What makes a light "tactical"?

I read a lot about "tactical" flashlights and "tactical" use of a flashlight, but it's not clear to me quite what this means.

I just got an Inova 24/7, and the instructions show how it can be put on a headband, providing "tactical mobility". Now, that sounds pretty important, but I never really thought of walking into the woods to take a leak or squatting beside the car to change a tire as "tactical mobility". Must be, though.

In reading comments about "tactical" use, it sounds like this might mean shining the light in an attacker's eyes rather than taking some more physical action or, say, spraying some pepper spray in his face, or running away. Is shining a light in someone's face considered to be a "tactical" act? Why is it called that? Or does it mean that it can be used for bonking somebody over the head, or something else? Do I, a civilian, non-cop type person do anything "tactical" that I might need a "tactical" light for? Do I have to pack a Glock and a couple of spare clips along with the lights to be "tactical"?

And what makes a light "tactical"? I see everything from cheap Coast lights to super Surefires advertised as "tactical". How do you tell? Is there some minimum weight or brightness requirement, or is simple overpricing sufficient to qualify a light? Can you use a non-"tactical" light "tactically"? Can you use a "tactical" light non-"tactically"?

This is really complicated. Please help!

c_c

from what I read and my understanding, tactical isa minimum of 65 lumens..., may also have other meanings to other people, depending on needs, such as weapon mountable, strobe, etc, etc

"Tactical" (to me) is primarily a marketing tool -- a buzzword -- used by manufacturers (of all sorts of things) to get people to buy their stuff that usually doesn't really mean anything. Some manufacturers would call their flashlight "tactical" because it's black. It's stupid.

With respect to flashlights, I had the good fortune to hear directly from PK what it means as far as Surefire is concerned, but don't have time to detail it at the moment...I'll try to do that later though...one of the things was brightness and another was a momentary tailcap switch. I really cannot explain it nearly as well as he did though.

JM-99

Curious_character said:

I never really thought of walking into the woods to take a leak or squatting beside the car to change a tire as "tactical mobility".

Click to expand...

FTR, military folks pee and change tires, often on the same trip (or "deployment").

To me, a tactical light is a light made to be used when the possibility of confronting an enemy or a hostile person (known or unknown) is present. All this talk in other threads about whether the strobe feature on the small EDC lights qualifies as tactical or not is ridiculous. It's a useful feature IMO and I like it on those lights for other reasons, but those lights were never intended to be tac lights. A tactical light is normally used to locate and identify (and maybe disorient) the enemy, to aim a weapon, to flash and move in close quarters combat, and for a variety of other circumstances. Normally 60 lumens in a useful pattern is considered sufficient and a momentary tailswitch (if it's a separate handheld) is considered optimum. It's generally used in conjunction with a weapon and not as a weapon itself. A Surefire 6P is a good tactical light, one of the first, but it's also a good general use flashlight as well. Many tactical lights are good flashlights too, but most flashlights are not good tactical lights due to the switching, size and power level.

Just a wild guess, but I would say tactical means that you could hold and operate the light easily in one hand while holding a gun in the other.

ynggrsshppr said:

Just a wild guess, but I would say tactical means that you could hold and operate the light easily in one hand while holding a gun in the other.

Click to expand...

Hey, that's cool. I bought a three-LED, 3-AAA light at the Dollar Store the other day for, of course, one dollar. It has a push button switch on the barrel like a full-size Mag, and it's easy to operate with one hand. I haven't tried it with a gun in the other hand, but don't see any reason it should interfere with it. So that's gotta be one of the cheapest "tactical" lights you can get.

Or do you have to spray paint it black to make it qualify?

c_c

Vickers said:

FTR, military folks pee and change tires, often on the same trip (or "deployment").

Click to expand...

So the troop is being "tactically mobile" on his way to the latrine, but I'm not. Makes sense.

So what do I have to do to be "tactically mobile"? Hope I don't have to enlist again. Been there, done that, have the fatigue shirt.

c_c

I would say a "tactical" light is one which allows the use of some tactic.

For example:

You can use the Gladius' strobe to move in on an opponent without them being fully able to track you. You use that tactic (strobing them to deny vision) to accomplish your goal.

You can use a red photon freedom on its very lowest setting to adjust your rifle scope to take a long shot. The tactic is use of very dim light of a color that is hard to observe.

You can use your infrared setting on your Kroma Milspec and your handy-dandy night vision goggles to sneak around in an unlit building at night.

And so on . . .

You can see that "tactical" is a perfectly valid descriptor for certain flashlights, but its meaning is so broad that it becomes almost meaningless. Or more often, rediculous. Below is a tactical espresso maker:









source: http://www.snipershide.com/ubb/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=4;t=005843

Scott

Thanks to ImageShack for Free Image Hosting

beezaur said:

I would say a "tactical" light is one which allows the use of some tactic.

For example:

You can use the Gladius' strobe to move in on an opponent without them being fully able to track you. You use that tactic (strobing them to deny vision) to accomplish your goal.

You can use a red photon freedom on its very lowest setting to adjust your rifle scope to take a long shot. The tactic is use of very dim light of a color that is hard to observe.

You can use your infrared setting on your Kroma Milspec and your handy-dandy night vision goggles to sneak around in an unlit building at night.

And so on . . .

You can see that "tactical" is a perfectly valid descriptor for certain flashlights, but its meaning is so broad that it becomes almost meaningless. . .

Click to expand...

Ok, I think I've got it now. My objective is to find where the ants are getting into the house, and my tactic is to shine the light in the corners until I see the path. So I'm using the light "tactically" and, as long as I can use it with one hand while holding my .44 Mag in the other, and it's black, it's also a "tactical" light.

Cool. My $1 flashlight is "tactical" and I can use it "tactically" around the house.

Thanks for all the illumination. Now I can converse intelligently with all the other good folks on this forum. I hate to use words I don't know the meaning of, but now that I have a solid understanding of the meaning, I can toss off "tactical" with the best of 'em.

Hey, I picked up this neat tactical flashlight at the Dollar Store! Anybody interested? Not tested with a gun in the other hand, but I'll refund your money if it causes any tactical weapons problems. . .

c_c

Surefire pretty much set the standard for a tactical light and most people in the "business" or several different "businesses" have taken those standards and now use them independently of brands. When you mention a tactical light the general expected standard would be

min brightness of 60 lumen or more
single hand operation
intermittent operation
tailcap operated

While many people use tactical for marketing and in many different way if you were going to take a pistol class and needed a "tactical" light those would be the standards expected.

I should add that a "tactical" light's construction should be rugged. Typically reliability and durability are prerequisites for the tactical label.

Scott

Tactical to us consumers probably means 'stealth' and also enabling some kind of stealthy maneuvers. Like black coating to prevent light reflection, bright light + strobe to blind opponents, easy operation with one hand etc...

Actually, using the term tactical just makes things more military-like and people love military stuff.

Yes, I believe you can use a non-tactical light tactically though it isn't the best choice. Like using the new orange Lumaray during a night raid. It works fine, provides light and stuff, but leaks out light from its body which will give away your position. That's why you want something that is more concealed and can emit 0.5 lumens of light for you to look at a map or something.

In reverse, using a Gladius to check out your PC isn't tactical but it still works. Though the tactical Gladius would be a great light to use in the first example.

black, professional looking, simple design, durable....and without all the fancy stuff like big decals or compass in tailcap that kind of thing

usually very high output, not the typical flashlight

its all about the money dude! gc.

OK. So if that's a "tactical light," what's a strategic light?

Forget all the hype about tactical this and tactical that, tactical is the use an item may be put to, not the item itself.

Function: adjective
1 : of or relating to combat tactics : as a (1) : of or occurring at the battlefront <a tactical defense> <a tactical first strike> (2) : using or being weapons or forces employed at the battlefront <tactical missiles> b of an air force : of, relating to, or designed for air attack in close support of friendly ground forces
2 a : of or relating to tactics : as (1) : of or relating to small-scale actions serving a larger purpose (2) : made or carried out with only a limited or immediate end in view b : adroit in planning or maneuvering to accomplish a purpose

There is NO such thing as a tactical item, anyone hyping a product as tactical is full of well you know, they simply want to sell their product.

Any item can be used in a tactical situation, some items may be more or less suited to that use is all. Tactical is the mind, not the item. With this in mind, a "tactical flashlight" may be, depending upon the need, be a very low powered highly focused light, a bright floody weapons light, an infrared light, the uses and options are as varied as the situations that may crop up. Therefore no single flashlight can be "tactical" unless it is used specifically in a tactical situation. It is the actual use that makes it temporarily tactical.

Ok, sorry will get off my soap box now.

Curious_character said:

Or do you have to spray paint it black to make it qualify?

Click to expand...

No, I think pink tactical lights are quite acceptable if you're a girl. And camo has got to be OK for guys.

Edit: Nice post Lee.

What makes a light "tactical"?

Answer: Apart from being blindingly bright >100+ lumens, & having the switch on the tail... a tactical light MUST implement a "normal clickie" switching mechanism, such as those found on Maglite switches. It's also known as "Forward Clickie".. basically it means you can lightly press the button and there will be instant light. It's crucial for momentary signalling operation (tactical), and IMHO is the best & most intuitive way to operate a flashlight today. All Surefire lights are Forward Clickie as well as most American brands. They are tactical lights.

However, ALL Chinese flashlights are REVERSE Clicky. This is a big NO-NO for tactical users as the light can't be used for momentary signaling. It is very counter-intuitive since you must fully depress the switch and then let go for light activation. It also emits loud sound when you 'click' the light on.
FENIX, LUMAPOWER, HUNTLIGHT, JETBEAM, ULTRAFIRE, REXLIGHT, LITEFLUX, DEALEXTREME are ALL reverse clickies.. that's why I can never buy Chinese lights until they resolve this problem. Here's the full list of these Chinese culprits:

http://candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=150086

To sum it up, Tactical lights must
1. 100+ Lumens
2. Switch Mounted on tail end.
3. MUST IMPLEMENT 'Forward Clickie' (ie Normal clickie)
4. All Chinese lights DON'T qualify for tactical uses. (ie law enforcement, military, or protecting your home from invasion - since the loud click will give away your position to an attacker)

P.S By 'tactical' I mean a light that's used in potential combat situations against a human attacker. This is the main purpose that people are fulfilling after when they want a tactical light, and is ultimately what we're talking about here.

Curious_character said:

or is simple overpricing sufficient to qualify a light? Can you use a non-"tactical" light "tactically"? Can you use a "tactical" light non-"tactically"?

Click to expand...

Ha ha ha ha
:lolsign: