Latest, greatest police flashlight

Okay...I've been a member here for a few years and learned lots of invaluable info from you guys/gals...I found and bought the Arc AAA, photons, 20 for 20 dollars key chain lights, and the Strion which is my home tactical light. Still, my duty police light is a ten year old Streamlight SL20x rechargeable....what is out there right now about that size, maybe thinner (needs to double as an impact weapon)...that is even brighter and not super expensive (over 150 bucks).....I lalso ike LED technology but I'm not up on any that work as police lights with a good blinding throw...thanks in advance

Streamlight's Stinger series.

BUT...upgrading your SL20X with a better battery pack and an 1160 lamp from WA might be a better option.

Bill

From a fellow LEO, I recommend the Surefire M3...combatlight...



:goodjob:

The Ultrastinger sounds like the best stock bet. I'm also a Magcharger fan, although it's no smaller than the 20X.

If you want to keep the SL-20X, get an SL-35X lamp and a better battery.

I agree with safety1st, go with the m3-cb.

bwaites said:

Streamlight's Stinger series.

BUT...upgrading your SL20X with a better battery pack and an 1160 lamp from WA might be a better option.

Bill

Click to expand...

Can you expound please....I don't know anything about better batteries or lamps or even what WA means....all I did was replace the stock battery a fedw years back with the same one...


And that M3 is nice though....thanks guys...

If you still want rechargeable then a Tigerlight is a great option. I've been using mine as my primary light when in the car for nearly 18 months.

My duty belt light is a Gladius on rechargeable pila's.

Oops just re-read your post and the gladius is probably a bit over budget.

It might be a little over $150 at ~$200 the www.tigerlight.net combo is hard to beat if your department allows OC spay and flashlight in one.

I have the OC model and the 8 inch FBOP model (without pepper spray) and I can say the premium battery pack with Gen4 lamp is whiter and brighter than the Gen4 lamp with the stock pack. Throw is good with a fair amount of spill.

Surefire doesn't make any full size duty lights.

WA=Welch/Allyn a manufacturer of high output lamps. There's no way to convert a SL series light to use a WA bulb w/out repotting the bulb into a reflector.

I'd suggest an Ultrastinger. It's aluminum, thinner than a 20x and is capable of really good throw....

--dan

FlameOn said:

Can you expound please....I don't know anything about better batteries or lamps or even what WA means....all I did was replace the stock battery a fedw years back with the same one...


And that M3 is nice though....thanks guys...

Click to expand...

WA is Welch Allyn, a bulb company. The 1160 is a high power bulb that's commonly used to double the power of a Magcharger, although in an SL-20X you'd get similar results with less trouble from an SL-35X lamp.

Better battery packs are available that use higher-capacity cells. Lots of guys here make them, or you can stick a bunch of 2/3D batteries together.

thanks...looks like I'll go with the 35x bulb and a better battery...what do you recommend battery wise that will still give me at least 30 minutes of run time? Also, I guess my stock charger will work with whatever battery I choose...

btw...what are 2/3D batteries...I assume they are 2/3 the size of Ds?

If you don't mind making a battery stick for your sl20x: http://www.batterieswholesale.com/nimh.htm. 4000 mAh verses the stock 2400 mAh. Plan on ordering some tomorrow. Scroll down to 1/2 D size cell.


Ron

Ron,


Their shipping is big time expensive. (For small amounts it almost doubles the cost of the cells.)

Wilkey Wong (ginseng) is working on a group buy through them, but we bought a bunch of cells from them in the past and had some bad cells, so he is being cautious during his testing.

Bill

I carry a Streamlight Ultrastinger. Its brighter than the magcharger and thinner which is good since I have small hands. Its not as long as your sl20, more like a small billy than a nightstick.

I use a Surefire 9AN for work. I wish it had a constant on clicky tailcap, but other than that it's just about perfect for my purposes. Got an old SF 6Z with a Z49 clicky tailcap for a backup in my bag.

Seems much brighter and seems to have a better throw than my coworkers Streamlights, but I'm no expert on the matter. The only downside is the high cost (I paid about $200 with the car and home charger).

I also just got a SF 8AX for use at home, and it's more affordable. I don't know if I would carry it over the 9AN, but I think I would use it before using any Streamlights. No offense to any Streamlight users, that's just my preference and experience.

I am going to go out on a limb here and suggest the Surefire U2. With its multiple light levels and Lux V you get a lot of flexibility in this light - lower levels would be great when you need to shed light on something without being blinded and on the bright side this will put out 80 - 100 lumens which is pretty darn good.

You can also use rechargeables with the U2 - Pilas 168A's fit in mine without a problem but the newer U2's have a plastic sleeve that would need to be removed or you might be able to go with the 168S (not sure on that).

I got a great deal on my U2 from Texas Tactical Supply so if you decide to get one check them out.

Cheers,
Tim

The Gladius is a LuxIII offering from Night-Ops - designed to be a combat light from the ground up. Extremely nice light.

There's also the Night-Ops Falcata series coming soon; they're incandescents, though.

The U2 is not a "tactical" light, but a "utility" one. Having multiple levels can actually be a problem. Consider for example a situation where you need maximum brightness, you switch it on.... and you left it on low last time you used it. Can't really ask the BG to "wait a minute while I adjust"...

The guy clearly stated "no super expensive- over 150 bucks flashlights" and you people are recommending the SF U2 (270 dollars), the Gladius and the Surefire M3?? Come on folks!

Streamlight is probably his best option hands down!

FlameOn,

I own, or have played extensively with most of the lights in the class you are considering, and I have to give a very strong recommendation for the TigerLight with premium battery pack and Gen4 LA (all new TL's have the Gen 4).

bwaites (Hi Bill!) recommended the SL60, which is based on mod work I do. The short of it is that I pot a WA 1160 20 watt lamp into a fixture-ring which then gets secured into a modified Carley RF1940 2" reflector. This whole LA then gets installed into the SL20X in exactly the same way as an SL-20X LA or 35X LA. It is brighter than the 35X, with better throw and a nicer beam (if you use OP coating on the reflector). It's a nice light, pretty much the same as a Mag Charger with the 1160 installed--same lamp, same battery configuration.

Now, that said, I can tell you that I would take the TigerLight with premium pack and Gen 4 LA over the SL60 (= SL-20X w/1160) anyday. It runs for 66 minutes, throws farther, is very nearly as bright, and is a lot smaller (FBOP version) and lighter (either OC or FBOP version).

Check out the threads on the The Gen4 TigerLight lamp assembly and the The New TigerLight Super-Premium Battery Pack.

My TigerLight is one of my most used and loved lights, and that's been the case for far longer than I have been consulting for TL. In fact, that's how I got the job--I was doing it anyway!

And, more good things are in the TL gold system's future. More powerful LA's, for example . . .

Alright, under a buck and a half. MC with FM's extension tube/tubes providing extended run times with an improved clubbing reach. Go with a WA 1160 for more zip, or even run a WA 1185 for up to an hour with both tubes attached. The possibilites are many.

All this for under $150.00 and beats any police/security flashlight in all areas of performance and value!