Zebralight clip failed; flashlight lost

I noticed after the couple months since I started carrying my SC51 that the clip wasn't quite as tight as it once was. I lamented the poor clip, and explained it away by telling myself that over time the metal just bends. Well, it became loose enough to come clear off my belt a few days ago, and now I'm left without.

I must only be cut out for Surefire-level flashlights, since I'm apparently too hard on my stuff. First the ring holder on my 47 Mini123 broke off (the ring that's integral to the body of the flashlight), and now my SC51.

If you go Surefire, I am sure you will break the clip and loss your light. Surefire clips are designed to break at a certain pressure point. It's supposed to be a feature, not a fault. But... you might loose it if your carrying habit is to clip it onto your belt.

I am sorry to hear about that...I am not a big fan of the Zebralight clips either...

I believe you yet...can you explain the advantage of that feature?

mmace1 said:

I believe you yet...can you explain the advantage of that feature?

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I believe this question was meant for me? The clip was made to break away in case it got snagged onto something in a tactical situation. The last thing a tactical operator needed on a critical mission is to fumble with a light that got snagged onto something.

Indeed it was - I clicked the wrong reply button of course. So - no snagging, yet now no light? Quite a compromise! I guess...in any non-active situation just be careful, with the benefit that in any hypothetical intense situation the light/clip won't catch & keep you from moving rapidly away from danger...?

I think you may be on the right track to move up to an American made light, since you are seeing repeated breakages.
Or else, use a secure lanyard attached to a different point on the light, as a back-up against loss.

mmace1 said:

Indeed it was - I clicked the wrong reply button of course. So - no snagging, yet now no light? Quite a compromise! I guess...in any non-active situation just be careful, with the benefit that in any hypothetical intense situation the light/clip won't catch & keep you from moving rapidly away from danger...?

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Ahhh.. Here's the part open to plenty of contradicting viewpoints. YMMV. I believe one of the reasons could be time. In a combat tense situation, even a second difference could mean life or death. So assuming your light got snagged and it take you an extra second or two to free yourself, a bullet could have found its mark. That is one hypothetical situation. The other is the unnecessary distraction. When the light gets snagged and the operator couldn't move off, it is human nature to let the eye wonder down to where it got snagged. This could give the assailant an extra time to get you while you are distracted.

Now with the two way clips on Surefire lights (E1B, A2L and LX2), this is where many find problems with their clips. It is designed to break away at even lighter pressure compared to the older clips. Again, whether it is better or worse really depend on individual's viewpoint.

If you're that hard on clips, it sounds like you need to switch to a holster/pouch.

Well...you were so neutral about it all. Now we have nothing to disagree on... : /

I'd prefer a solid clip as a consumer. Even if I were a cop (lots of my family actually). As a combat solider...unclear, depends on duty. I'd learn toward break-away being incredibly unusually used. In such a situation, I'd clip the light *into* my pocket actually, but that's just me. I mean...how easily could it snag if in the pocket? I mean compared to the other hardware in standard issue....but I dunno. If a solider, I'd also ***** about it needing special (not used by other devices batteries), and probably that the batteries weren't rechargable...since that might encourage one's unit to use a battery to it's last energy rather than replace, for financial reasons.

/armchair solider.

Both scenarios (law enforcement and military) lend themselves to holsters. A flashlight needs to be somewhere you can always get to it, which means it always needs to be in the same place, so reaching for it becomes instinct. The clip is there as a secondary accessory, usually for temporary use. Pockets tend to be either inaccessible (covered by something) or on a bending part of the body, so are not ideal for lights. Pockets also tend to rip in heavy activity environments. The basic rule: if you want to keep it, strap it down. That's why ALICE/MOLLE equipment is so popular. And as for batteries, if they are ever in short supply, your S4 needs dealt with. Harshly.

mmace1 said:

Well...you were so neutral about it all. Now we have nothing to disagree on... : /

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:nana::nana::nana:

We can't say for sure because we don't know how these guys carry their lights. From what I gathered here, almost all of them have it in their holsters. I figure maybe when the light is holstered, there is always a tendency for the clip to be exposed? :shrug:

To the OP, I usually carry my lights in my pocket clipped to the edge. This way, if it really drops it drops right into my pocket.

pjandyho said:

I figure maybe when the light is holstered, there is always a tendency for the clip to be exposed? :shrug:

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My ideal scenario is a bezel-up clip that can clip to the side wall of the holster, so that if the flap of the holster opens accidentally, there is one more thing preventing the flashlight from falling out. That also sometimes works with a friction-style holster that doesn't have a flap.

In civilian clothes, I usually prefer to avoid the clip altogether and carry in my pocket.

Maybe Surefire should provide a solid 'unbreakable' clip for general use and a tactical one? The tactical one could be dark or camo and the general one in SS. Just a thought. Then you could specify when ordering. Although providing both with their lights shouldn't cost much either.

Years ago I lost a Kodak Instamatic camera when the strap broke. I was just a kid and it was a lot of pocket money so I wrote to Kodak and they sent me a new camera!

I wonder if it was possible to prove the clip was loose through no fault of your own that Zebralight would rplace the light?

Tiggercat said:

My ideal scenario is a bezel-up clip that can clip to the side wall of the holster, so that if the flap of the holster opens accidentally, there is one more thing preventing the flashlight from falling out. That also sometimes works with a friction-style holster that doesn't have a flap. In civilian clothes, I usually prefer to avoid the clip altogether and carry in my pocket.

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It's funny that even though I provided some of the above scenarios and reasoning, I had not personally encountered a time where my clip got snagged. I was merely reiterating what Surefire marketeers was saying. As for holsters, if possible, I still prefer bezel down carry for lights using tail switches. The only light I have it bezel up is the Zebralight SC600.

My old HDS U60GT has a bezel-up clip from the factory, and I have the once-popular AW cordura belt-holster for it, and it works exactly as described above by Tiggercat.

mmace1 said:

If a solider, I'd also ***** about it needing special (not used by other devices batteries), and probably that the batteries weren't rechargable...since that might encourage one's unit to use a battery to it's last energy rather than replace, for financial reasons.

/armchair solider.

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Most soldiers are issued batteries. Compared to the cost of military operations the cost of cr123s is totally negligible

The cops I know carry duty lights in holsters, but that might differ from department to department.

I'm not a big fan of clips since I have found that most of them deform over time and can be hard to replace in a few cases. Mostly if I use the clip it's on the edge of the pocket so if the clip fails the light should drop into the pocket. Belt carry bends a clip too badly and also too quickly for my tastes but I do tend to wear an instructor's or an operator's belt. Since those belts are thicker I use a holster of some sort for most of my lights.

The holsters I use for lights are carried in pockets and that's more to protect the light from damage (from keys and the like). They will of course go on a belt when I need them to do so. The style of holster I like best has a moderately long flap with a bit more Velco -- or "hook & loop fastener" if you prefer. The only drawback I find is that opening the holster does make some noise and that's not good for military or LEO's. There are other styles though.

Of course it all depends on what type of belt you wear and how important "stealth" is to you. Give us some more info and you'll probably get some good ideas for your replacement light.

Too bad your clip failed.