I admit it, “I’m a flashlightaholic “If they had meetings for this obsession I would have to attend daily.
I know how it started; when I was very young, each year before we went on vacation we would get a new flashlight for walking between the cabins at night. Oh, at first it was just small lights with “C” batteries, but soon I want more power and they got bigger and bigger until they were the large 6-volt lanterns.
Fast forward 50 years, smaller but brighter is “IN” and the latest generation of LED’s along with new battery technology makes 300+ lumens, and run times up to 350 hours possible.
Recent storms and power outages remind us that flashlights should be a part of your emergency preparedness as well as being needed for proper self-defense. Identifying a threat, whether an obstacle in your path, a wild animal or a two legged home invader is very important to your wellbeing.
In past articles I recommended including a personal use flashlights as part of your self defense equipment. I carry a Fenix PD22 everywhere I go. Its powerful beam also has a blinding strobe as well as an emergency signal mode.
Weapons lights have also been added to some of my self-defense and carry guns over the years. I found a specific model (Streamlight TLR-1s) to be a great value, and they just came out with a new more powerful version for the same price (approx. $103). I just HAD to have it (Hi, I’m Dick I’m a Flashlightaholic).
The Streamlight TLR-1s is a rail mounted light that now sports 300 lumens of power as well as a strobe mode that will temporarily blind an on-coming attacker. It is powered by two CR123 lithium batteries that have a ten year storage life, so it will be ready when you need it.
I have mine mounted on the Springfield XD45 that is my night time gun. I previously had the 190 lumen version mounted on the XD and have since moved it to my Glock Model 22. The light comes with four different mounting “keys” and will fit properly on a variety of modern pistols with a rail. The custom fit to the gun allows the on/off switch to be in easy reach of your fingertips when holding the gun.
In addition to a phenomenal amount of illumination, the best thing about this setup is the sight picture it gives me in a dark room. The front and rear sight are sharply silhouetted against a bright circle. I can see and identify my target and the sights are clearly visible for accurate shot placement.
The weight of the light (4.2 oz) does make the gun little nose heavy, but I found while practicing I did not notice the additional weight. I have shot approx. 250 rounds through the gun with my first light attached to make sure that it was reliable, would not impede the function of the gun. I am happy to report that with the exception of some paint erosion from the muzzle blast the light is still functioning as new.
I have also found a great emergency lantern for home use . Also made by Streamlight, the Siege uses 3 “D” cells and provides a bunch of features: It floats, has a 30 hour run time @ 340 Lumens, and 295 hours at low power. It also has a red LED light for night vision and will flash red Morse code “S-O-S” for 430 hours! That’s Dit Dit Dit – Dah Dah Dah – Dit Dit Dit for you younger readers
Remember that you can never have too many flashlights and you can’t hit what you can’t see.
That’s what my self-help group tells me!
