Concealed Carry Corner: Lights For Carrying Concealed
Welcome back to another edition of Concealed Carry Corner. Last week, we took a look at various ways to train for carrying concealed. If you happened to miss that article, be sure to click the link here to catch up on last week’s article. This week, I want to talk about how to pick out a light whether it’s a simple handheld or weapon light. There are countless options out there at a variety of price ranges so this article is more of a reference point to show you what each size gives you for the size and price point. Let’s take a closer look at lights for carrying concealed.
Handheld Lights
When it comes to having some sort of light, I am a huge advocate of having a handheld light on you as an everyday item. There have been countless times you hear about police officers misusing their weapon lights and I have seen this happen dozens of times with friends when out in the dark and needing a light. Flagging everything with a loaded gun in order to see isn’t a great solution.
Looking over the various models of handheld lights can be its own article down the road, but there are a number of sizes for handheld lights with all of them having different lumen levels. Obviously the smaller the light, the fewer lumens the light will have but it’s less bulky as well so there are benefits and negatives to your decision. I tend to go in the middle with a medium-sized handheld with about 300 lumens. For everyday use, this is plenty bright and it is enough to see everything you need but isn’t overpowering or disorientating like a weapon light would be if you accident point it at someone else.
High-lumen lights certainly have their place but using them as an everyday item can be a bit overkill. They also use the batteries up faster than they should. Handheld lights should be saved for everyday use when you need to find something. Weapon lights should be used in an emergency situation. Handheld lights can be a huge help when in a dark spot when you need a quick light.
Weapon Lights
There will always be pros and cons when it comes to weapon-mounted lights. The biggest downside when it comes to weapon-mounted lights is the fact they do cause extra bulk and when adding a weapon-mounted light to your carry gun, it can be tricky to find a holster that fits your carry gun and light combination. There are plenty of companies on the market that can make custom-order holsters for a specific model and light choice. Here is a list of some of the most popular or most common lights that are used by people most commonly when carrying concealed. These lights range in price and lumen count but we will give a brief overview of the light and why they are a good choice for carrying concealed.
SureFire X300
When it comes to weapon lights, the SureFire X300 is the gold standard in terms of brightness and durability. I started carrying the X300 roughly 10 years ago on my SIG Sauer P226. When you have a midsize or full-size gun like a Glock 19 or 17, this light fits perfectly on the handgun without being too big. When getting a holster, there is slightly more bulk added by the light but these lights are fairly streamlined despite being slightly bigger than other options on the market. The X300U weapon lights typically will pump out 1,000 lumens with either a large flood area or a powerful beam depending on what variant you go with.
They are plenty bright to disorientate someone and give you the upper hand in the dark. Out of all the lights I have used, these X300s have been some of the toughest. Several times I dropped the light mounted on a handgun and had it hit the ground without breaking or causing any problems with the light itself. I have a tendency to break a lot of accessories over time, but the SureFire line of lights is the one thing that even though I’m hard on, they keep working day in and day out. The oldest X300 I have I ended up breaking the glass. Even with broken cracked glass, the light is still bright, and it’s fully functional. That is a testament to the overall quality of the light and even with major abuse, the X300s still keep going.
Streamlight TLR-HL
The Streamlight TLR-HL is the high-lumen variant of the original Streamlight TLR with an upgraded bulb and light projection making it hit that 1,000-lumen level. Available in multiple color schemes, the Streamlight TLR-HL is one of the most compact weapon lights that offers 1,000 lumens. This is combined with a more affordable price than a SureFire. Although the MSRP of these lights is $292.99, you can find these online for around $160 which is about half as expensive as the SureFire lights.
I broke the activation lever on my first TLR-HL but it lasted years before having any problems. For the price, This is an incredibly good value, and for most individuals, this light will last with absolutely no problems. If you are like me and you abuse your gear over time, spend the extra money and go with an X300 to be safe but the Streamlight TLR-HL is a fantastic affordable weapon light with plenty of output.
Streamlight TLR7
The smallest option that I trust with my life is the TLR7 line of lights with the newest HL variants also powering out 1,000 lumens. The biggest drawback is the battery life. If you decide to run these constantly on, they will only have a run time of an hour. There are certainly other options for the TLR7 with fewer lumens and longer run times so the user can choose if they want the brightest option possible or have slightly less powerful light with a longer run time.
With this light being as small as it is, the Streamlight TLR7 can be mounted onto smaller pistols like a Glock 48 or SIG P365 where the larger weapon lights can’t fit onto these small pistols. There are certainly other options on the market from SureFire and other companies, but the Streamlight has the highest lumen output given its overall size and has a street price of around $150 with the higher lumen being slightly more. I have carried the standard TLR7 on my SIG P365XL and GLock 48 for well over a year with absolutely no issues. Out of all the lights of a similar size, the TLR7 is one of the best options for the overall size and price.
Overall Thoughts
People will always argue about the validity and need for weapon-mounted lights but they are certainly a decently large part of the market with a fairly large percentage of concealed carriers either having a handheld or weapon-mounted light on one of their guns. Despite your thoughts, there is certainly a valid accessory to carry when concealing a firearm every day. Out of all the models on the market, the SureFire X300U, Streamlight TLR1-HL, and TLR7 are some of my favorite models for various reasons I went over above.
The best thing to do is look at what size carry gun you use and go from there. What light models do you guys prefer to carry every day? Let me know what you think in the comments below. If you have questions about carrying concealed or firearms in general, feel free to shoot me a message on Instagram @fridgeoperator. Stay safe out there and we will see you next week for another edition of Concealed Carry Corner.