Pinnacle Flashlights Blog

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

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.

      

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:

See the complete interactive beamshot comparison page including Fenix, Nitecore, and Surefire at:

In its stock form, the EagleTac M2/M2X uses the controller ring on the bezel to smoothly switch between the following modes: Off > Low > Med > High > Turbo > Strobe. Additionally, the stock tailcap can be swapped out for the M25 module to add a click switch to the either the M2 or M2X. With the click switch the user often does not require that the bezel have an “off” position. Also, some users do not need the strobe and accidentally trigger it while trying to switch the light to turbo output. This article will show you how to disable both the “off” and “strobe” features using commonly available items. The modification should take less than 5 minutes to complete!

Note: Pinnacle Flashlights is not responsible for personal injuries or damages caused to your EagleTac M2/M2X while attempting to perform this modification.

Step 1: You will need the following items:    - EagleTac M2/M2X    - Masking Tape    - Scissors    - Super Glue    - Paper Clip    - Old Hotel/Credit Card
Step 2: Orient the M2/M2X so that the tailcap is towards you and the bezel is facing away. Place a piece of the masking tape around the bezel right above the selector ring. The tailcap should be clicked “on” and the bezel rotated all the way to your “left” in the “off” position. Mark on the tape the position of the left edge of the large tab. Now, rotate the ring to the “right” until the light turns on “low”. Again, mark on the tape the position of the left edge of the tab. The tape will have 2 markings like the image to the right.
Step 3: Rotate the ring completely to the “right” so that it is in “strobe”. Mark on the tape the position of the left edge of the same tab used in Step 2. Rotate the ring to the “left” until the light switches to “turbo”. Again, mark on the tape the position of the left edge of the tab. Your tape should have 2 additional markings like the image to the right.
Step 4: At this point, the tape should have 4 markings. Note that they may or may not be equal.
Step 5: Remove the bezel. Remove the selector ring by gently pulling it over the threaded end of the bezel. Observe the slot in the bezel where the selector ring stops.
Step 6: Observe the slot in the bezel on the other side where the selector ring stops. Clean the grease off of both of these areas with a cotton swab or tissue.
Step 7: Cut a sliver of the credit card about the width of the notch in the bezel. Then cut 2 pieces which will be the lengths of the 2 measurements made on the tape.
Step 8: The 2 plastic pieces can be slightly bent to better fit the curvature of the bezel
Step 9: Test fit the pieces. Note that the piece for the “off to low” goes on the “left” side of the slot and the piece for the “strobe to turbo” goes on the right side. Place a small strip of super glue on the bezel and carefully place the plastic pieces in their appropriate locations. Press them down firmly with a paper clip and remove any excess glue.
Step 10: Give the glue sufficient time to set and dry. The finished product should look like the image to the right. Replace the selector ring and reattach the bezel to the body!

So how well does this modification work? Check out the video below!

It is often difficult to judge how large a flashlight is based solely on dimensions and a photo with no points of reference. This article will show you the extremely small size of some of our products and the incredible amounts of light that they produce.

Here are some images for size reference:

Fenix LD01	Fenix LD10	Fenix E20	Fenix TK10
Nitecore D10	Nitecore EX10	Nitecore Defender	Nitecore Extreme

Now that you have an idea of the size of each of these lights, we will show just how much light each one can put out. The “control” image will be the well known and very commonly carried Maglite Minimag AA.

Maglite Minimag AA	Fenix LD01
Nitecore Extreme	Fenix TK10

Check out the complete interactive beamshot comparison at the Pinnacle Flashlights Light Tunnel