Flashlight or knife?

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Combat-wombat

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I have recently hit a money surplus, so I am deciding on something to buy...
Now I have two competing things I think I need... I have a Benchmade 630 Blackwood on one side, and a Surefire flashlight on the other.

Now, I need a new knife. My Kershaw Blackout is getting old, and my next knife purchase is going to be a 630 Blackwood. This is something I need, my Kershaw is getting pretty crappy.

BUT, I need a flashlight too, as all I have now is a Maglite. I'm not sure what model to get, but I'm looking at them and seeing which one I want.

I need them both, but which one do you think deserves my money more (at least for now)? Why?
 
I'd go with the light. More useful for your lifestyle, zero tolerance, being a student, and all.

The L4s are too bright close-up and not enough throw for far away, but I haven't played with them extensively. The L4s are nothing to sneeze at, but just not for me; but not everyone wears size-9 Danners and picks the banjo.
 
CW

Don't take offense if I treat you like my little brother, it's a reflex.

While I admire your choice of both blade and light, I can't see either being much use for you. I know you want the benchmade, and have been drooling of pictures for months, but don't you have a 30-06 to feed? You could buy reloading gear and load 500 rounds for you 30-06! What about your 10-22? You have cases, cleaning supplies, and proper screwdrivers for both? Do you have a shotgun? $175 should be enough to get somebody to part with a decent pump. You have lots of options for $175.

You are one of the more mature guys your age I've run into for years, and you even remind me of me in some ways. Remember that whatever you buy will only be the top of the line for a little while. Next year there will be something better. Learning and developing skills will stay with you. Books, shooting or martial art training, ammo or just the stuff to maintain what you have are all better investments of your money.

Show your parents that you are more mature than they think, making a few wise choices now will open doors for you down the road.

David
 
The SureFire G2Z (Nitrolon plastic body), which is FBI agent issue, runs $35 from cabelas.com I have an E2E but I would have bought the G2Z if they'd been out then. This way, you can have both! :)
 
1asterisk:
I love guns. However, I'm basically dealing with guns through my parents. My dad is willing to buy ammo and maintain the guns, and although we don't buy many guns, we get something cool once in a while.

Guns, really, are of no practical use to me at this time in my life. Can I carry one for self defense? Can I go out and shoot on my own? Can I keep one in my room for home defense?

See, I like to be prepared as I can, so I am buying things that I can use and carry right now in my life. If there was no stupid age restriction and I didn't have to reach a "magical age" to posess an object, you can bet I would have a nice carry piece now.

But, I am limited to flashlights, knives, and pepper spray right now, so I want to acquire all of those. When I'm older and have my own income, there'll be plenty of time to save up for guns. At least then, all my flashlight/knife, etc. purchases will be taken care of from when I was a kid.



hso: I have a crappy knife and no flashlight at all, to clear things up. I am definitely considering the E2D.
 
I'd say the flashlight.

You would not want to get caught with a knife on you at school, especially not in today's world. (And being in CA too...)

Both are indispensable items and I am never without either, but I think my light gets more use than my knife.

And if you're going to get a flashlight, get a real one like a Surefire.

I have an L4 and it is positively amazing. I am not going to need another flashlight for a veeeeeeeery long time.

No, its not too bright for close-up work, and it has a surprising amount of throw.

I very easily used it as a makeshift headlight when I was in Nevada recently and we couldn't use our headlights on a pitch-black mountain road. (Long story) Lit up that road like daylight!!! :cool:

If the L4 is out of your price range (its at least $100, probably closer to $120), then there are other Surefires that are less expensive.

Keep in mind that with the L4 you don't have to worry about ever breaking or burning out bulbs. With incandescent SFs, bulbs are about $20 a pop and can break if dropped. This means that while you may save money on the light itself, in the long run, it may prove far more expensive than the L4.
 
"IS THAT AN E2D?" :)

Well bro after watching you drool this weekend over the Benchmade and the E2D. I'd say go for the Surefire.

You already have a Kershaw and no Surefire! The 630 can wait. The first production run of 1000 has just finished and no word on when the rest of the run is coming out. Like Skunk says for your lifestyle at this point...Flashlight would be the way to go.
 
I'm going to have to side with the flashlight crowd on this one. While a Benchmade would be cool, a $10 superknife from Lowe's or Home Depot will do the same thing and be far less "criminal" in the eyes of the public. I have both a BM and a SK, and use the SK far more often simply because it's soooo easy. One of the most commonly encounted defensive weapons in areas where guns/knives are verboten is the box-cutter or utility knife. It does a great job and looks rather innocuous.

For the light, there really isn't much to compare with the Surefire. I really like my Pelican M6 LED and would recommend one to you, though. AFAIK, it's cheaper than the SF LED lights, and just as well made. The switch isn't quite as positive, but that's a small thing.

A SF G2 (plastic) is really great for the money, but I'd stay clear of the G2Z simply because that SF/Roger's technique for which it was designed, really isn't that great of a technique. The two main problems with it are the fact that it isn't a natural way of holding a light; it's a weak hold at best. And, you can't transition from the hold to a block or punch with any kind of fluidity.

I prefer the 6P or G2 (or the pelican) for their straight shafts. I hold them in a natural position some call the FBI neck index. This means some one-handed shooting, but you're taking a natural stance with the light and are setting yourself up to block a strike or make a strike of your own. Of the three lights mentioned, I like the aluminum bodied ones for their extra weight.

The TID-type bezels are neat looking, but I don't think they're very necessary.....which is a change from my earlier statements. Pain Compliance is a great tool for the LEOs of the world, but as a regular joe, I'm not interested in anything more than ending the conflict and that means no holds barred fighting.

This change of opinion is a direct result of the training I've rec'd in the recent past. Training, knowledge, is what makes you a weapon. If you want to spend that money anywhere, and get the most bang for your buck, spend it on training and you'll be able to make anything a weapon.

Best.
 
Okay, guys, here's what I've decided to do. I'm going to buy an Innova X5 Tactical Flashlight right now, I was already planning on eventually getting this as my "normal" flashlight for general tasks. I will someday get an E2D, but for right now this Innova is plenty tactical, and it can still function as a decent kubaton. I need a good, compact flashlight for general purposes right now, and A) Don't want to spend the initial money on a Surefire and B) Don't want to have spend even more money to replace batteries after getting only 1 hour of unnecessarily blinding light for doing common tasks.

This will leave me with $90, which will be a good platform to start saving for a 630 Blackwood.
 
Wombat,

I wasn't trying to say "buy more guns". I was trying to say "invest in new knowledge, skills or abilities" and “act with wisdom and maturity to earn the trust and respect of you parentsâ€. That doesn’t have to cost money. "Tacticality" doesn't reside in flashlights or knives. It’s about mindset and capabilities. A overpriced flashlight is worthless if you can't take advantage of the brief advantage it gives you. We talk about gear and toys a lot because it's fun and because what’s really important is hard to describe. I hope you enjoy your new flashlight.

Good Luck



David
 
Asterisk: I totally understand what you're saying. I realize having these objects alone isn't enough, but hell, it's pretty damn cool.:D

Thanks y'all. Just placed the order. These are my next priorities: 1) Benchmade 630 2) Surefire E2D and 3) Benchmade Benchmite levitator mini-auto. That, as well as some good pepper spray, and my Kershaw (beater knife) should complete my EDC.
 
Go LED. SureFire has one that has LED lights in it... if you want a high end one... that's the way to go.

I have a little LED light on my key ring, and a little LED flashlight that takes 3 AAA batteries. It's short and fat, but the batteries last forever and it puts out enough light to be useable as a real flashlight, but not as a small archlight for searching for German Bombers. This one flashlight is used all the time. ALL the time.
http://www.dorcy.com/flashlights.htm

I have a Streamlight rechargable... a tactical light that I used to carry on patrol. I NEVER use it any more. Yeah, it puts out a blinding beam, but it only last 30 to 45 minutes before its completely dead again and has to get recharged. It was fine for patrol work where the light was mostly a belt ornament... but I mostly used the bigger 3 or even 6 D cell Mag Lights for searches and stuff.

I read in bed with my LED light. I'm lazy and don't want to get out of bed to turn the light off... and I dont' have a "Clapper" for the wall light switch... so I read by LED. A friend gave me this light... he had been using it for I don't know how long. I continued to use it for reading every night for I don't remember how long. Just replaced the AAA's two weeks ago after at least 100 hours of my own use. With these new batteries, I don't know how long they will last... but I don't expect to replace them any time soon.

Reading Robert Mason's Chickenhawk BTW. Great book.
 
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I know about those Surefire LEDs...

In fact, I was originally considering an L4 Digital Lumamax. But I think I'm just going to keep the Innova as a good LED flashlight, for notmal tasks which require normal lighting. An E2D will be my defensive light, both in blinding power and the "cookie-cutter" bezel.
 
A good light is good to have, but the bigger deciding factor for me is that I would consider the Surefire a bigger improvement over your MagLight than the Benchmade would be over your Kershaw. Therefore, the Surefire pwns, in my humble opinion. The suggestion to check out the dual models with both the high beam and the LED's is a good one. Those unstoppable LED's are awesome things. Glad I'm not the only one who uses a little "tactical LED" to read in bed more than anything else.
 
That Innova's not a bad light. It'll work fine as an impact tool.

There's no especial "need" to have fangs growing out of your "tactical light" to make it useful for HTH in a pinch.

John
 
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