Flashlight carry

T

The Scandinavian

New member
How many folks here carry a flashlight on a regular basis, apart from on duty? I don't just mean for (ahem, sorry Kodiac) "tactical" use with a firearm either. What types and brands do you carry, and how do you carry them? Cheers! <font color=red>T.S.</font>

[This message has been edited by The Scandinavian (edited 01-10-99).]
 
Usually have a SUREFIRE 6P in my pocket, except at work it stays in the briefcase. Kinda of hard to hide it under a suit, especially when the coat is always coming off in meetings. My wife also has a 6P in her purse all the time.

The 6P is backed up by a SUREFIRE 9N in the car, as well as a 4 D cell Maglite in the emergency kit in the car.

Always have several cheap plastic flashlights around the house, for power losses.

------------------
Freedom is not Free
 
I carry a 6P way more often than not. Also have a 3 D-cell Mag in the car, two at home, one by the front door, and one in the bedroom for anything that might go bump in the night.
I almost never wear suits, so I'm looking at some of the kydex carriers available for the 6P. I've grown a bit tired of digging in pockets.
 
I have a Pelican 'stealthlite' in my tool kit and carry one with me on nightly walks. It uses 4 'aa' cells but throws good light and fits in pockets easily.
A 3 cell maglight is by the front door.
 
Photon Microlight on keychain, Mini-Maglite in briefcase. I sometimes carry my 6P when carrying concealed, most often when walking my dog at night.

Working at the clubs, 6-cell "C" Maglite. (I'll probably purchase a smaller light, probably a 4 cell when I get an ASP.)
 
I've made a habit lately of having a 6Z with me all the time. Generally, I keep a 4 cell Mag in my truck next to the seat and a 2 cellMag in my Bad Day Bag.

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-Essayons
 
A Turquoise Photon Micro-Light II, clipped to my shirt/coat collar, or belt, depending on how I'm dressed! :)

Also, I always have a Pelican VersaBrite in my shoulder bag. With it's swiveling head, stretch headband, clip and magnetic attachments - it's pretty versatile. And it's AA (= Lithium capable), and bright, with the smaller "spot" beam.

I try to grab my 6Z, if I think I'll need a "real" light, but the other two are the ones I always carry.
 
Fire department issure Pelican Lite in the glovebox & 3D cell maglite in the back. 2AA Mini-Mag on belt occasionally.

Andy
 
Three D cell Maglite in musette bag, with NiCd batteries. One AAA, and One AA as well in the musette bag. I always toss in a 4 D cell Maglite as well, when I get into my car; this also with NiCd's

Three D cell Maglite set up for alkalines.
Three sets of spare batteries

Four or five Photons; they are wonderful!!

Also, 500,000 candlepower spot light with flex cord that plugs into cigarette lighter.

No, I am NOT afraid of the dark! I do, however plan on being prepared, and expect that if there is a condition which affects a number of people (like when SF had the power outage a few weeks ago), I will have to provide somewhat for their needs as well. The scene of the people getting out of the BART train, with few flashlights visible, and the ones seen were those cheap $2 orange
jobs. Probably the ones provided for emergency by the BART people. I want a better light if I am walking close to a temporarily dead third rail which could become live any time, thank you very much!

BTW; the long promised Carley order is about to happen; I have e-mailed Carley my order, but can add on lamps if any of you want some.

Carley Lamp makes xenon lamps, which give significantly more light than the krypton type, and also makes krypton lamps for NiCd applications. Just e-mail me your wants. You can view Carley's website here:
http://www.carleylamps.com/star.htm#Kyrypton%20Rechargeable%20Batteries

Stay safe. Walt
 
Usually have a 6P, or on some occasions, a Mini-Maglite. In my Squad I have a rechargeable Streamlight, and Rechargeable Stinger. Have 3 cell Mag lights stashed everwhere at hom or my POVs.
 
Hmm... so far the majority of the votes seem to be for surefire's products, so I should obviously check them out if I can find a supplier locally.
A few weeks back I found myself in a room with no windows in an unfamiliar building. The lights went out. Since then I have made a resolution to carry some form of flashlight with me at all times but haven't been able to find something suitable and concealable. I carry a Leatherman tool at all times (really, really useful) and I think I could stick something else about the same size as a leatherman holster on my belt without feeling too daft. I use Maglites around the house, but the small Mini-Mag has the problem that it's still quite large to have on a belt, plus it's too fiddly to get it turned on and focused speedily. I also have an Underwater Kinetics light that takes four AA size batteries. This is MUCH brighter (it has a xenon bulb I think) but again it's large and again you need to twist the head to turn it on. At least this one's pre-focused. By the way I checked out the Carley web site - those bulbs look great.
Thanks to everyone for the feedback
<font color=red>T.S.</font>

[This message has been edited by The Scandinavian (edited 01-11-99).]
 
The latest Cutlery Shoppe catalog has the 6P's listed in colors other than the basic black. They show them available in grey, blue, clear, and OD green anodizing. Price is $5 more for the non-standard colors, and they also have the 3P, 6- and 9-Z, 9P, 9N, and 8X. You might find better prices elsewhere, but I thought the new colors were pretty cool.
In a related subject, is there any source for combo sheaths/pouches for Leatherman-type tools and Surefires? They make them for tool/Mini-Maglite combos. How much bigger in diameter are the Surefires anyways? This might be another option rather than carrying two seperate holders on your belt.
Just trying to help.
 
This is kinda off the subject, but I was wondering if anyone knew if there is max length/size of flashlight you can have inside the cabin of a car.

a couple of my friends tell me that the longest maglight you can have inside the car is 3 cell. I have a 5 cell sitting slgihtly concealed under the driver seat. just wondering thanks

garrick
 
I am not aware of any jurisdiction which regulates the size of a flashlight carried. After all, you can carry your aluminum softball bat in your car, can't you?

The size is rather regulated by practicality. If you would care to peruse the information at the website I gave above, Carley Lamps, you will see that a point of diminishing returns is reached after 4 cells. In other words, adding more cells yields less and less benefit.

Further, were you ever in dire straits, and needed to use the lite in self defense, you will find the 3D and 4D models better balanced.

If you get out of your car, and may be out of it for some time, and it is cold outside, tuck an extra lite inside your clothing. Voltage drops dramatically with temperature.

I have a friend, Ken Cox, who is a medevac chopper pilot in Oregon. He used to use a 6D cell MagLite, but I fixed him up with a 4D cell with rechargable (NiCd) batteries. Here is what he has to say:
****************************
Subject: Great Flashlight


>Hi, Walt.

>The flashlight works great. We have a new helicopter (same model, Bell
>222) and it came with a flashlight holder in the cockpit. My new
>flashlight fits perfectly, except for the soft handle.
>
>The new flashlight puts out a much higher quality light than my previous
>6 D Cell, and it stays bright over time use. I have only recharged it
>twice, because I thought I ought to and not because of any evidence of
>discharge. The recharge with the outfit you sent went brainlessly.
>
>I use the flashlight regularly, but one night scene call comes to mind.
>We flew to a private home on the south side of Bend, where a relatively
>young, visiting physician had an acute asthma attack. We landed in the
>driveway, with trees, structures and wires on the east and south sides.
>
>I continued to run in the driveway as the nurse and respiratory
>therapist went to the patient and brought him back. As I waited, I held
>the flashlight out the open door and scanned my proposed takeoff route
>for wires. The light really punched out there. Sadly, the patient
>died, but he received the best care possible, at least from the moment
>someone discovered his distress and called for help.

Thanks again, Ken
****************************

So there you have it. When a guy positively, absolutely has to see every wire and cable in the area, this is the way to go.

SurFires and their clones are OK, and about as bright as the 4 D NiCd set up, but they are very fragile. Drop a SurFire, and the lamp may break. Drop a Maglite, and you may scratch the case. SurFires to me are a compact, lightweight emergency source of light. But they are not build for abuse, and also, if you are using it in very tight quarters for a long time, you should be aware that Li cells give off HCN (cyanide gas) during discharge. Hope this helps, Walt
 
Funny you should mention that, Walt. There is an obscure statute in New Jersey under which you could be considered to have a lethal weapon within your reach if you had an aluminum baseball bat in you passenger cabin.

I was once threatened with a "lethal weapon infraction" by a rookie cop quoting what he had been told in the academy when he found a chuck-key (for the special lug nut on my wheels, the funy shaped one, y'know..) in my glove compartment. Apartently, its wieght made it a lethal weapon by certain standards.

The ring that I wear is also consider a lethal object in some jurisdictions (including that one) because of its weight. Apparently, it is compared to a set of brass knuckles, I guess it is a Gold Knuckle. Leave it to a military school to have a lethal weapon for a class ring (don't even bring up those tiny little things from West Point, my ring is BIG... ;)) I don't know what the cut-off is, but my ring wieghs 38 "penny-wieght".. whatever that tranlates to in non-jewelery terms.

It could be an urban myth, Chink, but you might want to look into it.

------------------
-Essayons
 
Walt,

Thanks for the info. I didn't get the 5 cell for self-defense purposes, I got it just cuz I wanted a big flashlight, and the 6 cell doesn't fit well in the location I chose for it. I always (well just while i'm on the road) have a mini-mag within arms lentgh.

Also, If you want a brighter light, maglite has come out a new bulb for they flashlights. it is supposed to be 15% brighter. I don't know if it 15% brighter, but it is brighter.

garrick
 
DonL: The combo-sheath idea sounds interesting. The problem I have is that carrying a minimaglite size torch in my pocket is uncomfortable, and I don't want to end up carrying a minimaglite size torch on my belt 'coz people (that have never been stuck in a toilet during a power-cut!) will think it strange. I had been thinking of something like a tiny maglite solitare in an equally small black nylon belt sheath. But much as I love maglites, they do have their irritating side, namely the head twisting lark and the dark spots in the beam intil you get the head twisted just right. At least here in Finland they are a quality light that you can actually buy in a store rather than ordering it. The Mini-Maglite is almost exactly $20 here. The Streamlight Junior (again too big) is about $27 and the Stinger is $200, both the latter have to be ordered from Helsinki. Streamlight key mate isn't available here for some reason.
Cheers! <font color=red>T.S.</font>
 
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