That is a great story and it shows exactly what self-defense is about. It sounds like the girl was trained well and had the right attitude to turn the tables. At the end of the day, that's all that counts.

The problem with this thread is a little different, though. Sure, you can use a flashlight as a fistload and it will do more damage than a bare hand. Pretty much anything can be used to hurt an assailant. A solid punch (if done right and lands solid), rock, trash can, chair, baseball bat... Doesn't take a genius to figure that out. But it takes real guts plus at least some training and/or physical attributes to fight back and successfully defend yourself if assaulted. Without that, no tactical flashlight is going to help.

The real issue IMO is that a lot of people fall for the hype. It's comforting to think that having a Surefire at hand will somehow give you the upper hand in a fight. Unfortunately, the average Joe is out of shape, has no training and all his tactical flashlight will give him is a false sense of confidence.

That's why I think it's important to point out that no such thing as a flashlight (or even a "tactical" knife... heck, even a gun) will make you any safer per se. Not without the right skills, attitude and awareness. As a self-defense improvised weapon, a flashlight has many, many limitations. If you need some light, it's great to have it in your pocket. But if self-defense is a major consideration you'd do well to look for a better alternative. At least that's how it is IME. YMMV.