Been looking over some maglight specs, I'm looking for a security grade 6D 100-300LM black flashlight, pref. LED.
I'll take this one. A few thoughts: A 6d maglite is a very large flashlight. They are so large for two reasons: Large amounts of light (The diameter allows for a large halogen bulb,) and bludgeoning. A result of the requirement of brightness led developers to install the big and inefficient bulb. The6 d cell batteries were a necessity to power it for more than a few minutes. The Blunt force trauma aspect was a nice side effect.Hence the 18", 3lb monster that is a 6d maglite became very popular with security guards: two tools in one. They're cheap and extremely bright- coming in at 44000 candles and 235 average lumens. (Remember, batteries are variable in actual power, so averages are used in measuring.) All for a cost of under $40 including an extra bulb in the base and loaded with batteries. So, buy the flashlight and load it up. It'll have a variable beam width like it should and paint a "wall" of light at just the power you are looking for. LED opens up a whole different can of worms. An LED conversion will boost lumens to beyond 700 and achieve a lux rating of 0.19 at 100 yards. Fairly blinding, to say the least. The conversion will set you back around another $75 for a computer regulated 3 LED arrangement. This is the one you want: http://www.amazon.com/TerraLux-TLE-300M-EX-upgrade-flashlite-brightness/dp/B0035HB4IW A tip: A little known fact about traditional large frame Maglite is the reflector acts as a heat sink and heat transmitter for waste energy from the bulb to the outer aluminum hull of the flashlight. These LED conversion kits still get hot, and they dont have the reflector to help carry all that heat to safely dissipate away from the bulbs and circuitry that regulates them. Take a look at that picture. You'll notice the top piece is aluminum. Put some thermal paste (like what you use on computer processors) around the edge That will go a long way to increase the contacting surface area with the aluminum hull to aid in the transfer of heat. These bulbs aint cheap. Might as well protect them. Oh, and you will not get a prett and even "wall" of light, it will look like a star pattern and will not be adjustable in width. It will be a very powerful wide angle flood light. The best place to field this type of question and conduct further research is CandlePowerForums.com. These guys are the gods of light, and will easily be your best source of information on high end flashlights. Interesting question, by the way. May I ask why you want a light up, blunt force weapon? If you dont need this big size, a surefire or Phoenix light will produce similar light with a much more manageable size. You get a 6d because you want to beat the shit out of somebody, not really any other reason anymore.
Great post mwhays, you earned some serious respect in my book. I'll consider this upgrade kit, it's very very expensive considering that it turns a 50$ flashlight into a 150$ flashlight (when including shipping). All of my current home security weapons are extremely dangerous, and I'd like to get something less lethal, I need the flashlight mainly for outdoor activity where security is also a factor. The 700LM shouldn't bee too much of a problem if it can be adjusted down as bleaching of rods isn't good for my usage. If that fails I can put a cloth over it for short term use? Any advice on the exact base model I want to shoot for?
Happy to help. Totally respect the less lethal options of home defense. Nothing is as effective as a big ass flashlight in the less than lethal department. Cops carry these and the more you can intimidate like a cop, the quicker they will run. Hopefully, without the dvd player under arm. But that's what the shotgun is for, right? As for the model, just the standard classic 6d Maglite. The model number should start with "d" if I remember correctly. This is not the rechargeable model. I'd check with the LED conversion kit you are considering before buying anything, to be sure. Then buy the flashlight and see if it will work for you out of the box. I bet it will. If its not as awesome as you'd wished, then go for the upgrade kit. Also, I found that TerraLUX for 50 bucks. http://www.batteryjunction.com/tle-300m-ex.html And finally, before you do anything: check out this forum thread on CPF. Scroll down to the c-d Maglite section and look at all of the alternatives. There are some more expensive options that are more useable and have much longer runtimes. They all have pros and cons. I like the TerraLux because its on its third revision, it has brightness that will permanently injure a bad guy if you shine one them in the dark, and its relatively cheap. It does have its downside, as reported on that thread I gave. Also, keep a beam with power above 300lm away from children, as it can and will do permanent damage to young eyes. As for multi mode. I also like that TerraLux because of the electronics held inside. You click the power switch on to turn it on and you half press the power button to cycle through the different modes (three of them.)
I havent checked the youtubery on the subject, but I'd just bet you can find install videos and before/after videos. Might be worth a look before you blast two hundies on a big as light up piece of aluminum.
Lulz you should see www.candlepowerfourms.com. its unbelievable. There are literraly millions of posts on hundreds of thousands of threads with full time moderator teams managing the site. Its the real deal.
I was checking out the mods, and there's the potential for light-based ignition of materials. What kind of heat can I expect from 700LM? I work around open vats of naptha and kerosene, a lot of the time these fuels get spread over plastic bags or steel/aluminum trays. I need to be able, or others able to hold these lights over the vats and trays for minutes at a time so this can be liability for me, or at least one when handing it off when needed.
not an issue, in my limited experience. But for the sake of battery life, I'd use a lower power setting.
Hey Lev, my friend is a cop, if this helps ... If want brightness and less depth or penetrating power, you want LED... If you want more concentrated light then a stand bulb is the way to go .... I have this and works awesome, super bright, long range, drawback is the batteries die very fast as it used 2 lithiums batts, brighter than most 3 or 4 cell maglites and huge range/distance http://www.best-deal.com/product/surefire-6p-standard-flashlight/30424151/1/
I have that same one and while it does work very well and build quality is excellent, it does indeed run out of battery really fast. I pretty much have to change the batteries after every time I use it.
yep Surefire 6d is legendary. I have a few. We are talking about light up defense batons, in this case. However, the comment about the beam pattern is correct, and has been addressed. Its the "wall of light" that you are referring to. LED's create a very narrow beam that has little bleed to the peripherals. Standard bulbs tend to bathe in light, warming and lighting all that is near. Both have their uses.
That's pretty ridiculous, and that's got the striking head on the wrong side of the handle (unless there's lead weights in it shifting the balance). I'm very pragmatic, I like awesome but injuring and combat application is gravely serious. I have two weapons I keep ready for actual use, one is escrima sticks (all-purpose hardwood dowels I keep around) and a simple black chain with a GUARD padlock on it: Couple hundred grams, sharp edges, 2' of chain, stores in 4"x2". These are legal, they are low profile, they are painful and tactical and do not cause a great deal of long-term injury. I prefer tether weapons as that's my passion, I do like machete and baton as well, not a fan of tonfa but thanks for the suggestion. Mind you, I live in Canada, if you get jumped by 6 guys it doesn't matter if you win by busting someone's head open, it's still 6v1 in court with you carrying around weapons.
two things: move to a better neighborhood. get a job that doesnt have you improvising weapons as a daily task have a nice day.
Love flashlights..good info. (goes back under the covers with his Superman comic and his mickey mouse club flashlight)