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Thread: How many lumens do you need on weapon mounted light?

  1. #1

    How many lumens do you need on weapon mounted light?

    Pistol? self defense

    Carbine? self defense indoor/outdoor and hunting - predators less than 200 yards?

    What makes and model numbers do you suggest?

  2. #2
    Surefire x300 Ultra (500 lumens) will likely suit all of those uses.


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  3. #3
    Site Supporter JodyH's Avatar
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    Pistol <200. Anymore than that and splashback from interior walls becomes an issue.
    Carbine outdoors, as many lumens as you can afford.
    LED works better indoors, incandescent is better outdoors in my experience.
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  4. #4
    Site Supporter Jay Cunningham's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by JodyH View Post
    Pistol <200. Anymore than that and splashback from interior walls becomes an issue.
    Carbine outdoors, as many lumens as you can afford.
    LED works better indoors, incandescent is better outdoors in my experience.
    Strongly agree.

  5. #5
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    I just got an X300 a week ago and find it plenty bright around the house or walking the dog. I thought about the Ultra, but 500 lumens seemed a bit much for indoor use.

  6. #6
    Quote Originally Posted by JodyH View Post
    Pistol <200. Anymore than that and splashback from interior walls becomes an issue.
    Carbine outdoors, as many lumens as you can afford.
    LED works better indoors, incandescent is better outdoors in my experience.
    Even 200 lumens will will blind the crap out of you if you flash a light colored wall indoors. IMHO I'd go less for around the house. My pocket light puts out 85 lumens and which is perfect for my house.

  7. #7
    Ok I am sick and tired of the whole blinding you shit, excuse my french but blindess is a permanent thing not a temporary thing. Also the omg white walls and bright flashlights thing is stupid. I'm a cop, I work in the hours when most of society is in bed aka the midnight shift. In my job I have cleared a metric shit ton of structures ranging from massive warehouses, 5 story abandoned college buildings, to shotgun shack houses. I use a surefire x300 ultra on my pistol and before it was born to this earth its ancestor the x300, my handheld is a surefire fury tactical and before that a 200 lumen g2 led. 500 lumens reflecting of white walls will not burn your eyeballs, that is a myth and needs to stop being spread. The 500 lumen lights surefire is putting out now are wonderful and give more spill to id your surroundings and target. Same goes with the bad guy will be blinded by my mighty flashlight, again myth. I have a big spot light on my car that is way more than 500 lumens it does not blind me but it sure does illuminate me or what I am pointing it at like a car or a person etc. The point of a light is too be able to see what ever the heck you are looking at and id it and the brighter the better. I have taken a couple of night shooting classes and one of the last was a Talon Defense night fighter course, ask anyone in that class which they would prefer 200 or 500 and I bet you they all say 500. Plus unless you live your entire life inside of a structure, you will eventually venture outside and want that 500 lumens you wish you had inside even more. If you don't agree with me fine, take my opinion for what its worth an opinion but at the end of the day I stand behind it and have experiences to fortify it.

    Also for the light recommendations, on my personal and work pistols I run the x300 ultra and on my work and personal carbines I run fury defenders/or eag tactical version. I paid for all of them out of my own pocket and even run a fury tactical handheld on my duty belt. All my department issued me was a streamlight which I hope to replace with the surefire lawman when I can afford it.

  8. #8
    Quote Originally Posted by karmapolice View Post
    Ok I am sick and tired of the whole blinding you shit, excuse my french but blindess is a permanent thing not a temporary thing. Also the omg white walls and bright flashlights thing is stupid. I'm a cop, I work in the hours when most of society is in bed aka the midnight shift. In my job I have cleared a metric shit ton of structures ranging from massive warehouses, 5 story abandoned college buildings, to shotgun shack houses. I use a surefire x300 ultra on my pistol and before it was born to this earth its ancestor the x300, my handheld is a surefire fury tactical and before that a 200 lumen g2 led. 500 lumens reflecting of white walls will not burn your eyeballs, that is a myth and needs to stop being spread. The 500 lumen lights surefire is putting out now are wonderful and give more spill to id your surroundings and target. Same goes with the bad guy will be blinded by my might flashlight, again myth. I have a big spot light on my car that is way more than 500 lumens it does not blind me but it sure does illuminate me or what I am pointing it at like a car or a person etc. The point of a light is too be able to see what ever the heck you are looking at and id it and the brighter the better. I have taken a couple of night shooting classes and one of the last was a Talon Defense night fighter course, ask anyone in that class which they would prefer 200 or 500 and I bet you they all say 500. Plus unless you live you entire life inside of a structure you will venture outside and want that 500 lumens you wish you had inside even more. If you don't agree with me find, take my opinion for what its worth an opinion but at the end of the day I stand behind it and have experiences to fortify it.

    Also for the light recommendations, on my personal and work pistols I run the x300 ultra and on my work and personal carbines I run fury defenders/or eag tactical version. I paid for all of them out of my own pocket and even run a fury tactical handheld on my duty belt. All my department issued me was a streamlight which I hope to replace with the surefire lawman when I can afford it.
    Karma, i'll defer to you on clearing various structures but my own observations are not a myth.

    I am not in a position where I am searching or clearing warehouses, garages, or large rooms in general. The max range I need to illuminate something in my home is 10 yards. I also happen to have white walls. If I use my 200 lumen light inside with no ambient I'm left seeing spots... Blind enough I can't see a chair or something similar that may be in my way while moving.

    The 200 lumen light is great outside though. And on poorly lit streets.

  9. #9
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    Quote Originally Posted by littlejerry View Post
    my own observations are not a myth.
    I agree, it's not a myth.

    Sensitivity to light, and your pupil's ability to adjust to different light levels - quickly (pupillary response?), is not set/fixed speed for everyone. Just because someone has an issue with it, doesn't mean the guy standing next to him will too.

    As time goes on, I'm finding myself increasingly sensitive to bright lights when it's dark. It's more noticeable with headlights and driving at night.

  10. #10
    Site Supporter JodyH's Avatar
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    On patrol your eyes are adjusted to the dash lights, streetlights and ambient light.
    500 lumens is not going to a huge shock to your eyes, even in a small area with bright white walls.
    At home when you're awakened from a deep sleep, in a dark room, with your eyes fully dilated, 500 lumens is going to be disorienting for a few seconds until they adjust.

    I too have taken multiple low light classes and train regularly inside and outside structures.
    I have lights ranging from 30 lumens to 1500 lumens.
    On my defensive handgun I run a Viridian C5L which has a 100 lumen LED white light.
    I have never felt the need for more light inside my house nor outside out to 30 yards.
    If I do need more light (say I need to check out the backyard) next to it on the nightstand is a Surefire Aviator 120 lumen incandescent and a Fenix TK35 820 lumen LED.

    Mission drives gear selection.
    If the majority of my anticipated low light activities started with me being wide awake, eyes adjusted and consisted of searching indoors and outdoors areas of varying sizes I too would spring for a brighter light.
    But since my light is on my "nightstand" pistol and it's primary mission is to light up the inside of my house when I'm awakened at 2am, a sub-200 lumen weaponlight is more than adequate with less chance of being a liability.
    "For a moment he felt good about this. A moment or two later he felt bad about feeling good about it. Then he felt good about feeling bad about feeling good about it and, satisfied, drove on into the night."
    -- Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy --

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