Academy light

[Nhoc6131]

Entering academy soon and they require we purcahse our own flashlights for training. They say no specific brand or type required.

I'd imagine ill probably end up damaging it while there and itll never make to the road

Any suggestions on a cheaper side that worked good for whatever training you did at your academy?

Thanks

[JKralC104]

You will damage a flashlight more on the road than you will in the academy. I have a Streamlight SL20 that is bulletproof. Have had it for 5 years. They have a lifetime warranty so if it breaks or YOU break it, they will fix it. $110 but worth it.

[Nhoc6131]

Hmm, Interesting. That light sounds good Ive heard it recommended alot.

I dont really want to overkill it at the academy by buying a kick *** light and be "That guy" already. Not saying itd be bad to have that light. I just dont know if I should show up with something good or something you can buy at sears, since its just training lol. Were an Unpaid class so it all comes out of my pocket.

[JGus]

I have found a none wallet emptying way around the flash light. Coleman Max has a 115 Lumen light for $25 if you get rechargeable batteries it makes the perfect durable light. plus remember you always want more than one light. Batteries die bulbs break and burn out. With the cost being a fraction of the "namebrand" lights you can get two or three for just in case. These lights can be found in the hunting supply section of Wal-mart.

[Blue Breed]

Most officers have atleast 2 lights. I have the sl-20 led streamlight and the polystinger ds led streamlight on my belt. Like previously mentions streamlight has a great warranty program. Thats one tool you dont want to go cheap on. Buy rechargeable you will save money in the long run. Plus i think reachargeables are brighter anyway. You say you dont want to be that "guy". Well why would you train with something your not gonna use on the road anyway? When you do night shooting trust me you will wish you didnt go cheap on the light. Im a fan of steamlight.

[Nhoc6131]

Hey thanks for the Replies, I'm going and getting my uniforms and all that good stuff tomorrow so I'll check out some of those suggestions.

The that guy comment was just in the sense of if everyone else has cheapo's and im the one that dropped a bunch for a nifty flash light.

I get what your saying though about using what you train with. I talked to an recent academy grad and he said they only ever used their lights for building search training. He said some guys had stingers and some guys had cheapo's and that it didnt really matter.

So I'll check them out. I'm trying to control my gear buying at least in the beginning. The girl gets shoes and I want duty gear

[JKralC104]

Check out the compact Pelican 7060 LED light. It was designed to LAPD specifications.

http://www.copquest.com/15-0400.htm

That light is garbage.

I had 2 Streamlights when I went thru my current departments academy. A lot of people ended up using my lights because they bought the cheapos. I've got the SL20 as my main light, Strion on my belt, and the TLR-1 on my gun. I have a rechargeable maglite as a backup light in the car. (Yes, if I'm out of my cruiser I have no less than 3 lights on me.)

[Presence 1*]

i bought a cheapo flashlight for the academy, and only used it one time, when we did night fire... that said, I didn't even need it.

we didn't use flashlights during building searches, but that will all depend on what your setup is like. the building we searched had lights and natural light comin through the windows of the rooms we searched, so we were never really in the dark.

you probably don't need to drop a bunch of money on a flashlight just yet.

when you do get one though, consider the standards of your departmnet. are they providing your equipment? what do the other officers there carry? my dept supplies streamlight strion flashlights, but I received a flashlight as a graduation present from a member here (Thank you HXD ) that I think is far superior to the strion. The problem I have with the strion is that the battery dies very quickly, and the light it emits is yellowish and dim. The one I got as a gift is a Fenix light, model pd30. It is SUPER bright, and has this awesome blinding strobe feature in addition to some other brightness settings.

You also need to look at options like rechargeable batteries, docking stations, cost to keep the thing running, etc.

there are several threads around here about the best flashlight options - check 'em out - there are lots of reviews with far more detail than I could articulate to you, or begin to even understand.

[velobard]

If you're looking for a cheap price, you aren't likely to find one to beat this:

http://www.ledshoppe.com/Product/ledp/LP1067.htm

Just $15 shipped.

Disclaimer: I am NOT a cop and I'm not making any claims this would stand up to the wear and tear in that line of work. I just know that this little light has impressed me with it's performance. Uses either 3 x AAA or 2 x CR123 batteries, it's rated at about 180 lumens (at least that's what the page said when I ordered, either way it's plenty bright compared to other tac linghts I've seen), and it has fulfilled my needs with fairly regular use for the past year. I also have one of their 1 cell 5W lights that lives each day on my belt and is one of the handiest things I carry.

At the same time I ordered my lights I also purchased a set of 4 rechargable 3V CR123 batteries with a recharger off of ebay for something like $13 shipped. Just toss the cells on the charger as necessary and you have a very cheap setup.

[toasterlocker]

Ok, I'm going to try and say this without sounding like too much of a snob, but there is a lot of bad advice so far. Don't get me wrong, there has been some good comments, but the $15 light is sketchy, the Pelican 7060 is NOT junk, and icandescent lights like the SL-20 aren't so great anymore with all the better LED offerings.

For starters, I'll toot my own horn and direct you to my flashlight thread:

http://forums.officer.com/forums/showthread.php?t=96226

I would particularly recommend this Eagle Tac for a small, less expensive light:

https://www.eagletac-store.com/produ...oducts_id=1485

Inexpensive, but high quality and great performance.

[HEDP]

Ok, I'm going to try and say this without sounding like too much of a snob, but there is a lot of bad advice so far. Don't get me wrong, there has been some good comments, but the $15 light is sketchy, the Pelican 7060 is NOT junk, and icandescent lights like the SL-20 aren't so great anymore with all the better LED offerings.

For starters, I'll toot my own horn and direct you to my flashlight thread:

http://forums.officer.com/forums/showthread.php?t=96226

I would particularly recommend this Eagle Tac for a small, less expensive light:

https://www.eagletac-store.com/produ...oducts_id=1485

Inexpensive, but high quality and great performance.

Toasterlocker speaks the truth.


I followed his advice, got a Lumapower MRV SK for work and love it. I've gotten a lot of comments from other officers on how bright it is and I only have good things to say about the light.


As a matter of fact I'm thinking about buying another one for hunting.


You can also check out: www.candlepowerforums.com


.

[Till]

For single-cell lights, I recommend a Novatac 120T or Fenix PD20.

I have both, and in the LE field, they would definitely serve you well.

When I was interning, I had several members of the local PD asking me where I got my lights so they could get them one.

Any of the new LEDs from Surefire, Streamlight, Novatac, Eagletac, Fenix, etc. I would get.

And by the way... buy cheap, and you get cheap.

No way in hell I'd use a $15 light on the job. Unless it was a used premium-brand light that was still in decent shape.

[Nhoc6131]

thanks for all the replies, i appreciate all the advice. I scoped out some flashlights at the uniform shop today to get a bit of an idea.

One of the workers recommended getting the class together and doing a bulk order which will lower the price on some of the fancy ones. Thats a pretty good idea she said past classes had done that.

My class is 100% self-sponsor so none of use will have department issue anything so hopefully we go that route

[velobard]

Ok, I'm going to try and say this without sounding like too much of a snob, but there is a lot of bad advice so far. Don't get me wrong, there has been some good comments, but the $15 light is sketchy,

I fully appreciate your skepticism. If he was asking about a primary duty light I never would have mentioned it. On the other hand if you aren't going to use it for that or just want a "beater" light, this might not be so bad. I mentioned it in your "flashlight" thread and you didn't have a problem with me bringing it up there. FWIW, it has a sturdy aluminum body, a deep orange-peel reflector, and a 5w CREE bulb. They also have a headlamp with a CREE R2 bulb (*claimed* 220 lumen) and adjustable focus for $10.99. I'm thinking about picking one up just to use for general utility stuff or working under the hood.

I do appreciate the link to the eagletac site, they have some nice looking stuff for a reasonable price.

I certainly acknowledge your greater experience on this subject.

[toasterlocker]

I fully appreciate your skepticism. If he was asking about a primary duty light I never would have mentioned it. On the other hand if you aren't going to use it for that or just want a "beater" light, this might not be so bad. I mentioned it in your "flashlight" thread and you didn't have a problem with me bringing it up there. FWIW, it has a sturdy aluminum body, a deep orange-peel reflector, and a 5w CREE bulb. They also have a headlamp with a CREE R2 bulb (*claimed* 220 lumen) and adjustable focus for $10.99. I'm thinking about picking one up just to use for general utility stuff or working under the hood.

I do appreciate the link to the eagletac site, they have some nice looking stuff for a reasonable price.

I certainly acknowledge your greater experience on this subject.

For just goofing around I'm sure it is a great light. And as much as I preach the "great lights can be had for less than Surefire/Streamlight money," $15 just seems a little too good to be true, and the reflector doesn't look deep enough for LEO purposes.

Would I buy one for $15 bucks if I didn't already have a ton of lights? Heck yes. Would I use it for anything more than looking under the seat of my car like you suggested? Probably not. I think we actually see eye to eye on that light after re-reading your first post.