The vintage California cop light company thread

[bykfixer]

If you order from Maglite's website most C and D cell lights arrive in a Maglite box. Often the incans are dated as far back as 2012 on the box.

I bought a promo 3D ML300 that came in a blister pack but the rest have been in a box.

 

[LiftdT4R]

Hey guys, long time no see!! Been crazy busy with non flashlight related stuff but I have been trying to make more time to restoring lights lately. I had a great chance to buy a really rough Kel-Lite BTL 18 the other day for $14 shipped. I got her all working again and was able to complete my collection of Kel-Lite Baton Lights. Shown below are the legendary BTL-26, BTL-22 and BTL-18.

For scale I aslo added a 7D Maglite. The BTL-26 is huge and is arguably the longest flashlight ever produced.

Like others have posted these are only 5C lights and each has a different length spacer to take up the rest of the room. I'm planning to do a blog post soon on my Kel-Lite blog. Hope everyone here is well!!

 

[ABTOMAT]

Hey Jason, welcome back. I thought you were out of the business. How's it going? I got back into collecting after the wuflu kicked off in 2020 and now there're only a only a handful of lights I need to begin a proper illustrated collector's guide for the industry. I've learned so much the last five years.

In sad news, we recently lost member "bykfixer" who was always part of these threads.

The BTL-26 is the longest full-body flashlight I'm aware of. ie: one piece of metal that could hold all batteries, rather than an extension or a billyclub. The longest actually designed to be filled all the way up is probably an 8D Kel-Lite. That's about 1/2" longer than a 7D Mag-Lite.

 

[lumen aeternum]

Hey guys, long time no see!! Been crazy busy with non flashlight related stuff but I have been trying to make more time to restoring lights lately. I had a great chance to buy a really rough Kel-Lite BTL 18 the other day for $14 shipped. I got her all working again and was able to complete my collection of Kel-Lite Baton Lights. Shown below are the legendary BTL-26, BTL-22 and BTL-18.

For scale I aslo added a 7D Maglite. The BTL-26 is huge and is arguably the longest flashlight ever produced.

Like others have posted these are only 5C lights and each has a different length spacer to take up the rest of the room. I'm planning to do a blog post soon on my Kel-Lite blog. Hope everyone here is well!!

I'd like to see the spacer - how long & heavy are they? I also note the conical rubber piece, so your hand does not slip. I guess you set it at your best point of balance? They make conical rubber objects sold as camera lens removal tools, wonder if I could find one to fit a modern Mag.

 

[ABTOMAT]

I'd like to see the spacer - how long & heavy are they? I also note the conical rubber piece, so your hand does not slip. I guess you set it at your best point of balance? They make conical rubber objects sold as camera lens removal tools, wonder if I could find one to fit a modern Mag.

The spacer's just a 1/4" aluminum rod with plastic bushings. The bushing color varies, but earlier ones tend to be cut from stock and later ones are injection molded. The rubber piece is actually a standard baton grommet--for keeping your baton from sliding down too far in your belt loop. Police supply places sell them, although they only fit things the diameter of a C-cell light. Kel-Lite shipped their Baton Lites with grommets as standard. Kel-Lite also made a series of aluminum batons that used the exact same body tubes, just sans-flashlight-parts.

Not to steal Jason's thunder but I've been meaning to do a deep dive into these things too. There're a lot details that were never documented. Like how the design changed from the early models that match the patent drawings to the later ones we're more familiar with. Or how the bezels were always advertised as stainless but sometime in the late '70s they were switched to chromed steel. And how these were actually Kel-Lite's longest-running model rather than some unusual limited production thing.

 

[knucklegary]

Agreed,, as I remember, depending on cops legs inseam height, that conical rubber grommet adjusted long flashlight length stopping it from tripping-up and whacking users in the huevos while running after perps
@ABTOMAT I'm first in line to buy your book 🇺🇸🤙

 

[knucklegary]

Did the spacer arrangement come supplied with, or starting use, on 5C tubes?

 

[LiftdT4R]

Hey Jason, welcome back. I thought you were out of the business. How's it going? I got back into collecting after the wuflu kicked off in 2020 and now there're only a only a handful of lights I need to begin a proper illustrated collector's guide for the industry. I've learned so much the last five years.

In sad news, we recently lost member "bykfixer" who was always part of these threads.

The BTL-26 is the longest full-body flashlight I'm aware of. ie: one piece of metal that could hold all batteries, rather than an extension or a billyclub. The longest actually designed to be filled all the way up is probably an 8D Kel-Lite. That's about 1/2" longer than a 7D Mag-Lite.

Thanks!! I haven't been active in the last 5 years or so. 2020 is when I got kind of lax but I have a ton of ebay purchases stacked in my basement I need to unbox! Glad to see you're still collecting. Your posts on here are what inspired me to make my blog and start collecting non Maglites!

Ahh man that's really sad about Mike! Ugh I wish I texted him more recently. The last time I spoke with him was around 2021, he was in the same industry I am and we would exchange lights and knowledge quite a bit. He worked nights and he would always use different flashlights at work and text me pictures! I'm sure one of the stars in the sky is him shining a flash light down now!

I agree! However, I see you have an ASP light there and I've had a couple people e-mail me form my blog saying they are the longest. I use the word arguably lest I offend anyone's flashlight beliefs! Is your ASP on a 6C or 7C? Mine came on a 6C and I always felt guilty about moving it to a 7C since it wasn't originally on one but it would make a great photo op. Supposedly ASP made these for D cells too. An ASP distributor sold me mine and at least he told me they did. I've never actually seen one though. Ebay is tough on the sale of these since its technically a weapon so they're super hard to get a hold of. I'm hoping someone emails me on my blog one day saying they have one if they do exist.

I never did get a hold of an 8D Kel-Lite although I've always wanted one! I try to buy fouled up stuff on ebay and fix it up to keep the price low and keep me busy but I'd spring for one in good shape if it ever did come up for sale. My BTL lights all had batteries stuck in them and I fixed them all up and bought parts as needed from Don Keller. I don't think I have more than $60 into any of them. The BTL 26s go for crazy money otherwise!

 

[LiftdT4R]

The spacer's just a 1/4" aluminum rod with plastic bushings. The bushing color varies, but earlier ones tend to be cut from stock and later ones are injection molded. The rubber piece is actually a standard baton grommet--for keeping your baton from sliding down too far in your belt loop. Police supply places sell them, although they only fit things the diameter of a C-cell light. Kel-Lite shipped their Baton Lites with grommets as standard. Kel-Lite also made a series of aluminum batons that used the exact same body tubes, just sans-flashlight-parts.

Not to steal Jason's thunder but I've been meaning to do a deep dive into these things too. There're a lot details that were never documented. Like how the design changed from the early models that match the patent drawings to the later ones we're more familiar with. Or how the bezels were always advertised as stainless but sometime in the late '70s they were switched to chromed steel. And how these were actually Kel-Lite's longest-running model rather than some unusual limited production thing.

Ya beat me to it!!!!!!

That is awesome on their batons too!! Ahhh now I want one!! Ebay takes a lot of this stuff down because they're "weapons" so that kind of stuff is super tough to find. You have a Kel-Lite yarwa stick, right? The machined piece of aluminum with 2 judo end cap ends? I picked one up a while back but I can't remember where from but it def wasn't ebay.

Please steal away! I always wondered the differences on these because only my BTL 26 is marked with BTL. The others are unmarked or marked CPL. I never knew which came first or later or which is more rare. Interesting on the chrome plated bezel too. I guess using a magnet would make it easy to check. I have a few of the Kel-Lites with the stainless/chrome bezels and they are heavy! But I always assumed they were all stainless steel.

 

[ABTOMAT]

Did the spacer arrangement come supplied with, or starting use, on 5C tubes?

The spacers only came in the advertised Baton Lites. Anything below 18" was a standard all-battery light. The one in the photo without a spacer is a fairly early 6C. Whether someone swapped ends with a BTL or it was an undocumented version I don't know. The 18, 22, and 26" models are the only official sizes I've found.

I agree! However, I see you have an ASP light there and I've had a couple people e-mail me form my blog saying they are the longest. I use the word arguably lest I offend anyone's flashlight beliefs! Is your ASP on a 6C or 7C?

I never did get a hold of an 8D Kel-Lite although I've always wanted one! I try to buy fouled up stuff on ebay and fix it up to keep the price low and keep me busy but I'd spring for one in good shape if it ever did come up for sale. My BTL lights all had batteries stuck in them and I fixed them all up and bought parts as needed from Don Keller. I don't think I have more than $60 into any of them. The BTL 26s go for crazy money otherwise!

In the photo it's on a 7C, but I got it as a separate unit. Actually the original owner had it roughly screwed into a Streamlight but the threads don't match.

The exact history of the 8D is a little unclear to me. They were a catalog item for 1974 (typical large head, slide switch,) but they seem to have continued to make them as special models afterwards. Maybe before as well.

 

[aznsx]

I'm sure one of the stars in the sky is him shining a flash light down now!

👍 You can bet on that, and it's probably some hot Maglite that we've never even seen;-)

 

[ABTOMAT]

That is awesome on their batons too!! Ahhh now I want one!! Ebay takes a lot of this stuff down because they're "weapons" so that kind of stuff is super tough to find. You have a Kel-Lite yarwa stick, right? The machined piece of aluminum with 2 judo end cap ends? I picked one up a while back but I can't remember where from but it def wasn't ebay.

Please steal away! I always wondered the differences on these because only my BTL 26 is marked with BTL. The others are unmarked or marked CPL. I never knew which came first or later or which is more rare. Interesting on the chrome plated bezel too. I guess using a magnet would make it easy to check. I have a few of the Kel-Lites with the stainless/chrome bezels and they are heavy! But I always assumed they were all stainless steel.

Yeah, I have one Kel-Lite Judo Stick. Those were solid stock and a different diameter than the endcaps, but same idea. Unlike most of this flashlight stuff that has only very subjective value, there seems to be a strong Yawara/martial arts collecting community. Big buck items if they get eBay-tier exposure. The actual duty batons are just like a BTL, except there's a tailcap threaded on both ends.

So pinning down a chronology is impossible (since even the "official" information isn't correct or complete) but here's a rough idea of some of the Kel-Lite BTL markings:
-"KEL-LITE C-PL-5", no serial: Very early, logically prior to mid 1972.
-"KEL-LITE BTL-** C-5 PAT PEND", no serial: Earlier 70s (patent application ran 72-73.)
-"KEL-LTE BTL-** PAT. NO. 3737649" with a "C" serial: Up to mid '70s?
-No words, with a numerical serial: Later '70s to 1982?

I expect it's not that neat and tidy--items like this may have had batches made irregularly. My oldest one has the full body knurling and old style reflector shown in the patent drawings. It also has a hemispherical tailcap like the parts diagram shows. The patent shows a tailcap with a lanyard hole but I've never seen a real one. The stainless bezel seems to have gone away when serial numbers came in. Earlier chromed bezels are knurled and then they dropped that for smooth metal. Oddly the 1982 catalog still says "stainless" even though that ship had sailed years before. Class action suit anyone? You're right about the magnet--the stainless they used is nonmagnetic.

 

[IMA SOL MAN]

For anyone needing a grommet, Galls sells them.

Monadnock Tapered Rubber Grommet Nightstick Holder

Shop the Monadnock Tapered Rubber Grommet Nightstick Holder and more at Galls.com, your #1 source for tactical gear, public safety equipment & apparel.

www.galls.com