Michael whats you take on Flashlights?

[blake711]

Ok Michael I was wondering the other day what you think about flashlights? I haven't noticed you post anything about that. How do you fell about gun mounted vs handheld for pistols? Whats your prefrence just give us a good overall take on the subject if you don't mind.

Thanks, Blake

[Michael Brown]

Regarding gun-mounted vs. handheld, I'm almost always in favor of handheld, simply because f the gun is attached to the flashlight, you likely won't use the light the way it was meant to be.

For years police officers have been taught to illuminate a suspect's hands. This was logical in the days when a maglite was the best we could do in terms of equipment.

Nowadays that we have much more powerful lights in very compact packages, it makes much more sense to illuminate the suspects eyes and use residual light to view the hands. This is a very effective technique to disguise movement. To visualize this technique, watch the movie Sum of All Fears and recall the scene where Clark uses his flashlight to mask drawing his pistol against two Ukrainian soldiers.

In fact I had the same technique used on me last night by a recruit we had trained, while role-playing a suspect in my department's situational exercise. The recruit effectively used light to keep me from noticing he was drawing his pepper spray and before I knew it, I was covered with it.

To do this effectively, you need a powerful flashlight. Fortunately there are plenty of good quality compact lights these days.

I'd recommend the Surefire line of incandescent light or LED's. If you are going with an LED, I'd suggest the L4 or L5. The E2E or E2D are good compact choices in the incandescent line. If size is not a concern, the Surefire M3 (not the weapon-mounted Streamlight M3) is an optimal choice.

Streamlight also makes a good choice in the Scorpion. However I'm much more fond of the Surefires. If you're going to get the Scorpion, I'd strongly recommend the LED version.

If you really want a weapon-mounted light, I don't think there's anything wrong with one as long as its secondary to a good hand-held light.

Don't skimp on the price of a good flashlight. It may make all the difference to you.

Dr. Tom Aveni of the Police Policy Studies Council has theorized that up to 25% of police shootings are mistake of fact shootings. His thesis indicates that lack of proper use of light is a direct contributing factor to mistake of fact shootings. Whether he is correct or not is certainly up for debate but it is certainly an interesting premise and one that warrants close attention in terms of quality lights.

I believe that as tough as mistake of fact shootings are to handle for the law enforcement community, they are even harder for the average citizen who isn't protected by the city's money and a union or police-related case law.

It definitely makes good flashlight selection near the top of equipment priorities.

Michael Brown

[burner]

I have a surefire 6P and a Streamlight scorpion.
The 6R is brighter and looks like it is made better but I have dropped it and broken the lamp.

[Michael Brown]

I have a surefire 6P and a Streamlight scorpion.
The 6R is brighter and looks like it is made better but I have dropped it and broken the lamp.

The older Surefires like the 6P were not equipped with shock bezzles. This is why the bulbs broke sometimes when dropped.

All the new Surefires, circa 1999 to present, are made with shock bezzles so this really isn't too much of a problem anymore.

Michael Brown

[liliysdad]

I do like the Surefires for their ingenuity and qaulity, but I am a Streamlight guy. Always have been. Good prices, solid lights, and I DIG a focus adjustable beam.

Digilight and Pentagon are coming on strong as well.

[J.P.]

I like the Surefire 6R.

The Blackhawk Gladius is an awesome light especially with the strobe effect.
The downsides are: they are expensive and I heard a certian LEO that is hard on equipment,destroyed one during a little T&E. ;)

[Michael Brown]

The Blackhawk Gladius is an awesome light especially with the strobe effect.
The downsides are: they are expensive and I heard a certian LEO that is hard on equipment,destroyed one during a little T&E. ;)

That's the rumor.:wink2:

Michael Brown