How many lumens do you really need for home defense? When is it too bright?

[bruin]

My ideal light would create bright daylight conditions wherever I am, inside or out. Until then, I'll take as many lumens and candelas and as much spill and throw as I can get out of a two cell 123a light.

[Moose-Knuckle]

I am very happy with all three, all have their use. I've not noticed the "blinding" that others talk about--- but then I am careful not to shine it in my face too.

The blinding effect that others have mentioned is not due to them looking into their light, it's when they activate their light indoors of their home and the light hits white walls with a high gloss paint and reflects the light back to the user. This can cause the user to squint, look away, and or be momentary blinded. None of which are advantageous to you if you find yourself in a gunfight.

[WS6]

Re-visiting this, I would honestly say that the user is more important than the light. For example, Craig Douglas prefers to clear homes with something like a 200 lumen light. He gets to play with any light he chooses for the most part, as his students bring tons of different lights and still picks a throwy 180-220 lumen job with a strobe function. It's wickedly effective. Frank Proctor runs his night courses with a 180 lumen Protac 1L. Pat Rogers likes Surefure Fury and 3-cell 1000 lumen lights. I really think it depends on the user, and how they plan on running the gun and playing the angles. Of course, if you have a 300 meter field, a 180 lumen light won't cut it, but 0-50 yards, it seems everyone has some very varying preferences, and many people at the tip of the spear apply them in different ways.

[RWH24]

My bump in the night gun is a G17, when we moved into our new house I upgraded the white light that I run on it from a Streamlight TLR-1 (first generation) which IIRC is 80 lumens with a new TLR-1 HL which peaks at 630 lumens. I have ran the light doing room clearing drills, if you want to call it that, and walked the entire house in total darkness multiple times. I am able to identify things much faster and at greater distances with the TLR-1 HL than I could with the older model. I'll take the 630 lumens over the 80 any day.

Hey M-K, What is the color and sheen of paint on your walls? That will make a difference in how the reflective light id diffused.
I had a SF 951 WML and it is like 60 lumens. I was better off with the lights coming in from the street lamps and neighbors outdoor lights.
The TLR-1s with 300 lumen on my M&P9L is bright on my Kilim Beige Satin walls, but the Inforce WML @ 200 Lumens on my AR is fine.

[Moose-Knuckle]

Hey M-K, What is the color and sheen of paint on your walls?

My walls are painted with K&M Professional (Kelly-Moore Paints) Interior Acrylic Satin Enamel in beige.

[samuse]

I have a Surefire P2X Fury on my carbine and X300 Ultras on my handguns.

They are excellent even in small rooms and I would not trade them for anything less. I'm totally comfortable with 'em in the dark and my old X300 seems weak and blue now.

[bjxds]

I am not an LE/mil that need to search buildings. I have only found 1 situation where the X300U was to bright, and realistically I would probably never run into this situation in real life, but I was mock searching my house in total darkness just to see what it was like. Rooms, hallways, closets and bath rooms presented no problem. Then I went in the basement everything is going good, then I opened my basement door leading out to a casement well stairwell (not a walk out) when I opened the door the light hit the back cinder block wall covered with a light colored skim coat/stucco. I was blinded and could not see anything for 10 seconds, then I could see but my vision had the flash bulb effect.

Since that time I tried it by opening the door from the side and shined the light at various angles until I found the optimum angle.

Like I said I don't really se a situation where I would exit my home looking for someone, but it's now nice to know it can be done.

So was the light to bright or was it a matter of how to properly use it? It is very nice to have X300U when outside like taking the dog out, going to the shed..... There is a noticeable difference between the 300 and 300U.

I can remember when my original Surefire 6P was the brightest thing I have ever seen. FWIW I now tend to err on the side of brighter is better for a WML. For EDC I like the abilty to dial it up or dow depending on the situation.

[Frailer]

...Like I said I don't really see a situation where I would exit my home looking for someone...

Not some*one*, but I left my house just last night looking for the %#&$ feral cat that was yowling at 2AM for the third time this week.

The SOB shut up (and probably hightailed it) when I opened the door; otherwise he'd have seen a bright flash of light, another bright flash, then a whole lot of dark.

[JusticeM4]

I use a variable flashlight that has a 300 and 100 (IIRC) lumen and strobe. I leave it on the low light setting so it does not blind me when I wake up in the night.

[Moose-Knuckle]

Not some*one*, but I left my house just last night looking for the %#&$ feral cat that was yowling at 2AM for the third time this week.

The SOB shut up (and probably hightailed it) when I opened the door; otherwise he'd have seen a bright flash of light, another bright flash, then a whole lot of dark.