Well...

You can take a cheap ($3 or thereabout) Mini-Maglite knockoff - made in China probably, they've been around for a long time now.

It's about the same size as hi-tech LED lights and has a solid aluminum body. No, it doesn't look as tactical as that Hellfighter thing with spikes. But if you have to, you can easily make neat holes in drywall with it, smash a window or somebody's skull if it ever comes to that. I don't think you'll notice any difference at all in that department between the $3 knockoff and a $150+ Surefire.

I wouldn't count on any light (regardless of the brand and price) still working after you put it through that kind of (ab)use. Then again, if I ever have to beat someone into unconsciousness with a flashlight, whether the light still works once I've accomplished the deed is not going to be my main concern.

If self-defense is that much of a priority though, I think there are better options out there than a tactical light. And if it absolutely has to be a "fighting" flashlight I'd personally go for the biggest, heaviest Maglite out there. YMMV.

A friend of mine once took a hard wack in the face with a big maglite, may have been a 4D... anyway, he reports it was VERY effective. Not sure if the maglite worked afterwards...

...for a 2-AA LED flashlight, I have a Mini-Maglite 2-AA LED, widely available & 1/3 the cost of Fenix LD20.
Maglite has SOS strobe mode, dunno if Fenix does.
Fenix has the turbo/hi/med/lo settings, Minimag has only 2.

Still looking for a reasonably priced single AA or single AAA LED light to replace the single AAA minimag on the keychain.

fenix EO1 - about 13 bucks. a single basic AAA light. Check candlelight forums, a flashlight nerd's delight.

A tactical flashlight with aggressive bezzle.

http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.23997

Stainless Steel Assault Crown Bezzle with a 400+ Lumen SSC P7 quad LED and 2x CR123. Only $40.

Power it with Soshine rechargeables RCR123's for economy.

http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.13811

Of course you'll also need a tactical pen as well as a backup for your flashlight.

i.e. the Benchmade Tactical Stainless Steel Pen

http://www.lighthound.com/Benchmade-Tactical-Combat-Pen-Stainless-Steel-Body-Black-Ink_p_3103.html

ROFL LED Flashlight with Assault Crown! Doesn't get more tactical than that, huh?

Seriously though, should you ever be forced to use that light for self-defense it might become a liability. That Assault Crown (TM) thing might not be received well in court. In fact, it could get you into a lot of trouble.

For the same reason it might not be a good idea to EDC a folding knife with something like X-Terminator or Street Fighter written all over the blade... Again, YMMV.

In reference to earlier comments ... I do carry these tough flashlights overseas. I am responsible for peoples' safety in foreign countries, including trips into some pretty rough areas of third world countries. The tactical flashlight functions as a very effective backup weapon - if needed. It's convenient because it serves a double function ... you need a light anyway, and it's got extra defense purposes.

But your first choice for self-defense should be some other (more effective) weapon. The flashlight is a last resort if it comes to physical force.

Breaking the windows of cars is an important rescue technique. It is potentially necessary any time you're responding to a bad auto crash and the driver/passengers are knocked unconscious (or helpless). See, for example, one of the other threads on this forum right now - where someone talks about a woman passenger who died while being trapped in a burning vehicle. These tough flashlights are a very effective tool for breaking a window if you need to.

However as I said - there are many different kinds of lights. Lots of them function really well for survival or rescue purposes. Not all of them are intended for tactical purposes, and that's fine. These days there are a very wide variety of choices ... there should be something to suit just about anybody.

It still would be quite helpful if people published photo's here of the lightbeams from their flashlights. Just do a simple comparison ... side-by-side photo of the new flashlight and a standard mag light would be quite good.

Pete

Here are some comparisons with the $15 TANK007 TK-566 with some other flashlights. The TK-566 is always on the left of the photo. All outputs are maximum outputs.


TK-566 versus a Mini Maglite 2AA with Nite Ize 3 LED bulb and IQ switch.


TK-566 versus a Ultrafire WF-502B with a Cree MCE LED drop in.



TK-566 versus Fenix P3D Premium 100


TK-566 versus Fenix L2D CE

If a bad guy is close enough for the flashlight's crenelations to be useful, you don't have time be get the flashlight out of your pocket or holster.

I like a crenelated head in order to have an "alternate candle" mode: put the flashlight muzzle-down on a table and use it as an emergency candle if tail-standing isn't a good idea (outdoors, for example).

I do care about beam aesthetics but usually consider other characteristics more important so if it projects a donut then so be it. However, a donut usually means a cheap & sloppy design, and if the manufacturer can't even be bothered to use optics that match the emitter there's not much likely to be done right.

Thanks for posting the beam shots - quite nice.
The TK-566 looks pretty good. I'll check it out.

The main problem with the tactical flashlights is cost. They cost serious $$. I always hate losing expensive equipment. I try not to ... but stuff happens.

If you get hit in the face (or other vital points) with any solid metal object - it's really hurts. If you find yourself in a threatening situation on the streeet at night, make sure you already have your flashlight (or knife) in your hand. Awareness is very important. Never let the bad guys get the jump on you. I have never seen any law cases about people n the USA using tactical flashlights in self-defense. But I'd certainly guess that in the USA it could potentially be a problem - you can't smash people with a crenulated flashlight without a very good reason. So, you need to adapt your level of force to the real situation you are in.

In the old days a Mag light was fine - and was often carried by security guards and police. The Mag lights are just heavy, that's all. The new tactical lights are much brighter, and a bit less bulky.

OK, I didn't mean to hijack this thread with discussions about self-defense. This is a survival forum.

I do like the strobe light function on the Fenix light - it would be nice as an emergency signalling device for outdoors use.

Pete

You must not have read John G. Peters Jr. book "Defensive Tactics with Flashlights" book then. The entire second half of the book is dedicated to analysis of legal cases brought against those who used flashlights for defensive purposes. This is an older book from back in the days when larger MagLights ruled the world, but there are plenty of legal cases regarding flashlights used for non-light-providing purposes (i.e., "defensive" use).