"Less-Than-Lethal" flashlight for E&E?

Tyrkon Lawson

Tyrkon Lawson

Joined
Oct 31, 2003
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I am once again in the market for a good flashlight for my "Urban E&E" gear but I was wondering if any of you carry one as a "less-than lethal" weapon. Of course I have firearms but am limited by CA gun laws. And I have quality folders and fixed blade knives, OC spray, etc... But I figure why not carry something with multi uses. Watching one of Kelly McCanns videos lately on "less-than-lethal" he suggested a good light as one possible option. I have years of FMA training so am familiar with how to use nerve/palm sticks, kubotons, etc... and thought a good light would be a good tool to use in such a manner, as well as temporarily mess with an attacker's vision.

Any good suggestions on a make or model that would not be too bulky to edc, rugged enough to be used in such a manner? Thanks in advanced.:thumbup:

BTW - My las light was a Fenix TK10. I regret getting rid of that bad boy. :(
 
I started carrying a Fenix LD10 a month ago and love it. Bright enough for what I need it for, strobe, and a strike bezel. Very easy to carry in my pocket. Plus it runs on one AA!

Well worth checking out for $50.

fenix-ld10.jpg
 
Look at the new ThruNite Neutron Series Flood EDC Flashlights. Very well build. Thicker and heavier than Fenix. Stainless steel bezel. XM-L chip. But you can't go wrong with Fenix either.
 
I know they're expensive as hell and the batteries aint cheap either, but I've carried Surefire for years and loved them. The E2D LED model is built like a tank and comes with a strike bezel. Might want to check it out......

At the last gun show I grabbed the newest light from ITP, the SA2 Eluma. It's brighter than my Surefire, runs off AA batteries, has a strobe feature, and is supposed to be waterproof up to 30 feet (have yet to test that). So far I like it, not crazy about the pouch though. The only thing it doesnt have is a strike bezel, but it's still heavy enough to hurt, and without the bezel I think it would have an easier time getting past security and TSA checks.
 
De4thStr1ke said:
I know they're expensive as hell and the batteries aint cheap either, but I've carried Surefire for years and loved them. The E2D LED model is built like a tank and comes with a strike bezel. Might want to check it out......
Click to expand...

I second the SureFire E2D LED Defender. Very nice light, but quite expensive. Might be worth keeping your eye on the exchange, just the other day 6 or 7 lights went up for sale.
 
+1 on the SF E2D LED. $165 was a lot to pay for mine, but I've had it since I moved from TX and like others have said, it's built like a tank.

The incandescent version of the E2D is also a relatively cheaper alternative.
 
I used to be a huge SureFire fanboy, then I found out about 4Sevens. Now my surefire flashlights sit in a box and I carry 4Sevens flashlights everywhere. They are programmable, has a strobe option (very disorienting) and it is super bright, much brighter than my surefires, but can be put into low modes (5 levels of brightness) to save batteries. Built like tanks as well, highly recommended.

I carry these three:

Quark 123(Squared) Turbo, S2 Edition

Quark 123, S2 Edition

Preon ReVO

The last one is a little bit shorter than a mini mag-lite, but so much brighter. I couldn't believe how bright the flashlight is with a single AAA battery.
 
Aside from a custom I have about 15-20 Surefire lights.
USA made, extremely reliable and built with the outmost care.
The E2DL is a fantastic light, I have 2 of them. When it first came out I paid over 200 for the first one, the second I found for 125. It replaced my E2D (incan), which is also a fantastic light and a little easier to pocket carry.

I would'nt carry a 4Sevens light if I was paid to do so.
The owner is a jerk, the products often arrive Dead On Arrival.
or they require adjustment, cleaning... some kind of tinkering to actually work, before they fail.
and the biggest negative, they are made in China. (insert calming remark to sedate you MIC defenders)
 
I use the STRION LED 160 Lumen flashlights. They are re-chargeable (last 7 hrs on one charge) and have a strobe function that is almost impossible to look at. I could see it being very formidable in a dark parking lot. Would certainly give you time to do whatever you needed to do. I have three of them. One I keep in my vehicle, another by my night stand, and the third is always on the charger (and use for outdoor/garage tasks). I keep rotating them so I am always charged up. I have had the three for just over a year without any evidence of battery or light degradation.
 

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I would check out surefire's line of combat flashlights. I have a g2 led combat that strobes. It will blind someone in day light.
 
I'll agree with the other guys, take a look at the Surefire E2D Defender! It's built like a tank and has a strike bezel on both the front and rear of the light.

mybugoutbag042.jpg
 
If you want something that you can have on you key chain and therefore have it with you at all times I just got the Streamlight Keymate. Heck they are 10 bucks and you have it with you all the time and it is tiny. It is one excellent little light and performs like a bigger light. I got one for my wife too. It has a great beam. If you want something even smaller they make a micro version too.

I also like Surefires. I have a G2 (goes in my EDC bag) and G3 (in my glove compartment). For the G2 I got a bulb on ebay that is unreal that pushes the lumens over 300. I also have a Z2 Combat that i keep handy at home. I have been please with all of those. All are reasonable in size, except the G3 is a little too long for your pocket.
 
I love my E2D LED... I also keep a yellow G2 with a attachable/detachable traffic cone in my car.

SF's are pricy, but they just work no matter what you throw at them (or how you throw them!)
 
SF E2DL here but I do like my fenix pd20 but no strike bezel. The strobe it has is a big plus I wish my SF had it. The fenix isn't as $$$$ you could get a fenix and izula for the price of surefire. The surefire is $$$ but I don't regret it. I just would prefer a fenix pd20 style light for every day carry due to size and capability.
 
jamesmtl said:
and the biggest negative, they are made in China. (insert calming remark to sedate you MIC defenders)
Click to expand...

I'm not a big fan of things Made in China, to say the least. I'm also not a big fan of companies resting on their laurels, either. I started out with Sure-Fire around 1991 when I ordered a 9P from Cutlery Shoppe and I carried them for years. One of the best flashlights I ever owned was the E2e. I owned two of them at one time, used to carry both of them! :D

They have not advanced their LED Technology out of fear of hurting their incandescent replacement parts line. I have a Fenix LED light that pushes out 100+ Lumen and it runs on two AA batteries and I have a Fenix Penlight that runs on 2 AAAs that has that type of performance as well.

There are "Made in China defenders" and there are Sure-Fire defenders as well. I cannot justify incandescent lights and I cannot justify the expensive batteries to feed Sure-Fires just to have a status symbol. That's all they are to me now. Especially for survival flashlights, you want something that takes common batteries anyway.

Just my opinion. Sure-Fire will serve people well, they served me for almost two decades before I sold them all and went to Fenix.
 
I believe the best option is to find a light that you like and can afford but most importantly it should have a blinding amount of light. The massive, focused light output (like 200 lumens that the newer surefires put out) will be overpowering and disorienting to any attacker. The can't hurt what they can't see.

I'm so over the "strike bezel" craze:jerkit:. Sure, it can be useful but use the flashlight for what its intended for. And let's be real, if you smash someone in the face with your non-strike bezel light, you are still going to cut them and begin giving yourself the advantage. Some one mentioned earlier about TSA, I agree with that statement. When you are trying to be discreet, wouldn't you want somthing that looks like a plain ol' flashlight and not a pointy stick?
 
Thanks for all the input guys. Great recommendations. I am off to the local Army Surplus/Outdoors store to see if there are any good deals but will most likely be ordering online as that tends to be cheaper. I'd like to get two actually. One to keep on me and one to go in my car console where I keep my IZULA and a few other tools. Thanks again. :thumbup:
 
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