Smarter Chips, Better Grips And Lots More Power

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Tac Lights For Any Assignment.

The “lumen wars” rage on as manufacturers compete to squeeze the most candlepower out of the smallest package. The “runtime races” are just as competitive, with many new lights actually delivering higher lumen counts over longer periods from the same, unchanged power sources. Even better for us, the makers are paying more attention to our real-world needs in terms of improved ergonomics, greater reliability under harsh conditions of both weather and use, and thinking out of the box, beyond established conventional designs, shapes and applications.

The result is that we’re hip-deep in new lights from increasing numbers of companies. There are just too many to cover in an article, or even in an issue. So, we’re just going to present some of the best, brightest and newest for your consideration. If you don’t see your favorite company here, it’s just because we only have so much room, so we’ll likely cover them later.

Sightmark’s new SS2000 rechargeable is tough, bright and has excellent controls. Last year we evaluated Sightmark’s H2000 rechargeable Triple-Duty flashlight and found it to be very well made and suited for all-around utility and emergency services use. But with three selectable light levels plus strobe and SOS functions, all controlled by a series of taps on the tail cap switch, we felt operation simply had too many steps in it for fast tactical work under stress. We shared our findings and suggestions with Sightmark, and by the time you read this, their new SS2000 Triple Duty Flashlight, optimized for LE use, will be available.

The prototype SS2000 we tested shares the H2000’s best features, from the extremely tough, waterproof, deeply textured and Type II mil-spec anodized aluminum construction to its three powerful Cree T6 LEDs powered by two rechargeable Li-Ion batteries. Also like its predecessor, the SS2000 is offered as a complete kit with charger, a weapon mount, an additional corded tail-cap with remote pressure switch, lanyard and three colored filters: red, green and blue. The big change is in the control setup.

Momentary and constant-on are controlled by the protected tail cap switch. Low power, at 280 lumens, high power and strobe — both a blazing 2,000 lumens — are controlled by an easily rotated mode selection ring just behind the big lamp head assembly. The three marked tactile click positions are about a 1/2″ apart so accidental change is unlikely, but changing mode is fast and certain. Runtimes on a full charge are 10 hours at 280 lumens, 1 hour on 2,000 lumens and 1.5 on strobe.

At 9″ long and 20.5 ounces the SS2000 has a nice heft to it, but it’s agile in the hand. MSRP will be $215.99.

Kel-Tec’s CL-43 tactical light breaks new ground in ergonomics and packs peak performance for its size. Kel-Tec has made their bones on unusual, innovative firearm designs. Their new CL-43 flashlight continues that trend, and you’d never guess from its tiny size and odd shape how powerful and ergonomic it is. The longer tube section holds circuitry, lamp assembly and two lithium CR123 batteries. The shorter barrel section holds a third battery and the momentary and constant-on switch button — facing forward!

Now imagine holding the CL-43 like a pistol and operating the switch with your trigger finger, and you’ll get the picture. It’s unusual, sure, but it points so naturally it’s intuitive, and makes it ideal to use in concert with a handgun. The twin-tube design keeps overall length to just 4″, so holding it in a saber or pistol grip encloses it in the hand with just the lamp protruding.

It weighs only 3.8 ounces, and the Cree XP-G LED develops 480 lumens with a runtime of 3.35 hours. The CL-43 is constructed of CNC-machined 6061 aluminum with Kel-Tec’s patented nonslip pattern, and is waterproofed to one meter. Available in a black hard-anodized finish, OD green or desert tan cerakote finishes, it’s equipped with a pocket clip and lanyard ring, and there’s an optional adaptor offered for using AA batteries. Lots of you will pick one up, point it, operate the switch and immediately like it. List price is $140.

Brite-Strike’s Quick Cam Roto-Loc holster adds speed and higher security to an already fine design. If you’re not already familiar with Brite-Strike’s high-quality, cop-designed tactical lights, you should be. But here we want to show you their Quick Cam Roto-Loc flashlight holster, which adds greater speed and higher security to an already fine design. The Roto-Loc allows you to carry and position any of their 2-cell tactical lights through 360 degrees of angle, so you can go “hands-free” to cover suspects or illuminate details, then quickly adjust the angle to a secure but readily-changeable position.

Instead of a snap-secured strap, the Quick Cam employs two spring-loaded curved clamps on rollers, so you can pop your light in and out faster. It’s still very secure, but if you wish it to be more positively locked, just reach down with thumb and forefinger and raise the cam-action lock levers on either side of the holster. It’s even more quickly disengaged by pushing straight down on the cam levers. Both processes, drawing and re-holstering, and engaging/disengaging the cam lock, are quick to learn and aided by good design ergonomics. Our test sample worked great, and so did the BTL-150-HLS 280-lumen tac light shown in the photo. The Quick Cam Roto-Loc lists for $40.

Got Tactical Balls? Brite-Strike’s RID3 Tactical Balls are no joke, and not toys. I admit I laughed out loud when I picked up the box labeled “Tactical Balls.” It contained a pouch and three goofy little plastic balls with an on/off push-switch on one side and two white-light LEDs set in a reflector protected by a clear plastic dome on the other. Then I thought about it a lot, did some practical testing — as well as some practical joking — and began to see their value.

The formal name is RID3: Rolling Illumination Distraction and Disorientation Device. They’re small, about 1.5″ diameter, light, at .80 ounces each, and unevenly weighted so they’ll roll and wobble crazily when tossed into a dark room or down a hallway, and stop with their LEDs pointing upward. Billed as “shock resistant,” they survived me tossing them repeatedly from waist and shoulder level onto hardwood, concrete and asphalt and bouncing them off walls.

They’re not blinding-bright, nor do they go bang!, but neither will they ignite combustibles and volatile fumes — and they do prompt interesting reactions by people who aren’t expecting them. They’re virtually certain to give you a second or two of distraction to make your entry, and may also backlight or illuminate your opposition. You can also use them to make quick searches of dark potential ambush holes.

Powered by two included CR-2032 coin cells per ball, runtime is 20 hours. A set — the pouch and three Tactical Balls — lists for $60. IR Tactical Balls, used primarily for searches and marking, are also available.

The new TT-5 from TerraLUX offers smart controls and high power in an extremely durable design. Based on years of experience developing advanced lighting solutions for industrial applications, TerraLUX has leaped into the tactical field. Released the day this article “wrapped,” the TT-5 is the largest of five new tactical handheld lights for LE, and it features excellent engineering and quality construction. The dual-switch tail cap, shown above, is key: the larger round button controls momentary and constant-on/off functions, with the default set to high power — 650 lumens from its Cree XM-L LED.
From ON, punch the triangular mode button and you cycle from high to medium power at 150 lumens and then low at 10 lumens for discreet work. But with the light off, hit the mode button alone and you get an instant, variable-frequency strobe at the full 650 lumens, which can be a life-saver in a dynamic confrontation. If you miss the mode button and hit the big one, you’re still going to get 650 lumens, more than enough to scramble a scumbag’s neurons at close range. Good thinking, right?

Powered either by two CR123 batteries or a single rechargeable 18650 lithium, you get runtimes of 2.7 hours at 650, 4.4 hours on 650 strobe, 7.3 at 150 lumens and 295 hours on 10, thanks to digital output management. The TT-5’s 6061 aluminum body is Type III hard anodized, it’s waterproofed to 4 hours at 2 meters depth and has more qualities you should check out on the website. While there, review the other four models including the TT-3, which runs on less expensive AA batteries.

We tested a TerraLUX utility light in 2012 and found the construction excellent. We’re getting a TT-5 for eval, and fully expect it to meet the same high standards. MSRP is $139.99.

The WML (Weapon Mounted Light) from Inforce is low profile, ergonomically engineered and priced right! After viewing the website, reading the manual and having a long talk with Inforce’s military/government department VP, I think their WML may be the most promising design of its type I’ve seen. We couldn’t get a test sample in before press time, but I didn’t want to miss the chance to give you a heads-up on it.

The WML was designed from the ground up based on input from hardcore users and experienced Inforce staff, and its features show it. Constructed of an ultralight, rugged fiber composite, the rail-mount base and body of the light make up an integral unit. It sits very low and tight to your 1913-type rail, using a pivoting clamp with no tools required. The advanced digital circuitry is heavily sealed and the light itself is O-ring sealed against water and dust, and heat-vented for improved LED performance. A single CR123 battery is loaded from the front by removing the light head without dismounting the unit.

Output modes include a discreet low-power navigation level of 30 lumens, and high power and strobe, both at 125. The WML is intended for close-quarters use, and 125 lumens combined with a properly balanced beam was found to be optimal without “bounce-back” light illuminating the operator or degrading his vision. IR output is 850 nm with High at 75 mW and Low at 25 mW.

Its most easily distinguishable features are its angled activation switch, which is suited for operation by finger or thumb when mounted at 3, 6 or 9 o’clock on your weapon, eliminating cords and sticky-tape pressure pads, and the simple, pivoting lock-out lever which prevents accidental activation — one of two manual lock-out methods. Also note the lever in the photo; it’s in the IR-light position. Flipping it over reveals a white dot, and you’re switched to visible light.

All controls were designed for use under stress when gross movements are exaggerated and small-muscle motor skills are inhibited. The guiding principle was “keep it simple, strong and grunt-proof.” There are no “half-presses” or light taps involved. For momentary activation, just press and hold on the switch for more than a half-second; when released the light turns off. For constant-on, punch it once, the next press turns it off. For low-power, press twice in 2 seconds. From on, off, high- or low-power modes, two fast presses activate the strobe — simple and direct. The staging of high-to-low can be reversed by the user if preferred.

Three models are offered, in black and desert sand colors: a white light/IR model, white light only and white light/momentary only, at $149, $129 and $99 respectively. There’s far more detail online, so I urge you to go the website and read the specs and manual for each type. While there, check their APL handgun mounted light, another thoughtfully engineered design.

Fenix Lighting’s stubby TK75 blasts 2,600 lumens of light out to 600 meters. If you work the long lonely highways, the wide-open spaces or you’ve just got to have the most powerful light cannon on your graveyard shift, the Fenix TK75 is for you. Only 7.3″ long and 25 ounces and loaded with four rechargeable 18650 batteries, it blasts out 2,600 lumens on “Turbo” mode and strobe. The beam has an 80-degree angle for plenty of peripheral coverage and a working range of 1,988 feet.

Functions are controlled by two buttons placed under the user’s thumb, just behind the heat-sink fins of its oversized head assembly. The right button controls on/off, while the left cycles you through 2,600 lumens on turbo, 1,100 on high, 400 on medium, 18 on low, 2,600 on strobe and 400 on an SOS flasher. But if you need that blinding strobe mode instantly, from off, just punch the left button once and make sure it’s not pointed at you! Runtimes are generous, like an hour and 15 minutes on Turbo and 12 hours on Medium at 400 lumens.

The TK75 has all the usual Fenix attributes including excellent waterproofing and heat dissipation, plus a tough Type III hard-anodized body. Offered with four batteries, quick recharger, lanyard and two spare O-rings, it lists for $220 and can be found online for about $199.

Nightstick’s Multi-Function Flashlights offer a tight beam from their heads, floodlight from their sides, or both at once, at bargain prices. How many times have you stumbled over junk and wreckage at your feet while having to keep your flashlight beam directed straight ahead or up? That’s just one scenario where Nightstick’s Multi-Function Flashlights can be exactly what you need. The largest model at right in the photo, the NSP-4622B, offers a sharply focused 150-lumen beam from its head, and a bank of 48 smaller LEDs on one side of the grip-friendly oval body deliver 150 lumens of broad floodlight effect. Four AA alkaline batteries, producing 5.5 hours runtime on the flashlight, 4 on the floodlight and 3 hours running both simultaneously, power them.

Two buttons on the non-slip soft finish polymer body control the lights independently. Water resistant to IP-X6 standards, it’s impact and chemical resistant too. The NSP-4622B is 10.5″ long, weighs 8.5 ounces and sells online for $35 to $37. There are some interesting videos on these and other Nightstick lights at YouTube.com, and more info on the website of Nightstick’s parent company, Bayco products, who is a leader in industrial lights. Nightstick is a fairly new name in LE lights, but I think we’re going to see a lot more from them.

Streamlight continues updating their LE bestsellers like the Stinger DS and Strion with more power, all while holding the prices down. As we go to press, final testing is still being done to confirm performance specs on some models, but we know this now: the “traditional” Stinger LED, Stinger DS LED, and Strion LED are getting significant output increases and the HP (High-Performance) variants of those models, distinguished by their bigger, deeper reflectors and longer beam “throw distance,” will get bumped up too.

As Streamlight’s C4 LED and power-management technology evolves, these improvements just keep coming, but the prices remain extremely competitive; often, accessories like their existing recharging units retain compatibility with the new variants. MSRPs on this group range from $186 to $231, and all carry Streamlight’s Limited Lifetime Warranty.

By the time you read this, the website should have all the new specs and fact sheets posted. While there, check out the recently introduced 600-lumen programmable-function ProTac HL too — a superb 2-cell duty light.

There’s no “sticker shock” in the latest tactical 2-cells from SureFire — just premium performance and practical options. When we say SureFire, don’t turn away and mutter, “Yeah, great gear, but too rich for my blood.” Yes, SureFire has some lights with pucker-factor in their price tags, like the cool, sport watch-sized 2211 WristLight that’ll set you back $495. But check the array of updated classic 2-cell cop lights in the photo — they run from $95 to $125, and they’re all built to SureFire’s high standards.

Both the veteran 6P and the G2, which you’re probably already familiar with, have benefited from more efficient, less expensive manufacturing processes and advances in LEDs and digital power management. In late October 2012, this bunch debuted with 60 percent more power, going from 200 lumens max output to 320 lumens, with a zero percent price increase!

There are three variants of the aluminum-bodied 6PX: the Pro, Tactical and Defender, and three of the Nitrolon polymer G2X: the Pro, Tactical and the G2ZX CombatLight. They all share 320-lumen max outputs and 2-plus hour runtimes from two CR123 batteries. But there are significant differences to fit your tastes in controls and modes, so do your homework.

The Pro models are dual output, with 15-lumen low modes, controlled by press-click tail cap switches. The Tactical models are single output, and operate by pressing the tail cap for momentary, and twisting it for constant-on. The 6PX Defender, which features a Strike Bezel, is single output with a single-stage press-click switch. The G2ZX CombatLight, featuring the “syringe” body shape favoring use teamed with a handgun, is single output with the click/twist tail cap.
By John Connor