Inexpensive tactical flashlight that rocks?

[Humanphibian]

not inexpensive, but cheaper than SureFire, and better quality IMO

http://www.pentagonlight.com

[txinvestigator]

I picked one up today at Target. Still at the $12.99 price. What's the proper way to hold the flashlight while identifying your target? Do you hold it with your off hand and use your same pistol grip? Or do you point the light with one hand and your gun with the other. Just curious, thanks.

[Dwight K. Schrute]

Dag-nabbit, TXI, you would go and outdo my humble explanation with a set of instructional photos. Oh well, at least they match my verbal description!

[Humanphibian]

Rogers (surefire) technique seems to be more natural for me

[Skiprr]

Rogers (surefire) technique seems to be more natural for me

Yep. Gotta have the right kind of flashlight to make it work, though. Can't use it with a smooth-barreled light, or one that doesn't have an adequately extended tailcap switch.

The Harries' technique, which Dwight and Txi described, is more flexible in that it can accommodate a wider variety of flashlights. In Txi's photos, notice that his off-hand (the one holding the light) elbow is kept down, in line with the body, not allowed to stick outward. Doing a Harries is a little like a Weaver stance in that you need to apply isometric pressure against the hands so that everything moves as a unit in recoil. If you let the off-hand elbow swing outward, you're creating only a lightly supported platform, and at recoil, the hands will separate.

[jbirds1210]

I have several of these lights and they're VERY bright. You can't beat it for the price. Well, today while in Target http://www.target.com , I saw that they are on sale dirt cheap.

Took this with my cell phone:



I have used one of these lights in several "low light" pistol matches. Kicked around in the gravel at Elm Fork, dropped repeatedly on the concrete at The Shooting Gallery and never quit working.

Today might be the last day of this price too.

+1 This is a great light. I purchased this light after HV suggested it about a year ago and it is still running just fine. It is truely a great bang for the buck! I fine no difference in the quality of this light and my Surefire G2.

[bigolbigun]

Thanks txi and Dwight. Now thats one more thing I need to practice. I can promise you the wife will see me working on that technique and give me a look like this

[KBCraig]

Speaking of flashlight techniques... any tactical light I buy must have a "tactical clickie" switch, where you can flash the light on momentarily by partially pressing the switching. I have never understood the thinking behind a "reverse clickie", which doesn't allow a momentary on. Instead, it turns on, then a partial press momentarily turns the light off.

That makes no sense at all to me, but many of the more expensive lights are that way.

[stevie_d_64]

Thanks txi and Dwight. Now thats one more thing I need to practice. I can promise you the wife will see me working on that technique and give me a look like this

You think thats bad???

This is what I get from "Wife Unit"...

First its:

Then its:

Then I give her:

And then she:

Then I do a:

Then I end up getting:

Its a vicious cycle...

[bigolbigun]

Good one stevie_d now I am
Thanks for the confirmation that those responses are not exclusive to my wife. I must admit Mrs. Big has come along way in regards to me and all the things invloved with having a CHL and carrying daily. She used to be very afraid of guns but with the knowledge and information she has gained it has increased her comfort factor with the idea of me carrying a loaded weapon almost 24/7. Heck I've even gotten her to the range to shoot some. Maybe it won't be long till we are a two CHL family.

[KD5NRH]

Bonus on the Maxfire light; it will take Surefire lamp/reflector assemblies. I keep one in my car with the original 60lumen assembly from my G2 that I upgraded to the 120lumen super-battery-killer assembly. (20 minutes of painfully bright light - be careful checking rooms, as it hurts reflecting off picture frames from 30ft away, too)

I came close to tossing it when the original bulb went out, but then I saw that mentioned somewhere, and sure enough, instead of having a spare lamp assembly in the car, I have a spare complete taclight.

[Dwight K. Schrute]

Speaking of flashlight techniques... any tactical light I buy must have a "tactical clickie" switch, where you can flash the light on momentarily by partially pressing the switching. I have never understood the thinking behind a "reverse clickie", which doesn't allow a momentary on. Instead, it turns on, then a partial press momentarily turns the light off.

That makes no sense at all to me, but many of the more expensive lights are that way.

The MAXFIRE LX does have this feature, and it's important to me too, KB. I put it through some heavy use last night and found the only thing I don't like is that there is no lock-out tailcap feature like on a SureFire. You can turn the cap far enough, but it becomes slightly loose; not a good thing. I still give the light an 8 out of 10.

Bonus on the Maxfire light; it will take Surefire lamp/reflector assemblies.

That's great news, KD. Thanks for sharing.

DKS

[calvinbr]

I bought two of the Brinkman's lights. The first one I had worked very well, then 3 weeks later it just stopped working. I took it back and got my second one. It did the same thing. I will work on my 3rd one from a different store. I will try Academy this time. I might have got a bad batch. THe first two was from Walmart.


Calvin