Home Defense Flashlights

[SCARed]

I've got an old school Surefire 9P (3 cell A123). With the standard bulb it kinda sucked. It is bright for about 20min , then starts dimming. Was always buying batteries for it, and quit using it. But now that I've got an LED bulb for it, it last quite a bit longer and I use it frequently. I don't use it as a WML because it only has as momentary-on push button.

I've also got 2 EagleTacs and I like them just as well. I've run the EagleTacs on my AR and SCAR 17 for quite some time without any issues.

 

[Ruger SR5]

I use a Rigid Industries Halo LED flashlight.. It is 800 lumens on high, has a rechargeable battery, 12VDC charger adapter, and wall charger. I sell them in my off-road shop for $90. They are pretty tough too, I have beaten mine up pretty good too.

 

[ron]

I own several Surefires they are amazing amount of light. I really like the P2X dual output 15 lumen
and a amazing 500

lumens.Surefire P2X Fury Dual Output Flashlight LED Bulb Aluminum Black

 

[hm1ing]

Coast Flashlights and tools in PDX out by the Airport has some good ones. They are Lifetime backed and you can walk in the shop to use before you buy.

 

[1990Turbo]

I am a Surefire dealer, and out of all the lights on the market, this is what sits on my nightstand.
<broken link removed>

So I have a couple Surefire questions for you. I have an LX2 Lumamax and the thing i hate about it is it does not have a click on end cap does SF sell one for this model? And next I have an older E2D defender with the xenon bulb can it be converted to led?

 

[Burt Gummer]

High Power 13800LUM TrustFire 12x CREE XM L T6 LED Flashlight Torch Lamp Light | eBay

Nothing for <$100 with a half dozen batteries and charger even comes close. Anyone looking your direction at night out to 5-70 yards might as well be looking into the sun. They will then be a sitting duck.

Also makes a decent club for close encounters, by not a sturdy as a D-cell old school Maglight in that regard. Can easily be carried in a beltloop.

Do not shine this up close into someone's eyes goofing around. It is so bright it can permanently damage someone's retinas. The current T6 LED x 9. It isn't the brightest, there is a 12 out there (Geezus) but it is twice the cost so not the value of this one.

China is about a year or two ahead of the US distributors/manufacturers in terms of LED tech. Most of the popular brands you see listed above will catch up to this level around 2015-16.

The quality of the above flashlights is superior. For instance, when you shake a Surefire light it is solid as a rock. This one you can hear the batteries a little loose. That is because they put a sleeve in them to let you use CR123s also. Plus the Chinese slave who assembled it was probably overworked. I can say that this brand has never failed me however.

Comparing 500/1000 Surefires or comparable lights to this $75 light is like a candle vs a searchlight on a chopper though. 13800 lumens is probably an exaggeration, but it is easily 10,000 lumens or 10x the brightness of most of the 'brightest' flashlights above.

You specifically asked for a home defense flashlight, not a carry unit. This one fills the bill. For carry, I still like the Fenix FD32 the best.

Get one, impress the neighborhood.

 

[tmedina]

I would like to buy a quality flashlight for my home.Any recommendations in the $50-100 range.Wolf Eyes and Surefire seem to be popular with users.Are LED lights the way to go? There are many models to choose from:huh:

1. Yes, LEDs are definitely the way to go. They last longer, are brighter, and are more durable overall than comparable incandescent bulbs - the old glass tubes we grew up with.

2. Are you looking for just a general use flashlight? Rayovac Indestructible from Home Depot -2 AAs, $15. Comes in high/low mode. I have three around the house.

Do you want a high power, retina burner? A "bump in the night" light? That's another beast entirely. And yes, you won't go wrong with a Surefire.

EtA: If you go with a Surefire - it's a great light and I love them. But you have to be willing to buy CR123 batteries, and they can get expensive unless you order them in bulk.

For just a general purpose, around the house light: the Rayovac Indestructible I mentioned before. The Maglite 2 or 3 D-cell LED flashlights are also good; I snagged a couple on clearance and have been happy with them. Both are easy to get at a big-box store and won't break the bank. Both run on easily available AA or D-cell batteries.

Hell, the Costco special lights aren't bad either - "LifeGear" brand, I think they are.

Something else to consider: do you want 1 really good light, or a handful of reliable lights? I keep a tricked out Surefire on the nightstand, and a couple of other other lights scattered around the house - a Rayovac Indestructible and a Maglite 2-D LED by the front and back doors, actually.

 

[tmedina]

So I have a couple Surefire questions for you. I have an LX2 Lumamax and the thing i hate about it is it does not have a click on end cap does SF sell one for this model? And next I have an older E2D defender with the xenon bulb can it be converted to led?

About the E2D - you can, but not particularly easily. Do you want to keep the crenelated bezel? You might be better off buying a newer E2DL. They should be coming down in price, since Surefire just released the latest and greatest E2DL.

If you don't care about the spiky bezel, you have two basic options:

1) <broken link removed>
This is a replacement that screws directly onto your E2D body. You lose the spiky bits, but you get a head with a two-stage output.

2) <broken link removed>
This is nice. It's a single mode head. It also screws onto the E2D body, replacing your current bezel. And it's frigging awesome - I have one on an E2E body. At 325 lumens, with a nice balance of throw and spill, you will be impressed.

 

[Blitzkrieg]

Burt, I'm going to try out that TrustFire 12X CREE XM-L T6 and If I buy 2 of them they are 51 clams at this link

Aliexpress.com : Buy TrustFire 13000Lm 12x CREE XM L T6 LED Flashlight Torch 26650/18650 70W 12T6 from Reliable flashlight led suppliers on Online Store 228689

 

[SPHBS]

Just a heads up: The Clackamas Costco has the 500 lumen 2 pack on sale for $20. Great light for the $.

 

[ieasterly]

Costco ultra bright 500 LED 2 pack for 27.99 when it was on sale. I compared with all my buddy surefire flashlight and ob of the come closed to it. You can buy one and check it out, if my words are wrong then you can take it back to costco to return it anytime.

As far as brightness it might be close but check the throw of the light I bet the surefire wins out on that one

 

[tmedina]

Meh. Even if the flashlight wins on throw, or performance, I happen to like Surefire's solid reputation and trustworthy performance. Especially in something as important as a home defense light.

I wouldn't object to that Costco pack of lights for around the house use, or even emergency use. But my "bump in the night" light is a Surefire Z2 with a Malkoff M61 drop-in. I trust it to work when I need it to work. I'd take it with me on a deployment and it's the light I'd give my S/O to use when I'm not around.

The Costco specials, the Ultrafires, Trustfires, generic Chi-soft rockets from DealExtreme - none of them come close to that reputation for solid reliability.

Clearly, opinions differ and your experiences may very well be far different from mine.

 

[SPHBS]

Meh. Even if the flashlight wins on throw, or performance, I happen to like Surefire's solid reputation and trustworthy performance. Especially in something as important as a home defense light.

I wouldn't object to that Costco pack of lights for around the house use, or even emergency use. But my "bump in the night" light is a Surefire Z2 with a Malkoff M61 drop-in. I trust it to work when I need it to work. I'd take it with me on a deployment and it's the light I'd give my S/O to use when I'm not around.

The Costco specials, the Ultrafires, Trustfires, generic Chi-soft rockets from DealExtreme - none of them come close to that reputation for solid reliability.

Clearly, opinions differ and your experiences may very well be far different from mine.

I agree. I consider these great glove box/drawer/back up/emergency lights. I'm a surefire snob for anything more 'important'.

 

[ieasterly]

I love surefire but sometimes price matters when I worked patrol I carried 3 lights a stream light stinger (traffic and general flashlight needs) an eagle tac light think the lumes was in the 200 (tactical situations) and then I had a weapons mounted light on my sidearm. The eagle tac light was pretty inexpensive and was fully rechargeable so it worked for me.