Duty cary flashlight

I just became a reserve officer for a LEA,

I am currently looking for a good duty light.

Requirements are

Needs to be rechargable.
Needs to be light / easy to carry
Needs to be able to throught a bright beam a far distance.
Should have at least 50 to 60 minutes run time.
Currently cost isn't much of an issue.


thoughts ?

Streamlight Stinger for belt carry.
Full size duty lights range from the classic SL-20X to the Tigerlight (in either pepper spray equipped version--depending on the Dept's operational procedures or the FBOP non-OC version), which is a good choice, also.

--dan

Streamlight pretty much owns the cop market. Not through price, but they WORK, always.

Several models, Google SL products, no problem.

A new one , SL Scion I think it is, very small, about the output/life of a Stinger.

Streamlight sl-20xp. It's really light and with an upgraded 10watt bulb it would be the same brightness as the sl-20x minus the weight.

dumb quesiton, how do you find out what upgrades can go on what lights ?? Is there a list someplace ?

PILA GL4R
130 lumens 80 minute run (rechargeable)
190 Lumens 45 minutes run (DL123)
Not much bigger than a stinger

TigerLight

I carried a stinger for almost 4 years without any problems.
It was dropped,thrown,and abused more than I can remember.I even left it in a car that was on fire trying to rescue the driver.I never noticed it missing until after the fire dept put out the fire.Sure as anything it still worked after being in that hot car on fire and then flooded with water.
I gave it to a friend who still uses it.
I now carry a Commander that is a little brighter and it has also worked well for me.
Any of the higher end rechargeables will do just fine.I work with a guy that has a tiger light and that thing is very bright also but he has not used it long enough to know about reliability.
Do not be afraid to spend a little cash on a good duty light.It may save your life one day and you must rely on it to work when you need it.
I would suggest also having a good back up light that is small enough to go un-noticed on your belt.I have carried an Inova X5T(love it)for a long time and use it regularly.
It was just replaced with an ARC LSL that I have just come to love this little light.
Also consider a very small Photon attatched to a keeper on your belt.This comes in handy in the car for reports or small tasks.I probably use my lights more than any other tool on my duty belt.The problem is that there are so many I want I am running out of room so I must alternate carry...hehe
Good Luck and welcome aboard

My good friend, a LEO, carries on his duty belt an agency issued Stinger along with a Surefire E2e as a backup light.

He loves this flashlight combo.

By the way, some agencies will issue basic equipment including a flashlight to their reserves, so it's worth a check with your agency's supply department.

Just my 2 cents.

My Cousin (Harris County Constable) has carried a Stinger for some 20 years now.

I am not in law enforcement, but I need light quite often anyway!

Stinger is just a smidgen Larger than I can comfortably and seamlessly carry. So it stays on the tranny hump in my truck, and I carry a G2.

But with all the other stuff Police have on 'em, Stinger is probably one of the smaller things they have to deal with!

Surefire might have the tactical market nailed down, but Streamlight has definately got the LEO market. You can't go wrong with a Stinger. If you can get a piggy back charger, and extra battery.

Another vote for the Stinger. I lost my original Stinger sevearl years ago and then went to a Poly Stinger. The SL20X sits in the car if I need something bigger. I carry a G2 in my cargo pocket as a back-up light. I also have a Pelican M9 that is about the same size and output as the Stinger. The M9's don't seem to get much attention for some reason, but mine in on par with the Stinger.

A number of great alternatives have already been pointed out, but perhaps additional thought/discussion of your inital parameters would be helpful.

I suggest this because if you just became involved in LE, you really don't know what you want/need...

Is your assignment primarily vehicle-based? If so, a larger primary rechargeable light such as a Streamlight SL-20x (perhaps with sl-35 LA), SL-20XP, etc. might fit the bill.

Will you work primarily at night or day? If only during the day, a smaller duty-rig light (streamlight / surefire / pila) might be all you need.

If at night, you may want a larger primary that's rechargeable & a smaller "always on the belt" for those bail-out moments when you forget to grab the big one (or when you have to enter a dark building during the day).

Personally, I work vehicular & bike patrol, as well as footbeats ('course now it's Mardi Gras, so everthing is footbeats...)

My 'primary' light is an almost 30-year old Streamlight SL-20 (no 'x'), with an SL-35 LA & a NiMh battery stick made of 4500mAh 1/2 d's. I usually don't have to recharge this during a shift, but if I do my 'charger' is an SL-20X & its 12v adapter, also carrying another NiMh battery.

I used to carry a Surefire 6R on my duty belt, but 20 min of battery time became a problem on the bike (when the belt light became the primary), and have switched to a 9P w/the add'l throw coming in handy.

I've got a Surefire L4 in my back pocket as a backup -- also gets used when more of an 'area light' is needed, rather than a tactical light. I'll eventually purchase a Pila charger & 168s battery or two for that light as well.

When I first adopted Surefire, the 6R was great due to the rechargeable battery. As time has moved forward & 123 batteries are available for $1 each, using non-rechargeable cells has become less of an issue.

Look around your department & see what guys carry. Ask them to demonstrate their lights, so you can compare the +'s & -'s; check the boards & reviews & 'shoot-outs' here for beamshots, etc. THEN make your decision (then prepare to rethink it & buy a series of lights, looking for the perfect one! <G>)

kf