What is a tactical flashlight? My definition of a tactical flashlight is a small, lightweight flashlight with an intensely bright light that can be used to startle, disorient, and control anyone on the receiving end, and is tough enough to survive hard use in potentially dangerous situations. Wikipedia’s article on tactical flashlights has lots of good information worth reading.
I believe the original tactical flash was the Surefire 6P. I bought a 6P at a Dallas gun show many years ago and never regretted it. At the time there was nothing else that provided such an intense beam of light in a small package. The 6P is still being manufactured and it is still a good flashlight, but I can’t recommend it unless you don’t mind paying too much money for too little flashlight. The LED version, the Surefire 6PL might be OK, but to my mind, it also seems to be a bit too expensive for what you get.
I haven’t purchased any real “tactical” lights since getting my Surefire 6P, so I can’t recommend any from personal experience, but there are many places on the web you can go for more information. Here are three sites worth checking out.
Unfortunately, FlashlightReview.com hasn’t been updated since June 2007 so it’s usefulness is going to decrease with time.
Instead of buying expensive tactical lights, I’ve been collecting less expensive LED flashlights can can serve the typical householder in a tactical role. I’ll review several of those in my next post.