Topic: Excellent Flash Lights - Dirt Cheap!

[a Sig Op]

(Not an advertisement, just thought many folks would be interested)

http://www.dealextreme.com

This company sells a wide variety of flashlights, including knock-off "Tactical Flashlighs".... I ordered a couple, because I have a flashlight fetish, and I was extremely impressed...

Say, 80% of the quality of a good Surefire, at 5% of the price... all sorts of extremely bright (like, painfully bright) LED flashlights, with strong aluminium bodies, glass lenses, decent refelectors, "clicky-bottom" switches, in the $9-20 range. I wouldn't trust my life on them, but at this price, cheap enough for every day use, and more importantly, you can afford to loose them!

I bought three, to experiment with, the on-off switch seems solid, I threw them into a bucket of water for 12 hours, the o-rings all kept the water out perfectly.

They also sell replacement o-rings to fit their flashlights (or to fit any sort of flash light, if you've got a light which needs new o-rings)

Also, a dirt cheap source of decent LED buton lights, http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.20243 <- 10 for $3.98, even cheaper if you buy a larger quantity!

Also, shipping is free!

Like I said, wouldn't trust my life to any of their stuff, but it hasn't let me down so far.

[Brihard]

I have an acquaintance who has used several of the Fenix flashlights and swears by them. They seem to be equal in durability and brightness to Surefire, but significantly less expensive. They get a lot of battery life and some serious lumens out of LEDs as well. If I didn't already have a Surefire M3 and an Inova T1 I'd pickup one of the 'tactical' Fenix lights.

[Recon 3690]

I wouldn't want to gamble my life with any flashlight in a tactical enviroment. A flashlight makes you a great big target. Other than being PC there is zero need for tactical flashlight unless your a cop making a drug bust a a Molson Brewery.

[-Skeletor-]

I wouldn't want to gamble my life with any flashlight in a tactical enviroment. A flashlight makes you a great big target. Other than being PC there is zero need for tactical flashlight unless your a cop making a drug bust a a Molson Brewery.

I guess I have no idea what I'am doing than.. cause I used a flashlight when searching grapehuts an sheds in lowlight last year in Zhari district..

[Colin P]

I have bought stuff off of there several times, most of it is quite decent for the price. While the topend flashlights are very nice, they are way beyond the price range of most people. I can buy a decent a SW M&P for what some of the fancy flashlights are going for.

[Recon 3690]

I guess we just weren't politically correct in the day when the Soviets were the bad guys, & we trained to clear rooms with frags not flashlights. I didn't say you were doing it wrong just that it makes you a target.

[a Sig Op]

Would you also still come through door, emptying a mag on full auto as you did?

[COBRA-6]

I guess we just weren't politically correct in the day when the Soviets were the bad guys, & we trained to clear rooms with frags not flashlights. I didn't say you were doing it wrong just that it makes you a target.

Going through a doorway into a dark room makes you a target anyways, I'd rather have the ability to see threats that may be waiting in the darkness... 

[Teflon]

I guess we just weren't politically correct in the day when the Soviets were the bad guys, & we trained to clear rooms with frags not flashlights. I didn't say you were doing it wrong just that it makes you a target.

Yes frags work brilliantly for clearing rooms, especially in buildings with interior walls made out of flimsy material, the old ways are often effective but not necessarily the best way or particularly bright in all circumstances.

As to tactical lights, try being a little more free  thinking before you pass judgement on an idea, especially one that has been used quite effectively and to great benefit for years now.

I too was trained in the start of my Infantry career in the “Frag through door, BOOM, weapon on auto, enter spraying” method of house clearing but I was willing to evolve and adapt to whatever method suited the situation I found myself faced with.

[Snaketnk]

Last I checked, half the use of tactical lights is distracting an enemy by blidning him with multiple light sources. If it buys you just a fraction of a second that's a fraction of a second to pull the trigger and put him down.

[Jungle]

I guess we just weren't politically correct in the day when the Soviets were the bad guys, & we trained to clear rooms with frags not flashlights. I didn't say you were doing it wrong just that it makes you a target.

Yeah... all the changes we made in the last 10 years, the urban Ops , CQB and tac shooting trg should be abandonned; let's just frag everything !! 

[Colin P]

Grenades? hell back in the day we threw a Sten in!!! 

Mind you my W.O. was in when they threw rocks in and then cleared the room with a matchlock.

[Brihard]

I wouldn't want to gamble my life with any flashlight in a tactical enviroment. A flashlight makes you a great big target. Other than being PC there is zero need for tactical flashlight unless your a cop making a drug bust a a Molson Brewery.

I used my Surefire on a few occasions when checking culverts for IEDs. I switched to the Surefire after one instance where the 'no-name' light I was issued simply lacked the brightness for the job.

I've never kicked in a door on a two-way range, but in training I've found a flashlight to be critical for identifying a person on entering a room and, most importantly, seeing what if anything is in their hands.

If you don't see the use in having a light on your rifle, then I'd daresay your experience is out of date.

[Cormen]

I had a TK10 from fenix for a while. it was stole last month from my car, and my brother was nice enough to replace it for me.

Very durable light. 225 lumens for just under 1.5 hours, and 60 lumens, which is plenty enough for finding someone in the thickest for 10 hours.

You guys should look inot the TA30.

Here are some shots of my TK10:


A fence 150 meters away, on high.

[ruckmarch]

TK10 is not cheap eh at just under 100 buck cnd on ebay. The TA30 is about 120cnd

[Cormen]

TK10 is not cheap eh at just under 100 buck cnd on ebay. The TA30 is about 120cnd

Thats true, compared to surefire their a steal though.

[uniballer]

I have a PD30 and love it. It is very bright and the strobe setting is very useful as an extra attention getter or as a dazzler.

[Good2Golf]

I wonder if this bad boy comes with a pic mount? 

[Loachman]

I have one of those. It grunts, too.

[Smity199]

I just bought a Fenix LD20, and for 70 bucks its well worth it, waterproof, takes 2 AA batteries (easy to find), very bright, several modes including Low, Med, High, SOS, Strobe. Plus i picked up a red lense adapter. I recommend it

[toughenough]

I recently ordered from dealextreme.

The way I understand customs, is that any package with over a $20 value MAY be subject to duty. The may part is always a crapshoot. So I split my order into two packages. Package one was a knock off of a Surefire 9P, and a 2 pack of picatiny 1 inch mounts. Package two was a 2 pack of batteries for it and a charger. Both were valued around $18-$20 CND. Both ordered on a Friday afternoon.

Package one arrived the following Friday.

Package two arrived the Monday following.

I was shocked they made it from Hong Kong that fast.

So far the products are great. The light is extremely bright, and far exceeds what I expected from a $13 light. I was able to light up a spot on the wall across our old parade square when dark (50 meters approx.). The mount holds the light securely. I through the mount on a rifle quickly to ensure it fit, and it seems good to go. I can't really claim extensive testing of either since I've only had them for a week. Probably not a $100 light, but definitely an upgrade from my mini-mag with LED upgrade.

Cheers