Video Transcript
Introduction (00:00)
What I have here are the two SureFire handheld lights that we carry. We have the EDCL2-T and the EDCL1-T. I wish the names were a little more simple, but it is what it is. Basically, you have a large body light that takes two CR123s that boasts 1200 lumens. The smaller one with only one CR123 is 500 lumens. They both have a low mode of 5 lumens, so the same sort of admin-style output. The batteries are loaded from the front of the flashlight, unlike the Streamlights that we have. So a battery goes right in.
Pocket Clip (00:34)
So another thing the light features is the pocket clip is removable when you remove the head of the light to change out batteries or if you just want to remove the clip. So if you were to mount, let's say, on a rifle, so you go get like a 30mm rifle mount or something like that, you would probably want to remove this to make mounting it to the rifle a little bit easier. Or if you just don't want the pocket clip because it gets in the way, for whatever reason, you can remove it. Reinserting the pocket clip is very simple. Remove the head of the light, index the clip like so, and you are good to go.
Another cool thing about the pocket clip is it's essentially a two-way clip. You have tension on the inside of the clip right here, so that's how you would normally have it in your pocket. But then you also can clip it onto your hat or something else on the inside here. So if you really wanted to get creative, you can add it to your hat.
Modes (01:27)
The two brightness modes are activated. The rear cap is set by twisting it in or out. So you can kind of modify or kind of set up how much tension or how much pressure you're going to be putting on the light to activate low mode and the high mode. If you twist the rear cap all the way in, that's how you get constant on. Twist it all the way in, all the way, and that's how you get full-power mode. So if you wanted to go hands-on, you know, put it on your hat, because, you know, you're changing the tire of your car or something like that, now I'm squared away, and I'm good to go. If I want to tailor how much pressure, like I was talking about earlier, I unscrew the cap as far as I need to. Half click will give me that admin, you know, 5 lumen light that I need. Full press will give me high mode and give me all 1200 lumens, which is pretty dandy.
If you have any other questions about these handheld lights, shoot us an email at [email protected].
Shooting Techniques (02:28)
Handheld flashlights are awesome because you can use them for all kinds of things and not shooting. But if you are shooting with them, there's a few techniques you can use to make shooting the handgun a little more consistent and allow you to also, if you're running iron sights, see your sights a little bit easier. So your optimal hand position, carrying the light and activating it, is going to be essentially a beer can grip like this. You then have your thumb ready to go. You know, kind of like a switch on an explosive, right? Where you just gotta, you know, hammer that red button. Well, my thumb's going to ride right on here, and I'm going to be activating this light in a momentary fashion. So when I don't need the light, the light turns off. If I go to reload, go to move, do whatever, the light is only on when I want it to be on as I'm scanning or doing whatever.
Harries Technique (03:13)
So as far as techniques go for shooting a handgun, one of the classic techniques, the Harries technique, looks something like this. I'm going to be hooking my dominant hand with the handgun in front of my support arm that is activating the flashlight. Now, while this technique looks very corny, it actually works pretty well. I have a little bit of stability with the handgun an extra point of contact with my left hand, my support arm. And that actually allows me to track my sights as they're rising and falling a little bit more consistently. So it's going to look something like this. My sights are rising up to the left slightly, and then the gun is settling. Wearing a watch, it does kind of get in the way a little bit, but optimally what you want to do is brace your pistol grip, if it's long enough, into your hand, so you're pushing forward with your light, you're pulling back with your pistol, and it's actually a very firm grip.
Head vs. Jaw Indexing (04:06)
If you're running iron sights on your handgun, if you have non-tritium, non-fiber, non-bright illuminated irons, it's going to be very hard to see those while you're activating your light downrange away from the pistol. So another technique that can be really awesome is a head index. Now a jaw index is a method some people like to use. But the downside to this with running a handgun is, generally speaking, you are going to be raising your handgun above where the beam of the light is. So you're not actually illuminating your iron sights at all. But if we take the weapon light and move it up a little bit higher up to the top of my head, now I can actually illuminate my pistol irons. And in this case, with the Ameriglo Glock i-Dot Pros, I have my bright orange front sight that this is illuminating really nicely.
Umbrella Technique and Adapter Accessories (04:53)
There's also the umbrella technique where you hold the light up high or outwards. But it's a little bit harder to keep it on the target. There's also some little adapters out there for lights, the little Thyrm little thingy, where you can basically hook the pistol light here in the front, get this sort of weird little grip like this, sort of have two hands on the gun, and still be activating the handheld. It requires going out and getting an accessory, generally speaking, so I usually just stick to the head index like so, or the Harries if I am running my handheld with my pistol. But as you can see, I'm only shooting the gun with one hand. I have to shoot a little bit slower. I don't have as good recoil management. And that's why pistol-mounted lights are awesome.
Conclusion (05:47)
However, I'm not going to be drawing the handgun with a light on it, to be looking around for stuff or drawing it in public because, you know, that's a really easy way to get a misdemeanor. And that's where having handheld light works great. My pistol can be holstered. I can be doing whatever it is, either on low mode, my 5 lumen mode, you know, for admin, whatever, finding stuff, looking for my, you know, wall charger. And then I can go high mode if I need all of my 1200 lumens on this particular light.