LIGHTS FOR CCW AND LAW ENFORCEMENT

[Lycanthrope]

Get a grip people. His rep should be mile high!

Excellent information!


Lycanmanythanksthrope

[P-11 shooter]

WOW! more information on flashlights than I have ever seen in one place.

This guy uses more batteries than my girlfriend!

[P-11 shooter]

Even though they are too small for shooting uses.

I never go anywhere without a couple photon micro lights. I personally like the covert freedom.

www.photonlight.com

[Wndr9]

O.k. So I am finally convinced that I could actually spend more than $25 for a flashlight and am looking for something that is truly tactical.

Here are some things that are important to me. Any help would be appreciated.

#1. Small enough to carry everyday.

#2. Bright enough to be tactically effective.

#3. Battery run time measured in hours rather than minutes. I just don't like the idea of a flashlight that only runs for 20 or 60 minutes.

I am looking specifically at the Surefire G2 LED, the Surefire 6P LED, and am greatly impressed by this Fenix T1 you recently did a write up on. Any suggetions? (No, I am not tied to the aforementioned models. Feel free to suggest outside of those bounds.)

Thanks for a great thread!

[watchmaker]

Wndr9,

If you select the G2L, make sure it is the new model with the metal head, as they are better at managing the heat that can ruin a LED and have the necessary mass to avoid heating the batteries too much and activating the protection.

I will go with the 6PL if selecting a Surefire.

But don't expect 11 hours. You will get something like four and a half hours to 50 % (40 lumens).

The 11 hours figure is to total dark, and LED's can glow for a long time.

But of course I like better the Fenix with the two levels, the 60 lumens one is very nice, and having the 225 lumens for tactical use is great.
I stopped carrying for CCW my Surefire Centurion III with the P-91 lamp (200 lumens) for the Fenix T-1.
I use the clip because I dislike the bulk of the holster, and I carry the light on the left, bezel up inches away from my belt buckle.

Other similar lights to the T-1 have appeared in the market, some even have a strobe feature, but I can't comment on them as I have not tried them.

Best regards
Watchmaker

[Wndr9]

Many thanks!

[watchmaker]

CABELA’S XPG XENON FLASHLIGHTS

12 VOLTS MODEL
180 LUMENS AND 90 MINUTES RUN TIME


This light uses four 123’s and is 7 ¾ inches long. The claim of 180 lumen output and 90 minutes run time is what attracted me to buy one; besides, the price is only $50.00.

With the 123’s at almost $2.00 each with shipping, running this light is not precisely inexpensive, but is much better than running a Surefire 9 P with the P-91 lamp for 20 minutes to get 200 lumens.



This light went into one of my rifles; that is why it is set up with a Leupold ring.


This light is almost a copy of the 9P, but longer at 7 ¾; the tail-cap differs in that the switch is not momentary. When you press in the XPG switch, you click it on, and to extinguish the light, you click it off.

This feature will remove this flashlight from the “tactical” field; it is very important for tactical use to have a momentary switch so you can strobe it, or so you can control the light the way you want. It is important just in case you drop your light, that you will not get illuminated by your own light.

The lamp of this light is very similar to the P-91 Surefire lamp. The reflector has the same finish and configuration, and at $18.00 for replacements it is not bad at all.

To find out how it compares with the beam of the 9P or Surefire C-3 with the P-91 lamp (200 lumens for 20 minutes on three 123’s batteries), I tested the light at my usual 26 yards against the same bear-and-deer target that I used before for all the other lights, and from the same distance with the same settings.

As the reflector and head are so similar between the two torches, I was expecting very similar results in illumination, as the 20 lumens difference is not really so important to change the results in a big way.

So here are the pictures, and you can see for yourself how they compare.

CABELA’S XPG XENON 12 VOLTS (180 lumens for 90 minutes on four 123’s batteries)



SUREFIRE CENTURION C-3 (With P-91 lamp for 200 lumens. 20 minutes run time)



BEAR CUB 220 lumens for 90 minutes, rechargeable.




Lumen output is not all that is important to have a light that will be useful at a certain distance. The diameter of the reflector has a big influence in how those lumens are going to be distributed.
For example, in the same league in lumen output is the rechargeable Bear Cub, (220 lumens for 90 minutes), but the deep 2” in diameter smooth reflector of the Bear Cub will throw the light much farther and with more intensity than the small reflectors of the Centurion C-3 or 9 P or the Cabela’s XPG can.
Actually the XPG and the Centurion C-3 are very good (as you can see in the pictures) at the 26 yards distance, but at 45 to 50 yards they have reached the end of their useful illumination.

Cabela’s have always offered good value for the money, this light is not the exception, for the price it is a more than excellent light and the long run time offset a little the expense of buying four 123’s batteries to run it.

Best wishes
Watchmaker

[Wndr9]

Forgive me if this question has already been addressed. But are rechargeable CR123A batteries any good? What brands do you recommend?

Thanks,

[watchmaker]

Originally Posted by Wndr9

Forgive me if this question has already been addressed. But are rechargeable CR123A batteries any good? What brands do you recommend?

Thanks,

I don't have experience with many CR123's. they all have between 750 and 900 mah of capacity and they all seem to come from China.
The regular 123's have 1500 mah capacity, so the rechargeables give less run time and some of them can't power some incandescents bulbs.

This is a type of battery that can be improved considerable.

Watchmaker

[dmd08]

While it's true that you get less runtime and you have to be careful when matching battery/bulb combinations, I think the benefits far outweigh the negatives. I use my handful of lithium powered lights frequently and I haven't purchased a non-rechargeable lithium battery in probably 3 years. I love using my lights as often as I want without constantly purchasing new batteries. I had the original cost for a few cells and a charger but I've definately got my money's worth out of them. The cells sold by member "AW" at candlepowerforums.com are probably some of the best.