Is flashlight an effective tool for self defense?

It’s your funeral, bub.

Chris

If your choices are flashlight or nothing, take the flashlight. If your choices are flashlight or .45 take both. It’s better to be tried by 12 than carried by 6. On the other hand, I hope I never have to trust my fate to 12 people who aren’t smart enough to get out of jury duty…

@ andy_u

Funny how lots of folks reacted, so let me say "Welcome to BLF" !

And congratulations on getting to take a cross country trip. Good to hear you are thinking about safety. If you avoid cities, I think your chances of auto accident are higher than meeting the bogeyman.

I would suggest bringing a flashlight that’s good for reading “Zen and the art of motorcycle maintenance” in your car without killing the car battery.

"is flashlight an effective tool for self defense?"

About as effective as Glock 29 Underwood loaded is for illumination.

i would say no, very few self defense situations would be helped by a flashlight
for many reasons

wle

We all know that blind people are the most effective fighters and shooters.

No one who has a gun is ever harmed because it is so effective.

Yeah, not really, especially if you're seated inside your car and not already out and about where you might blind someone and then slip to the side for whatever purpose you choose at that point. Don't overthink and turn it into fear...my two cents. Just try to pick your spots wisely...paid areas are most often a bit safer than a rest stop or parking lot somewhere. Generally the further you get from People the safer you are...many people think the opposite but really when you get off the beaten path you're usually unlikely to have anyone around.

Keep in mind that if you turbo someone from inside your car, you're going to blind yourself from reflection and/or not be able to see outside the window very well in order to see them.

But I'd say a Sofirn C8F is a nice light to keep around...not too large or heavy, impressive brightness and good control over that. It has a tail switch that is simple on/off and then a side switch that controls your light level/features. If you put the light into high or turbo with the side switch and then turn it Off with the tail switch, it's ready to go into turbo lickety split. Tail switches are the easiest to find in a hurry, and the C8F done this way only needs a simple single click to put out full blast. A "tactical" feature that actually has some real world convenience if you want to use it that way. And it's a great light for general use, too. A little more expensive on Amazon than if you ordered it from them overseas, but you can get it quickly. Smaller lights are more packable and can certainly give a good blast of light, too.

Enjoy the trip...if it's your first time in parts of the country, there's an awful lot of neat things to see and experience! Take the back roads where you can...almost never regret doing that.

But if you hear banjo music in the distance, gtfoot fast, unless you want someone to appreciate your “purty mouf”.

If it is long enough to swing like a bat, it “might” be better than nothing… maybe.

I subscribe to Lightbringer’s way of thinking myself. Mount it on a .45.
Except I would mount it on the frame under the barrel instead of the slide.

(.40 Cal or 9mm would work also…. with the right Ammo.)

Never take only a flashlight to a potential gun fight…. :wink:

Have a great trip!!! :white_check_mark:

lights like the Imalent MS18 is a weapon itself. Blast that light on its maximum at 5 feet or less into an intruders eyes will cause some brain pain.

I have the second one, it is quite sturdy and robust. If legal to carry where you are, it would be a bat and light in one.

I love the US of A…a guy starts a threat seeking a bright light & walks away getting a long barrel .45! :disguised_face:

Bottom line, if you want to be save, you need a better weapon than the enemy.

In the 1970’s cops were complaining that they are at a disadvantage because they carry revolvers while the “bad guys” carried semi-auto’s.

Yeah ditch the AAA strobe light with funky UI that will send you all over the place…get an AR or the civilian version of the MP-5, step forth & fear no evil.

For non lethal protection I would suggest pepper spray. Bear size can is best.

6-cell Maglight used to be quite effective.

If you're already concerned about being hijacked while sleeping then my guess is that sleeping in your car isn't a wise move .

As far as what to buy and why ...go with the basics . High cri a decent amount of throw /18650 rechargeable via usb port etc . A good flashlight will probably deter more than save your life . Rats generally scatter when the lights come on. If someone seeks to wake then rob you ..you already have real problems since it takes a special kind of crazy to engage an unknown individual asleep or otherwise .Your odds of needing a weapon to protect yourself are about 600,000 to one . Simply parking in a better well lit location probably makes the chances of being attacked 20 times less likely . remember too that if you're robbed while sleeping in your car ...you probably have nothing to lose anyway . Get a nice flashlight so you can show them plainly that you have nothing they want and that you're as broke as they are ... Worse case scenario maybe gift them the light .

People concerned with self defense aren't the ones usually looking for a fight .Using a flashlight in strobe mode on a person who's already considering doing you bodily injury is like Texas Shooter said just going to give them justification in their own insane mind as to why you actually did deserve a good arse kicking . ..might as well rob you too since you were asking for it.

Self defense is best left to those who think they can easily take out the assailant. Arguing with him will always be less effective than knocking him out .Dancing around him /lighting candles /sacrificing chickens and invoking Voodoo curses won't be as effective as shooting him in the kneecap ...Blinding him momentarily with a flashlight could be effective if it's going to be followed up by 27,000 volts to the groin .

The OP went missing. As many times as this subject comes up I’m starting to smell a rat.

Or just wear The Suit Of Many Hooks, following the example of the Wily Porcupine.