Posted: 10/22/2011 11:21:30 PM EDT
| I finally need to get a new light after 13 years. Yes I went through a couple of battery sticks. I have heard some good and bad about the 5.11’s. I still like the stingers, especially the new LED ones. What do you guys think? I need a good patrol flash light that is rechargeable. |
| I have seen that many of our local deputies had the 5.11 lights here, and now they are not using them. The lights that they purchased have almost all had to be sent for repair in the first year , many have gone back to their stingers and maglites. I have only seen one of the 15 or so lights they purchased that has not been replaced, it was the last one purchased and the officer only uses it as a backup, not his primary light. |
| I prefer Streamlight ultrastinger and have 2 of them. The downside is charging time and run time. I usually get about 45 min or so out of these before they start to dim. I also have a 5.11 Light for life which is great for the 90 second recharge. The downside is their large diameter and how far they throw light versus Ultrastinger. I like the 5.11 for extended scenes (i.e. fatal TC's) where you will be there for quite a while it's great to have a light that will go at max output and still be back up and ready within 90 seconds. If I could only choose one though I'd go with the Ultrastinger though. Just read post above mine. I haven't had an issue yet with the 5.11 but did have another Officer in my Traffic Unit that bought a 5.11 and had to send it back for replacement because it stopped charging. Just my 2 cents. |
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Good ole Maglight with a TerraLux insert. 700, 400, 100 lumens pushing the button.
700 lumens will light up the inside of a car at night during a traffic stop like the spot light on your patrol car. Very nice. I carry a TerraLux Lightstar300 on my gun belt, 300 lumens from AA batteries, very bright white light. A TerraLux 220 is mounted on my AR. |
| Stinger LED. Standard Stinger LED or Polystinger LED for a great all around light. Stinger LED HP if you need a hand held spotlight-flashlight. I have the HP and it works awesome for rural work but there has been times where I wished it wasn't such a spotlight effect and had more spill. |
| I have used a 5.11 (the short one) for a year now. I really like it and have not had any problems with it. Some people complain that it is to light weight and can not be used as a weapon of necessity. Its not as good as a Maglite but it still hurts. Plus its bright and the strobe feature is nice. But the best thing is the 90 sec recharge time. Its great when you forget to charge the light. |
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I've been rocking the Coast LED Lenser M7R. 210 Lumens. Over 11 hours per charge. ~$130 with holster. I love it. It's got a cool magnetic charging system, that works over USB, so you can plug it into the USB port on your car's computer to charge on the go. |
| I've had the Stinger, Stinger LED, UltraStinger, and Pelican 7060. The 7060 is my favorite by far. I did like the UltraStinger quite a bit, and the weight combined with the metal construction was comforting, but it went through bulbs like a mofo. If it weren't for that issue I would still be carrying it. |
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Good ole Maglight with a TerraLux insert. 700, 400, 100 lumens pushing the button. 700 lumens will light up the inside of a car at night during a traffic stop like the spot light on your patrol car. Very nice. I carry a TerraLux Lightstar300 on my gun belt, 300 lumens from AA batteries, very bright white light. A TerraLux 220 is mounted on my AR. Ruh Roh - just googled TerraLux and got a Bluehost 404 error 
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Good ole Maglight with a TerraLux insert. 700, 400, 100 lumens pushing the button. 700 lumens will light up the inside of a car at night during a traffic stop like the spot light on your patrol car. Very nice. I carry a TerraLux Lightstar300 on my gun belt, 300 lumens from AA batteries, very bright white light. A TerraLux 220 is mounted on my AR. Ruh Roh - just googled TerraLux and got a Bluehost 404 error Looks like TerraLux changed their web site this weekend. You probably got the 404 error when they changed it. Try: TerraLux |
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Inova T4 Here's their website Charges quickly and lasts longer than a Stinger. Dual brightness levels and I use the momentary on a lot. Only complaint I have is the beam could be a little tighter. |
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Inova T4 Here's their website Charges quickly and lasts longer than a Stinger. Dual brightness levels and I use the momentary on a lot. Only complaint I have is the beam could be a little tighter. I believe that is T4 version 2 T4 version 3, is brighter, and has hi-med-low settings. |
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I've been happy with my stinger LED. Its very bright on high, and had a 5-6 hour run time on low. The strobe is also a good feature for directing traffic and getting peoples attention.
Also look at the LED mag lite. I have the 3D cell light and its almost as bright as the stinger. Its battery operated which I like since it doesnt have to charge up when it goes dead. I keep a spare set of batteries with me so I can have a it up and running if it goes dead. Battery life is really good on it too. I'd estemate about 4-5 hours on one set of batteries. |
I have a Surefie 6P with a P60L bulb that I've been using since 2006; the tailcap is worn from being in the Surefire plastic holder and the head has a few dings here and there, but has been reliable as hell through and through.
THe P60L bulb was discontinued a while back (forcing people to buy the more expensive KX-4 or KX-4D LED head for their 6P or G2 lights), so the next best thing for the 6P or G2 would be THIS from Lighthound. |
| I have both the 511 and the streamlight in my patrol vehicle. I carried the 511 for a few months. One night I had it on my belt when it was raining, that was the last time. Water got inside of it and it stopped working. I told my Lt. and his reply was, give it to me and I will send it back with the rest of them. The streamlight with the incadesant/led bulb is your best bet. |