What makes offerings from Modlite and Surefire leaders for defensive use lights? What makes them more durable and reliable?
Are there any competitive offerings for smaller (2x aaa penlight size) rugged lights with >500 lumens and >10k candela, or perhaps similar size/weight with better performance than an okw/plhv2?
There are actual “tactical” requirements or hardware designs, eg silent switches, explosion proof switches, weight/anodization requirements, Milspec standards, local police county standards, etc
But the generic “tactical” flashlight is nothing, really.
I think I am going to have to disagree. A tactical light is typically something the Police would use. It should have a simple UI, instant access to strobe, ability to use in defense or break a glass if needed. Something like an Anstrolux EA01 would not be in that category, Something like the Klarus XT21X would be considered tactical. So in my opinion, being a black light alone does not make it tactical. It does though make it a black light.
Me either but from what I understand, it can temporarily blind and confuse the “bad guy” so they can be hand cuffed. Or that’s what’s supposed to happen.
I’m afraid the title might have distracted people from my real question.
I’m looking for a reliable durable light with a simple press for momentary, click for on switch, that either delivers better lumens and candela than similar sized modlites; OR something smaller sized that delivers about 500 lumens and at least 10k candela.
500 lumens @10K cd is going to be a very tight hotspot. That usually means either a large head, or well designed optics for smaller heads… probably still 1”+ in diameter from what’s currently available.
You might try a “Hyper Throw” Malkoff head on a single CR123, 2xCR123, or 16650 body (for the reduced body diameter). The first gen 250+ lumen SF ED2 Defender LED (dc’ed long ago) had a very tight hotspot for a high cd rating. I can’t remember what the cd spec was but it throws well for the lumen output and 1” head (I have one).
The ET 18650 Tacical Clicky should get close to that cd rating at 1000+ lumens and is slim for an 18650 body (0.85”). However, the walls of the body are very thin and some think it feels flimsy (after carrying it I like it a lot). The Tactical series clickies have momentary. However the body is still noticeably thicker than a SF E-series body.
Otherwise, you might go for some of the newer 14500 lights with more lumen (1000+) to get close to the 10k cd figure in a slim flashlight, e.g. Klarus XT1A. I don’t like that mode switch for a “tactical” light nor pocket light though. Additionally, that brightness level will probably only last for less than a minute.
If you don’t mind the 1.125” head, the SF EDCL1 is a very handy single CR123 light with simple UI and momentary on (tailcap twist for steady on). It’s listed as 500 lumens @7,600 cd.
The Convoy M1 with CSLNM1.TG is about the same size as the OKW/PLHV2 but with a bigger head, which gives it over 100kcd (comparing visually to a Noctigon KR1 W2 which is rated 100kcd). Throw in a forward clicky switch for momentary and program it to single mode 100% only to make it like the Modlites.
There’s also the similar but slightly smaller Convoy M2 with CSLNM1.TG that should have a little less candela than the M1 but I’ve heard water resistance isn’t good because of how the o-rings and lens are set up.
“defensive use lights”? That’s not a thing. I would venture to guess that surefire is popular with police officers partly because they have been sold in uniform supply shops
for many decades. Very basic and simple operation is I’m sure a big part also. That doesn’t mean they’re better. The only way a pen light is going to be tactical is in the movies. Also not from your comments, I can’t see where a silent switch is ever going to be useful unless the bad guy is sleeping and you’re in the same room.
What constitutes “state of the art”? The OKW uses the same CSLNM1.TG emitter as the Convoys and the PLHV2 uses the CSLPM1.TG from what I can tell. Fit and finish isn’t gonna be as good on the Convoys compared to the Modlites but performance wise there’s no special technology that the Modlites have that make them perform better than the M1/M2. I’d even bet the Modlites also use linear drivers based on the lack of CR123A support.
If you’re not looking for a WML I don’t see why a Convoy M1/M2 can’t be a viable alternative to the OKW/PLHV2, if you pot the driver durability should be on par with the Modlites too. The only thing the Convoys lack is US based customer support and McClicky switch.