LED for general use on duty belt for LEO

I am looking for a light that can be carried on a belt, general use. I want a light with pretty good throw since a large portion of my patrol area is rural, but I also need it to have some ability to flood for traffic stops and things of that nature. The brightest light I have been able to get my hands on that seems to fit my throw vs. flood bill is the Streamlight Stinger DS LED HP. I am looking for recommendations for something that may be a bit brighter. I need it to be an LED light and rechargable (preferably with a dock, but I can do removable batteries if there is something that fits perfectly).

I can go a little larger if I absolutely have to, but it needs to be something big enough to be easily and quickly tucked under my arm.

I am not trying to restrict myself in price too much, so any price ranges I will consider.

I have very limited access to lights in my area, therefore I am forced to purchase lights online with no use.

Thanks for the help.

Forgot to mention. My current light is a MagCharger with a TerraLux drop in. I have that light for flooding, but need something to hit longer distances. I like the look of the Malkoff Hound Dog, but it looks like that may be dang near impossible to get my hands on.

Hi,

I'm a college professor, but my light requirements are similar to yours; I ride my bike a good stretch on rural roads going back and forth to campus, so need a bright thrower with a long run time. I also much prefer neutral whites so I'll be buying a JetBeam Jet-III Pro ST BVC very shortly from Going Gear.

I'd think it would work well for you; it's small, very bright (240 lumens OTF), a good thrower but also with good spill, and tough (stainless bezels, etc.) It is compatible with RCR/CR123's, and 18650's. It is also a 1" diameter so it is compatible with most weapon mount accessories, has a choice between OP and SMO reflectors, and a forward clicky option for the switch for momentary on and tactical applications.

You can check it out at jetbeamusa.com and Going Gear has the best price on them right now.

I'll have to keep the Jetbeam in mind. The main problem I see with it is that it is only 120mm. That is a little on the short side to be tucked under my arm...

Ah, okay, that makes sense. The RRT2 is somewhat larger and a very similar light. Maybe you should consider a Malkoff if you're already using a Mag host. Don't have one myself, but they have a loyal following here, and they're US made with bulletproof warranty and customer service from everything I read about them.

I would suggest a Maglite with a Malkoff XP-G drop-in.

Pick the size you like the best, but the combination of the Maglite form factor, readily available cells and functionality of the XP-G in a good quality after-market Maglite reflector will give you the best of both the flood and throw world.

The host Maglite will cost you less than $20, and when it gets all dinged and funky, you can replace it by simply buying a new host and moving the custom parts.

Here are the custom parts:

Malkoff Devices drop-in appropriate to the Maglite you buy.

Borafloat glass lens from flashlightlens.com or lighthound.com.

Good quality aluminum orange peel reflector from a variety of sources.

A custom-modded Maglite switch with a dimming circuit, wired to the Malkoff drop-in.

:welcome:

its not the brightest thrower on the block, but I've fallen in love with it...

Surefire A2L. It throws very nicely, it has a good amount of flood, so you can see when you're going and don't suffer from tunnel vision.

The 4 low LEDs are VERY floody, I have the red one to preserve night adapted vision (NAV). I could easily see this like being ideal for LEOs during traffic stops. Low light for identification and reading IDs while preserving NAV in case things turn for the worse you'll see it coming.

Good luck.

I would suggest the O Light M-30. The strobe can be instantly accessed and it's bright and tough.

Or the Olight M20S, 4Sevens Maelstrom G5, Inova Inforce 9VX. All great lights.

I have the Maglite with the Malkoff XPG drop in and it has some awesome throw, I like it much better than my Streamlight ultrastinger, but, it is not a belt light. I think I am looking for the same light swdep is. I was thinking a Streamlight stinger led ds hp myself, or possibly a Pelican 7060, but the Pelican is only rated at 130 lumens, while the streamlight is around 185. The Pelican has a longer run time though and both look like they might do the armpit tuck alright (that is really important in a LEO light)

Surefire E2DL.

good throw, with a big hotspot. spill is not great, but very useable.

feels great in your hand, overhand or cigar grip style. very gripy knurling, simple high/low modes, foward clicky with momentary. light always come on high first. press again for low.

i love my e2dl.

there was a thread started by a leo a while back talking about how satisfying the e2dl is as a duty light.

or if you need something bigger with more muscle, that will fit underneath your arm easier, the surefire M3LT.

Jetbeam M1X

It's expensive, it's awesome, and after a year on my belt everyday I can say that my Surefire LX2 could very well be the last flashlight I need to buy.

I saw the Stinger DS LED hp vs. a pelican 7060, and the Stinger outperformed.

I keep coming back to the G5 and the olight... My only concern is that some beam shot make it look like it has pretty short usable range.

swdep said:

I saw the Stinger DS LED hp vs. a pelican 7060, and the Stinger outperformed.

I keep coming back to the G5 and the olight... My only concern is that some beam shot make it look like it has pretty short usable range.

Click to expand...

You will be hard pressed finding a light that out performs the G5 and Olight M20 (check for the M20 R2 version as well, I hear they throw a tad more than the newer M20 XP-G). These are a couple of the best lights out there in their class. They are hand held and can fit in holsters. The M20 comes with a holster. Not sure about the G5.

If you want something more substantial you may need to find a different class of light and may have trouble finding a holster for it and it may be rather large to carry on the belt. If you want a Maglight sized light you can definitely find something that out performs these 2 I suggested. The Catapult V2 comes to mind. I just couldn't imagine carrying it on a belt, unless it fit in a Maglight belt ring.

I think you need to decide what type of light platform you want (i.e. size, battery configuration, LED type, etc) and go from there. Comparing an M20 to a Catapult V2 is like comparing apples to oranges.

I'm a medic and I carry my ElektroLumens EDC-MCE to work; it's AMAZING indoors but I want more throw. That being said, I'm waiting for 4Seven's Maelstrom s1200 to come out... I think it'll be perfect (for you aswell).

Save yourself the time and expense, and just order the Streamlight Strion LED; rechargeable, Li-ion battery (light weight), 160 lumens, and still useful under your arm. I wish someone had helped me with this before I wasted money on the 7060... The Strion LED is perfect!

There are four or five in my office carrying them; easy to find an idle charger laying around, too!

The Jet-III-M

Still one of my favorite lights, on sale and worth considering...

http://store.bugoutgearusa.com/jejpr.html

swdep said:

I saw the Stinger DS LED hp vs. a pelican 7060, and the Stinger outperformed.

I keep coming back to the G5 and the olight... My only concern is that some beam shot make it look like it has pretty short usable range.

Click to expand...

Swdep-

I'm a PO in Chicago. I use the jetbeam III-M as a backup in my vest cover pocket and I use the Olight M30 on my duty belt.

It's true the Olight is more "floody" than "throwy". However it is a very durable light, it is long enough to comfortably tuck under your arm with the extension (x2 18650 li-ion batteries), and the head size is nice and small - actually PERFECT to fit on a duty belt without jabbing you in the side all shift when your standing and/or sitting.

The Jetbeam M1X has the same amount of lumens (roughly) and it does out-throw the Olight M30. But the head on it is HUGE. Too huge to put anywhere on your batman belt. I have found the Olight to work great and illuminate well up to and over 150 yards. If you need to see beyond that, other LED's are out there that may be brighter and have more throw. But there isn't too much else thats going to REALLY outshine the M30 other than an HID light or something that is just too big to carry on your person.

I've dropped it off of a building and it still works. I've submerged it in water and it still works. I've left it in the snow, and in direct sunlight on a hot summer day in my car and it still works.

If you are interested, I know of a good site that makes a holster for an Inova flashlight that fits the Olight M30 perfectly. Your choice of leather, clarino, basketweave, nylon and your choice of snap button material. I can give you the link if you'd like.

All the other lights already metioned in this thread are solid and time tested as well, but I just wanted to share my experience with the M30 - obviously i'm a fan. Stay safe out there.

BTW, if you are a fan of the size of a 2D maglite, or you guys can carry them on a D-ring - the Fenix TK40 is an awesome light too (8 AA batteries), and a couple people on this site have put them through a torture test and they kept on kickin. Use it with some sanyo eneloops for a rechargeable option.

-Jeff

I'd add the EagleTac T20C2 MKII to your list of options.

One of the brightest single 18650 battery options. Good durability and value. Very good beam shape and smoothness, excellent throw, and very efficient. Comes with decent holster.

Quite a bit smaller than your Streamlight, but considerably brighter with longer runtimes.