Even if you’re a trained weapon expert or an average civilian, you should carry a non-lethal tool as your first line of self-defense. Owning a tactical flashlight entitles you to self-protection. More than an everyday carry tool, tactical flashlights have more uses than you expect, including self-protection. Read on as we answer your question, “Do tactical flashlights work as self-defense?”
It seems not much at first, considering they are a usual household item used during blackouts or when looking into dark places. However, the jagged edge is extremely useful to puncture the skin or even for gouging eyes out. It sounds cruel, but when your life is at stake, you will want a robust and reliable tool that you can use to stop an attack without killing.
What Is a Tactical Flashlight?
Compared to a typical kitchen cabinet model, a tactical flashlight has a different purpose of use. They are designed with different materials, usually aerospace-grade aluminum. They can withstand high impact stress because they are usually mounted to a weapon like a shotgun, and most are waterproof. Tactical flashlights feature textured grips and anti-roll profiles and are usually small enough to easily fit in a pocket.
Do tactical flashlights work? What makes a flashlight tactical? A tactical flashlight is simply a flashlight designed for tactical, which refers to military or police use. Many tactical flashlights are smaller than traditional flashlights and are intended to be mounted to a weapon for low-light shooting. They emit much more light and are made of weapon-grade aluminum for maximum durability. Tactical flashlights are designed primarily for military and police units, but nowadays, they’re also convenient every day and personal defense tool for anybody.
The Self-Defense Functions of a Tactical Flashlight
It Helps Identify Threats
Most attackers use darkness as an advantage. A tactical flashlight’s bright light can help identify threats in a low-light environment and eliminate the strength of an attacker stalking in the shadows. Directly shining a light on a bad guy can be enough to get him to take off.
Momentarily Disorients Attackers
When shined directly to eyes, its bright light will probably make you feel disoriented or blinded for a while. You can take advantage of this natural reaction to bright light to defend yourself against potential attackers. Your assailant will likely reach his hands up to his face and experience three to four seconds of disorientation and semi-blindness, so you will have enough time to either flee or attack.
Improvised Weapon
Most tactical flashlights have such serrated or toothed bezel used as an improvised striking device during an attack. After you’ve shined the light in your attacker’s eyes and disoriented him, strike his face with the toothed bezel as hard as possible.
Signaling for Help
How do tactical flashlights work when you want to signal for help? A tactical flashlight is also an essential way of using Morse code when you might be in an emergency, lost, or need to signal drivers on the road for help.
Starting a Fire with a Flashlight.
How do tactical flashlights work when you want to start a fire? You can do it in three different ways. The first one involves breaking the light bulb. Break only the outer glass and not the inner string. If your string is intact, you can use a little bit of kindling on top of the light around the filament and switch it on.
The second way is to use the protecting glass lens from the cap of the flashlight to magnify the sun during daylight onto tinder. The last method is one that is only available to some tactical flashlights that have highly concentrated lumens. If this is shone onto tinder, it can burn a flammable material. Know more about Tactical Flashlights.
Conclusion
A flashlight is a staple for any home, defense-related or not. But owning a tactical flashlight serves more purpose. They provide illumination and can be used as a self-defense tool. They are even a great addition to any prepper’s cache. Hopefully, you have learned a lot as we answered your question, “Do tactical flashlights work as self-defense?”