I bought a new headlight for my mountain bike yesterday. It is a Stella 200L from Light & Motion. Although it is designed primarily for bicycle use, it became apparent to me that it has other applications, including as a field expedient tactical light.
The light system consists of the lamp itself, a 3 cell 11.1 volt rechargeable battery pack, a charger, and a couple of accessory straps for mounting the components on your bike and/or helmet. HERE IS THE PRODUCT PAGE, and here is a picture of the system, minus the charger and straps:
Here is the light mounted on the handlebars:
At full extension, the cord which connects the light to the battery is 4 ft long, and the seals between the light and cord, and the cord and battery are water resistant to 20 feet so the system is resistant to the elements. Here are the light settings:
- Cruise Mode:
- High beam - 200 lumens, 5:00 hours run time.
- Medium beam - 100 lumens, 10:00 hours run time.
- Low beam - 50 lumens, 20:00 hours run time.
- "Flash" (which is really a strobe) - 100:00 hours run time (lumens not stated). The Flash mode is intended for use in warning oncoming traffic during daylight hours that you are there, but I tried it the dark last night, and it is blinding and could be disorienting.
- The combined weight of the system, battery included, is 250 grams, or 8.8 ounces. The light alone with its attached cord and mounted to a helmet strap weighs 72 grams, or 2.54 ounces. The battery weighs 180 grams, or 6.35 ounces. All in all, a little over a half pound is not bad for a unit of this power and quality. To put the weight into perspective, my S&W M&P 340 weighs just 13 ounces, and it is an Airlite pistol. So this entire system weighs less than an Airlite .38 Special pocket pistol.
- The battery can be attached to the bike's frame or steering stem by means of an included velcro strap. It also has a belt clip on the side, and can be worn that way on your person. The lamp has an integral rubber mounting strap, and it can either A) be mounted directly to your handlebars (as in the above picture); or B) it can be mounted to a helmet mounting strap which in turn mounts to your bicycle helmet.
So how does this fit in with the gun and self-defense worlds? Well I can think of several ways...
- If riding at night on a trail or bike path somewhat removed from heavy traffic and you see you are about to be accosted by some goblins, go to the strobe, you'll still be able to see, but you'll blind them, and if you have a pistol, you'll be able to get your hand on it (and deploy it if necessary) without them being able to see your movements.
- With the mounting versatility and extended run times, this might make an excellent flashlight for hunting, camping, and other field use.
- With the velcro helmet mounting strap and the velcro battery mounting strap, the system can be mounted to the forearm of a rifle and serve as a field expedient tactical light.
MSRP is currently $279.99. The webpage has not been updated and still shows a price of $269.99. But I did not pay that much for mine, which I bought at Mad Duck Adventure Sports in Grapevine for $219.99. That is $67.00 more than the Fenix light which KD5NRH posted about, so it isn't the cheapest high performance LED light you can buy - but neither is it the most expensive, and it is quite versatile considered its raison d'être. I'll keep my little Surefire in my go-bag. It has it's place.
So I thought I would put that out there for your consideration. Unconventional? Yes. But useful too? Also, yes.