2019: Higher Lumens and Still All Surefire Handheld Lights Seem to Suck

[orionz06]

I really wish Ken Good could get it all together with the Estrela. In the meantime, I guess I'm going Malkoff or Surefire with Malkoff guts.

The Night Reaper is solid. It's home/duty sized though.

[RevolverRob]

The Night Reaper is solid. It's home/duty sized though.

Are they still making them? I was under the impression that they haven't made any in a few years. I love the light, a buddy has two of them and uses one for duty. I'm continually impressed whenever I play with it.

Clear Ken Good is a smart man when it comes to flashlights and flashlight designs. I wish he could get back together with Surefire and make some progress, but it seems like that ship has sailed (or sunk...hard to say).

[powell556]

There's been some mention of malkoff lights in this thread. Any of them particularly noteworthy, either entire light or a replacement module? The website seems more enthusiast-focused, so if you have less than 1000 posts on Candle Power Forums, it's hard to make sense of what's what. Also some of the "bulbs"/heads seem outdated for the lumen count. Maybe it's old stock and he hasn't made new versions yet, so I'd like to avoid buying a 5 year old tech in a light.

[PearTree]

There's been some mention of malkoff lights in this thread. Any of them particularly noteworthy, either entire light or a replacement module? The website seems more enthusiast-focused, so if you have less than 1000 posts on Candle Power Forums, it's hard to make sense of what's what. Also some of the "bulbs"/heads seem outdated for the lumen count. Maybe it's old stock and he hasn't made new versions yet, so I'd like to avoid buying a 5 year old tech in a light.

M61hot md2 or the hound dog if you are looking for lumens. I believe the m61 is around 750 lumens. Malkoff posts accurate lumen numbers and sometimes underrates the overall output where most light manufacturers do the opposite. If I’m spending money on a flashlight it’s malkoff, nothing else comes close in my opinion.

[NH Shooter]

This is what I consider my most effective EDC light for SD purposes with a pistol: a Malkoff Bodyguard v.2 head on a SF body with a Malkoff E-series tailcap. It comes on high (1,000 lumens) every time without fail. No twisting of heads, presses of the switch etc. required. The unique feature is that the light will automatically step-down to 200 lumens after 10 seconds. Blip the clicky to reset, or leave it on 200 for longer runtimes and no overheating;




This is the complete Bodyguard v.1 light which puts out 600 lumens on a single-cell body (or 900 on a 2-cell body);




This is The Weapon: a Malkoff Hound Dog Super producing 1,700 lumens with 75,000 lux. It uses the Malkoff high-low bezel switch to drop it down to 80 lumens and about 4,500 lux;




There's much to like about Malkoff lights, including heavy duty construction, simple UIs, extreme reliability and unsurpassed customer service by Gene and Cathy Malkoff. Buy with confidence!

[blues]

There are many Malkoff lights, and Lego versions with Malkoff heads and SureFire bodies that are excellent for any number of purposes.

Here are a few for consideration:





Similar to NH's example, I use the Bodyguard v.1 (of late) as my EDC. It provides 800 lumens momentary, 700 lumens for roughly 10 seconds, and 200 lumens after 10 seconds on an IMR 16340 battery.

I can also use it with my SureFire E2e body with a 16650 battery for extended run time and more lumens. Gene didn't have the exact figures for me when we last spoke on it. My E2e usually wears a Malkoff Scout head otherwise.

You can't go wrong with any Malkoff, imho. Just depends on what your requirements are.

[scjbash]

OP, look at the Nitecore P12GT. 1000 lumens and 25,700 candela running on two CR123's or one 18650 (18650 is the way to go with lights IMO). Clicky tailcap for momentary and constant on. Small button on the side of the light near the bezel changes output and it always turns on with the last output you selected. I'm a several times a day user and I've beat the hell out of it for two years with no issues.

[NH Shooter]

Either an always high super tactical light that gives 400+ lumens on one CR123 / 1000+ lumens on two CR123s

OR If I do have a dual mode low/high light, then one of two systems seems good:

Press in on the tail cap a little bit and get a little bit of light. Press more on the tailcap get a lot of light. This means under stress, I push hard and I get the full light. Under not stress, I can think about what I'm doing and push gentler, and even if I accidentally push too hard, it's "not stress" so it doesn't matter. I want the system to FAIL high, not low.

OR the other method I would allow is a twist of the front lens area to switch between high and low. So I can carry it around on high all the time. This assumes the twist is tight enough to not disengage by accident.

That IMO is a great basis for the selection process. To that I would offer the following based on my own experience;

1. There was an AAR somewhere on a low light course that revealed the "gas pedal" SF switch takes some practice to always and consistently get maximum output every time the light is activated.
2. Based on point 1, I would look for a light that is impossible for it to activate on anything but maximum output
3. Based on point 2, the vast majority of "programmable" lights are non-starters
4. A simple UI is a must - push the button and the light comes on high every time and without fail - and I would avoid anything with multiple switches

The above points were either learned or reinforced during a low light pistol course I took last year at the Sig Academy. Lots of repetitions, plenty of malfunction clearing drills, constant magazine changes in the dark brought out any deficiencies in both gear and technique. There were nine other people taking the course, a few with programmable lights that were switching modes during use. Nothing more frustrating than getting on-target and having the light come on in some goofy SOS or moonlight mode. I would also avoid any "intellibeam" feature that unpredictably changes output level without operator input.

Another take-away from the course is that the short, 1-cell lights are easy to carry but more difficult to get a consistent grip on. I found the 2-cell length light easier to manipulate in a consistent manner.

If you want to stick with Surefire I think the Fury DFT is worth a look. I also own the 6PX Tactical which is one of the few lights with "tactical" in the model name that is actually useful for the application. It's actually a decent light for the money with a very useable beam that I would not feel "under-gunned" carrying.

To reiterate, my go-to light for defensive use with a pistol is a Malkoff Bodyguard v.2 head on a SF E-series 2-cell body (search e-bay) with a Malkoff E-series tailcap. I find the light is easy for me to grasp and manipulate, the thinner E-series body works better for me than 1-inch diameter bodies. The Bodyguard head steps down from 1,000 lumens to 200 after 10 seconds, but for "flash 'n dash" use it's non-problematic for me. The upside is that if the light is needed for extended runtime, it can do so at the 200-lumen level. If the step-down feature is not needed, take a look at the E2 Super/Scout M600 2CR123 High Output Head.

I did not have this exact light when I took the course, but is the one I would use if I were to take the course again. It checks all the boxes for a defensive-use light for me.

[majoroson]

Are there now budget, but high-quality headlamps for hunting?

[vcdgrips]

Without more info, I would likely default to a made in the USA offering by Princeton Tec.


What is your budget?

How many lumens are you looking for?

Does it need to be rechargeable?

Do you care if it is made in the PRC (China)?