Proposal for a BLF defense flashlight

Hi,

BLF made all types of flashlights except one.
I would like to propose a new type that I’m sure many will appreciate.

If you look on Aliexpress, this flashlight has a huge amount of sales
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/SHENYU-Baseball-Bat-LED-Flashlight-2000Lumens-Super-Bright-for-Emergency-and-Self-Defense/32792015169.html
It’s among the first best sellers in the LED Flashlights category.

But of course the problem with it is the build quality. It’s just not rugged enough. What can you expect for $15?

This is where BLF could step in.
There are some very experienced people here whoare able to design, make a prototype, talk to a manufacturer for mass production and so on.

My proposal is a 50 cm long and very thick tube, with just enough room to accommodate some thick wires. The circuitry and lens should be encapsulated in rubber for maximum impact resistance. Long and thick threads around the handle. With one 18650 wrapped in rubber or silicone. Heavy duty and thick springs.

What do you think?

I second this. I recently bought a couple of these and would have preferred something that was also a better flashlight. For me a beam with more flood would be better as it would mostly be used around the house. A side switch would be good too.

In the US there are some problems with exactly how this would be used/useful.
Either you have to walk around carrying this baseball-bat-looking item (which is problematic if you are not at an actual baseball field as it appears you are looking for a confrontation) or you have to go get it out to “defend” yourself (at which time you could just leave and not engage the fight).

Both of these situations are not legally favorable for the carrier in the US. Maybe things are different in Europe.

It does look cool. But carrying a baseball bat around in your hand for “self defense” is a bad idea for more than one reason. Just my opinion of course.

It’s not for carrying around, like “EDC”. It’s just too large for that.
But I find it useful for having it in some place ready, just in case. Like in your house. Someone breaks in at night, you need a flashlight and a weapon. So why not have them both in one hand?

afaik the flashlight feature inside these bats skirts (or is trying to skirt) around most offensive weapon laws. Say, if you had an actual bat in your car while driving, (in some countries) it could be construed as an offensive weapon unless you are actually on your way to baseball practice.
The flashlight inside could make you could get away with it (depending on who stops you, why, etc). This is also the same reason why Maglites are still so popular, they don’t only light things up in many cases.

That makes sense. :+1:

Personally I wouldn’t want to depend on a hollow aluminum tube to defend my life and the life of my family. When our lives are threatened the last thing I want to do is piss off a bad guy by hitting him with a piece of aluminum. I already have a $20 dollar flashlight that will make sure I never have to swing a bat at somebody and hope for the best. Of course it’s attached to the bottom rail of a IWI Jericho 941F.

Got a Jaxman X6 Hunter XHP35HD E4 1A 4x26650, No issues with my LEO buddies, they all want one too. Sits securely in the right cup holder of my console in my Truck.

In the UK, carrying something with the intent of using it as a weapon is illegal in itself. Carrying something that’s actually designed to be used as a weapon - even if that’s only a secondary purpose, as in self defence - is absolutely prohibited.

A normal torch that you actually use while you’re out and about is fine, but carrying a big Maglite that you weren’t actually using to light your way would be considered suspicious. Carrying something that was actually designed and marketed as a potential weapon would instantly get you arrested. Even an attack bezel would get you in trouble, never mind a baseball bat with a light in it.

Ironically, modern Li-Ion cells have made it harder to justify walking about with a large torch. A 1×18650 light easily produces enough output for normal urban use, to the point where the light in question can overheat in turbo. You have to be using several 1.5V cells in a nose to tail configuration to justify that club shape from a “normal torch” design perspective.

Obviously, you can buy a light that uses several Li-Ions in nose to tail form too, but that’s getting into what the police would see as more specialist applications: search and rescue; farmers tracking down missing animals at night; tradesmen needing to deploy lots of light in dark areas. If you went to high power on something like that in a normal urban environment while the police were around, they’d definitely be paying attention to you.

On a personal note, I use a custom Convoy X3 with BLF A6 electronics (built for me by James at 3Tronics) when I’m out at night. The police definitely pay attention to that - constant operation at 800 lumens is fairly eye-catching - but then they see my blind person’s cane and understand why I’ve got it, so no problem there.

I’d like to see a nice one designed. I keep a real Louisville slugger in my truck and the cops never tell me anything. I tell them it’s for defense since I can’t carry a firearm legally anymore. Before I was a felon I had a few cops try to talk me out of riding with my pistol. In my state it’s legal to ride with a pistol with one in the chamber.
Car is a extension of your house. What I found ironic is when you become a felon no one ever asked me if I owned any guns even though there in my name . So I didn’t volunteer the information. Id just tell them I sold them anyway. Felon or not if someone breaks in my home imma take care of it. Goes back to the old saying I’d rather be judged by 12 then carried by 6

If someone is having a bad day and gets in a road rage situation. I’d rather hit them with the bat then hurt my fist. As a tradesmen I need my hands to make a living.

Not sure about Europe but wouldn’t dare use it in the uk.

We can use reasonable force to defend ourselves and our homes but if we use something even remotely designed as a weapon we’re screwed in most scenarios.

We can pick up something at hand to use if deemed reasonable but not if its been kept in place to be used as a weapon. Kitchen knife in bedroom drawer, jail time regardless what threat you faced. Baseball bat but no baseball or anything with it? Ditto, law says it’s owned to be used as a weapon so screwed.

Torch shaped like a bat? Only one reason to own that so screwed even if saves you.

Better option is a big old Maglite. Kept close at hand in case of a power loss of course :wink:

I am in. Bat flashlight collector. I like concept of defensive tool in case of emergency. I own Maglite, and other baton type of lights. Can use in defensive mode is why I buy these type of lights.

Make different types chrome black as primary limited editions. Make other colors for customized look.

Don’t make it look like a club/bat make a club/bat look like a Flashlight! :smiley:

I prefer to be judged by 12,than carried by 6…

IMHO. 2 objects combined into one simply means too many compromises.

I guess it won‘t be long until we get to see a new sticker on cars, saying „I’ll give you my flashlight when you pry it from my cold, dead hands.“ :wink:

Buy Maglite 6d. Best self-defence light.
Mike

Yeah, negative vote for me too I’m afraid, bat flashlights are my second least favourite flashlight design, slightly behind those stupid taser-flashlight combo things.

I’m sorry, whilst a little of what you have written is correct most of it is completely incorrect. There is no justification for a Policeman to stop you carrying or using any size/power of flashlight, unless as you rightly say it is primarily designed as a weapon or you are out in the country hunting deer or something equally illegal - if you were out in a van in the country late at night they may well tell you off, but I see no reason they would take it off you unless they found other ‘poaching’ equipment. there is NO law saying you can’t carry a big torch, and as such they cannot remove it from you unless you are doing silly things with it. You would probably get a warning if that was the case.
I have never heard of any instance where a flashlight was taken from someone just because they were carrying it, and there is NO law whatsoever about it where ‘specialist use’ is taken into account (brightness wise), I have no idea where you get that from, if it has been modified to be a weapon, then yes of course they can remove it.
Also carrying a big Maglite making them suspicious? where on earth are you getting all this misinformation from? they can be as suspicious as they like but unless you are breaking a law that can’t remove it from you.
If you tell them at any point it’s for self defence, once again, they can remove it - but who is going to say that???

At no point did I say that the police could confiscate a big Maglite or a high-powered torch just because you were carrying it. What I did say was that they would want to know why you had it.