see an SST-90 implanted into a Taclite...for that matter, I'd also like to see tempered steel cross bars (not just one) and a hardened bezel/carbide window breaker...
Strobing definitely has it place. Having said that, I often got the desired effect by "flashing" said "person of interest" directly in the eyes and then closing with them..usually using a Surefire M4..I have a G&P HID flashlight that would work great for that IF it didn't take so long to warm up..but the SST-90 looks VERY promising in that regard. Anyone know how to do this?