There might have been some confusion generated in what I said above. So let me explain.

First, I don't mind at all if people use a flashlight just for survival purposes. That's great! If that's your whole intention, just say so on the forum. I will completely understand. And there are lots of very nice lights (esp. LED lights) that work fine for that purpose.

But just be aware that some users (incl myself) really DO carry these lights for self-defense and tactical purposes. NOPE - you do not need a sledgehammer. There are modern tactical lights that are super tough, and these suckers can be used as weapons in several ways. For example, take a look at the Hellfighter lights at the following link:

http://www.hellfireusa.com/cgistore/store.cgi?page=/new/catalog.html&setup=1&cart_id=

These suckers are very bright and extremely solid. As in - super tough. They are not particularly light in weight, but they will take a real beating.

You can take one of these lights and ram it straight through the glass window on the drivers door of a car. Look at the front metal edge ahead of the glass lens - the metal is thick and crenulated ... and very strong. It will shatter things on impact. So these lights make a nice rescue tool for entry through windows. That is what I was referring to when I was talking about drywall. I am saying that you take the flashlight, hit the drywall as hard as you can (front end of flashlight first), and knock a hole right through the drywall. That's a good tactical light. It goes without saying that if you can knock holes in drywall, you can also do a pretty nasty job on an attacker's face or body. The flashlight acts as an impact weapon.

Finally, the pattern of light on a wall tells you quite a lot - if you need self-defense info. You really want a good hotspot in the center of the beam, and a low level of light that extends outwards for a good radius. Some lights have this - and a lot don't. This pattern is optimum for self-defense purposes, but other patterns of light may be quite appropriate for other purposes.

Have fun!

Pete