One of my best friends is currently in police academy and he is required to procure his own flashlights. He asked me for some suggestions since I’m the flashlight idiot savant among my friends…
He needs 3 lights:
-A general purpose light to keep on his belt with a tailcap switch with momentary on
-A small backup flashlight that can be clipped to his shirt or pocket
-A trunk flashlight for extended use and searching
He’s kind of a cheapskate and I don’t think he is interested in anything Surefire has to offer, so is what I was thinking:
For the general purpose light I was thinking about suggesting either a Fenix PD32 UE or a Nitecore MH25. I’m assuming he wants to keep his purchase under $100.
I own a Nitecore MH25 and I think its an amazing light. Its got a clicky tailcap with momentary on, a nice throwy beam, can take an 18650 or CR123’s, and it can be recharged via USB, which I think is really useful. He can charge the light in his police cruiser when he is driving around, keep extra disposables in his go bag, and its compact enough that it wouldn’t get in the way. The downside to the Nitecore is that the interface for changing modes is not very intuitive or quick. It defaults to turbo mode when the body is screwed tight to the head and if you want to switch to high, med, low, strobe, or SOS, you have to twist the body and then click the tailcap. 860 lumens may be a little too much when searching a house and might ruin your night vision.
I have not owned or fondled a Fenix PD32 UE, however, I do have a PD22 S2 which is basically a scaled down version with the same controls. I like the fact that it has a clicky tailcap with momentary on, can accept an 18650 or CR123’s, and it has a soft switch up front that lets you switch between the various modes. This light has a smaller head, so I imagine the beam isnt going to be as throwy, but I dont think that matters that much. The big advantage to this light in my opinion is the mode selector up front. It is much much easier to cycle through the various modes quickly which could be useful to preserve both batteries and night vision.
Are there any other belt carry lights you guys would recommend in the up to $100ish price range that would be more rugged or better suited to the job at hand?
For the small backup flashlight, I was going to recommend a Fenix PD22 S2. I own this light and I really like it. I carry the light on me at all times and I barely notice its there. 200 lumens, comfortably clips inside my pocket with the lens facing down, momentary on, mode selector soft switch on the head. The only downside I see to this light from a police standpoint is that it only accepts disposable CR123’s. I dont really mind personally since I can buy them at $1.10 each from Botach, but as a cop, I would assume its better to have a light that accepts rechargeables since you are going to be using a flashlight a lot more than your average Joe. Does anybody know of a light that is similar to the PD22 S2 in features and lumens that can also accept an RCR123? Is there a light out there that you guys think is better suited to the task?
As far as the trunk light is concerned, my friend really likes my Fenix TK70. He likes the fact that it has insane throw, good flood, and a very very long battery life on its lowest setting. Its pretty unwieldy, but he would only be using it when he needs to do searches or needs a light for a very long period of time. I use Tenergy Centura Hybrid LSD D cells in mine, which I think would be a good idea for him too, so he would only have to charge them maybe once a month to make sure its always ready to go. I think its a pretty good choice, but I was wondering if you guys had any other suggestions here as well. I think he would like to keep this one under $200.
I realized after writing this that I am pretty much recommending Fenix across the board, but I do think they make a fantastic light for the money. I’m very open to suggestions though!
Thanks!