Flashlights

Posted by Mostly Genius – August 17, 2009

Rereading the results of the private citizen equipment poll I noticed that only about half of the respondents are carrying flashlights. I have written about flashlights before, but I think this boils down to people picking the wrong light for their application.

High Output vs. Size Everyone wants more and more powerful lights. Unfortunately this usually comes with an increase in size of the light. I believe that the reason more people are not carrying flashlights is because the powerful flashlight they want is too big to fit into their lives, or that they don’t fully understand the role of the flashlight.

The old Surefire 6P was revolutionary about 10 years ago, because of it’s high light output (approximately 80 lumens) in a relatively small package compared to the full size Mag lite. Xenon bulbs, a better reflector, and a better battery (SF123A) were a major breakthroughs at the time. Now LED technology has improved to the point where flashlights like the Fenix LD10 (pictured) can get 120 lumens out of a single AA battery.

Enter the pocket clip. Ten years ago, I was carrying a 6P on my belt in a kydex holster, but I never really liked that system. Now we can get flashlights with greater light output than the old 6P that are small enough to use with pocket clips (I wish Fenix would start putting pocket clips on their smaller lights.)

I don’t really foresee a situation where I am going to need to quick draw my flashlight. If my flashlight is going to be part of a self defense scenario it needs to be already in my hand otherwise it’s probably not going to be a factor. I generally get by right now with just dropping my light in my pocket because it is small enough to do that.

Making do with less. If you look at a larger flashlight like the SureFire M6-CB (pictured) it has some impressive light output (250-500 lumens) that totally surpasses a small pocket light, but it wasn’t designed with private citizens in mind and it wasn’t designed to be a personal everyday carry light.

If I can’t get 500 lumens in a pocket size flashlight then I will have to make do with less light output. If I can’t fit a normal pocket-size light into my life then I will have to make do with an even smaller light and less light output. Whatever flashlight I end up with is going to increase my capabilities in the dark. I am not arguing between the merits of different flashlights, I am arguing against the idea that because you can’t have the perfect flashlight you go without one entirely.

  • I've been carrying a $30 Coast pocket-sized LED (from the impulse buy lane at Lowes) for several years and recently came to the conclusion that an upgrade might be appropriate. Need that pocket clip.

    Research, your older posts and coincidence led me to the Surefire E2D LED Defender. It appears to have a nice balance between output, size and ruggedness.

    I've got one on order from Botach where they're $39 off retail (if you're interested and not in a hurry, wait for their inevitable sale next month for another 10-15% off).

    This seems like almost as personal of a choice as a pistol or knife and I imagine I'll probably end up with 2 or 3 similar lights before settling on a "winner". Like a carry pistol or knife, I can't see any harm in having the "losers" around as backups.
  • I don't know that there can be a "winner" until you define the role for the light. For example: I carry a Fenix P3D pretty much daily, But I don't have to wear a business suit or (conversely) armor and a helmet. I would change my gear choices based upon the tasks that I think I might need to perform.

    I am satisfied with the size, durability and light output of the P3D for my private citizen role. If I was going to do police stuff, I would choose a different (larger, higher output) light as my primary flashlight. If I was doing military stuff it would be very dependent upon the mission, the batteries available, size, weight, and the frequency/difficulty of resupply.
  • This has everything important for about $25 at any Walmart: http://www.rayovac.com/flashlight/selux2aa3w-b....

    Frankly, Surefire's has not accepted or adapted to the fact that they haven't been competitive in this market for a couple of years, and has a hard time justifying their prices, given the practical limits of their value proposition in light of the competition.
  • Truthfully, the only thing surefire really cares about is engineering. They build the porsche of flashlights, and they sell them in bulk on lucrative government contracts. SureFire's lights are engineered to very exacting tolerances, but it is probably more than a private citizen reasonably needs.
  • Jeff
    While I agree with your general point, I don't agree that SF's are more than a civilian reasonably needs. To my mind, flashlights are like weapons or medical kits. You may not need them often, but when you do, you generally need them bad, you need them to work, and work well. I would not want to be in a post-Katrina type environment without high quality lights that I knew I could count on to work in harsh conditions.

    I have several Surefire G2's, several different styles of Streamlights and several of the $25/$30 type Lowe's and Wal-Mart lights. Like you said in your earlier post Mostly Genius, what you grab depends on the mission. If the power's out, the wind is howling and the water's rising, I sure as hell am NOT going to grab the Lowe's light.
  • I have a few G2s and at least a couple of 6ps. They are great flashlights. I am not sure that 6p is twice as good as a Fenix - but it does cost twice as much. Some of the more exotic SureFires cost three or four times as much. Would it be better to have four lesser flashlights or one super flashlight in a disaster?

    Anyhow, I don't have anything bad to say about SureFire, except they are really expensive.
  • Overload in CO
    The one other thing I think is important is flood vs spot. I've had lights with a bright pencil thin beam (via an optic), with no spill. On the other end, you don't want a light that blinds you when you use it.

    An example of flood vs spot would be the Surefire T1A Titan vs their E1B Backup. The Titan is a flood light, while the Backup has more throw (spot).

    Another consideration is battery life. Many LED electronics trade longer runtime for brigher light or a longer runtime at a high brightness level. That increase is taken from the back end of the runtime, so the light doesn't slowly get dimmer but instead drops from bright to moonlight. One reason I like variable brightness lights is that it allows me to use only enough light and save the batteries for later.
  • Secesh
    I found your post very informative, I've been thinking of getting another flashlight (I have 2 Surefires). The Fenix sounds like a good light, better price for it and the batteries. I think the availability of batteries would be a concern in an emergency. You can find AA's anywhere, the batteries for the Surefire are rare and expensive. The only thing about the Fenix is no pocket clip. Are these available seperately?
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