May 9, 2023
IR tactical flashlight for night vision.
Imagine a picture; late at night, you come home, and you hear rustling or footsteps behind you; of course, you tense up a bit, but you keep going. After a few minutes, notice again that the steps have not stopped and there are no people around; you will speed up. But you hear the steps behind you speeding up; maybe you even start running. But at one point, the attacker catches up with you, hits you, and you fall; at that time, he takes all valuable things and leaves until you have recovered.
Let's imagine another situation, you come home, and you are going to have dinner, but for some reason, there is no light. Of course, you're going to go down to the basement and see if everything is working, but you can't see anything. You look in all the lockers; you can't find it anywhere; you try to remember where you put it the last time, you get angry and rummage through all the drawers faster and faster and still find it or not, you go to the touch and get stuck with your foot, which makes you even angrier.
Such examples can be continued endlessly, but in both cases, a straightforward thing will help; this is a flashlight. A small pocket flashlight that will come in handy in any situation. If we are talking about ordinary life situations, then a flashlight that illuminates will be enough, but, for example, in the first example, a tactical flashlight can help us. It has a slightly broader scope of use and can even protect you, so let's look.
What is a tactical flashlight for a gun?
A tactical flashlight is a new generation of flashlights designed for tactical operations; in particular, they are used by military or security personnel. But, also, they are becoming indispensable for use in many situations; the main thing is to understand how they can be helpful. They differ from old-style flashlights in their ability to attach to tactical belts and the level of light flow; some of them can be attached to weapons. The material used for making such flashlights is much more reliable and robust than for making ordinary flashlights, but at the same time, it is pretty light.
Most often, the purpose of a tactical flashlight is still to help illuminate dark areas while driving in the dark, to prevent injury, getting into a trap, or aiming or pointing a weapon by holding it near the sight. It helps to see the necessary targets more clearly and brightly and to ensure your movement. Having the flashlight with one hand and the weapon with the other is essential, so you will be more mobile and will not illuminate your gun. According to the rules, the flashlight should be near your head and your eye so you can better see the situation and protect your head from possible blows. But, if you are sure about the danger of movement, then it is better to turn on the flashlight for a few seconds to check the situation and move quickly in the dark, thus advancing.
Also, a tactical flashlight can be used to illuminate dark places or weapons and as a self-defense tool. That is why we advise you to choose flashlights with a toothed handle so that you can strike the attacker in case of danger. Additional prongs will strengthen the blow, allowing you to neutralize the attacker for a while. However, another, more reliable way is to sharply direct the light in the face and blind the enemy. A sharp flash of light will disorient the enemy, and you will be able to run away or strike.
What are the characteristics of an actual tactical flashlight?
Even though various manufacturers advertise their flashlights and emphasize their usefulness, it is essential to choose a flashlight by delving a little into the required characteristics. After all, the choice will depend on the field of use. The first thing you should pay attention to is the material of manufacture; it should be strong enough and durable, at the same time, light enough to carry with you all the time. Also, it should be compact, so you can put it in your pocket and use it when needed. The following important characteristic is the brightness of the light, which determines the illumination range and the possibility of use in critical situations. A tactical flashlight should be small but at the same time emit more than 1000 lumens of light (or more, depending on your needs). It should be comfortable to use; for this, there should be an ergonomic handle, strong material, and ease of use. Let's say you urgently need a flashlight; then you don't have time to understand the controls; for this, there should be a single button. Also, an additional hook can be used for convenience, which allows you to attach the flashlight to a tactical belt or backpack and not just carry it in a pocket or bag. Also, it seems that all flashlights are the same, but many have additional features, for example, multi-colored light or a different size or color, so it is worth relying on your preferences.
What is night vision?
We have all seen action movies or war movies where people use special glasses to see the enemy or target in complete darkness. Of course, they wondered if seeing anything in such darkness was possible. Yes, it is possible. Thanks to the invention of night vision devices, anyone who uses them can track a target, inspect a room or find an enemy in complete darkness or terrible weather. NVD works with small fixed particles of light, an infrared beam, and a magnifier. In general, the scheme of work is quite simple. The device emits an invisible infrared beam reflecting off objects and returns to the device; inside, it is read and amplified to form the image we see on our machine. This is how some night vision devices work. Their work allows you to work in observing the situation here and now, as well as shoot video or photo content.
Interestingly, the image we see can be in shades of green. Because research has found that green does not adversely affect our vision during long-term use of night vision devices and allows us to see the minor details of the image, thanks to different shades. In general, such devices are quite convenient and provide many advantages. But the main disadvantage is that if the object is hidden behind another thing, you will not see it because another object will block the view. This makes it quite challenging to work in chase or observation mode.
Then another type of night vision device, thermal imagers, comes to the rescue. Their operating system is slightly different from standard night vision devices, although they also work with infrared light. But such devices are designed to read the body heat of objects or objects. We all know that each body has its temperature, so thermal imagers read this temperature in the spectrum of red - very high temperature, blue - low body temperature. Accordingly, we are shown images of figures on the screen; if they are living objects, then they are red-yellow pictures; if they are inanimate, they are purple-blue. The sensors read the heat emitted by the things and transmit the image. The advantage of the thermal imager is that it allows you to see even through other objects.
You can also choose the type of night vision device, depending on what is more convenient for you. These can be glasses that are pretty comfortable for long-term use and free your hands, which makes it possible to perform several tasks at the same time; a monocular allows you to change your eye, thereby not straining your vision, while the other eye will adapt to the actual situation and binoculars. With its help, complete immersion in the image occurs, but when using them, the eyesight is very strained. You can independently deal with different devices and generations of night vision to choose exactly the one you need.
IR flashlight for NV devices
As you have already understood, even the best devices cannot recognize everything, especially on a moonless night and in complete darkness. In this case, infrared lights come in handy. An IR flashlight is a particular type of flashlight explicitly designed for use with night vision devices. They differ from ordinary lanterns in the way they work. Everybody or object emits infrared light because it has a specific temperature. The higher the temperature, the stronger the infrared radiation. The IR emits an infrared beam at things, the beam is reflected from them, and the NV is read. Such lights help illuminate and amplify the infrared light of the objects themselves, making them more transparent for NVD devices.
Often, such lights can be used separately from weapons; depending on their modification, they can work as a standard lighting device. But still, they often come in handy for the military, security service workers, and hunters in complete darkness or adverse weather conditions. Therefore, almost every IR has a unique mount to attach to a weapon, is made of solid and waterproof material, and has shock resistance.
If your field of activity involves performing tasks in the dark or hunting in the dark, you cannot do without night vision devices and a flashlight. However, for your experience to be successful, you should follow several criteria when choosing. It is necessary to select a strong case and a small size; this will help to avoid breakdowns at the most crucial moment. Make sure that it is comfortable to hold in your hand and that the metal is not slippery; this will help you avoid falls. Also, it is necessary to understand that not all NV devices provide 100% visibility, so an IR tactical flashlight should always be with you to help strengthen the operation of the night vision device. However, you can use it as an ordinary flashlight for mundane tasks. And most importantly, choose an IR tactical flashlight that is convenient for you and meets your needs.