Surefire Lanyards-How To Use Them

I have several Surefire lanyards that came with my lights or battery holders.

I don't ever use them because I don't know how. I'm sure there is a way that they were intended to be used.

Could someone clue me in? Pics would be nice.

Thanks

Do you mean you don't know how to work them (i.e. clip them to you light, tighten them, etc.) or you don't know what their intended purpose is?

I'm gonna chime in as captain obvious here. Its to attach to your wrist incase you drop the light while using it you won't lose it.

I clip mine to the light at the tail end. I put one cord lock about 2-1/2" from the tail of the light, and the other cord lock 6" past the first. I put my hand between the cord locks. If I want to hang the light around my neck I move both cord locks all the way toward the light.

When it is adjusted for my wrist, I can slip my hand in, but it is still tight enough that the light doesn't fall off when my hand is relaxed at my side. The tail of the light is at my fingertips like this, so I can pick it up with the one hand from the hanging position.

Hope that helps.

Scott

P.S. It is a good idea to set up the lanyard so it breaks loose at some load where you don't get injured. The last thing you want is to have your hand pulled into a machine, or fall and have the light hang up.

P.P.S. Here is a pic. I use archery release rope instead of the supplied doohickey. It lets the flashlight rotate better and does not subject the clip to the abrasive HAIII knurling.



Thanks to ImageShack for Free Image Hosting

I appreciate the responses. I know what it is for (not dropping the light) I just wasn't sure HOW to use it the appropriate way. I know it sounds dumb, I just didn't want to be using it incorrectly.

I have used it just like in beezaur's pic. It just seems over complicated for what it does leading me to believe there may be another way. Why not just have one solid loop and only one adjuster thingy? Are they supposed to slide off the end under extreme load ?

Also, I think they would be more usefull to me to attach to a belt loop or something while the light is in a pocket. Any easy ways to do that? There must be, it can't be intended only for your hand. Why would the spare carriers (SC1) come with a lanyard? Are people really carrying them around in their hands all day?

Sorry for the Mr. Obvious material.

Varmint1 said:

Also, I think they would be more usefull to me to attach to a belt loop or something while the light is in a pocket. Any easy ways to do that? There must be, it can't be intended only for your hand. Why would the spare carriers (SC1) come with a lanyard? Are people really carrying them around in their hands all day?

Click to expand...

You can use a carabiner to attach it to your belt loop, this is what I do sometimes. I prefer the real climbing ones, which are much smoother than the fake "not for climbing" ones, and much stronger (like that's an issue in this case). This is the one I have: http://www.ems.com/catalog/product_...older_id=2534374302847371&bmUID=1139280883040

I carry my SC1 on my neck.





Just kidding.

carrot,

Why do you carry an SC1 on your neck? I mean, spares are handy, but holy crap! Day to day I don't usually have any spares ON ME but I always have some near by (at work, in the cars, stuffed in my winter jacket) but I'm packing enough stuff already. I hope to have enough light to get me to the spares without needing to carry around an SC1.

Just curious.

Varmint1, you missed the "just kidding" line at the bottom of my post. The SC1 goes either in my bag, or in the pocket of my polarfleece vest. I usually have a few other lights on me (at least a Photon or LED light of some kind), so the SC1 isn't really necessary, but I like having it with me anyway.

Sorry, I'm half paying attention. I've got 3 kids and my wife barfing all over. FUN!

I guess it just didn't surprise me. There are guys around here that EDC 40 lights.

I bet at LEAST one person here carries an SC1 around there neck.

The carabiner should do the trick.

You can loop the lanyard around the light and put your hand through the center of the two slider dealies to make a very secure way of holding down your light in your palm..

You can also just use a lark's head knot to attach the lanyard to a belt/belt loop/etc.

Stick the end of the lanyard (away from the light) behind your belt (or whatever) and pull it through a few inches. Then stick the light through the loop you've pulled through. Pull it tight and the light isn't going anywhere.

The standard SF lanyard is long enough to use the light when it's attached to a belt and held low. It's not long enough to hold it up in a "tactical" position.

Heres a few ways I use mine.

http://www.jtice.com/sales/lanyards/methods_01.jpg
http://www.jtice.com/sales/lanyards/methods_02.jpg
http://www.jtice.com/sales/lanyards/methods_03.jpg
http://www.jtice.com/sales/lanyards/methods_04.jpg

~John

Thanks everyone.

jtice-excellent pics man. That's what I was looking for...ways to use one.

BTW, what type lanyard is that? It looks pretty sweet.

jtice makes and sells those lanyards, Varmint1. Check his sigline.

i use the surefire lanyards. i pop the little end piece off , cut it down to about seven inches , and replace the end piece for a wrist only lanyard. while using the light firing at night i will let the light dangle while performing magazine changes or malfunction drills, hard to do with a light in your hand.

Hello,

I just purchased an M6 and really like it! There is one issue I have had since I purchased it. I have attached the lanyard a few times and THREE of the times it has disconnected without warning!!! I've been lucky because it has fallen on carpet from less than two feet every time (since I've been testing the lanyard out). The last time it disconnected I looked at the clip less than a minute before (while it was attached) and everything looked just fine. If the lanyard spins around as you pick up the flashlight and then you let the light drop it can disconnect. It appears to be either a design flaw because the clip can open upon a single spin or the tension on the clip isn't great enough. To the touch it feels fairly firm. It seems like this should never happen since it is a high quality tactical flashlight! Any ideas?

Greg

carrot said:

You can use a carabiner to attach it to your belt loop, this is what I do sometimes. I prefer the real climbing ones, which are much smoother than the fake "not for climbing" ones, and much stronger (like that's an issue in this case).

Click to expand...

The best "fake" biners by far are the Black Diamond Microns. They are made just like the BD Neutrino 'biners. Decent aluminum and Stainless gate. If they weren't smaller you'd think they were the real thing.

http://www.rei.com/search?vcat=REI_SEARCH&query=Black+Diamond+Micron&x=16&y=11

wmugrad28 said:

Hello,

I just purchased an M6 and really like it! There is one issue I have had since I purchased it. I have attached the lanyard a few times and THREE of the times it has disconnected without warning!!! I've been lucky because it has fallen on carpet from less than two feet every time (since I've been testing the lanyard out). The last time it disconnected I looked at the clip less than a minute before (while it was attached) and everything looked just fine. If the lanyard spins around as you pick up the flashlight and then you let the light drop it can disconnect. It appears to be either a design flaw because the clip can open upon a single spin or the tension on the clip isn't great enough. To the touch it feels fairly firm. It seems like this should never happen since it is a high quality tactical flashlight! Any ideas?

Greg

Click to expand...

If i understand right, Its designed to do that. Most of SF's Lanyards are designed to detach when there is alot of tension for safety (So you don't choke yourself for example). So when your letting it drop, Your exceeding the amount of tension that the lanyard is designed to hold before it breaks the connection and so thats the problem.

Ditch the clip. The clip is a real problem, and detaches with a simple twist. I discovered this the hard way with a brand new C2 that hit the concrete twice from simply lowering and raising my arm with the light hanging by its lanyard.
I don't have a good pic, but you can see in this one how I use a split ring only attached to the lanyard ring(whether SF or LeefRing), with either a knot or adjustable stay close to the light so the lanyard doesn't move around, and the breakaway lanyard closures at the end.

Knife wrist lanyards are used by running the whole lanyard around the back of the hand and putting a loop around the thumb only.
Greg