Law Officer Volume 5 Issue 9 Collaboration between police agencies and manufacturers of duty gear can occur at many levels. The projects range from something as extensive as an entirely new vehicle, like Carbon Motor’s endeavor, or something as simple as a better “keeper” design. Of the daily tools of the modern patrol officer, few rank as high as the duty flashlight. It’s used at all times of the day, and its performance is critical to the safety and efficiency of patrol work.
Pelican Products, a manufacturer of flashlights and tough-as-nails transport cases, was highly involved with the Los Angeles Police Department, one of the largest police agencies in the world, in developing a patrol flashlight for duty work. The result of that project was the highly regarded 7060 LED, which became the standard-issue tactical flashlight for the department. More recently, Pelican introduced a larger, more powerful version called the 8060.
Think of the 8060 as the big brother to the 7060. It shares many of the same design principles, but in a larger package. Like the 7060, the 8060 is rechargeable, but with larger “C” nickel-metal hydride batteries that provide six hours of run time at full power due to the use of a single 3.7-watt, high-intensity LED bulb that churns out a respectable 190 lumens, which is about 60 lumens higher than the 7060.
The lumen scale—not candlepower—is how most flashlights are rated today. Candlepower is the amount of illumination measured at the source of the light, whereas lumens measure the amount of light at the target of the light source. For example, the 8060 produces 190 lumens at one meter or about three feet.
For many years, I carried the Streamlight Ultrastinger, which was the brightest light out there at the time. It was powerful and lightweight, but the bulb’s draw meant its run time was very short. It spent a lot of time in the charger recovering from those nightly traffic stops. LEDs were just
being introduced in flashlights at the time, and none could come close to the Ultrastinger’s capabilities. Fast forward a few years and LED has become the way to go, even for Streamlight. The 3.7-watt LED bulb in the 8060 is bright white and the battery pack will provide at least 150 lumens for five hours minimum on a full charge.
The body of the 8060, like the 7060, is constructed of durable polycarbonate and features grenade-grip, non-slip texturing. It also features a novel eight-side focusing head that prevents it from rolling around when laid on a flat surface.
The rim of the focusing head also has distinctive notches that allow an officer to tell if the light is turned on when placed face down on a surface.
The 8060 is about 13 inches long—a full-size duty flashlight. Still, it’s fairly light at about 24 ozs., thanks to the polycarbonate construction. Due to its size and length, the 8060 doesn’t share the tail-mounted activation switch of the 7060, instead relying on a side-mounted, textured switch assembly that offers momentary mode and on/off activation. There are also two levels of brightness. Once activated, the 8060 offers a nonadjustable beam pattern that provides a hot spot of focused light surrounded by a larger “halo” of peripheral light. This allows for longer illumination distance with some illumination of areas outside the center beam focus.
The 8060 is easy to grip and maneuver. Light output at 190 lumens is adequate, though some LED competitors offer similar-sized lights that produce up to 300 lumens and beyond. By comparison, the Streamlight Ultrastinger is rated at a max of 295 lumens, but it can’t touch the run time of the 8060.
The lack of adjustment on the 8060’s beam is both good and bad. On the plus side, no adjustment means the officer will always have the same beam to work with. On the negative side, the officer
will always have the same beam to work with.
I’d recommend the 8060 to officers in urban environments who find themselves surrounded by other light sources. It’s not the most powerful light out there, but it’s durable and provides decent illumination with a long run time. Its lightweight, polycarbonate and grenade-grip housing also make it a good choice in cold and wet weather. The list price is $259, but online retailers sell it at a street price of $140–160. It’s more expensive than the Ultrastinger, but if you’re conducting a lot of traffic stops at night or doing prolonged building searches, the 8060 may be the better way to go.
Pelican’s 8060 LED Flashlight
Pros
• Lightweight
• Grenade-grip, non-slip texturing
• Long run time
Cons
• Lack of adjustment on the beam
• Not the most powerful light
• Somewhat expensive
800/473-5422