Need some help picking a flashlight

[AG166]

Looking for some advice on which flashlight to get for my duty belt.

Here's what I'm looking for:

LED

3 stage light. High-Low-Strobe

2 or 3 cell battery. CR-123 or AA batteries are ok.

Waterproof

Easily carried on duty belt.


From what I've seen and done my research on, I think it will be a Streetlight or a Sure Fire. I've owned both for other things, but never for something I'm going to be carrying 10-12 hours a day. I'd like some input on what you carry that works!

Thanks

[IrishJoe3]

Klaurus XT11.
Uses rechargeable 18650 OR CR123 batteries.

Been my daily duty light for 2 plus years. Bulletproof.

[Sam Z]

Nitecore SRT3 Defender -uses either CR123 or AA alkaline or Li-ion rechargeable, 500+ lumens, also has blue and red LEDs.

[jdubs71]

Look at Fenix brand lights. Very bright

[DAR556]

I've been using a Fenix PD35 for a few months. Very bright and compact. 960 lumens and takes CR123 or rechargeable 18650 batteries. Waterproof and barely noticeable on my duty belt. Comes with a little holster too.

[Shadowdrop]

I've tried several overseas-made lights in the past. Fenix is the best choice, if that's the route you are going. Surefire may cost a bit more but they really are the best lights out there for reliability.

[CHIEFone]

https://www.batteryjunction.com

fenix lights arent bad for the money. i keep a pd30 in my vehicle with a red filter
also itp lights arent bad either, subsidiary of olight

[veeklog]

The best flashlights I own are Surefire, even as expensive as they are. If I can't have Surefire, I would buy Streamlight. A little cheaper, but equally as bright.

[ARinSD]

I would buy a Surefire Fury. I carry a surefire on my belt and have the quick release holster. I work nights and love it.

[ptmn]

For the money, go with a Fenix light using either rechargeable batteries or AA's. Stay away from lights that use CR123's, they get expensive after a while.

Surefire is nice, that's what I carry, but you are definitely going to pay dearly for them. Fenix will give you more bang for the buck. I just bought some Fenix lights for Christmas presents...sorry, I'm not giving one of them out to you.

[roushstage2]

Streamlight Protac 2AA or 2L fit your criteria. I own and use both. Great lights IMO with a great warranty. My first 2AA was having switch issues. Streamlight sent me a new flashlight, no questions asked.

[AG166]

Thanks for all the info! I got some research to do.

[SoCalDep]

To preface this post...I teach low light tactics for my department and own somewhere north of 60 flashlights from Surefire, Elzetta, Streamlight, Fenix, Klarus, 4Sevens, Eagletac, Olight, Safariland, and many others.

I would first ask what you plan to use the light for? Is this going to be primarily a "tactical" light for searching structures, etc., or a general purpose light for searching cars for dope, etc. (well...dope's a misdemeanor now...let's say guns...we're searching for bad guys with guns and bad intentions...). Is it going to fill both roles?

I'll first throw out my favorite duty belt light... It's the Streamlight Strion HL. It is 500 lumens (bright), rechargeable Li-Ion battery, has multiple modes and strobe but they aren't easy to accidentally activate and the high momentary and constant are the primary modes. The Li-Ion battery holds a charge well and the Streamlight charger is easy to use. Downside is that the light is regulated, so it is the full 500 lumens until there's not enough juice and then it just dies...like that. So it needs to be charged. It won't fade over time like most Surefire lights. Other downside is that you have to either purchase another proprietary battery or charge every time, so if you don't have access to a charger you are SOL.

Enter some other options:

For a multi-mode light, I'd recommend the Surefire EB1 or EB2 with the 2-Stage tactical tail-cap. They have a low and high mode but in a user interface (UI) that's conducive to tactical work. Another option would be The Fenix LD/PD series (I have an LD12, PD32, and PD32UE) which have several modes but can be set to activate in high mode for tactical use. They are a bit more complicated, and more prone to messing up, but they aren't bad. My PD32UE is my home defense hand-held.

Eagletac has some great options and their drop-in modules (branded "Sportac") for Surefire 6P-style lights are FRIGIN" PHENOMINAL, especially for the price!

I recently picked up an Elzetta light with the rotary (original Surefire-style momentary) tail switch. They have a version with the "high-low" tailcap which sounds like an almost ideal! I actually think I might purchase the "high-low" tailcap for my light as I think it's the perfect combination of tactical and utility. The Elzetta isn't cheap, but it's literally almost bullet-proof (check out youtube) and the ability to reconfigure the light for various uses is cool. Another not-cheap but high-quality option would be HDS. They have some great lights but I've yet to drop the coin for one. I played with several at SHOT Show last year and was impressed...but poor. I'm still too poor. One day...

Notice I neglected to mention or emphasize strobe. Many of the lights above don't have the feature. I think strobe is a potentially great tool and I've used it on patrol in specific circumstances, but I don't generally recommend it because of the following:

1. The user is rarely properly trained.
2. Partners of the user are rarely trained at all and aren't expecting the effects of the strobe.
3. The VAST majority of lights have such a poorly-designed strobe switching function, that they might as well not have strobe at all save for signalling purposes.

The ONLY light I've seen that has an effective strobe is the Klarus (and copies such as recent Terralux models). I have an XT11 that is *****in'... The strobe is immediately accessible but doesn't interfere with the tactical high-mode and the light also features medium and low modes for searching. It's bright (mine is like 600 lumens and I think current versions are brighter) and it accepts both CR123 batteries as well as rechargeable Li-Ion 18650 batteries. I use an 18650 in mine because it doesn't seem to sacrifice brightness but has a crazy-long run-time.

One might ask why I recommend the Strion HL over the Klarus XT11 after the above. The answer is simplicity. If there is a chance (and if it's on your belt there's a chance) you'll use the light in a tactical capacity, I would sacrifice the strobe in a second unless you've had extensive training in its use. I currently know of no recognized training institution in the US that has delved heavily into the efficacy of strobe and how it can be best applied. I've run several tests and drills and I think there is a place for strobe given training and a proper light, but the training isn't there yet, and I think there's still room for development in a proper light.

I hope this helps a bit, and I know there are several great lights out there, so this is just a rambling suggestion.

[gorn5150]

I retired before LED's became bright enough to be usable. The department issued streamlight 20's which were good. I always carried my own magcharger. As a backup I carried a streamlight stinger in my sap pocket. Both of those lights were amazing in the incandescent days. About a month ago I found both lights in a storage box. I bought new modern rechargeable batteries and LED drop in modules. Wow, what a difference a decade makes.

I have at least 100 LED lights. If I were going to go back on duty I would probably carry an LED stinger. Surefire lights are top quality but way over priced. The other imported lights (most of which are Chinese) can be real good but than again may fail whenever they feel like it. Fenix, 4sevens are top quality Chinese lights. Klaris is top quality from Germany. I suggest you go over to candlepowerforum.com and search for which light interests you. You will get more information then you ever wanted.

[californa]

I like thw Thrunite model tn12

Features

- Improved UI for more lumens

- Cree XM-L2 U2 LED with a lifespan of 50,000 hours

- Uses one 18650 rechargeable battery or two CR123A batteries.

- Max output:1050 lumens with XM-L2 U2

- Working voltage: 2.7V-9V

- 143mm (Length)*25.4mm (Diameter)

- 82g weight (without batteries)

- Reverse polarity protection design to protect from improper battery installation