Do you use a beltclip or holster for your flashlight ?.

neutralwhite

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Hello there everyone , merry holidays.....
well im on the lookout for a holster and reading through everything on here about them, im still undecided and thinking should i just stick to using the belt clip the flashlight came with? ( PD32UE ).

whats the cons and pros of the belt clip really ?.

someone did mention its easier to get to rather than wasting seconds unholstering it and stuff..
i notice if im right, the police in the US have really quick access to all what they need rather than opening pouches . For example, when they draw their weapon , it seems the weapon just slips out.
No buttoning off, and back in. no velcro to mess with.

at the moment i got a fenix AB02 holster.

I've seen many better and nicer looking beltclips than fenix one, of course.
Which is the best belt clip by the way too out there ?.
I might just stick to the normal metal clips which came with the 32. thanks.

Thank you from raining London.

Happy Holidays...
 
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I use a holster, the .25 seconds it takes to flip the velcrow cover doesn't inhibit my uses, the only negative I can see is if you're sneaking around and need to pull the Velcro, the sound will give you away.
 

SimulatedZero

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That's a tough one. I use both the holster and the belt clip so I kind of fall in between. The holster gets used when I'm on shift so it gets used almost everyday. On the other hand I only use the clip when EDCing my lights. I don't clip lights onto my belt, I clip them to the inside of one of my pockets. This makes it about the same difficulty to steal as anything else from my pockets. A professional pickpocket will get the light/phone/wallet/keys out of your pocket with out you noticing whether it's clipped at the top or buried at the bottom.

I don't like to advertise the fact that I have anything on me so I put a little thought into how I carry things around. There are ways to fold you pocket or put your light so that it is almost invisible. Another place I carry is clipped to the inside of a cargo pocket with the velcro flap down over the part that sticks out (tailcap or head depending on the orientation). I like to keep whatever I carry somewhat discrete and, to me at least, a holster is very noticeable and draws attention. To each their own on that one.

As far as the best belt clip is concerned, I would say any clip that gets screwed in place by the tail cap. Kind of like darksucks/solar force/fourseven/etc. That style of clip is the hardest to get off of a light by accident. One of my friends gifted a JetBeam PA20 to one of his shop workers and the clip ended disappearing by the end of the first work day. That being said I have had no issues with the clips coming off of my Fenix lights. :shrug:
 
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Simulatedzero brings up a good point. a holster isn't a good choice if you don't wear clothing that is long enough to cover, its probably best to put it in a pocket. Im slightly paranoid of losing things so I ofter check my sides with a couple pats to make sure everything is still hanging on, and I keep my personal space from other people, ie a pickpocket wouldn't get close to Me without me checking my belongings right away. so if you don't feel like constantly checking go for pocket carry.
 

TEEJ

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I tend to just use lights that fit in my pockets.

Some lights fit an ordinary pant pocket easily...SC600, XT11, any number of 123, AA or AAA lights, etc.

Some lights fit in a pocket designed to carry a 30 rd mag, etc.

I rarely use a holster, as I find I HATE stuff hanging off me...and try to minimize it.

I dropped a TN30 out of a holster a few days ago...when I snagged the holster and the top stitching ripped out and the holster flipped upside down. I had the velcro open already...so the light pitched onto the concrete below me. :banghead:
 

neutralwhite

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thieves even steal flashlights ? lool.
crazy.

Simulatedzero brings up a good point. a holster isn't a good choice if you don't wear clothing that is long enough to cover, its probably best to put it in a pocket. Im slightly paranoid of losing things so I ofter check my sides with a couple pats to make sure everything is still hanging on, and I keep my personal space from other people, ie a pickpocket wouldn't get close to Me without me checking my belongings right away. so if you don't feel like constantly checking go for pocket carry.
 

Big_Ed

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When at work, I pretty much have to use holsters for my lights. My pockets are too full, with wallet, keys, box cutter, permanent marker, and such. On the right side of my belt, I have my cellphone in a holster, and a leatherman multi-tool in a holster. On the left, I have a Surefire L4 (modded with a Malkoff MC-E) in a holster, and a Mag-Tac in an identical holster.

When not at work, I usually don't carry the box cutter, permanent marker, the Leatherman, or the Surefire L4 or Mag-Tac so there's room for a light in my pocket, usually a Surefire E1B. Sometimes I'll still carry a light in a holster on my belt, though, if I believe I'll use it soon.
 

labrat

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DSC01848.jpg

DSC01849.jpg

Always carry a holster with a tool and a torch.
At work this is what I need 90% of the times I need tools, so saves me carrying a bag from the car when I visit customers in their offices.
This one is showing a bit of wear now, need to replace!
 

mcnair55

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I use a holster,not over keen on a belt clip.For my smaller edc i wear it on a lanyard or better still in my shirt pocket.I generally have 2 lights on me.
 

AVService

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Like Labrat I always have a Holster or 2.
One with a light and the other with a Multi-tool.

I also always have a small light on each of 2 keychains I always carry and one on every other keychain I carry just when needed.
Recently I also have had a ZL SC52 or SC80 clipped inside the pocket and a Preon1 in my shirt pocket.
If wearing Carpenter pants there is also a Fenix LD12 in the side tool pocket.

I may be overdoing things a little but that is just how I roll!
Yesterday at the Hospital with my Father the nurses could not tell how he had tangled is hoses up in the sheets and guess who shed some light on the situation?

The Nurses both went and ordered Preon's in the hall once I got them to the 4/7 website.

Go Figure?
 

tadbik

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Murphy's law - Anything clipped onto a belt will always fall off - eventually! For me, holster AND lanyard fixed to my belt.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD
 

Echo63

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I use a Kydex holster - by CLBME (he can be found over on the marketplace)
the holster is nice and secure, but very quick to draw the light from
clbme2.jpg


He is great to deal with too
 

cal..45

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I use both - a Thrunite Neutron A1 in its holster and a Jetbeam BC on its clip. I lost the Jetbeam once, since the light detached unnoticed. later home I found my Jetbeam gone, clip still on my belt :crazy: Lucky me I was able to find the light again, laying in the middle of a hike track, half covered in snow :D A bit of duct tape got rid of the detachment issue, never had any problems ever since.


cheers
 

Sub_Umbra

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I prefer full coverage sheaths. I may use a clip to hold the light in use but I never carry the light on my belt that way.

The biggest downside to sheaths, IMO, is that so many sold are so poorly designed and executed. I invariably end up making my own.
 

dougie

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I've used a kydex holster and Surefire V70 holster and never lost a flashlight from either. As others have alluded to the speed of access and rehousing the flashlight is facilitated extremely quickly if don't have to fuss about with nylon pouch flaps. Unfortunately my experience with plastic or metal clips is that they are neither strong enough or durable enough to be of much use long term. YMMV
 

SimulatedZero

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Wow, I never expected so many people to use a holster. Looks like I am in the minority for pocket carry. It would be interesting to add a poll to this question and see how many people like Lanyards vs Clipped on a Belt vs Clipped in a Pocket vs Holstered on a Belt.
 

BIGLOU

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At work I carry my Surefire G2X on my Surefire V70 holster on my sam brown and my clipped 18650'd Surefire 6P with Nailbender DD 4.2 amp XML U2 on my sap pocket, because everybody knows one is none and two is one.
 

dougie

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Sub Umbra has a valid point. Most manufacturers of flashlights don't seem to design a holster or pouch for their products until it is already passed the design stage. Almost all of the holsters I've ever seen appear to be compromises in either design or quality or both. Whilst I can understand the implications of cost of making a flashlight holster or pouch which may or may not be required by a specific user I can also see the logic of making a flashlight which already has the means to carry it on a belt or with molle other than the usual cheap clips. When you look at the the number of specialist third party Kydex and leather manufacturers out there it appears there is a market. I have and do still carry a Malkoff equipped Surefire G2z ina V70 holster and have never found anything better. The nearest other holster of similar design is the Blackhawk plastic holster but it does suffer from being too big which limits its usefulness somewhat. :(
 

Rob82

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Nov 27, 2012
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I edc a Fenix LD10, love this little light, and a Spyderco Persistence. One in each of my front pockets, since i also carry my phone in my left pocket I was considering using the belt clip on the Fenix on my belt in between the waist band and the belt for a bit more security from the light popping out. So for now I vote for belt clip :thumbsup:
 
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