I'm wanting to buy my first light for my home defense pistol and need recommendations for the best to buy. thanks
I've had good luck with the Streamlight TLR-1 HL. Some people will say that it's too bright and will "wash out" the target, but not in my experience. I want my target to be as bright as possible.
Fixed that for you. We issued a couple hundred of the TLR-1 and TLR-1 HL lights. The HL is a big improvement over an already good light. Streamlight is also good about fixing/replacing lights even those damaged by gorilla thumbed knuckle draggers. The HL is very nearly as good as having a car headlight attached to your pistol.
best weaponlight to me is a surefire. i have several x300 ultra on my guns...it's up to 1,000 lumens now. do not buy from amazon unless you know how to spot a fake! i bought another one this year and i thought something just didn't feel right (finish was a little rough, laser marking wasn't super crisp, etc.). so i pulled my other one for a side by side comparison and sure enough it was a fake...the led had visible glue around it and was the wrong shape, no surefire logo on the circuit board, one of the words in the warning label was mispelled. it was a quality fake though. i would never have noticed it had i not had another one to compare to. my best guess was someone bought an airsoft one and exchanged it and returned it to amazon for a refund. buy from b&h photo video or from a store where the return process is a bit more of a hassle and more scrutinized. i have several from b&h and none are suspect.
Any of the good name brand lights are going to do well for you. I really like my TLR1-HL on my nightstand gun.
I agree with TLR-1 HL. Surefire makes a great light, too.... I've just never felt compelled to spend the money. I've beat the snot out of my Streamlights on rifles and pistols and they've all been fine. If they're not, Streamlight has great warranty service.
TLR-1 for sure, either standard or HL, it’s a quality light and has been heavily used by a lot of police departments, so I’d say it’s pretty proven at this point.
If you have some good high output flashlights I would kind of test those to see how bright you really want. I think the concern more than washing out your target is the bright light reflecting off a light colored wall and affecting your own vision. Keep in mind that during a bump in the night situation where you are being woken up your eyes may not be adjusted to the darkness very well before you fire off a few hundred lumens of light. From what I recall about the Inforce it was only a couple hundred lumens, which I think is plenty for me.
You bring up a really good point on this. Our SAR officers always preach light discipline to preserve night vision. I, personally, have accidentally flashed a 400lm light too close and had to be pulled from the field for over a half hour while my eyes re-acclimated to the ambient light. Training with lights is really important for their proper use.
I would also recommend taking a look at the Olight PL-Mini, especially if you just want a compact, lightweight light that you can quickly throw on before sticking your pistol in the nightstand for the night. 400 lumens (1400 candela), it's rechargeable, and the charge lasts a long time (I've been on the same charge for months with no change in brightness). It has a quick release mount, so you can literally put it on and take it off in a second. Comes with both Glock and Picatinny rail adapters and the magnetic charging cable included. At a weight of 2 oz, you'll never even notice it's on your gun until you need it.
I've used Streamlight, Surefire, and Inforce quit a bit...Surefire is the most expensive and usually for a reason...it is a very good light....I carry a Streamlight ProTac 1HL and it is a great light... I've used this Inforce light for a while now and a few even longer on my ARs and really like them. For a WPL I like it around 400Lumens. Any more than that and I notice significant bounce back off interior walls and it is still plenty light to light up sarges outside...Each has their own preference but I've found a sweet spot for me and the InForce serves me well...
Some really good info here, https://maglite.com/maglab/ansi_lumen_vs_beam_distance__peak_beam/#.XBZ8Qt-IZ0s I will admit to not being either an ophthalmologist or a light engineer and some of the article being over my head. However, having professionally run a light on my rifle since 1991 and on a handgun since 1995, I'll say that there is no such thing as having too much light for defensive purposes. You will not "wash out" your own vision from bounce back when under duress and the more light you can push out to your suspect/subject the better. The reason I prefer a pressure switch vs. a finger activation, is that I don't need to think about another step or move when facing a threat. Grip the gun as normal and go, I can always lesson my grip by choice later.
I’ve been looking at the olight Valkyrie mini 400 lumens & compact. Has some really good reviews & I have become a fan of the olight brand.