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Top 5 Tactical LED Flashlights

by PinnacleFlashlights on Apr.11, 2010, under Information

Here is a list of the Top 5 Tactical LED Flashlights chosen by using the information outlined in our previous article Top 7 Factors in Choosing a Tactical Flashlight

1) JETBeam M2S Search Light

2) EagleTac T20C2 MarkII

3) Olight M30 Triton

4) 4Sevens Quark Turbo 123A2

5) Fenix TK30

Top 7 Factors in Choosing a Tactical Flashlight

by PinnacleFlashlights on Apr.11, 2010, under Information

1) Construction Material – Aluminum

Most tactical flashlights are composed of Aluminum. Aluminum is a nonmagnetic, light-weight material that is corrosion resistant. It is good electrical conductor making it an ideal material to construct flashlight bodies. Aluminum flashlights are very durable depending on the type of coating that is applied to their surface (explained later). The weight of aluminum can either be an advantage when using the flashlight as an impact tool or a disadvantage when minimizing load out weight. Additionally in the extremities of cold and heat, the temperature of the flashlight body can affect the way it is handled.

2) Flashlight Finish – Hard Anodized Type III

The process of anodizing gives aluminum a stronger surface. In simple terms, hard anodizing immerses the finished bare aluminum pieces in an electrolyte and runs a current through the solution. By doing to, a thin coat of aluminum oxide forms on the surface. By cooling the acid solution to the freezing point of water and substantially increasing the electric current, the aluminum becomes hard anodized producing a much thicker coating that penetrates deeper into the base material. This finish is essential for tactical lights as is makes it substantially more durable and resistant to the harsh conditions faced by special forces teams. The standard of finish today is Type III Hard Anodized.

3) Power Supply – CR123A Lithium Cells

Regardless of how bright and reliable the flashlight, without the proper batteries, the light is worthless. Tactical lights have moved to the standard of lithium cells, mainly the CR123A sized 3V lithium battery. These batteries are ideas for mission use for a number of reasons. First, they are small, compact, and light weight. Lithium cells have the ability to perform in extreme temperatures ranging from -40F to 140F. Their high energy density allows then to be used in devices that have high current draw like high output LED flashlights. Lastly, they have a shelf-life of 10 years which allows them to be stored for long periods of time without any decrease in capacity.

4) Light Source – LED

LED technology has come a long way. Today, there are many high powered LED tactical flashlights and searchlights can produce hundreds of lumens and some nearing 1000 lumens. There are many advantages to choosing LEDs over xenon bulbs. LEDs are more durable and can withstand the shock experienced with heavy use and combat. They do not simply burn out and have life-spans in the thousands of hours. They are more efficient and can put out more light while having longer runtimes. Finally, they are versatile. The brightness of the LED is dependent on the current supplied to it. Many tactical lights have multiple light outputs so you can use the same flashlight on low illuminating a map to navigate then switch it to high to identify distant targets.

5) Light Output Quantity – 65-100+ Lumens Minimum

There is not an official standard for the amount of lumens that a flashlight must product in order for it to be used tactically. Incandescent lights previously quantified the minimum output to be around 65 lumens. Today, many high powered LED flashlights easily put out over 100 real world lumens. The amount of output required to illuminate or momentarily blind a target depends on the ambient light as well as the distance from the light to the target. The true minimum is operator and condition specific.

6) Light Output Quality – Bright Hotspot with Smooth Sidespill

The quality of light output is equally important as the amount of light a device produces. Due to the shape of the filament, incandescent flashlights tend to produce beamshapes with light and dark rings. With the latest technology of LEDs which produce a pinpoint source of light, the output is much better controlled. Additionally, instead of using smooth reflectors, today’s most advanced flashlights utilize computer generated, specially designed reflectors with textured or “orange peel” reflectors to smoothen out the light and dark spots. The ideal beam has a bright center hotspot for identifying distant threats fading out to a smooth sidespill of light used to see peripherally.

7) Switch Operation – Reliable and Accessible

In a life or death situation, the switch on your tactical light simply must work. If you light does not switch on when you need it to identify a threat, or it does not switch off giving away your location in the dark, you could be putting yourself in danger. The switch should ideally have a momentary on where you lightly push the button to turn turn it on, and release to turn it off. This is useful in techniques where short bursts of light give you the element of surprise as well as signaling capabilities. Finally, the switch must protrude out of the light and be large enough to easily activate while wearing gloves. Switches not specially designed for this purpose are difficult to activate under stressful conditions.

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Stun Potential: Using Your Flashlight For Self Defense?

by PinnacleFlashlights on Feb.10, 2010, under Information, Photos

Thinking about using your flashlight for self defense? There are some things to consider before you think that your flashlight has the ability to blind and disorient your attackers. We must first mention that regardless of which flashlight you choose it is generally not recommend that you rely solely on your flashlight for self defense. Unless you have been trained to use the light in a defensive fashion, it may be of little use or even worse, used against you. That being said, in certain conditions the bright beam of a flashlight may be used to temporarily blind or distract a potential attacker for a split second to allow you to get away. This post will demonstrate what were here at Pinnacle Flashlights have coined the “Stun Potential” or SP of a flashlight.

Some basic factors that affect the SP include:
1) Ambient lighting conditions
2) Distance from light to target
3) Lumen output
4) Beam focus

We will break each of these points down into a little more detail:
1) The ambient lighting conditions have a huge impact on the ability of a light to stun an attacker. Attempting to disorient an attacker in broad daylight with a flashlight will obviously be less effective that using the same light in pure darkness after your pupils have accommodated.
2) According to the laws of physics, the brightness of a light versus the distance to its target follows an inverse squared relationship. This means that every time the distance from the source is doubled, the intensity of light drops off to 25% of its initial value.
3) Brighter the better, no doubt about it, however as mentioned in our other article “Lumens vs. Candlepower” you will find that lumens is only a measure of total light output and not a measure of beam focus. Even though the light may put out a lot of lumens, the beam may be very diffuse and not highly effective in this situation.
4) Beam focus is also very important. The tighter the beam, the more the flashlight is able to focus its power and the better it will function to disorient an attacker.

So now that you know a few key factors about stun potential, we have set up a series of photos to simulate each light being directed into the eyes of an attacker. Each photo is taken with the same camera settings (1sec, f7.1, ISO100) at a distance of approximately 35 feet. In assessing each light’s SP, note in each photo the size of the hotspot as well as the amount of the body that is obscured by each beam. The less of the model that you can discern, the more effective the light is for disorienting and the higher its Stun Potential.

The Test Lineup:

From Left to Right:
Minimag AA, Nitecore EX10, Nitecore Extreme, Fenix LD10, Fenix TK10, EagleTac T100C2,
Surefire E2e, Surefire L4, Surefire Z3, EagleTac M2

See the complete line of Tactical LED flashlights at: www.PinnacleFlashlights.com

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Zebralight: Eye Protection Lamp

by PinnacleFlashlights on Jan.02, 2010, under Information, Photos

The Zebralight line provides an innovative, versatile solution to many difficult lighting needs. Included in the package is a headband for use as a headlamp, a neck strap, and a pocket clip that we will be using in this article. Operating the Zebralight in this fashion is especially useful for healthcare professionals who need some extra lighting while maintaining eye protection. This can be used by Firefighters, Paramedics and EMTs in the field during night extrications or other low-light medical calls. Additionally Emergency Department or Urgent Care professionals may find this useful for tasks in areas with poor lighting and visibility.

We will be using safety glasses that can be found at any hardware store and the Zebralight H30 which runs on a single lithium 123A cell and puts out a broad beam of 80 lumens for over 2.5 hours.

The Zebralight will be fitted in the clip mount in the opposite direction that it is normally mounted. Insert the light into the clip holder so that the button and the opening of the clip are on the same side. The clip should then be able to be secured to the center of the safety glasses.

Below are some beamshots of this setup. The H30 illuminates the entire field of view without obstructing the vision of the operator.

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New EagleTac Additions to the Pinnacle Light Tunnel

by PinnacleFlashlights on Oct.15, 2009, under Information, Photos

We have added two new additions to the Pinnacle Flashlights Light Tunnel. The EagleTac M2 and the EagleTac T100C2. Below are two thumbnails at the 25ft range: