Tactical/Self Defense Recommendation

Hey all.
Though I may be new (or relatively new, to those of you who saw my since lost post a while back), I'm currently in the market for a new Tactical/Self Defense light

I came from a Brite-Strike BDRC-HLS (220 Lumen, HLS, strike bezel, 5.2 inches long) which was by far the single best light I have ever owned. I've had..4 of them, and Every. Single. One. Failed on me. I've just been in touch with Customer Service up at Brite-Strike, and they're cutting me a check for the purchase price of the light.

Before the Brite-Strike I had an Inova T4MP (200 Lumen, mid body switch, HLS design, 9 inches long)

The Inova was also a very good light, though I lost it.

I am actually quite sad to lose my Brite-Strike but I will not continue to work with a company whose product I have continuous trouble with.

I'd like a light that had a strike bezel for physical defense, as well as a strobe for disorientation (Being visually impaired and living in NYC, it's about all I got in the way of defense tools)

Small is good (Surefire 6P size, something like that) though I am willing to carry something as big as the Inova T4...I'd rather smaller

I've considered Surefire, JetBeam, Olight, EagleTac and HDS, as well as going back to Inova

All of the above companies make lights that are waterPROOF, except surefire and Inova. Not that that's a big deal, but it'd be nice...

Rechargeable...simply because it lowers overall total ownership costs...I'm willing to do primary batteries, but I'd rather not, as 123's get expensive over time, even through Surefire...

I don't know why, but brand loyalty is a problem for me...part of me wants to get my Brite-Strike back and give them another chance, but I've given them four without success...

I have no idea what I want to get, because frankly, I'd just like to be able to carry my old Brite-Strike without fear of it failing on me......can anyone help me lean one way or the other, or at least recommend one or two manufacturers to look at based on personal experience?

First of all, welcome (back?) to CPF!

Second, you're going to have a huge problem around here if you are genuinely a brand loyalist. I say this only because just about every manufacturer that you will hear about here on the forums makes some great lights that are really good at what they do. Deciding between them can be really hard, especially when there are so many options with almost identical features.

To start you off, I'm going to break it down as I see it.

First of all, I admit I had to look up your Brite-Strike light on Amazon. I was please to see that it sells for about $200 dollars. That means you're willing to spend good money on a light (not that a good light has to be expensive mind you). So assuming your budget is around $200 and given the description of your size/capability preference, The following are my recommendations:

1) HDS Ra Clicky 170 Tactical - This is a light you are going to hear A LOT about (It looks like you've already looked into it some). It has quite a following here on CPF and for good reason. It is tough as nails, of superb manufacturing quality, offers incredible customization of output modes, and it's made in the USA. It does have a strike bezel, a forward clicky and a tactical strobe so it is definitely a tactical light. It put's out 170 lumens on turbo (and the strobe is always 170 lumens) and can be configured for a smattering of other outputs.
2) Surefire/Surefire Clone with a drop in of your choice - This is the option that really gets people hooked on flashlight because the choices are almost infinite. Any of the Surefire tactical hosts (6P,C2,Z2) will be excellent lights and are also of very high quality. You will notice that the drop ins that come with those lights are somewhat underpowered when compared with the after market offerings however. After market drop ins come in a variety of forms, offering your choice of emitter from the brightest to the throwiest to the floodiest to the most efficient, all in your choice of color temperature (warm vs cool vs neutral) with a variety of modes. Just to get you started, Malkoff devices and Nailbender drop ins are favorites around here, but larger manufacturers (mostly Chinese) such as Solarforce, Ultrafire etc... also make drop ins for every occasion.

Back to the host for a moment... the Surefire hosts I mentioned are designed to take Primary CR123 cells and won't handle the very popular 18650 battery stock. There are modders around who will bore your light or sell you a pre-bored light. The one with whom I'm most familiar is Oveready. Your other alternative is to look at a Surefire clone such as the Solarforce hosts. These are very similar to the Surefire 6P series lights but they will take an 18650 right out of the box. Some would argue that they are not as high quality as the Surefire hosts but they are more affordable and as such, a popular choice for "legoing" lights.

3) This third item is not a specific light but a category of lights. These are from major manufacturers, sold as a complete unit. They include the lights such as the popular T20C2 the Fenix TK 11/12 and the 4Sevens Maelstrom X7 (and possibly the 4Sevens Quark series). These are all designed to be tactical lights and will likely have strike bezels and strobe modes.


I'm really sorry you've had a bad experience with the manufacturer of your previous light. I have owned many of the lights I spoke about above and have heard sung the praises of the others such that I'm almost positive you will have a better experience on your next go around.

Disclaimer: The above represents my opinion. There are more experienced and more intelligent individuals than myself on this forum, the opinions of whom you should hold above mine. I am not intending to support any particular manufacturer above another, but am describing the products with which I have had personal experience or about which I have done some degree of research.

Also, please feel free to ask any questions you have when trying to decide on your new light.

Good luck!

A flashlight is an illumination tool. As a weapon, I would consider it at the bottom of my list - if it even makes the list at all. Any chunk of cylindrical metal will suffice as an impact weapon, if that is your requirement.

I have yet to see any EDC light that would dis-orient or blind me to the point of not being able to reach out and "touch" you, if that were my desire.

Don't get caught up in the hype. A crenelated bezel and x-amount of lumens and a flashy strobe does not mean you have a magic death ray. Again, it's a FLASHLIGHT.

Threads like this tend to get closed rather quickly...

Hello shadow324, welcome to CPF (again ).
Unfortunately, this topic is a well-worn one here, and there are many threads on this subject. Please use the Google 'CPF search' box at the top of each page with your keywords such as 'self-defense flashlight' etc and you will find much info.

Also the info that Shane45_1911 posted above is pretty close to the mark IHMO.