Flashlights for self defense

black bear 84

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FLASHLIGHTS FOR SELF DEFENSE

As strange as it sounds, some flashlights are used for self defense quite often in daily life.
Sometimes by professionals Police Officers in a way to avoid using deadly force in confrontations with suspects, and other times by civilians that are not permitted to carry lethal weapons.

In the US we have it quite good in that we are allowed to carry short knives and some others implements but in the majority of Europe such activities are illegal or highly frowned upon by the authorities.

If you defend yourself with a baseball bat even in your own home in certain countries you have to give reason for why you have such an implement with you.

One of my flashlights that I promote in the States as the Search and Rescue 852 lumens to use in emergency vehicles such as ambulances, fire trucks, helicopters etc. because is too heavy and too long to be easily portable (it is based on the Maglite 4 D). I have found appreciative customers in the European market to be used as self defense tool by civilians that go out for a stroll or to walk the dog situations.

Other lights use others means of incorporating defense mechanisms in their construction. I am thinking now about the ARES Defense Companion, a Maglite with 3 cells that incorporates a shotgun of 410 gauge (only one picture is circulating in the Internet and I think is not in production) or the Tiger Light that incorporates a pepper spray canister, or the several models of Surefire that come with crenellated bezels (one example is the popular E2D executive Defender).

Surefire was the first (to my knowledge) at popularizing the crenellated bezel and the SureFire Institute offers a class in basic defensive tactics called “The power of Light” which is open to all qualified civilians as well as law enforcement professionals .
The course is taught by certified instructor Steve Tarani (shown below delivering a carotid strike).

SteveTarani.jpg



My own MAG 951 II or the EXP 852 can be had with the optional heavy stainless steel crenellated bezel that I offer in a limited production run.
Such bezels add 3 ounces to the weight of the head and the bezel even that is not actually sharp will be a good imitation of the broken beer bottle.
I don’t think that an aggressor, if he is in his right mind, will confront such a weapon that first will blind him with 951 lumens and then is ready to rearrange his facial features.

cbezel.jpg


Some handy accessories have been produced to increase the defensive use of the Maglite. I am thinking of a quality item made with great care and good materials called the Piggy Back; it will keep a container of Pepper spray quite handy by screwing the accessory to the end of the MAG tail-cap.

pgbk_4.jpg


Or from the same company the accessory tail-cap with carbide insert capable of breaking automotive glass.

pgbk_1.jpg


My own Quick Detach Swivel, when used only with the nub for the lanyard, can be very hard on skulls and noses.

swivelmag.jpg


This MAG 951 sports the heavy 3 inch head (the head is now out of production), more resembling a medieval mace. This is also a fantastic throw monster reaching over several hundred yards.

bigandflash.jpg


I have in my long association with the flashlight Industry seen a few models which spray OC from the front of the lens, flashlights that also incorporate a screaming siren, flashlights that incorporate a stun gun and others weird contraptions all of them gone from the market now.

What seems to prevail is just a good weight reliable flashlight that can be used as a baton or with the new crenellated bezels and the introduction of really powerful MEGA lights capable of blinding an assailant.

Best regards,
Black bear
 
Give me my 6 C Cell...Maglight...

....perfect grip size, and packs a wallop...been to court many a time with the miscreant still wearing a turbin.:eek:
 
I don't understand why the ones that use the CR123 batteries are so pricey. The Scorpion and other 6Volt lights. I can't see giving $80 to $100 for a flashlight. :eek: :confused: hpg
 
I don't understand why the ones that use the CR123 batteries are so pricey. The Scorpion and other 6Volt lights. I can't see giving $80 to $100 for a flashlight. hpg
[quote/]

The high intensity bulbs brings heat issues that have to be resolved with better components, (aluminum reflectors, Pyrex lenses, high thermal resistance switches and others)

black bear
 
It is just like custom knives or guns or anything. "Why buy a Kimber when you could buy a highpoint" Once you buy one you will never go back. I have had dozens of maglights and others which did little to impress me. I have a few surefirtes including an E2D and am ipressed everytime I use them. For the size of them they are extremely bright and are built like tanks. The batteries last a long time given the amount of light they put out. They are the kind of thing you could trust your life to if it came to it.
 
When traveling I have a 3 cell maglight in between the drivers seat and center console of my truck. A Surefire E2D rides in the cupholder.
 
LoadIt,

At 60 lumens your Surefire E2D put out more than the Maglite 3 D on fresh batteries (39 lumens)
But the problem is not with the flashlight but with the alkalines batteries that we use. Even the best brands Duracell and Energizer can only hold up to full power (39 lumens) for 7 minutes when they quickly drop to 70 % output.
After one hour the batteries are giving only 50 % output or about 20 lumens and going sharply downhill from that.

Here is a graph that shows what I am talking about.

mag3d.gif


The solution is to modify the Maglite to use superbulbs and a 12 volts power source based on Nimhs batteries that keep voltage high to the end.
High quality parts have to be used, reflector, Pyrex lens, non melting switch parts and ceramic base for the super bulbs, along with Nimhs rechargeable batteries that have high amperage and high capacity.

The result is a light that put outs 951 lumens!!!
To put this in perpective it is more powerful and bright that a one million candlepower spotlight, such light will blind a person for a couple minutes.

The reach of the light is over 300 yards and the flood or side spill of these 951 lumens can illuminate an entire room as it were daylight.

black bear
 
I think a flashlight that size is the equivalent of planning to carry a rifle around for self-defense. It might be the best when you don't consider portability, but on a practical level you're simply not going to have it when you need it.

Personally, I prefer a 60 lumen or brighter LED light with a single 123 battery. Such a light is small enough to be with me all the time, bright enough to blind an attacker, and durable enough that I'm not going to be replacing bulbs every time I drop it.

pax
 
Yes, maglights suck. But the big ones are undeniably better weapons than any surefire type thing. A maglite is a weapon, but a surefire truly is just a flashlight, regardless of some stupid spiked bezzle. If I lived in a European country with horrible weapon laws, my first goal would be to move. If I couldn't, and my best weapon option was a surefire, I would immediatly join a reputable self defence school.
 
I'm really not worried about the power output of the Maglight. That's why I have a Surefire. To me, the intended purpose of the Maglight is to be used as a baton/club. The lightbulb is just an accessory.;)
 
Fatboyclone,

A few members of this Forum have my lights, here is the link to my thread in TFL, Forums.
http://thefiringline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=169074

The Best of Surefire is the Surefire M-6 (500 lumens six 123's batteries for a 20 minutes run time)
My MAG 951 II offers 45 minutes run rechargeable (so FREE to run) and 951 lumens or with the upgrade Rolls Royce carrier 1050 lumens.

Here is a shoot-out at 43 yards (camera at 15 yards)

Surefire M-6 500 lumens

SuREF-M-6-500Lumens.jpg


MAG 951 II (951 lumens rechargeable)

lightstippled.jpg


Such light have been compared as to have a high beam truck light in your hand "but better".
If you look directly into the light you will see starts for 2 minutes, so any adversary is neutralized and blinded.

black bear
 
boink! (well, maybe boink!, or maybe crush!)

Next to my bed, a 4-D MagLite (yes, and a gun :D )

But in my 'purse' a Scorpion........
 
I have found another: and I understand is a popular accessory for Surefires.
It is called a TID (Tactical Impact device)


tid.jpg


Maybe I take one next time I go to a restaurant, to pre-chew my steak!!
 
And TAD GEAR also have three sizes of Crenellated bezels, they call them TIC (Tactical Impact Crown) but that most be a mistake, everybody knows that the device is to let light escape when you put the torch head down, thus preventing a fire situation.:D

tad-tic3_300x300.jpg


black bear
 
In the meanwhile Surefire is selling the L-6 Porcupine like hot cakes and at $600.00 a pop

It is a poem of high class machinery.

And the crenellated bezel is hard to miss.

SurefireL6P.jpg


L6Porcupine043small.jpg


black bear
 
I would buy one and train with one of these lights, that is, if they didnt' cost me $600. I just can't justify that when I spent $75 more for my Kimber, which, at nighttime at least, makes flashes of pretty light as well as the deafening boom of the .45 :)
 
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