Light Changer

When I first saw the Surefire 2211 Wristlight I was skeptical thinking that Surefire has yet figured out how to sell another expensive but well made high intensity flashlight. Don’t get me wrong, I think Surefire lights are the most dependable and rugged lights on Earth but they’re not giving them away for free.

My first impressions about the Wristlight were wrong; it may be the best new tool for cops since pepper spray!

I’d like to say that my job is to try gun related gear and report on how it works. Truth is, I don’t have a real job. What I do is try stuff I’m interested in and then try to convince magazine editors my findings are worth reporting. Some listen, some don’t. If they find merit in my research, I write it up and take photos and the magazine sends me a check.

Sorry, I’m wandering but that wondering is relevant because when I write a product up it can take from two to six months for that write up to make it into print. (The gun press is a slow moving train.) For that reason I’m covering the Surefire 2211 Wristlight here so that I can get the word out immediately. After spending about a month with this tool, I was that impressed.

I worked the street as a police officer for 13 years and about 90% of that work was in the dark. I learned the importance of light and relied on a Surefire of some sort throughout my entire career. But all of those Surefires were handheld lights and it is exceedingly difficult to shoot or effectively handle a weapon with a handheld light. Yes, there are techniques but none are a great solution.

Aside from the shooting and the holding suspects at gunpoint, most of what cops do with a light is look. Very often that look ends with the laying of hands on someone and it’s hard to lay both hands on someone if one hand is full of flashlight. Additionally, in a scuffle, a flashlight can be dropped and then things can get dark. Been there, done that, did not like it!

The beauty of the Surefire 2211 Wristlight is that you cannot drop it and that you do not have to hold it. Its there on your wrist and it shines on anything your arm is pointing at. If you are a cop you can appreciate how convenient this is. When you are dealing with a suspect, searching a car and yes, when you are shooting in the dark.

The Surefire 2211 Wristlight has three brightness levels that are controlled by push buttons on each side of the unit. It is also rechargeable and has a built in power level light so that you always know how much light you have at your disposal. It’s rugged and its practical and if you are a cop you need one. Police agencies should offer this gizmo as standard issue. It’s that much of a game changer.

Aside from the law enforcement aspect, the 2211 Wristlight has application for the outdoorsman like when you are climbing into a tree stand before daylight, gutting a buck in the dark or just looking for your gear in the floor board of your truck. Yes you can do all those things with a flashlight but doing so requires the loss of one of your hands. And, unless you are extremely unusual, you only have two hands to work with.

Nope, the 2211 Wristlight is not cheap; you have to pay to play. But, you know what, your life is not cheap either. As I said in my book, Handgun Training for Personal Protection, “Light is power. Light signifies authority, and it facilitates control…everything looks better with light on it.”

I wish the Surefire 2211 Wristlight had been available when I authored that book. I could have devoted an entire chapter to its employment and how to use it in conjunction with a handgun. I guess I need to call an editor, what a great idea for an article.