All posts tagged LED Flashlights

LED Flashlights for firearms

Flashlight technology has advanced more than most other items in the last few  years and LED technology really should make the average home owner, Concealed Carry holder and average citizen think about cleaning out the house and tossing  your older Mag-lite flashlights.   You can get far more out of a CR123 than you  use to get from several D batteries and the same flashlight that you use to take camping is the same one you can mount on your M4 Carbine.

LED technology has advanced so much in recent years that it truely is time to clear out your old flashlights and replace your home and traveling white lights. Fore handguns and Carbines we highly recommend Streamlight Flashlights for home or street defense.  The TLR-1 is one of biggest selling handgun tactical lights and is easy to mount and easy to use. If you are looking for a light and laser combo, the TLR-2 tac-light is what you’re looking for. The Streamlight Scorpion PolyTac is a good companion for traveling or for mounting on your M4 Carbine.

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Viridian lasers and Streamlight TLR lights

We have been stocking both products because our customer base has expanded from not just Law Enforcement and civilians using them for handguns or shotguns but also many Special Ops.  The guys that deal with the really bad guys of the world are using the Viridian laser light combos.   Green Lasers have been the trend since so many optics companies have also switched over to offering green reticles.  Whether you are bow hunting or using a Glock 17 in a combat situation, have the green contrast is a proven advantage.   Sometimes guys want to know they the target is identified and in the sights of the operator next to them and you can laser them the same way an air strike is called in.  Identify the target and put the laser on them.

The amount of lumens you might want can vary from person to person.  Some of the surefire flashlights likes the X300 are more money than the Streamlight TLR1-S lights and don’t give you much more power but we have sold many happy customers the Insight flashlights just based on price and power.  Flashlight technology namely the LED improvements have given each operator a large improvement over lighting capabilities and run time.   There’s nothing good about having tons of illumination and then an all of a sudden dead  battery and a non-functional flashlight.  You’d be better off with something lower power that runs longer.  The Crimson Trace Rail master is a small light with lower power but that might be all you need.

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Concealed Carry Flashlights, this time we’ll tell you what to buy

We always get asked for advice from customers about sizing and durability, but like many things, it really is mostly about preference and the job you need to perform that drives the gear you want to use.   There are so many options out there for holsters and firearms and at points, the New Products that we see come out really stress us out because it means adding them to inventory, having to learn about them, and waiting to see if they are any good and people actually buy them.   The new .380 pistol rave is still going strong and we have had to pickup new product lines just to stay on top of the holster buying.  The Smith & Wesson Body Guard seems to have almost caught up with the Ruger LCP.

One of the most common questions we get when customer walk in our stores is do we carry knives and flashlights.  The next most common question is do we have any flashlights like the Streamlight Flashlights available that they can hold in their hands.  I personally prefer the Streamlight Professional series flashlights and we keep them around the store for customers to hold and try  out.  The best feature about them is the hi and low power option.  For concealed carry it is nice to have a flashlight that can really light things up, but you don’t always need that much power to find the car keys you just dropped or to find the keyhole in your backdoor.

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Overhauling your home and personal defense flashlights

I don’t think I’ve seen more improvements that have affected my daily life more  than modern flashlight technology improvements.  I remember in Boy Scouts when the guys would show up with their Maglites and their battery sucking monoliths.   Batteries like the D battery are a thing of the past and just from a size standpoint,  the Streamlight Scorpion is probable 1/10 of the weight and 2x’s what some of those flashlights put out.  I find the Streamlight Scorpion to be the best all around flashlight, but it’s a bit too big for me for every day carry.   I also believe this light is the best size for weapons mounting but unfortunately I know of no pressure switch that works with them.

Everyone has  a different reason for for carrying a flashlight and depending on the task at hand we’ll have to choose one that works for us the best.   I Personally prefer the Streamlight Poltac and Scorpion with a Section 8 Tactical utlimate retention device on my Streamlight Flashlights.   This little accessory is also a great thing to have if you do not have a weapons mounted light and was a big hit for the IDPA Nationals Low-Light competition stages.  LED technology means more power and longer battery life and I strongly suggest you consider clearing out any of your older flashlights and stocking up on CR123 batteries because the shelf live is much longer and it’s all part of being organized and prepared.

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Flashlights on a gun or hand held?

I think there is going to be a major change in the way we think of lights being mounted on firearms and in my opinion I wouldn’t spend too much money on firearm lights unless they were for my primary weapon.  It’s good to have more than one firearm available or atleast configured the way you want it for self-defense, but flashlights are getting smaller and more powerful and those bulky lights and expensive mounts are going to be a thing of the past in the next decade.   I suspect that in the next few years there will be pencel thin flashlights mounted on firearms that put out 200 lumens at ease.

I always hated the idea of putting flashlight on a handgun because that meant having to go through the holster testing ordeal all over again.   I have a bunch of Elite Survival holsters coming in soon that will get the job done, but Streamlight Flashlights especially the TLR-1 and the newer TLR version are probable the biggest sellers now.   The cool thing about them is you can put them on handguns and rifles but I wouldn’t blow more than $300 on a weapon mounted light just yet unless, like I said it was for a primary weapon.   If you look at how much LED technology has improved and light gathering technology like solar cells, smaller batteries and smaller lights with larger output are right around the corner.

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How much of a Flashlight do you need to carry?

I  have asked myself that question for several years now and have actually enjoyed learning about all of the options that are available.  One of my primary rules for carrying a flashlight is it can’t be too small or I’ll end up losing it.  There are plenty of very powerful flashlights that cost close to $200 and can fit in your pocket, but to me that is a one heck of an expensive thing to loose.   Flashlights should be small if you are carrying them all the time, but there is such a thing as too small.   If it is really small you might as well put it on a keychain.

Even though I’ve been impressed with the Streamlight Nanolights and how powerful they are, I don’t like the idea of putting them on a keychain.  I carry a  lot of keys already and having another thing hanging in the ignition like the Streamlight Flashlights that are on a keychain makes keys kind of clunky.    I find the Streamlight Polytac to be a very nice light for all around purposes because it fits my hand very well, but it’s too big to keep on a belt or in a pocket all the time.   I’ve been carrying a Streamlight PT-2  or ProTac-2.  There is a smaller version called  the PT-2 but that is a little too small for me.   The PT-2 is in the Warranty office right now because I dropped it and cracked the lense, but the flashlight still worked.

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Streamlight Polytac 90 flashlights

The Streamlight Sidewinder has an obvious purpose other than what a regular handheld flashlight is used for and if you need a flashlight like that, there aren’t a lot of options.   Finding a flashlight that gives you the lighting you need is going to get easier and easier these days and they are making them lighter and more powerful every day.   The Streamlight Polytac 90 is slightly shorter in length than the standard Polytac flashlight but it has a unique clip on the back to keep it in place, or  hand it on a belt or vest.   This smaller flashlight runs on 2 CR123 batteries.

Streamlight has an edge over other flashlight companies for firemen and emergency response primarily because Streamlight put the time into developing rechargeable flashlights that held up.   The Streamlight flashlights that we sell the most are the rechargeable and followed closely by the Streamlight Poltac 90.   I wish Streamlight would put a little more thought into the M4 Carbine world because although their flashlights are nice, they are not on par with what Surefire flashlights has out.    Surefire has a solid edge over weapons lights.

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Every day flashlights

There is such a think as an every day flashlight that often gets over looked.   There is nothing wrong with carrying a larger flashlight, but for those in the CCW world, flashlights, knives, guns, spare magazines can really add up in weight and when you go from wearing shorts, pants, jeans and getting ready for a wedding into the mix, All of that gun gear can really affect your comfort level.   One thing you really can think about is keeping your accessories to a minimum.

The whole strobe flashlight thing does work for some situations, but lets be realistic, flashlight that is 150 lumens with a strobe is only going to give you a few seconds if that, of defensive measure.   Streamlight flashlights like the Professional series PT-1 and PT-2 are probable the most popular CCW flashlights we carry, but don’t over look the small and light nano-light from streamlight.

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Flashlights with variable power settings

The Streamlight PT 2l flashlight is now my favorite CCW flashlight and has easily replaced my Streamlight Scorpions.   I have had the Streamlight Scorpions for a long time and even had them when they were all Xenon bulbs before LED.   LED Flashlights probable took a big chunk away from the battery industry.    From what we are seeing the CR123 batteries are also out selling AA battery flashlights almost 2 to 1, but sometimes the AA batteries are popular because AA batteries are all over the place.   After the Northeast got  hit by a hurricane, it was funny to see what was left in the gun shops and Home Depots because the flashlights that were left were all the old fashion D and C flashlights.

The great thing about the Streamlight Professional Series flashlights is that they are variable powers.    Click it once for full  power, click it 3 times and hold and you’ve got your low-power setting.   Streamlight Flashlights have really put themselves in a very broad spectrum of the market.   Tactical lights, CCW lights, emergency lights, rescue lights EMS lights, Firemen lights and even key chain flashlights.  While there  are plenty of competitors out there, it’s easy to find a local dealer and show up and hold them in your hand without having to travel a 100  miles to find someone that stocks and ATN tactical light.

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Get with the program with modern flashlights

Recent we had an earthquake and a category I hurricane hit the Northeast and it made many residents scramble for flashlights and batteries.   One issue that I have seen some of my friends run into is they did not have many local options for CR123 batteries.   CR123 are becoming very popular in the tactical community but the only downside is they are not as common as AA batteries.   Rechargeable batteries and flashlights are improving, but for long deployments, you need batteries rechargeable or not.

The Professional tactical flashlights are one of my favorites because not only are they small, but not too small, they have different power settings.   The strobe feature on many of the Streamlight flashlights can be useful in some situations, but a low power options in my book is even better.   Too bad the Streamlight Scorpion does not have this option, but it would cut battery consumption considerable.  Remember that some crisis creep up on you and  only having a few hours of battery usage when you might be out of power for a week.

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