LedWave PEL-6 Secutor Flashlight

Some years ago, a well-known flashlight manufacturer had on its staff a former Navy SEAL and several veteran SWAT police officers. That experienced and knowledgeable group of people made some recommendations for how the "ideal" tactical flashlight would function. Their ideas were dismissed as "not possible" and/or "not sufficiently profitable to justify the business investment to create." As things evolved, a different company did invest the necessary dollars; different engineers and designers were enlisted; and, as a result, a new company was formed that manufactured the Gladius flashlight: a handheld, LED-driven, programmable, multifunction illumination tool. The PEL-6 Secutor is the latest iteration of that light.

The first generation of that light, the Gladius, pumped out about 65 lumens of light and was the first light on the market to incorporate adjustable levels of light as well as a patented strobe feature. The Gladius Maximus was the second iteration and produced a bit more light - about 85 lumens - as well as continuing the original features such as being waterproof to 50 meters and having a self-equalizing (underwater) tailcap.

The Secutor produces over 120 lumens of light using a CREE LED lamp module in front of two CR123 3V lithium batteries and maintains every design feature of the first two models. The Secutor design has been enhanced to produce a high-efficiency level of light based on the rigorous testing (abusive really) of the previous models along the evolution of this illumination tool. Various models of this light have suffered and continued to function through such testing as:

being driven over by an APC
being shot from under the spinning tires of a Porsche
being thrown (repeatedly) against cinder-block walls
being taken scuba diving to a depth of 75 feet and used throughout the dive
being soaked in a bucket of salt water for 30 days
being stored in a car's trunk in sub-freezing temperatures for 30 days

Throughout it all, the light continued to work, and work as it was designed to. The ease of use for the various function capabilities is one of the biggest strengths of this light. Without adjusting grip, the user can change light output by turning the selector ring which is around and just below the tailcap activation button. Light can be produced with touch-pressure or it can be "clicked on" to stay. It can be produced from a level as low as 10 lumens to as high as the light's maximum, over 120 lumens. It can also be produced at that high level while strobing. The strobe rate in flashes-per-second, was researched and the patented final rate was selected based on observed impact to human perception.

During testing, the light produced interesting - and valuable to tactical operators - effects in human subjects. Those effects included:

disorientation
imbalance
nausea
reflexive closing of the eyes
reflexive raising of the hands
flinching away, as if from pending impact

All of those induced effects are to the tactical operator's benefit.

Officer.com staff members have abusively tested each iteration of this light as it has evolved. Our testing has included dragging the light around tied to the back of a Jeep on gravel roads for several miles as well as SCUBA diving with the light. It was our staff who soaked the light in salt water for 30 days and at least two of our test lights served a year's tour in Afghanistan as the primary light for deployed Marines.

The SECUTOR PEL-6 has an MSRP of $139.99 on the Strategos International Order page. However, as you'll see if you visit that page, there is another variation available: The SECUTOR CREEmator which produces an amazing 275 lumens of light. MSRP on the CREEmator is $189.99 and experienced operators consider it well worth it.

Web Links:

About The Author:

Lt. Frank Borelli (ret) is the Editor In Chief for Officer.com, and has over 29 years of military and civilian law enforcement experience. An instructor since 1989 and having delivered training across the country, he stays active in police work, training, and writing. Frank has had four non-fiction and two fiction books published along with two research papers of specific interest to the law enforcement and/or military communities. All can be found / purchased on his Author Page on Amazon.com linked above. If you have any comments or questions, you can contact him via email to [email protected].