LE duty light recommendations, please.

[Shoki]

I'm in need of a light for my duty belt. I need something that has a secure belt holster of some kind either included or available for less than a fortune. I'd prefer a basketweave leather holster to go with everything else on my belt but I think Kydex or similar might be acceptable. So far, all I've found is the Surefire G2X which seems to be a decent price at $70 but the holster is an additional $40 and I wasn't all that impressed with my first Surefire. Do any of you LEOs have a stand-by manufacturer that you'd recommend to a correctional officer?

While we're at it, what's your favorite pouch/holster manufacturer. The stuff I have now is mostly Bianchi and I like the quality, just wondering what else is out there.

 

[PropThePolecat]

What are you looking for in a flashlight? How much power do you need? Is it mainly for use indoors or outdoors? With a bit more information about requirements and intended use, we'd be able to provide some specific lights for you.

Ive personally used a Surefire Z2 with a Malkoff drop-in (260 lumens) for several years. Ive used their quickdraw V70 holster for years too with no problems, and it allows for secure bezel-up or bezel-down carry. As a backup i carried the E1B in my left front pocket.

Ive since retired my Z2 and bought a R1 Lawman instead. At around 270 bucks i suspect its not exactly what youre looking for?

But you can find plenty of cheap Surefires over at cpfmarketplace.com.

As for holsters Surefire makes the V70 which ive been happy with. Ive ordered a kydex-sheath for my R1 from Tony at Multiholsters, and i noticed he also makes some for the smaller Surefires.

I'd highly recommend Surefire to a fellow professional. Yes, they're expensive, but they are built to last and know to be extremely reliable. Their customer service have been very good to me too. A metal clip broke after several years on my V70 holster, and they sent me a replacement clip free of charge and no questions asked. Didnt even ask for a picture. Theyve also sent me free rubber rings for my Z2 no questions asked.

 

[Shoki]

It would be used mostly indoors but also for outdoor perimeter tours so high/low modes would be nice. I'm not sure about specific power yet but I think in the area of 200 lumens would be plenty.
Price is a bit of an obstacle at the moment. Normally, I'd have no problem shelling out $200+ for a quality tool but a lay-off from my previous job left the money-bin void and dusty. Because of my low budget, I'm not too picky. I just need something that throws a decent beam, and won't be too easy to pinch from it's holster.

 

[moshow9]

If you can swing it ($199), might look in to an HDS EDC Tactical light. Henry offers Kydex holsters on his website, or you can have a leather one custom made from Thor's Hammer Custom Leather.

 

[k1ssthecook]

I carried a fenix pd30, really small and lightweight. Extremely bright (one of the brightest I have ever used). The major downside is that it uses cr123 batteries which are expensive.

I went to another agency and we were issued a rechargable surefire...they are garbage. Free, but garbage.

 

[Shoki]

I just picked one of these Nitecores up for $75:

I think I got a good deal but I don't know much about flashlights. Good choice?

 

[gadgetgeek]

A couple things to think about, does your agency buy batteries, or are you on the hook for those as well? if they do, use that to narrow your search, as it will help take some of the sting out of the wallet.

If the budget is tight, I would look at the Fenix lights. They are not the brightest, fanciest, or even the toughest lights out there. But they do get the job done at a reasonable price point. It would be enough to get you over the line at least while you get the budget back under control, and then you can spend some time looking at the higher end. I would look to the E25, LD20, LD22 for AA lights. If your boss already buys CR123s then you can really get some light going with their other options.
Hope that helps

 

[PropThePolecat]

I just picked one of these Nitecores up for $75:

I think I got a good deal but I don't know much about flashlights. Good choice?

It has gotten pretty good reviews from what I could see. It has too many modes for my liking though.

I'd love to hear what you think of the light once you receive it.

 

[Shoki]

It has gotten pretty good reviews from what I could see. It has too many modes for my liking though.

I'd love to hear what you think of the light once you receive it.

I'll definitely post my findings when it gets here. It does seem to have a ton of modes but I like the infinitely variable brightness and the built-in color LEDs (red, specifically). Those should be useful for shining into the cells without waking inmates at night.