I am looking for a self defense camping light, something stronger than a Fenix LD01, and under 100$. Needs to be as portable as possible (Maybe around the size of LD10) and needs to be able to act as a blinding light. Suggestions ? Thanks !
+ 1 on olight but for about 120 you can get a m21 500lm http://www.batteryjunction.com/olight-m21-luminus.html
A light for self defense? Unless it is attached to a gun, about the only light I'd consider for self defense is a 6D maglite. If portability is a concern, you might get by with a 4D Maglite. Drop in an LED to replace the incan bulb, and you should be all set. A Tigerlight with OC spray would be good for self defense as well, but you won't get one for under $100.
Olight is too pricey.. I am between the 4D Maglite and the LD10 Fenix. Can the LD10 blind a man or animal for 4-5 seconds ?
I take a Surefire C3 with 300lm dropin (incan) and G&P strike bezel from Lighthound, for a blinding light while camping. What are you planning on defending against? Animals or people? A mace canister might be a better idea.
Possibly, under some circumstances, but I wouldn't bet my life on it. If I was a bad guy with a gun intent on doing someone harm and they pointed a bright light at me to blind me, I'd shoot towards the light. If I was a bad guy with a knife intent on doing someone harm and they shone a bright light at me, I'd rush them with the knife and hope the light wasn't attached to a gun. Maybe I'd trip on the way towards the person, maybe I wouldn't. I've had limited success shining bright lights (up to and including a Surefire M6) at animals, including my large dogs (Newfoundland and St Bernard), as well as smaller animals when camping. Sometimes the animals will look away in annoyance, sometimes they will shuffle away as they've been discovered doing whatever it is they were doing, sometimes they will disregard the light and continue on their way.
Interesting, I didn't exactly plan on making it my first defense line, but if all you are holding is the flashlight and something happens really quick, blinding is a nice option to have. I think I will go for an LD10 with a diffuser (how do I know if it fits ? ) and get a mace canister or something as well. Any other Fenix at the same price range for my goals ?
Yeah, don't count on a light for SD. You're going to find an aggravated bad guy on you once he gets a fix on your shadow. Get some pepper spray. A cheap bright light if you don't care about knock offs is a Solarforce 6P. Comes with a strike bezel and a pretty brigh LED for about 30 bucks.
What's the minimum for "distractability"? Anything over 200 lumens? In the case of a strobe option, would you choose to use that or just max output?
Strobe, there's your answer right there! Get some mace and a very birhgt strobing light, you can go with the suggestion of a cheap Solarforce or similar host, and an equally cheap dropin with a strobe. Remember, unless it's bear spray, most mace has an effective range of 5-10'.
Fenix is a good choice...maybe even consider the TK10? As for blinding, a person probably...long enough to give you a few seconds to get the pepper gas ready. As for animals, I would not count on it. In pitch black, if I shine one of mine directly at on of my rottie's eyes, just just look at me like I am an idiot...does not bother them one bit.
I've never had any luck blinding animals with any light. Tried high power (600 OTF lumen), strobe, even laser pointer, they just turn to look at me for a sec then continue on to do whatever they were doing.
As others have correctly responded, light isn't a reliable SD tool. It's a distraction and it does have to capability to slow down an attacker some but that's about it. Even a 5000+ lumen Polarion HID light can be overcome with a bit of determination and the same goes for a strobing 1500 Lumen WiseLED. I know this because I've practiced mock attacks for the sake of fun and learning against friends holding my lights. It makes for some great laughs but doesn't really stop anyone. If you're worried about critters then get a large canister of bear spray like the excellent products from UDAP. They'll work on dogs and people as well. Ultimately a quality firearm is the only reliable tool against another human being armed with a lethal weapon.
I'm going with Patriot222 on this one .. With all due respect .. The only way your going to defend yourself from animal attack with a flashlight is to use it to see what your shooting or spraying at . In any case, THE BRIGHTER THE BETTER ,) BE WELL .. GH -
Great great- Good tips here. So if we leave out self-defence, should I just get an LD10 with a diffuser and get this out of my list ?
Go as powerful as you can afford. TK12, PD30. The TA series has some more pronounced bezel crennelations.
EagleTac T20C2 MKII 300 lumens for $85. Better build quality than the Olight IMHO. With the remaining $15, go pick up some bear pepper spray for the self-defense part...
