What is the Current State of Tactical Lights?

Hi.

My name is Mitchell, and I'm out of the loop bad when it comes to flashlights.

My sole entries into this area are my pair of Surefire 6P's, one of which is so old it has the old Laser Products etching on the switch. My only upgrade to it has been the Surefire LED drop in.

I'm looking for information on what the current state of pocket flashlights for daily carry use as an illumination tool in connection with a firearm, or as a stand alone fist load.

So...basically...

Help.

Mitchell, I am not sure what you are asking. If you have upgraded to an LED you are on the right track and not as far behind as you think. If you are looking for a flashlight for duty carry that you can also use for flaslight techniques with a handgun then there are many choices. If you have had a good experience with your 6P and like the size start there and add your list of requirements such as single or multiple light levels, re-chargeable or throw aways, carry options, price range, brightness levels, throw or flood etc.

Welcome to the sight there is a wealth of knowledge to be found here. :welcome:

It would indeed be helpful if you were to state more about what you want and need, esp for what sort of firearm and hand held or weapon mounted or what, but like a broken record I can contribute that my own personal every day carry light is a Surefire E2D LED model, which when purchased new now puts out 200 SF- rated lumens. I like the general portability, the stand-alone up-close self defense design, and the fact that the tail cap prevents the clicky switch from turning on accidentally (as when in a pocket or whatever) when the tail cap itself is not in the 'safe' position. In a 3 CR-123 cell light I would really like to at least see a SF Invictus, rated 400 lumens at high setting, but having put out a description some years back (wasn't it?), SF have yet to actually produce an actual flashlight so....

If you are happy with your 6P but want more output, you can upgrade to a Malkoff Devices M60 or M61. If you want more runtime you can upgrade to an M60L or M60LL. Both the M60 and M60L are significantly brighter than the Surefire P60 LED drop-in you have purchased, and the L and LL will run for significantly longer on a set of batteries.

If you are looking for a new light, nicer than your 6P and a bit more expensive, Surefire makes a great lineup of smaller lights that are suitable for every day carry, such as the LX2 or E2DL.

If you are looking for something about the same price or less than your 6P, then look at 4sevens Quark. They are extremely popular nowadays, excellent values, well-made, and offer a lot of useful features.

Well Mitchell, your old and classic SureFire 6P still is the Industry Standard of tactical handlights which every manufacturer tries hard to meet. As carrot said, if you're happy with your 6P (and you should be) but want more output, more runtime or different beam profiles, then anything made by Malkoff Devices is the way to go (in case you want LED, that is). If you want high-pressure xenon lamp assemblies, then Lumens Factory is one of the finest.

Cheers.