Law Enforcement Flashlight Recommendation

My brother in law is a police officer and I would like to get him a nice flashlight somewhere in the $100-$150 range. He sent me this one http://www.ebay.com/itm/192037383278 but I doubt that it is very good quality since it is only $25. Any recommendations on a really good flashlight in my price range that would be superior to that one?

Thanks for the Help

The new R40 from Nitecore is designed for people like your brother in law. It has the ability to throw a beam a good distance when needed, and other modes for closer work. Best of all, it uses induction charging and comes with both a desktop charger and a wall mount style charger for use in a vehicle. You can also charge the light with a microUSB cable the same as used for your cell phone or tablet. The highest mode will throw a beam for over 500 meters for a rated time of 90 minutes, and the lowest mode will run for 1000 hours. All that and it is small enough to be comfortably worn on a duty belt. The current selling price is $150 at the Nitecore Store, but I am sure with Christmas approaching we will see sale pricing for this light.

Assuming he is looking for a light about the size of the one you linked to, that is decently bright with good throw/beam distance and is rechargeable, I would recommend the Maglite Mag Charger LED or one of the Streamlight Stingers.

I would stay away from the light that you linked to, because the batteries and chargers are most likely unsafe.

I'd go with the Olight R50 Pro Law Enforcement edition. Here's a review:

http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?425687-Review-Olight-R50-PRO-SEEKER-LE

The light you linked on Ebay is NOT what should be carried by LE, who's life might depend on that light one day! I'd either go with the light I listed above, or one of the high end Streamlight rechargeable options. Both should come in right around the top end of his budget.

I would suggest the Olight R50 Pro or the Nitecore R40, both have their pros and cons so I would suggest reading the full reviews for each of them

Nightbrite said:

My brother in law is a police officer and I would like to get him a nice flashlight somewhere in the $100-$150 range. He sent me this one http://www.ebay.com/itm/192037383278 but I doubt that it is very good quality since it is only $25. Any recommendations on a really good flashlight in my price range that would be superior to that one?

Thanks for the Help

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You are absolute correct, the light in the link is total garbage Lumens, battery capacity on the photos are lie.

But this one -- Olight R50 Pro Seeker LE with a holster (see options) -- is a way to go.

I forgot to say why I suggested the LED Mag Charger or one of the Streamlight Stinger LEDs. The reason is both use NiMH batteries that are much safer than LiIons and they are simple to use under stress.

Li-Ions can explode/catch fire and even release what amounts to poison gas if they are mistreated. You need good quality cells and chargers along with some knowledge of the potential dangers and how to avoid them to use them safely.


For law enforcement use, simplicity of use under stress is essential....you don't want to have to remember a bunch of complicated modes or have the light start blinking SOS or go into some sub lumen moon mode because you pressed the wrong button or pressed it too long. Really, a simple momentary function is what you need - press for on, release to shut off. The Mag has this when programmed to function set 3 and 4 and the Streamlights can be set by the 10 tap system to come on in high only (half press for momentary, full press/click for constant on).

xxo said:

Li-Ions can explode/catch fire and even release what amounts to poison gas if they are mistreated. You need good quality cells and chargers along with some knowledge of the potential dangers and how to avoid them to use them safely.

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This is the biggest exaggeration of lipo danger I have seen in my entire life. Congrats, you set a new record!

I have a few simple and durable recommendations... Malkoff MD2 HOT, Malkoff MD3T, Elzetta Bravo/Charlie. These are all great actually "tactical" lights.

mk2rocco said:

I have a few simple and durable recommendations... Malkoff MD2 HOT, Malkoff MD3T, Elzetta Bravo/Charlie. These are all great actually "tactical" lights.

Click to expand...

Not sure about Malkoffs (lazy to check), but Elzettas are way above $150 limit.

Malkoff is right on the upper limit.

Malkoff M91T MD3, 600 lumens constant, no drop down, small enough to always be on his Duty Belt, but long enough to tuck under his arm when checking Doc's, runs on 2 x 18500 (1700mah) rechargeable batteries for 1hr 23 mins (will also run on 3 x CR123's if his department supplies them).

The optional High/Low ring is a must have, it has a low of 25 lumens, which is suitable for checking documents etc. Simply untighten the head a fraction of a turn to activate Low mode, tighten head and it's back to High mode. Tail cap clicky switch can be pressed with whole of thumb pad for momentary flash when carrying out a tactical search etc.

The M91T is fitted with a TIR lens that provides more throw than a standard reflector but it still offers sufficient spill. It's not too bright, on high, for dwelling searches etc. but it's bright enough for open area searches.

Malkoff's fit in with the 'Keep It Simple Stupid' philosophy which means he won't have any issues operating it in a high stress situation, which could be a life saver.

Malkoff's are built like tanks, they are very robust and reliable, they are simple to use and come with a lifetime warranty, they also offer an LEO discount.

I am not affiliated to Malkoff's, I'm a retired LEO and a very satisfied Malkoff customer, I carried Surefire lights for 20 years of my career but I would carry a Malkoff now.

With the High/Low ring installed the price is about $153 with the LEO discount.

I wish your brother-in-law a long and safe career!

The M91T is the middle one in the below photo (Top is a Malkoff Hound Dog V3 and bottom is a Malkoff MD2).

I bought a Malkoff M91T for that very kind of work, based on Dave D's recommendation actually. Thanks Dave! Lovely light that I consider very good for policing. The Elzetta Charlie is no slouch either, just a little bit different. If you spend the extra bucks to get either of these, he'll have the best. If you want to keep it more economical, I suggest the Surefire G2X LE run on 16650 rechargeables.

You could also look at the Klarus xt11s. I have bought 3 them, the last one for my father in law for Christmas. I do carry everyday and it has micro usb charging. It sells for around $70 and there is a group buy for less than that. I really like it. There also the xt11gt and xt12gt, but this one xt11s has longer battery life

The group buy https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/418447

Dave D said:

Malkoff M91T MD3, 600 lumens constant, no drop down, small enough to always be on his Duty Belt, but long enough to tuck under his arm when checking Doc's, runs on 2 x 18500 (1700mah) rechargeable batteries for 1hr 23 mins (will also run on 3 x CR123's if his department supplies them).

The optional High/Low ring is a must have, it has a low of 25 lumens, which is suitable for checking documents etc. Simply untighten the head a fraction of a turn to activate Low mode, tighten head and it's back to High mode. Tail cap clicky switch can be pressed with whole of thumb pad for momentary flash when carrying out a tactical search etc.

The M91T is fitted with a TIR lens that provides more throw than a standard reflector but it still offers sufficient spill. It's not too bright, on high, for dwelling searches etc. but it's bright enough for open area searches.

Malkoff's fit in with the 'Keep It Simple Stupid' philosophy which means he won't have any issues operating it in a high stress situation, which could be a life saver.

Malkoff's are built like tanks, they are very robust and reliable, they are simple to use and come with a lifetime warranty, they also offer an LEO discount.

I am not affiliated to Malkoff's, I'm a retired LEO and a very satisfied Malkoff customer, I carried Surefire lights for 20 years of my career but I would carry a Malkoff now.

With the High/Low ring installed the price is about $153 with the LEO discount.

I wish your brother-in-law a long and safe career!

The M91T is the middle one in the below photo (Top is a Malkoff Hound Dog V3 and bottom is a Malkoff MD2).

Click to expand...

You must have this saved for copy/pasting by now Dave
Sound advice indeed!

As Dave said though, Malkoff is a great choice. You can't get better without delving into the range of custom manufacturers and prices over $200.

If you're looking at something larger size, then the Malkoff Hound Dog MD4 would be your best choice.