Best flashlght for Law Enforcement Use

First off I am new to these parts so, hello . I am graduating Basic Law Enforcement Training here in a couple of weeks and am on the search for one of the most important pieces of equipment for a LEO, a flashlight. This will be by far the most used piece of equipment on my duty belt and the chances are I will be working 3rd shift. I am looking for a light that can be deployed by my off hand and be able to be comfortably held while holding a firearm strong side(one with a tactical tail switch is prefered) . That being said what are my best options? I know I would like a light that runs off of rechargables, I have read good things about the 18650 protected cells so maybe an XML driven light(again just guessing)? I am wanting something with a good throw(more light the better) that has 3 intensity modes with maybe a strobe function and memory so I dont have to constantly switch between modes. I know its asking a lot but any advice is greatly appreciated, and if this is like anything else I get into I will probably end up with a LOT of torches before its over. I would like to stay in the $50 range, with a cops salary the cheaper the better, while still being dependable ofcourse. Anything I get I will be getting 2 of and lots of extra batteries with a car charger(two is one, one is none).

I think a Solarforce L2p host is a pretty good choice. The standard reverse clicky works well with multi-modes like you want. I don't know if Solarforce makes a 3-mode XM-L, though Manafont sells one for about $17. Solarforce definitely has a 3-mode XP-G which might be a better way to go even though it's not as much light, simply because you will get better runtime and better throw than with XM-L. True throwers don't put out a lot of light, they just send a thin beam a long way, so I don't know if that's what you're after unless you'll doing stuff outdoors mostly and need 100 yards plus of throw. The XP-G is a good balance between throw and flood and is still about 300 lumens. I don't see a problem with using rechargeable batteries. Match the drop-in with the batteries, so get a 4.2V max drop-in if you'll be using the 1x18650 Solarforce L2p. You might take advantage of the group buy in the Budget Light Forum Deal Alert section to get some good quality XTAR batteries for a reasonable price if you don't have some already.

I know police officers will spend a LOT of money on Surefire lights, but the Solarforce is very solid and much cheaper. Good idea to have two so you will have a backup. I'd get two L2p's with 3-mode XP-G drop-ins and then buy the Manafont 3-mode XM-L drop-in to see how you like it. Plus the XTAR batteries.

L2p host, $17.99:

http://www.solarforce-sales.com/product_detail.php?t=FB&s=7&id=17

3-mode XP-G drop-in with memory, $14.99:

http://www.solarforce-sales.com/product_detail.php?t=RB&s=10&id=207

You could also get this combo of host, 3-mode XP-G, 2 Solarforce batteries, and holster for $49.99:

http://www.solarforce-sales.com/product_detail.php?t=LF&s=31&id=154

I'm sure I'll catch a bunch of you know what, but if I were buying one main light and some kind of backup, I would buy something made by 4Sevens, Fenix, Olight, etc. The 4Sevens Quark Tactical or Turbo come to mind (or one of their Maelstroms).

Besides the probability of better QC around the solder joints and such, I would think the idea setup would be Max (or strobe) and a low mode for reading drivers licenses. There are several lights that have a forward clicky for momentary like the Surefire but also can have a low mode if you twist the head.

Don't get me wrong, I like Solarforce and budget lights in general. I just would just worry about a connection coming loose when I needed it most and I doubt you would want to cycle through modes.

I think you can get one of the Quark Tacticals for around $55 in whatever battery flavor you prefer.

If you're going to use it one-handed, I wouldn't want to be messing around with trying to twist the head. Keep it simple with the only control being the tail switch. Quark and Fenix make great lights, but most policemen seem to carry versions of the Surefire 6P which the Solarforce is based on. The Solarforce will also outhrow the more compact Quark Tactical because P60's have a bigger reflector.

The Maelstrom is a $150 light, so I don't even know why you would mention it. The $75 Quark Turbo has almost as big a reflector as the Solarforce, but it doesn't take 18650's.

I carry a gladius blackhawk (bought it prior to knowing anything about flashlights) on my belt, and I carry a fenix ld20 clipped in my pocket. I really never use the Gladius. Alot of guys at work carry fenix lights the smaller p series lights on thier belt in a kydex holster. We have a guy that works with us that will custom make a Kydex holster for anything. Keep the bigger light in the car so that you don't a have to lug around something big all the time.

I have been through a lot of lights on my belt and seen everything that my co-workers carry for over 25 years. Right now on my belt I carry an L2P with the SF tactical switch and the kaidomain 5 mode U2 dropin. This combo has incredible high for lighting up dark urban areas and large rural environments. The low is really nice and low. The strobe is fast and high. Excellent and useful strobe, many are not. You really need the forward click switch though. Usually that’s not the best choice for multimode lights but you have to have momentary on.
I have a friend who owns the blackhawk mentioned above and it is a nice light. The interface is the best. Expensive though and doesnt have the output of the XML.
You can throw a million scenarios out here but you want one light that does it all and that you feel comfortable with. Momentary on, in my opinion is a must have though, along with a balls out strobe.
I have ordered from manafont the UF dropin with strobe to try out. It is driven a bit more conservatively and I think the quality will be better.
One more thing, an ITP EOS for your shirt pocket.

I would get a Solarforce L2p, then I would buy a Nailbender or maybe a Thrunite drop-in for it. I like cheap dropins from S/F and MF, but if I was a LEO or firefighter, and my life depended on my light, I'd pay more for a Nailbender drop-in just from a quality-control standpoint.

I would also buy an extra tailswitch for the Solarforce, and I might buy a Solarforce Mini for a backup.

I like that idea. The backup backup. Still a lot of light, but very small and light.

I think a Solarforce L2p host is a pretty good choice.

The standard l2 has a better bezel to stab suspects with. Seriously, the solarforce p60's are nice lights. They're same (or imo better) than the pretty common in LE surefires.

Remember to ensure the drop-in is well packed in with copper tape or foil for good heatsinking if you go for a P60 host. I would probably go for a complete light though for day to day use. You're requirements made me think of the new Jetbeam PC25 and the Olight M20 Warrior, though I think they're a bit over budget for you.

For use with a firearm the Shiningbeam S-mini may be a surprise contender. 3 modes, good quality, budget price with a reverse clicky at the tail with a good mode memory function. It is probably the smallest 18650 cell light out there and could be held in a finger grip while keeping both hands on the pistol for better aim.

The S-mini isn't a bad idea at all if you want something more compact that still uses an 18650. 3 nicely spaced fixed modes. Very compact. It is available in a (kind of) neutral tint which I'd recommend. Only problem is it doesn't have a clip.

LE is probably one of the few instances where strobe and maybe even sos would be useful.

Strobe in an LEO situation is effective when making entrance into a dark house. Did a training rotation with the super secret ninja guys(swat) and one of them came in with a strobe , disoriented the shit out of me and next thing I know he was behind me. I bought one the next day.

So would the L2p with the forward clicky be the way to go if I want the ability of a momentary on. They have the l2P in the package below with the forward cliky included.

http://www.solarforce-sales.com/product_detail.php?t=FB&s=7&id=112

Also with the UF drop in from manafont, how does it compare to lets say a nailbender xml 5-mode drop in?


Yes, a forward clicky will give you momentary-on without actually "clicking" the light on. Also, you change modes to the one you want before you "full click".

The Manafont dropin is Chinese made and soldered. The Nailbender one is custom soldered and tested by a guy who is not mass-producing them. In your line of work you do not want the soldering to crack or come loose on you at the wrong time. Thrunite dropins are supposed to be great as well, Malkoffs are pricey but are supposed to be the best.

Forward clicky gives you momentary On, but it is a little trickier changing modes. Some people have gotten the forward clicky and haven't liked it for that reason. Since the light changes modes if it is off for less than 3 seconds, if you use momentary on and then use it again quickly it will change modes on you. If the light is already on and you want to change modes you have to click the light off and then back on. So it's just different. The nice thing with the Solarforce series is you can buy different tailcaps, though the anodizing doesn't always match. There is good post around here comparing all the different Solarforce switches.

The whole point of the fwd switch is the momentary on. Since there's no momentary on to be used to with modes since the two features coincide/overlap in control scheme, it's only useful for 1-mode dropin's

I've used it with 3-mode dropins, you just have to select the mode you want before you click full on.

Yeah, I'm just saying that there no benefit to using one like there is in a modeless light, and in fact somewhat more confusing/annoying.

Lots of valuable advice has been given here already.

there are two principles to follow: Murphy's Law and K.I.S.S.

So, concerning the first, redundancy is the key. One is none, two are barely enough. Carry three lights at least. The first one almost always gets dropped (usually whilst being turned off). The second one almost always develops some case of bad cell or funky driver malfunction. Or both.

On a side note: the stainless head, still available through solarforce, works perfectly with $ureFire's tactical V70 speed holster. I use this combo on a regular basis for about half a year now.

SolarForce L2P is, very much, an improved version of the $urefire 6P at half the price. I own and value both, but the L2P wins over the 6P big time, from every point of view.

A Nailbender? Sorry, I cannot tell, I simply don't have the dough for one. But I can tell that the Manafont 1-mode XM-L T6 4.2max powered by a fully charged XTAR 18700 Li-Ion performed absolutely flawlessly last night around 01:30 AM when we were searching for a heavily alcoholized person staggering around on a local highway, confused and disoriented. Let's just say it was far brighter than anything else that had been brought along, incl. the squad car's searchlight.