Tactical Flashlights? Why?

With all the tactical flashlights out there....and many of us own more than one of them.....when was the last time you had to use your flashlight for tactical reasons?

I know some of you may be police officers and may but for the rest of us.......??

Also, I want to know what you guys think this...if you are on a hiking trail near dawn and see a bear in front of you looking at you.....would you use your flashlight and try to scare the bear away? How about strobe? I think it may entice the bear to attack you when you have a strobing flashlight on you.

Well, as a CPL holder, and a certified firearms trainer, it is incumbent for a person using a gun for defensive puproses to identify the target before pulling the trigger, if necessary. Having the right light for the job is as necessary as having the right gun for the job.

As for the bear, I do not know how a strobe would affect him. I have read first hand accounts of strobes stopping dog attacks, tho.

You don't need to be an LEO to prefer handling a light in a tactical fashion. The size, length, weight and type of switch help determine how you hold a light as well. I have an 17650 tube on my HDS and it is the biggest light in my collection and I have the momentary setting on so I actually like holding it in a tactical grip. The rest of my lights are single celled with twisties and clickies so I hold them with varying grips.

With regard to the bear question I would guess it would be best once you have been seen to not draw attention to yourself. I saw a show once where a guy said to back away slowly and make yourself look big by holding your pack above your head if possible. A light may make the animal curious.:thinking:

Because I like them...

I like things with tactical design. Typically these lights are more rugged- take the mil-spec hard anodizing for example, and the 810 spec for shock and water resistance. Generally the design and ergonomics allow for easy/fast deployment also.
Granted, I wouldn't mind seeing other colors of lights (not yellow though), but I like the thinking behind tactical design. Flashlights should be designed to be rugged- able to withstand hard use, even though just like all other tools and firearms I use, I always to my best to care for them.

Only in training/FoF scenarios.

Dunno enough animal behaviour to tell you if a light would do any good.

I guess its just what people like or think they need. I have tactical lights and im a nurse...doubtful and of my senior patients are going to attack me.

Still, I like having equipment that will last and survive any punishment it may encounter. Most of the better "tactical" lights are designed to withstand hard use and if I ever do need it in an emergency, I sure dont want it failing because it gets dropped, soaked or anything else.

To me it is like my watches, I dont dive or do anything particularly harsh, but I like to know my watches can handle any weather, abuse and whatever else, so I wear divers watches, Seiko, Citizen or G-Shocks.

Other than that, the "tactical" lights just look good. Like driving a car, we could all get by with a plain old 4-door off-white sedan. Even though most of us are not race car drivers or have a real need for high-performance cars, we just like them and they tend to look nice.

I agree with what the above posters have said but many of us just get them because they are cool, and perhaps because they are quite easy to operate, generally tough and reliable.

watchcollector1968 said:

Other than that, the "tactical" lights just look good. Like driving a car, we could all get by with a plain old 4-door off-white sedan. Even though most of us are not race car drivers or have a real need for high-performance cars, we just like them and they tend to look nice.

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totally true!

Check this link for human-bear interractions in the wild.
http://www.bearinfo.org/bearsafety.htm

I think things in "tactical" mode are silly most of the time unless you're actually comparing their use in combat vs. non-combat. And even with that, it's probably overrated.

For example....the Inova XO3 vs. the T3. One is tacticool, one is not. The button is the real difference. And to be honest, my Inova X03 has a much more tactical tail cap than my surefire does. THe effort to pulse and lock on my SF is way more than that of the Inova.

As for holding a light a certain way, puhhhhleease. Yes, I know it looks cooler to hold it overhand rather than under hand..or cigar style rather than palmed. BUt honestly, does it matter how you're identifying a threat, a burglar, a pair of kids making out in their car in a park parking lot? Probably not. LIke a burglar is going to take courage and attack you because you're holding your Ultra Stinger under hand and not overhand so you can whack him...LIke he'll run if you're holding the light the right way!

Anyway, most cops I know have never hit someone with their flashlights and probably never will. As for strike bezels?? Not gonna get started on that one...we'll just leave it as a "mall-ninja" accessory.

For me, when I think "tactical flashlight" I think: a) high power, and b) momentary lighting capability.

I have on 2 occasions chased off some no-gooders from my property by just lighting them up from a distance and shouting "hey!" Vandals and criminals hide in the dark because they don't want to get caught. But as for tactical/defensive purposes, I think a flashlight would be a poor selection.

Currently, I have the "tactical" lights because, in the near future, I'm going to start my military service. While not infantry, I figure a good flashlight or two for that environment is a good idea. I also have some non-tactical lights...

Bears and strobes? I dunno. I backpacked a lot in California, where black bears got scared just fine by tossing some rocks, making a lot of noise, and waving your hands. Yeah, you look stupid, but the only person there to see you is A) the rear of the bear, or B) your camping partners, who better be doing the same thing.

lronchef said:

I think things in "tactical" mode are silly most of the time unless you're actually comparing their use in combat vs. non-combat. And even with that, it's probably overrated.

For example....the Inova XO3 vs. the T3. One is tacticool, one is not. The button is the real difference. And to be honest, my Inova X03 has a much more tactical tail cap than my surefire does. THe effort to pulse and lock on my SF is way more than that of the Inova.

As for holding a light a certain way, puhhhhleease. Yes, I know it looks cooler to hold it overhand rather than under hand..or cigar style rather than palmed. BUt honestly, does it matter how you're identifying a threat, a burglar, a pair of kids making out in their car in a park parking lot? Probably not. LIke a burglar is going to take courage and attack you because you're holding your Ultra Stinger under hand and not overhand so you can whack him...LIke he'll run if you're holding the light the right way!

Anyway, most cops I know have never hit someone with their flashlights and probably never will. As for strike bezels?? Not gonna get started on that one...we'll just leave it as a "mall-ninja" accessory.

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The reason for always grabbing the flashlight in an overhand grip:



That way, IF you do need to use your firearm, then it is already in the proper grip for the Harries Technique as illustrated above.

pbs357 said:

Vandals and criminals hide in the dark because they don't want to get caught.

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+1 to that. If you can put them "on stage" from a distance their going to want out of there fast!

I'm an outdoor enthusiast and hunter so I like the peace of mind and reliability that some of the so-called "tactical" light brands provide. Before the days of high quality tactical lights I was let down by a number of unreliable junk lights in the field. They always seemed to fail at the worst possible times. I also carry defensively and tactical lights provide the ergonomics needed when firing a weapon in conjunction with a light. With regards to owning so many of them.....I suppose I just enjoy the hobby and collecting them. It's always nice to have several choices when I pick a light or three for my evening out.


I only have first hand knowledge of two bear/flashlight instances. The two other times were during the day.

Once my friend shined his Princeton Tec 4XAA light at a black bear in the fading light. The bear didn't seem to be afraid of him despite his 6'4" and 260lb size. He waved his arms and the bear stood up at 40 yards inquisitively and was stiffing the air. He finally took his light out and flashed it at him by sweeping the beam several times and the bear finally decided to leave after that. He's not sure to this day whether it was the light or not but it didn't seem to cause additional curiosity on the bear's part. Lucky bear, because the archery quota in that unit had just been filled that morning. We were both trying to fill our bear tags before that during the archery elk hunt. He had stated later that the light was his last resort before shishkabobing that old, bold, son-of-a-gun.

Same trip, I had harvested my bull elk the evening before and was out scouting for my friends who were still trying to fill their tags. I was walking back to the truck after sitting all afternoon near a waterhole. On the way out I stopped to investigate the gut pile from my kill the night before and there was a bear eating it. I had a vector 55W incan spot and shined it at the bear from about 55 yards away and it turned to look. I said "hey" in a stern voice it took off really fast. Once again I'm not sure if it was the light or my voice but since I was startled, I really wasn't in the mind set to be testing the effects of light against the animal. It was purely for threat recognition at that point. I had a 10mm handgun about one second away, but still, I can think of more comforting things to do than walking up on eating bears in the darkness.
:candle:

If anything, it's seems like the light is a mild deterrent to black bears. I've found that to be the case with most of God's creatures, whether they were prey animals or predatory animals. They usually don't hang around to give you a good look once they're lit up.

I do not believe a strobe would stop a bear in its tracks, particularly if it felt threatened. Best bet would be some type of bear spray and quick feet. At least that was what the park ranger told me the last time I went camping.

I find five or six flashes or "strobes" from the end of a .44 magnum will quite often make the bear want to leave, unless it is a brown bear.

Usually though for black bear, wearing small "bear bells" around your neck and using pepper spray is quite effective. Brown bear is different. You can easily tell brown bear by its scat. It has small bells in it and smells like pepper spray.

For me, on of the reason I have that style of lights(Well, I only have one, so I can't say too much, it doesn't even have a forward clickie) is because they are smaller, brighter, easier to use, and I find them more comfortable.

What is considered "tactical"?

hmm, in my limited experience with animals it seems that most don't mind a bright/strobing light at all, they hardly seem to notice. now, a light + 9mm on the other hand might work quite effectively. As far as "tacticool" I just like having a switch on the tailcap, simple operation, and

The bezel crenelations chewed through my pocket, and i don't even have a "strike" bezel.. I dunno, I guess I'm glad to have a nice hunk of metal in my hand, but it's not even pokey enough to do damage beyond a few bruises (at least by my hand), I'd be tempted to 1. run like hell, or 2 flick open a pointy object if faced with a threatening situation (i don't carry a gun).. but since i've never been faced with a situation where i needed a weapon..............