I was walking the dog t’other night and somebody coming the other way had a bright headtorch on which made me wince and look away. I was thinking, you know how most things you could carry as ‘self defence'(sharp objects, heavy blunt instruments etc) will, quite rightly, see you done for carrying a weapon? How about if you had a not heavy – I nearly said ‘light’ – (so you couldn’t ****t somebody with it)torch that shone a gazillion lumens if only for a short time? This could make any assailant look away and, temporarily at least, blind them, giving you chance to make good your escape.
I wonder what the legal implications would be.

You can buy these already. This ad was regularly on STW a few months back……

Available from the Blind-a-Bear Workshop.

I imagine the legal implications would be zero.

another good reason to buy an exposure joystick if you haven’t already.

Something like an exposure joystick/diablo is already more than enough to make people look away. If someone really wanted to do you harm though they could just put their hand in front of their eyes and keep moving toward you.

IMO it’s a bad idea to carry anything you don’t know how to use, won’t be willing to use or wouldn’t want taken off you and used against you.

Look up tactical torches.

I’ve got a torch with an assault crown, so if plan a fails…

dunno what you mean officer. its just a torch…

you know how most things you could carry as ‘self defence'(sharp objects, heavy blunt instruments etc)

I have never ever even once thought to myself, “what thing can I carry to **** someone with, should the need arise”

where do you live?

http://www.fenixtorch.co.uk/Shop/Fenix-Torches/PD-Series/13151-Fenix-PD35-TAC-Tactical-Edition.html

This would momentarily blind someone, and if that doesn’t work, the front face is ridged to use as a striking weapon.

I believe some “tactical” torches have a blinding strobe setting.

I think the idea is that if you are threatened by someone all hopped up on the LSDs and marryjwanas you activate the strobe and then escape while they are still dancing.

I have had the opposing effect. My two flashing 1W front lights were annoying enough to provoke a drunk into walking onto the road to try and attack me. This was a late night commute through Glasgow though.

Tactical torches often have a “quick on” if you half press the button, or a strobe mode to momentarily blind someone before you get a swift kick in (or run!). Some even have strike bezels / DNA catchers on the head.

I want to know if they actually live tested the “blind a bear ” bit. I would imagine blinding a bear would just really piss it off.

😀 Graham S

Every doorman I ever used to know had a full-size Maglite.

Sure fire pretty much invented the tactical flashlight in the 80s. 60 lumens was seen as the amount needed to disorientate an attacker – we now have an 1000 lumens in a flashlight for a few quid, so yer, it will do the job.

if you want to temporarily blind someone then any modern LED torch with a strobe setting should do the job.

If you want to carry a concealed weapon, and D-cell Maglite with a ‘tactical’ bezel (available on line) will do the job.
You can even buy replacement end-caps with a chunk of Tungsten carbide imbedded in them for smashing windows.

I always carry a spare set of Bombers occifer…..for ‘owning’ purposes.

Strike bezel is completely pointless, apart from knowing if you’re light is on when it’s head down on a flat surface

Strobe is incredibly effective, they’re very disorientating in the right circumstances

Also having a torch that defaults to it’s max setting is handy

A joystick/diablo would be a fine option actually! As you could use that in real life!

A full size maglite is fine – the moment you put that handle on it without having a warrant card (or other such government “permit”) in your possession and it is a whole different world of hurt for you.
Goes from being a torch to a restricted item.

IIRC there was some research on using lights for crowd control ‘weapons’ – making people feel uneasy and distracted or something. Or maybe it was sound…

I think I’ve heard of that weapon, it’s called a “night club.”

MrSalmon – Member

IIRC there was some research on using lights for crowd control ‘weapons’ – making people feel uneasy and distracted or something. Or maybe it was sound…

Sound canons definitely exist for crowd control / anti riot etc.

Any flashlight with upwards of 300 lumens and a strobe setting will be intensely distracting shone in someone’s face in the dark. I’ve got several small lights with a maximum of 230 lumens, and on strobe in the dark they’re impossible to look directly at, my 900 lumen Aurora light is highly distracting even pointing at a wall on strobe.
Best to find one with a minimum number of modes, strobe, high and medium are ideal, otherwise if you find yourself in a situation where you need the strobe quickly, you don’t want to have to run through five or seven different modes to get to it!
A three/four-cell maglight is all fine and dandy, but not a pocket torch by any stretch of the imagination, and you’ll just get fed up of carting the damned thing around!
This one might be worth looking at, it’s fairly chunky, takes four 18650 batteries, puts out a lot of light on full, but only has three modes, which makes it nice and simple to use.
18650 batteries are cheap to buy from dx.com, buy eight with a charger at the same time and you’re good to go.
http://www.dx.com/p/singfire-sf-134b-4-x-cree-xm-l-t6-2500lm-white-3-mode-high-light-flashlight-black-4-x18650-259319#.WHZ1moHfWaN

https://www.technologyreview.com/s/416213/contact-lenses-that-respond-to-light/ 😛

Used it on potential intruders before. Yes, they were temporary blinded and were easy target but if you use them make sure they have no weapon first. Aim the light straight at their eyes without them knowing. i.e. surprise them.

http://www.officer.com/news/10284006/kentucky-officer-beaten-with-his-own-flashlight

http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/brooklyn/exclusive-pot-suspects-beat-head-flashlight-article-1.2921585

https://www.buzzfeed.com/mbvd/teenager-pleads-guilty-in-beating-death-of-world-war-ii-vete?utm_term=.tcaEbP7Rg0#.npbM5BE3xo

http://www.click2houston.com/news/texas/update-man-charged-in-flashlight-beating-death-

Used it on potential intruders before. Yes, they were temporary blinded and were easy target but if you use them make sure they have no weapon first. Aim the light straight at their eyes without them knowing. i.e. surprise them.

Assualting innocent members of the public with a torch will earn you a slap around here. 😀

My bike lights are enough to burn a forest down. They also piss off the MOD with their night vision, but then don’t want to do that as they have guns.

Lol at the comments so far.

‘If’ an assailant wanted to attack you, along a dark country lane maybe, or a dark alleyway, do you think that the assailant has not already checked out the area first? Made sure it was safe to attack a potential target?

Will the assailant gladly wait while you get your ‘multi-million lumen flashlight out and then cycle through the options to find the ‘repell all attackers mode’?

Common sense prevails.

Strike bezel is completely pointless, apart from knowing if you’re light is on when it’s head down on a flat surface

Well, I would argue that if you’re holding the torch in your fist, and someone lashes out at you, bringing your hand round and catching them across the knuckles is likely to prove distracting in itself: I was putting something in a shopping trolley a while back, and caught one of my fingers between the knuckles on the top edge of the trolley.
Christ did that ever hurt! I actually went a bit cold and shivery for a moment, and it was painful to touch for several weeks, and that was on a piece of wire about 5mm thick; a strike crown is quite thin, and would inflict a really painful bruise.
Thing is, it’s not a sophisticated way of defense, just a form of deterrent that’s better than just batting at their hands and hoping they won’t hurt you too much.
The concept is based on a Buddhist defensive weapon, just aim for nerve points; a biro would work, too.
Hurt your attacker in a way they’re not expecting, the distraction could make them back off enough to allow you to leg it.
No bully expects to be hurt, they like to dish it out, not get it back.

What CountZero says is actually similar to a Kubotan, and the way that you ‘could’ defend yourself.

Having been burglared and currently unable to sleep due to paranoia – I was ‘patrolling’ the garden and outside the house at 4am on Monday…. I am very much liking the idea of an effing big light I can give would be intruders a hiding with. Currently I have a joystick and a hard plastic roller which doubles nicely as a cosh.

Quick look on amazon for maglites would suggest they are a, pricey and b, halogen still?

Can anyone recommend a good place for this sort of thing (and general security) currently looking on google at whatever comes up top in the search

captainsasquatch – Member

Used it on potential intruders before. Yes, they were temporary blinded and were easy target but if you use them make sure they have no weapon first. Aim the light straight at their eyes without them knowing. i.e. surprise them.

Assualting innocent members of the public with a torch will earn you a slap around here. [/quote]Yes, I know but if my family is in danger I will think later.

I was twatted round the head with a full-sized maglite by security at Phoenix ’97, does that count? Stopped me in my tracks, that did, not that I was doing anything particularly naughty other than weave about in a vaguely druggy haze. Had a proper egg on my bonce the next day. Bastard.

More recently I had a camo-wearing dog-walker (no lead, obvs) shine his ‘tactical’ five-billion-lumen eBay torch in my eyes, jump into the middle of the nice wide track we were on, and yell “SLOW DOWN!” at me (whilst I was doing a fearsome 8mph or so). That just made me shout something very rude at the daft shite and ride straight past him. I hope he slipped over in his stupid mutt’s poo, didn’t hang about to see what happened next.

IIRC there was some research on using lights for crowd control ‘weapons’ – making people feel uneasy and distracted or something. Or maybe it was sound…

Infra-sound is (supposed to be) very good for making people feel uneasy without them quite knowing why.

As for crowd control, Google “the brown note” and crank up your speakers with plenty of bass. 😆

I just resurrected my surefire G2 with fresh batteries and a LED lamp, and my 5 year old daughter has claimed it for herself already. I nearly got the wife earlier also, I called her name then shone it in her eyes as she was about to go downstairs, better luck next time eh?

Yes, I know but if my family is in danger I will think later.

But you’re an advocate for innocent until proven guilty, unless it’s a case of do as I say and not as I do bollox. Which is hypocrisy.
All very odd. There are times when I don’t know which chewkw to take seriously. So ignore both.

well i just ordered this:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B01LJ3VM5S/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

probably rubbish but I thought for a tenner I’d see, most of the tactical lights I looked at seemed too small to be of any real use against an intruder with a screwdriver/crowbar/hammer if you had to defend yourself.

Seriously, how many of this ‘ I ordered this on Amazon/Ebay’ crowd, actually have the balls to stand up to a possible theat?

Genuine question?