Wich Tactical LED Flashlight for defence?

XCORPION

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Oct 26, 2016
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I prefer a Flashlight for my job and I want a mighty strobe mode which are able to blind an attacker.
Also I want a strong beam with a long distance and it should be possible to change modes by one hand.
Great if i can recharge the flashlight by an usb port with a powerbank.

But I absolutely no experiences with all this "throwers", so I read some recessions on amazon and watched some videos by PreparedMind101 on YouTube.

In my researches results.
(I live in europe so the price is shown in euro)

Favorites:
· Olight M1X Striker (Cree XP-L2 LED)
1000 Lumen, 190meters beamdistance, no USB, 75€
This one is the light in the emergency-bag of PreparedMind101. I think 190m distance is okay, but it could be more.

· ThruNite TN12 (Cree XP-L V6)
1100lm, 200m, no USB, 86€
PreparedMind101 tested it with the Fenix PD35 and NiteCore P12. The TN12 got the brightes spot! But no USB and weak beam distance.

· Olight R40 Seeker (Cree XP-L2)
1100lm, 280m, recharge with USB, 100€
I think it could be the best option. Includes all features with USB and rechargeable, long distance and all. Its PreparedMind101's favorite if i understand it correctly.

· Olight R50 Seeker (Cree XHP50)
2500lm, 287m, recharge with USB, 130€
In a comparision with the R40, this one got a bigger spread/spot but not as bright as the R40. Its strange the R50 got double lume values but don't got it that bright.

· NiteCore MH27 (Cree XP-L HI)
1000lm, 460m, recharge with USB, 87€
460m Range are insane! Also got a USB port to recharge it. Allround very well.

· NiteCore P12GT (Cree XP-L HI V3)
1000lm, 367m, no USB, 72€
A nice flashlight with great range but no usb.

Other possible candidades:
· Lumintop TD16 (Cree XP-L2)
1000lm, 310m, no USB, 80€

· Lumintop TD16 (Cree XP-L HI)
920lm, 450m, no USB, 100€

· Lumintop SD Mini (Cree XP-L HI)
1000lm, 200m, recharge with USB, 70€

So I don't know exactly which I should buy, now I wish you could post me your experiences.
 

Satansjester

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Have a look at the new Fenix TK20r just hitting UK shops.
320 meter throw on turbo
£100


  • Cree XP-L HI V3 LED
  • Micro-USB rechargeable
  • 4 different modes plus strobe
    • Turbo: 1000 lumens (1 hour 50 min)
    • High: 350 lumens (4 hours 20 min)
    • Mid: 150 lumens (11 hours)
    • Low: 10 lumens (160 hours)
    • Strobe: 1000 lumens
  • Made of durable aircraft grade aluminum
  • Anti-slip and anti-roll grip ring
  • Crenellated strike bezel
  • Intelligent memory circuit will remember last used brightness level
  • Reliable dual layer body design
  • Battery level indicator
  • Digitally regulated output maintains constant brightness
  • Reverse polarity protection to protect from improper battery installation
  • Overheat protection
  • Tactical tail switch for momentary on and constant activation
  • Functional side switch for output selection
  • Toughened ultra-clear glass lens with anti-reflective coating
  • IP68 dustproof and waterproof (6.5ft/2m submersible)

(I'm just waiting for stock at my usual supplier, gonna get me one!)
 
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Joe Talmadge

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The light that SHOULD be a natural fit is the NItecore P12GT, but the switch delay makes it unacceptable for defensive use

IF you're willing to go with a 34mm head, that opens up a whole new series of lights, and the Klarus XT11GT is probably best-of-the-best here. It's got everything you've asked along, along with an amazingly good UI for defensive use
 

Lexel

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Klarus XT11GT or Nitecore P10

I got a P12 2015 version and I cant notice any delay
unfortinually there is only one way to have an instant strobe from the light turned off, you have to turn light out on strobe (lightghtlevels and strobe have mode memory)
the light has a forward clicky with saved strobe that very good
or if the light is already on hold mode button >0.5s

other lights have the option to triple click electronic sideswitch for strobe turning the light on
or an extra button on tailcap to press both for turning light on and get strobe instantly
 
Last edited:

seery

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Take a look at the Fenix TK09 2016.

It's a real workhorse...rock solid construction and simple UI for high stress situations.
 

narmattaru

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Klarus XT11GT (though there is no 2000 stated lumens, it is still awesome upgrade of XT11S)
best tactic that i reviewed. UI is flexiible and universal.
quiality it excellent.
 

rjking

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Messages
498
I prefer a Flashlight for my job and I want a mighty strobe mode which are able to blind an attacker.
Also I want a strong beam with a long distance and it should be possible to change modes by one hand.
Great if i can recharge the flashlight by an usb port with a powerbank.

But I absolutely no experiences with all this "throwers", so I read some recessions on amazon and watched some videos by PreparedMind101 on YouTube.

In my researches results.
(I live in europe so the price is shown in euro)

Favorites:
· Olight M1X Striker (Cree XP-L2 LED)
1000 Lumen, 190meters beamdistance, no USB, 75€
This one is the light in the emergency-bag of PreparedMind101. I think 190m distance is okay, but it could be more.

· ThruNite TN12 (Cree XP-L V6)
1100lm, 200m, no USB, 86€
PreparedMind101 tested it with the Fenix PD35 and NiteCore P12. The TN12 got the brightes spot! But no USB and weak beam distance.

· Olight R40 Seeker (Cree XP-L2)
1100lm, 280m, recharge with USB, 100€
I think it could be the best option. Includes all features with USB and rechargeable, long distance and all. Its PreparedMind101's favorite if i understand it correctly.

· Olight R50 Seeker (Cree XHP50)
2500lm, 287m, recharge with USB, 130€
In a comparision with the R40, this one got a bigger spread/spot but not as bright as the R40. Its strange the R50 got double lume values but don't got it that bright.

· NiteCore MH27 (Cree XP-L HI)
1000lm, 460m, recharge with USB, 87€
460m Range are insane! Also got a USB port to recharge it. Allround very well.

· NiteCore P12GT (Cree XP-L HI V3)
1000lm, 367m, no USB, 72€
A nice flashlight with great range but no usb.

Other possible candidades:
· Lumintop TD16 (Cree XP-L2)
1000lm, 310m, no USB, 80€

· Lumintop TD16 (Cree XP-L HI)
920lm, 450m, no USB, 100€

· Lumintop SD Mini (Cree XP-L HI)
1000lm, 200m, recharge with USB, 70€

So I don't know exactly which I should buy, now I wish you could post me your experiences.

Have you checked PK Warrior 2?
 

bykfixer

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Messages
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Location
Dust in the Wind
Have you checked PK Warrior 2?

Good call RJ. The side button does an instastrobe if the light is off.
The tailcap switch memory allows you to keep it at the setting you like best from off or change output if you desire.
Really good self defense light that fits your hand very naturally.


 

XCORPION

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@narmattaru @Lexel and @Joe Talmadge okay the Klarus XT11GT looks very nice, but are the 2000lm realistic? I read some reviews that some are sceptical about the power
 

Joe Talmadge

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The reviews are putting it closer to 1500 lumens... but even if it were just 1000 lumens, it would still be competitive in this size and price range. It also has huge candlepower -- which is at least as important. And, since you want strobe, it's the only one on the list with a UI that gives it a super intuitive strobe with even minor training (although if you haven't trained with strobe, if I were you I wouldn't not be prioritizing this; even having trained with it, IME it's not nearly the advantage some people think it is, I prefer good tactics and a good momentary turbo with a well-engineered switch).
 

Lexel

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Germany
The new version with XPL HD E4 runs on lower amps within specs and got 1700 OTF lumens
 

Cache

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I may not be approaching this from a "flashlight guy" paradigm, but perhaps the opinion of an outsider may be helpful if he happens to to live the "tactical lifestyle." I like Chris who does the PreparedMind channel and group, we are both member of Survival Brain Trust. Not sure what you heard from him, should be good, he has a good head on his shoulders, but we may differ somewhat on this subject.

I like to keep my defensive lights stupid simple and recommend most of my students do the same: momentary on ... no clicky, no strobe, just maximum light on the subject when you press the button, and no light when you let up. I most run SureFires for this application, oft with aftermarket heads or drop-ins like Malkoff's in lights I have owned probably since before a lot of younger guys in the forum were born.

Why? Why not a "feature rich" light ... why carry a dedicated defensive light when I'm usually all about multi-use gear? The short answer is that your body is seriously affected by the stress of defending your life.

The fine motor coordination used to manipulate a clicky switch may instantly go away if your body dumps a ton of adrenaline into your bloodstream, leaving you fumbling in a fight that, on average, is over in 3.5 seconds. I noted in your post that you are Europe and realize laws and carry habits change by country, but the core principles that govern violent encounters will remain the same, so maybe you can find some to take away. Over here, 80% of gun fights happen at night, at a distance of 12' of less and are over in 3.5 seconds, from the first shot to the last. That may sound like plenty of time to do what you need to do, but whatever you are able to do in training, you can add a full second on to that time when you do it for real, so it goes by pretty quick.

With such an overwhelming percentage of violence occurring in low light conditions, the a flashlight is hugely important. When I employ my light, I am not usually focused on the threat's face, trying to shine my flashlight in his eyes and blind him. That won't mechanically disable the threat and I he can still spray lead in my direction. At this point in the altercation, I have typically already issued a verbal challenge in command voice to "STOP! LET ME SEE YOUR HANDS!" in order to force him to manifest his intent and am busy looking at his hands in order to establish ability. Does he have the tools to kill me? .... is he armed? because once you have established intent, ability and opportunity the threat has forced you to stop the threat to your life.

If not, then you have other options, such as less-lethal force options, but the light's primary roles are:

A) To aid you maintaining situational awareness, avoiding the situation altogether if possible.
B) To establish intent, ability and opportunity by clearly identifying whether a potential threat poses an immediate threat to your life ... is he brandishing a weapon or a toy or something else?
C) If you have to neutralize threat, to clearly identify your target and what or who is behind it in order to make more, bigger holes faster, center of mass, until the instant it is no longer a threat, without shooting anybody who is not a threat in the process.
D) To clearly see when the threat has been neutralized as soon as it has. Believe me, you don't want to not notice him drop his weapon and turn his back to you and shoot him in back multiple times after he was no longer a threat.
E) Clear left and clear right, because you very likely may have tunnel vision and/or tunnel hearing and you need to make sure his buddies aren't standing behind you or notice that an officer has arrived on scene and is issuing commands that you are not hearing because you are still fixated on the threat.

If you are not in a situation where you need to use force you need to know that too, even gesturing to your sidearm can get you charged with brandishing in some jurisdictions, so a light is also very important from a legal standpoint. Should you survive the fight on the street, you will likely face a second fight in the court room for your liberty. You want to be prepared for that battle beforehand as well.

The bells and whistles and the specs of my defensive light have not not as big a difference for me when I have needed it most as much as the very basics. I have never wished I had some feature or a brighter light, but I have been very grateful that it turned on and off exactly when I needed it too, even when I was amped on a mix of adrenaline and fear. That may sound overly simplistic, or like I am over-emphasizing the value of keeping it simple, but I hope this is something folks can appreciate because self defense is an arena where you really want to learn by observation as opposed to experience to the greatest extent possible.

As always, your mileage may vary, but that's my two cents on the topic.
 

peter yetman

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Cache, that explains so much so clearly. There's so much stuff posted about using lights as defensive weapons by people who know little about the real life situtions.
This should be a Sticky.
Thanks,
Peter
 

Joe Talmadge

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Great post by cache. Two comments:

1. My light by my bedside matches cache's description exactly. That said, there are absolutely high-level, well-trained individuals and organizations that have gone with strobe, and find it effective. Or, in other words, there are disagreements here even among well-trained individuals and trainers who study this for a living. Disclosure: my bedside light follows cache's guidelines. I have lights with multi modes that I do train with, but in general, they all have a dead-simple mode, and I use it in that.

2. There IS a big of a disconnect here. I think the kind of person who asks about tactical lights on CPF isn't necessarily trying to solve the same problem cache is ... in fact, I'd say the fact that they have to make a post asking for advice, and choose CPF to do it, is almost proof they haven't trained this with a firearm, and might not be using the term "tactical" the way cache is. The use of the term "Mighty strobe" might be another tip-off :) Seriously, as I said in my response above, strobe isn't nearly the advantage many people think it is, especially if you haven't trained it. That said, I always get the feeling that many of the people asking about this, are NOT asking about it for use in conjunction with a firearm... I tend to explicitly use the term "defensive light" to keep things less confusing, since I think that term doesn't imply firearm the way "tactical light" does. In that role, defense in the absence of a firearm, I can say strobe has a small advantage (not so much I'd get hung up about it, but it's there), and with a good UI (e.g., Klarus XT) is usable even in high-pressure scenarios. The idea of someone who isn't armed with a firearm, but wants to carry a light for both regular EDC and defensive use is a fine one and has merit... from spotting bad guys in advance (in the parking lot you would have entered) to a blast to the eyes to cover your movement, to last-ditch impact, it's a fine tool and absolutely a force multiplier, and the light doesn't necessarily need to be trimmed to its bare bones -- especially if doing so means it's less useful day in and day out and means you might leave it home. And yes, strobe is both usable (with the right UI and some training) and a slight advantage in these scenarios... which presumably, for an everyday citizen, is FAR FAR more likely than getting into a gunfight.

TL;DR: without asking what a poster means by "tactical light", we might be solving the wrong problem. I do not believe posters on CPF who ask open-ended questions like this, are using that term in its standard use
 
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XCORPION

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Sorry for my bad english and choose of words. The post by cache was very well and let me think twice about some points.

Well, my profession allow me to wear a gun, to use pepperspray and I got a tonfa too. You could say it's enough especially with some training. I say you can't have enough to defend yourself or to keep an attacker down. Our pepperspray is less effective as an animal-defensive-spray and don't harm every subject. Our flashlights are a bad joke, got maybe 200lm with full battery for 5min. After that the led it as weak as poop and you can't find a coin on the ground at the end of the watch.

Now I will buy another flashlight with the specs I wished in the opening post of this thread. So i can it use to search and to confuse a subject if its necessary.
So you could imagine whats my point of view now and what i looking for.

Thanks for all your advices at this point but i'm still not sure which to choose. But I keep the Klarus XT11GT and the Olight R50 Seeker in my closer choise
 

xxo

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If you are using the light with a firearm, forget the strobe and get something with a dead simple momentary switch. Sooner or later strobe is going to get someone killed.....either by not seeing a subject with a weapon in their hand or imaging one in the strobe flashes and shooting a unarmed subject.
 
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