EDC LEO Light Recommendations!

Hello all,

This is my first time making a post here at CPF. However, I have been looking at the sight on and off for the last couple years. I am just now getting back from a break and I get the feeling changes are coming as fast in the lighting world as they are with laptops and smartphones.

Here is my question... I am looking for a fantastic EDC pocket-style back-up light for LEO use. I have a buddy who uses a SF Backup, and although I was impressed with its function and simplicity, I dont feel like paying 300% more for the SF name. Don't get me wrong, money isn't the deciding factor at all for me. But, I believe there are other makers of lights who just dont get the attention of the masses in the LEO world.

Here are my needs/wants... 1.) Dependability... 2.) Quality, Durable construction... 3.) High light output, but with multi-level options... 4.) Good amount of throw, but with usable spill.

I am also interested in getting some input and opinion on the best power source for an EDC light. Are cr123's overall better than the different AA forms?

Okay, I hope that lays the ground work for you all... Blast away!!

-BH98-

To give you all an idea...

I was originally looking to buy a Fenix Digital PD30 R5 Limited edition from BatteryJunction.... but for some reason the order didnt go through so I started researching other lights before I re-placed the order.

I am looking for something within the same range of this light. Either something using 1 or 2-CR123's or something using 1-AA form-type battery. I would consider investing in some rechargables and a good recharger if the benefits outweigh the added costs.

-BH98-

Cr123 primaries have all the advantages over any form of AA. except for ease of availability.

HDS 170 clicky. or if you can find one, the newer HDS rotary or clicky, which put out about 200 lumens.
I suggest the HDS 170 cause its designed more for throw.

these lights cost more than the SF backup. but ive seen many HDS 170 on the market lately for great prices. Probably to buy the newer versions.

many would say build quality is even better than surefire, beam imho is better. and very energy efficient.

programmable interface so you may set it to your preference for usage.
you can have 4 different outputs, set to whatever brightness, or whatever strobes you want.
also you can set up momentary, automactic shut-off, memory from last setting, etc etc.

my HDS high CRI clicky is by far my favorite and most carried light.

best rechargable battery option and only one i would recommend for duty use are 18650s. (same length as 2x CR123)
but the size of the light would be larger, similar to the size of a surefire 6P.

14500 li-ion(AA size) and 16430 aka RCR123 have only half the capacity of CR123 primaries.

My HDS is my EDC, and my last line back-up. You mentioned dependability as your number 1. I recommend HDS High CRI Clicky. That is the sole reason why I always carry around my HDS with me. When I do go out for long periods of time, I will also have my Surefire 6P bored for 18650 with Malkoff M61W, as well as my Jetbeam III-M, and Fenix lights. The Jetbeams are pretty reliable too, which is why I bought one. There is a video out of stress testing, whipped around, and the light was also fired upon, and run over by a vehicle.

I like warm lights. Warm is useful for foliage, and it improves contrast with browns and greens. So if you are looking for contraband or illegal items in the back of a vehicle, high CRI will serve you better. A dark clothing perp will probably stand out better with a high CRI light. It might mean a couple of seconds faster, but that could mean the difference between life and death. Even a weapon may be easier to decipher with a warm light, or high CRI (but this is only speculation). HDS is known for reliability. The HDS people took one of their lights and whipped it around for an hour, and dropped it from height, threw it against a wall repeatedly, and the light still worked. If you have any questions, please let us known and we would be glad to help.

I will be purchasing another HDS light in the future, and am also looking to add an additional Fenix to my collection. I am considering the TK21 which is around 468 lumens, and very reliable as well. Does anyone know if the HDS Rotary can always give full lumens when powered on, or will that depend on what position the light is twisted in? This may be a consideration for LEOs. Full light, right away.

Just some things to consider here. I own a few lights, you can see what I have in my signature. Even though Surefire is very expensive, the build quality is much better than anything I have seen yet. They are way over engineered in my opinion. When comparing them to firearms, it's like choosing a Kimber 1911 over a Hi point 9mm. Yeah. :sick2:

From my experience, anything above 200 lumens is trivial, unless you are speaking of a super thrower like a Fenix TK35 at 820 lumens or better. I notice a massive difference in 50 lumens vs 20. A very good difference in 100 vs 50. I notice a reasonable difference in 200 vs 100, but almost no difference in 350 vs 200, and hardly any difference in 820 vs 355. Yep. :sigh:

I think it's more to do with our eyes than personal opinion. It's very hard to distinguish the brightness as you go up the scale, and I think for anything within 100 yards 200 lumens will do you just fine.

I don't claim to be an expert, these are just my opinions after six months of lurking CPF

I love my E1B (aka "Backup"). The price sickens me, but I'd still say it's worth it.
I bought the Streamlight PT1L as a more affordable alternative. Basically same size, batteries, comparable output. Functions the same as E1B except it includes strobe.
I'd actually recommend the PT2L. I have this one as well. It's a 2-cell version of the PT1L. It's nearly as bright as my Surefire LX2. It's as between the thinness of your middle and pointer fingers.

AA lights benefit from the fact that batteries could be had easily from anywhere, but I personally would not run alkaline batteries in any of my AA lights. Alkalines are slightly heavier than lithiums (one battery is ok but two or three batteries and you will notice the weight difference), are more prone to leakage which would be a real headache for an expensive light, and does not pack enough power to sustain a stable draw from high powered lights. I use either Energizer lithium AA or Eneloop rechargeables in such lights. If the light is capable of taking a higher voltage then I may run them with AW 14500 Li-Ion rechargeables. Do note that Li-Ion batteries are quite volatile so you have to handle them with extreme care. Overcharging and overdischarging a Li-Ion battery could be very dangerous, that's why I recommend AW brand Li-Ion for the extra safety built into the batteries. Most of my lights are CR123 based and some take 17670 or 18650 rechargeable Li-Ion.

My all time favorite would be the new HDS systems' EDC-R1B-200 rotary. It is designed by Henry Schneiker, takes CR123 or rechargeable CR123 (aka RCR or 16340) Li-Ion battery, super robust (as tough as Surefire if that's how I can put it), has a rotary dial to control the light from 0.08 to 200 lumen, highly programmable, has thermal regulation control to prevent over-heating, capable of reading battery capacity to prevent over-discharging (important for Li-Ion users), has graceful power management (meaning the output would drop a level once a few minutes until the battery within could not sustain anymore before shutting down allowing users ample time to get spare batteries), has very well cushioned glass window to eliminate chances of breakage from hard impact, has potting on all electronic parts for impact resistance, tested to be EMP resistant (not that it's important but you may like the idea), can be programmed to allow easy excess to strobe or beacon if you need it in work, and some other features I could not recall. Expensive at $199 but you also get superb service and a lifetime warranty from HDS Systems. Compared to the E1B Backup they seem miles apart. The only downside is that it doesn't support a pocket clip so I carried mine around on a Kydex holster from HDS Systems.

Alternatively, you can get the HDS Clickies which is slightly tougher due to the lack of a moving (rotary) tailcap. With four preset light output which are individually programmable from the 24 light output settings excluding strobe; beacon; & SOS, the clickies are the best light one could have before the rotary was born. If you need clip option, the clicky series does support clips.

Hope that helps.

Oh, and welcome to CPF!! :welcome:

Stay safe in your work!

I have the Fenix PD30, and it is an awesome light. It is my favorite light. Plenty of flood and throw. Very well built. I bought a case of CR123 batteries from MidwayUSA for $24, tho I think that price has gone up.

If money is not a consideration, and reliability/dependability/quality are at the top of your list, the HDS lights are second to none.

That said, it is not easy to drop that much money on a backup light. If you stick around here long, this lot will have you trying to stuff $100 bills through your monitor but it can also be satisfying to do your research and find out exactly what you want before you hand over too much coin. If, for now, you want to purchase a solid, high performing, tactical backup light that will not disappoint you but will not break the bank, please consider the 4Sevens Quark AA Tactical. It will run perfectly on AA, and will be exceptionally bright on 14500 Li Ion cells. It has a simple, tactical UI. It's small enough to carry as a backup, but puts out enough light to fill in as your primary.

:welcome:

EDIT Forgot to mention that the Quark tactical is also available in a 123 version that is functionally identical in case you wanted to use cr123 cells.

Agreed. Quark Tactical AA is a good choice too. I have one and love mine too.

Any of the HDS will serve you well. I'm looking at my shelf in my office and I just counted 27 different lights on it. Everything from Surefire, 4 Sevens, Nitecore, First Light, Inova, Dereelight, Sunwayman, Pentagon, etc.
The toughest build by far are the HDS lights. The most versatile... HDS. The one light I always take with me... HDS.

I use a SF E2DL as my primary but carry this for my backup as it's barely over 3", comes with clip and sheath: http://westernsportonline.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=41&products_id=453

For EDC around the house etc, I carry this: http://westernsportonline.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=41&products_id=455

Can't go wrong with the PD30.

For pocket back-up carry...try either the Thrunite Neutron 1C or the Jetbeam BC10. Both are 1xCR123A lights, compact, very bright, are even brighter on rechargeable RCR123 batteries, easy to carry in the pocket and are reasonably priced...especially the BC10.

CPF'er Selfbuilt's excellent reviews of both:

http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?311559
http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?312793

HIDblue said:

For pocket back-up carry...try either the Thrunite Neutron 1C or the Jetbeam BC10. Both are 1xCR123A lights, compact, very bright, are even brighter on rechargeable RCR123 batteries...

Click to expand...

I am sorry HIDblue but I respectfully disagree. I say avoid the Thrunite Neutron. Although it is bright, the reverse clicky makes it unsuitable for LEO use. It would be hard to get the light to do a series of momentary flash, move, flash, move, flash, move sequence, also depending on how your unit trains you. I am not sure about Jetbeam BC10 though since I did not bother to read up on it.

Gentleman, Cant thank you enough for your input! I do owe SF an apology as well... I love SF lights, always have, but my experience has always been that SF and Streamlight are kinda the two most use lighting companies that LEO always seem to purchase. They both make a good light, but it has been my belief that 1.) you pay for the label... and 2.) because both of these companies have done well to advertise, they have nabbed a lot of the purchasers.

But, that is what makes CPF so nice, it is informative, and it "sheds some light" on the companies that are not as well known. SF you guys rock, but damn expensive!

All the recommendations have been great. I am going to look into them and do my best to make an educated decision. PLEASE keep the thoughts coming.

So here is another question... is the money for an HDS worth it over the more budget minded Fenix, Quark, or JetBeam?

Thanks again guys!

It is expensive no doubt but for all that was said about the HDS, I guess you should draw your own conclusion as to whether a HDS is worth it. If your life depended on a light to work 24/7, can it be measured by costs? Personally I think it's worth it. It pains me to place the order but when I do look back I realized that I have no regrets at all for having purchased one of the best light out there.

VERY well said PJ!! I needed to hear that... it gives me a reason to tell my wife to shut her mouth when she sees the bill . J/k, but honestly that was exactly what I needed to hear. Its not about price at all.

-BH98-