IDK if I’m missing something but conflating Surefire and similarly designed+marketed brands with “pen lights” doesn’t really make sense to me. Situational awareness (for general safety) and target identification (for any situation involving use of a weapon or deterrent) are extremely important and when it’s dark out, flashlights are a… pretty good solution. Many of these lights are indisputably in a way different size, runtime and output class than “pen lights”.
Surefire and Malkoff definitely have physical aspects of their lights intended for WML use to make them more resistant to shock and vibration over the long term. How much of a difference that makes isn’t really quantifiable but the fact that so many Streamlight, Surefire, etc. WMLs that have seen years of abuse still function is at least a testament to the fact that they can stand up to it. Would a stock Convoy do the same? Maybe. Would one that someone potted the electronics, strengthened the solder joints and locktited the retaining rings of do the same? Very likey. Most people just don’t want to do/don’t know how to do that though.
I don’t really consider flashlights as defensive tools. You aren’t going to blind or confuse someone with a flashlight. Cars pass me every night with bright as hell lights on and I don’t run off the road or otherwise get thrown into a fit of confusion.
Weapon mounted lights or even hand held lights used in a life or death situation only need to to one thing. Give me light immediately.
Given how my hands may need to move and operate other things I prefer a single mode forward clicky. I keep a Jetbeam Jet-IIM Tac next to my night time weapon and 1 inch mounts and Armytek C1 Partners on my AR’s.
I think you can break “tactical” down into two categories: general purpose and WML. A general purpose tactical loght would be something like an Olight Warrior or Fenix TK16 V2.0. You can mount them on a long gun with mounts or holster carry them as a duty light. A WML is solely meant to be mounted on a long gun (rifle, MSR, or shotgun, or anything with an accessory rail-Keymod, M-lok, M1913 picatinny). The Olight Odin in a perfect example.
Either way, in my observations, professional-grade lights for tactical/duty work have to meet some criteria: Water/dustproofness, shock or impact resistance (like from recoil or dropping, smashing car windows or other things), heavy-duty finishes, simple UI’s (sorry, no Anduril, Narsil, Biscotti or multi mode groups with blinkies allowed), and reliability features, no ultra-high, burn your hand off turbo mode with lousy thermal regulation. There are lots of “tactical” lights out there, but not many real tactical ones.