Police flashlight technology 101

By Ralph Mroz

The revolution in small, powerful, handheld tactical lights started by Surefire many years ago has now come to fruition. The market is exploding with lights from what seem like dozens of new manufacturers, all of them small, handheld and very bright. Today, you can buy a 60-lumen LED light at the checkout stand of your local Walgreen’s for $9.95. You intuitively know that such a cheap light isn’t up to the rigors of law enforcement work, but what’s the difference in all these new lights anyhow? What makes one better than another? Which one is right for you? In this article we’ll briefly describe the important features that differentiate one light from another.