Fifty years ago, the top-of-the-line flashlight was made of aluminum, usually black, had a lamp assembly head that turned to focus the beam tighter and used two to six batteries, either C or D-cell. It was a heavy light and was equally effective as a baton, which coincidentally got a lot of officers in trouble as times and technologies evolved. Jump forward to the present and the average officer’s flashlight is less than eight inches long, is as likely to be constructed of polymer as it is aluminum, has a LED lamp assembly and multiple light functions/levels available. Another difference? The flashlight 50 years ago cost about $25, a significant amount. Today’s flashlights, on the other hand, can cost $200 and it’s considered a good deal. If you’re going to pay out that kind of money, what are the design features you should be looking for?
Technological changes inside and out
As a rule, let’s accept that all duty flashlights should be reasonably compact and light so that they are easily carried. “Two is one and one is none,” is an axiom of operational safety we need to accept. With roughly 80 percent of law enforcement shootings happening in low- or no-light situations, having a flashlight with you at all times while on duty is mandatory. Why during a day shift? Because you never know when circumstance will take you into the dark basement of a home, a vacant commercial structure where the power has been turned off or other similar situations. You must have a flashlight with you and you must have a backup. The weapon-mounted light on your pistol should not be considered one of the two flashlights. Unless lethal force is justified, you shouldn’t be searching with your weapon-mounted light.
In general, today’s tactical handheld flashlights should measure no more than eight inches as a maximum length. Longer than that and they start to get uncomfortable on your gun belt. Four to six inches is the better length and thanks to today’s battery technology, that’s sufficient length to have a sufficient power source. Also, thanks to development of battery technology, that power source can be rechargeable without fear of over-charge explosions, over-heating and/or memory development that ends up making the battery useless. The battery output level isn’t as important to know as is the relationship between the battery performance between charges and the lamp assembly output.
An added benefit of LED lamp assemblies is that the power delivery controls are usually digital circuitry that enables added functionality besides on and off. The circuitry first controls the power flow to the LED assembly to prevent it from overheating and regulates the power flow to provide a more reliable even level of light. Beyond that, having that digital circuitry can enable such functions as:
- Adjustable light level output
- Strobe or flashing output
- Programmable initial on light output
- Multiple switching/control options
For about the past two decades, since the original Surefire Institute and the follow-on BLACKHAWK Gladius flashlight demonstrated the potential of a strobing light as a behavior modification tool, strobe lights have been in vogue. It is quite common now for a flashlight to have an operational button that will move the light through high power to low power to strobing, occasionally changing the order dependent on perceived market need. A strobe function can be a powerful tool with two caveats. First, the strobe must be the proper frequency and second, the operator has to be trained in the use of it. With improper use, a strobe light can have as much of an effect on the user as it does on the target.
Obviously, weight is always a concern when we’re adding something to our gun belt and when we look at the need for two flashlights the concern for weight doubles. A good tactical handheld light in today’s world should only weigh a few ounces; less than a half pound for sure. Whether it’s a thin-walled aluminum-bodied light or one of polymer construction, having the weight below four ounces isn’t usually a big challenge given the size limits.
A tactical handheld flashlight should measure no more than eight inches.
Given the desirability of a rechargeable power system, the docking system comes into question. It is far more convenient not to remove the batteries to recharge them, so if the flashlight can be recharged without having to do so, it’s a more desirable design. If the light isn’t rechargeable then extra batteries must be available for an officer during any given shift. Lithium batteries are fantastic for having a long shelf life but under certain circumstances can be hard to find, and when you do find them, they can be expensive. Today’s LED technology empowers the use of common AA batteries as a power supply with the restriction that they won’t last as long as their lithium cousins, but they cost far less and are more widely available.
Earlier we mentioned the digital circuitry that empowers multi-function light options and another growing technology is making that potential convenience / control feature even stronger: blue tooth connectivity. Some “programmable” lights require you to read the manual and figure out the proper sequence of button pushing to program your light for initial power, high/low limits and more. Thanks to blue tooth tech and smart phone apps, now there are lights on the market that can be programmed from your smart phone. Such apps not only let you control programming for your light but allow you to check battery levels as well.
A cost that can’t be measured
Of course, as mentioned at the beginning, all this new light output, power and programming convenience comes with a price. A quality, high performance, programmable tactical light can easily cost around $200. The question that comes to mind then is this – If you’re going to experience any low or no light situations in the course of your duties, and if there’s an 80 percent chance that any lethal force encounter you have will be in such an environment, are you willing to invest the $200 as a potential life insurance policy?
