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I've bought numerous Fenix lights. Various P3D's and a T1 tactical light.

The Fenix P3D is very compact, bright, and versatile. However it is not necessarily the best tactical light in the world. It is quite slippery compared to a Surefire, it's dual turbo/strobe function could cause some difficulty in an emergency, as it is easy to accidentally switch between the two options. There is no momentary "on". The light is either on-or-off. Also the reflector is designed for a short range flood instead of long range throw. For this reason the P3D does best indoors. It is a good general purpose flashlight. Just about everyone in my family has one.

The Fenix T1 is a somewhat different animal. It is a true tactical light. The T1 slightly larger/heavier than a Surefire 6P. It has a fabulous reflector that has great flood and throw. It provides light useful for identification at 100 yards. It will light up a street sign very well at a range of over 200 yards. Beam quality is nice and smooth like a Surefire light. There is a momentary "on", with no strobe function, so it is straight forward to use. It is truly built like a tank and heavy enough to be used as an impact weapon. This is the light I use outdoors. The ergonomics aren't quite up to Surefire standards, and it's still somewhat more slippery than a Surefire, but the T1 is my go-to light.

Another very reasonable solution is to upgrade a standard Surefire light with a new LED lamp. DealExtreme has latest generation Cree R2 LED's at very reasonable price. These drop-in units have a dark halo around the brightspot.

http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.11836

fm2 wrote:I think the strobe light for defense is mostly marketing. I attended an excellent lecture by Tom Givens recently on the evolution of the flashlights & techniques as it relates to shooting.

Would love to hear a summary of the lecture. Light technology is moving so fast it's hard to stay on top of it.