Is flashlight an effective tool for self defense?

This is the one for $6, for working on the car and getting grease and oil on it, its perfect.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B094FSCV3C/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o07_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Agreed, if one routinely gets oil & grease on their head when working on a car, the $6 version might indeed be their best choice. :white_check_mark:

for a headlamp, I would Not want Low CRI, not even for $6… Im worth more than that.

andy_u, thanks for the update on what you ended up buying.
Congratulations on making a High CRI choice.
High CRI is the only way I fly.

about the LED you chose:
The 5000k LH351d is an excellent intro to High CRI and near Daylight white color temperature. Good for staying awake, alert and active. I use one as a headlamp when doing active tasks, in my case LED swaps. I switch to a warmer light when relaxing.

future factors to consider
the light you chose uses 3 batteries. It is important to keep them as a matched set. Mark them so you know they go together.

mismatched batteries can overheat when they try to equalize their charge

you can monitor the batteries with a voltmeter. They should all have the same voltage.

Never borrow one battery out of the set, to use in a different light.
Because that will run one battery down to a different voltage than the other two in the set of Three, and when the discharged one gets back together with the other two cells, there is a danger of venting with fire. This is serious… do not mix mismatched batteries of different brands, different charge levels, different discharge specs, different ages.

about color temperature choices
I like to have at least one warm light, for relaxing in dark situations such as camping.

so the next light you choose, be it a headlamp, or otherwise, you have the opportunity to buy a warmer LED. I suggest 3500k.

on the left is a 5000k LH351D (similar to what you have ordered), on the right is a 3500k 219b

For an EDC light, I recommend you look at the Emissar D4V2 with short tube, it is available with 3500k LEDs… I think it will blow your mind. If you spring for the titanium version with the short tube, it could be the one light to rule them all… LOL

enjoy!
the journey is the destination

Awesome lanyard thread that you linked, thank you. I’ll have to reference that again when my light gets here.

My simple plan at the moment is to copy your technique of wrapping the light but reducing the hand loop to the size of a ring, just big enough to attach a carabiner to it. Then I can clip the carabiner to my belt loop, and also add a thicker cord to the carabiner for more comfort on the wrist like you mentioned. Hope my plan will work out :slight_smile:

Thank you for your reassurance. It was a very difficult decision since I have no idea what the tints are like. After a long while of going back and forth, I felt that going with the 5000K would be a safe choice, as it’s neutral, somewhere in the middle of the spectrum. If I don’t love that tint, at least (hopefully) I won’t feel bad about it.

Appreciate your mentioning about battery best practices. Fire is no joke. I’ll be very careful with them.

Seeing your 5000K/3000K side-by-side picture is very helpful. Some of the things that I read start to click. A picture is indeed worth a thousand words. And for some reason, the warmer color tint gives me a sense of calm and peace. Now I understand why there are a lot of love for the warmer colors.

You have piqued my interest with the Emissar D4V2 3500K as I do need an EDC and want to experiment with a warmer tint. It’s also nice to have a Hank’s light in my collection. Perfect recommendation! I have a feeling that I will have this shipped to me very soon :slight_smile:

this is my experience also,

there are two primary ambient light sources in my day and evening
daylight and electric light bulbs

I tend to use flashlights closer to daylight, as daytime EDC

I use warmer lights primarily in the evening, or on the nightstand for when I wake in the dark, and for camping, where there is natural darkness.

daylight is nominally 5600k, by buying a 5000k light you have adressed that niche of the cooler end of the spectrum. Day like light is suitable for high energy activity. The higher blue content suppresses melatonin and keeps us alert.

Incandescent light bulbs are nominally 3000k. That warmer end of the spectrum is good for relaxing, has less blue light, helps support higher melatonin levels that promote restful sleep. By choosing 3500k as an evening light, I am finessing the color temperature to be just slightly cooler than my house lights. This makes the beam stand out as slightly “brighter” (actually cooler,) or as some would say “whiter” (actually bluer), than the ambient light.

enjoy the quest for your grail light(s)
there can Not be only one… Lol!

Agreed!

At first I was planning on getting only one light, just good enough to cover a majority of future/unanticipated use cases. But as I get further along on this journey, I realize where’d be the fun in that. Variety is the very spice of life :slight_smile:

My side gig is as a bouncer at pubs and clubs and I have used a flashlight defensively a few times. Now if the Hell’s Angeles are all methed up and angry that you won’t let them in a flashlight is not going to save you on its own but a large dose of candela to the eyeballs in a dark environment usually gets you a startl response and takes people a few seconds to get their vision back and those seconds can be very useful. I don’t do it much anymore but I used to do over night static security and a high candela light was awesome for prevention light someone up for a few seconds a 100 metres away and they would turn around and jump the fence and go away saving me possible confrontation and paperwork.

Additionally in my country perper spray in illegal except for the police and so is “carrying tools for self-defence” but a flashlight as long as it’s not the size odlf a batton and doesn’t have huge spikes coming out raises no questions as well as if I light someone up who didn’t need to be lit up they can complain to the police but the police are very unlikely to do anything about if if no one was hurt/no physical contact was made.

Thanks for sharing your experience.

I hear ya! If I ever need to shine my light into someone’s eyes, I’ll count on those critical few seconds and make the most of it.

I like your story about your time doing static security, reminding me of the art of fighting without fighting :slight_smile:

imho, one of the best ways to deter a dog is to have a walking stick, which IS legal in most places
(except in California if it is a straight cane, that does not have a crook neck, it can be considered an illegal billy club)

although that article suggest Not carrying a crook neck cane, there is a whole school of self defense that uses a weaponized crook neck cane (but any cane is better than no cane, against a dog)

I had a dog charge me, at the beach during the day, when a flashlight is useless.
Before he reached me, I picked up a stick and prepared to engage. He immediately stopped the charge, and ran. I made sure to keep hold of that stick until I was out of the area. The dog never attempted to reengage.

A separate problem with out of control dogs, is they have out of control owners… there is no reasoning with them either… The owner will get angry, will become abusive and claim their dog is friendly. In both cases, the stick sends a clear and silent message to define my physical boundary.

many of the USA members here, immediately assume they can use a gun… This is not an option in California, nor most other countries. (see what I did there?:wink: )

Agreed, using a gun is not always possible or the best option on a dog. A good strong heavy stick or staff, with or without crook at top; does make a very good deterrent / weapon. :white_check_mark:

I think ShyOne knows watt he’s talking about here. I mean just look at his avatar. :laughing: :open_mouth:

**** :smiley: :smiley: :smiley: :smiley: :smiley: :smiley:

IF attacked by a Wolf notta… I would definitely prefer a gun. A short barreled shotgun to be exact. :wink:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_deadliest_animals_to_humans

Every year, 25,000 people get killed because they did not have a [sarcasm]flashlight or a stick[/sarcasm].

Many, many millions more get severely mauled every year because they did not have a [sarcasm]flashlight or a stick.[/sarcasm]

Fresh-water snails?? Whaddey do, slime you to death?

Cone Snail sting can be fatal: Cone snail - Wikipedia

“Is flashlight an effective tool for self defense?”

what is topic drift?

Not if the snails are deterred by flashlights.
All the Best,
Jeff

I think I have several lights that would cook a snail faster than it could escape if not underwater.

It does deter them, but it takes you a few days to notice….