Need an EDC flashlight.

I shop at Battery Junction. They carry many brands. My personal favorite is the Olight M-10 Maverick. It's about the size of a shotgun shell, uses a single CR123 battery and operates from a tail switch which makes it convenient to use in conjunction with a pistol using the Harry's (spelling?) method. Unfortunately, like most everything else I develop a fondness for they quite making it a few years back.

I prefer a light that works off of a tail switch, I like momentary on and I don't feel the need for more than about 300 lumens. For EDC I don't want anything big, anything that takes more than one battery is generally too big for my taste and I detest side switches. But that's just my opinion.

Another thought to consider is if you travel by air, you can't pack lithium batteries in your checked baggage and TSA considers some flashlights weapons so that eliminates carry on. I found an Olight model that uses AA batteries or CR123 that works for me when I travel. I load the AA's and toss it in my checked baggage.

I also vouch for the olights. I carry a s1r mini baton ii. 1000 lumen the size if your thumb. These olights are pretty cutting edge as far as flashlights go. Quality is on par with the big names. magnetic usb charger is really slick too. I was hesitant on the rechargeable light route but its much simpler than dealing with half dead aa cells all the time.

Current light is a Thorfire VG-15S. Takes an 18650 battery and the light itself is just slightly bigger than the battery alone. I prefer tail switches so I went with this one, side switches feel awkward and useless to me.

The Lumintop Tool 25 takes to AA batteries, has a pocket clip, about as thick as a sharpie pen, 500 lumens, 4 modes of operation and $23 on Amazon.

cjwils said:

Are any of these not made in China? I have a bunch of flashlights with different brand names, and nearly all are from China.

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Since you brought it up, I'll comment.

After a career as a general contractor, dealing with all manner of equipment and tools, I prefer goods from overseas.

I have been happy with this, https://www.amazon.com/ThruNite-Arc..._4?keywords=thrunite+a1&qid=1571197211&sr=8-4
Operating voltage is .09-5V so a Li-ion 14500 works in this flashlight and is brighter than using a AA battery. I highly recommend this light. for $ 30 it's a good value.

The only thing I can add to this is if batteries are the issue get a USB rechargeable light

ohihunter2014 said:

How hard are these cr123 batteries to find

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Not as easy to find as AA or similar batteries, but available at most big box home improvement stores, and most decent size grocery stores. But: (see below)

ohihunter2014 said:

don’t want to have to hunt down batteries all the time.

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They have a 10+ year shelf life. They're cheaper to buy in bulk from a reputable dealer and just keep them on hand.

ohihunter2014 said:

can I use AA in a pinch?

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That's completely dependent on the operating voltage of the flashlight. There are some single CR123A lights that have a spacer tube so you can use a sing AA battery. A CR123A battery is about 15mm shorter than a AA. the name comes from the old CR(x) camera battery naming system, combined with its size, which is 2/3 the length of an A battery (and the same diameter).

HOWEVER,
The better option is to get a light that can use either a single 18650 rechargeable battery or a pair of CR123A batteries (or a shorter light that uses a single 16340 rechargeable or a single CR123A). Use the 18650 (or 16340) for every day, and keep a box of CR123A's stored for emergencies.

I'll post more in the coming days. Until then, keep in mind that lumens alone only tell you part of how a light will actually perform. More to come soon.

O-light makes a nice line up of small pocket lights.

Okay, I've finally made it back. Lumens measures total light output. Intensity (expressed in candela, abbreviated cd) tells you how much a light throws. Two lights with equal lumens but higher and lower intensity will be more throwy and more floody, respectively. I have a light that's 1500 lumens and 10,880 cd, but I have a much throwier light that's rated at 1,000 lumens with 56500 cd. A 100 watt incandescent bulb puts out about 1600 lumens, so hopefully that gives you an idea of little intensity there is when the light is radiating in all directions.

Then there are things like what type of switch do you want? How many modes do you want, etc. Get a charger and a spare 18650 or 16340 battery. They'll pay for themselves very quickly if you use the light with any regularity.

ohihunter2014 said:

I looked into the Protacs and amazon has nothing but bad reviews on them. Man why is this so hard?

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The mainstream US made light companies have really stagnated vs the mainstream Chinese and US boutique brands.

ohihunter2014 said:

How hard are these cr123 batteries to find and can I use AA in a pinch? I found a nice stream light polytac x 600lumen on sale at cabelas but don’t want to have to hunt down batteries all the time.

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https://smile.amazon.com/s?k=cr123a&i=garden&ref=nb_sb_noss_1

I searched for years for that perfect flashlight, and decided it doesn't exist. Then I discovered Olight and decided they were close enough for my needs. Rechargeable batteries are the only choice for me.

It's not possible to reverse the clip on the s2r baton. It is machined to accept the clip in one spot. I pocket carry mine every day and there is more scuffing on the tail end than on the exposed lens end. Mine is a tool and it sees heavy use.

The magnetic charger is great. When you get the base of the light within a few inches of it, it snaps on no matter the orientation. Easy as it gets. I go weeks between charges too.

I think I timed mine around 2 minutes. Heat becomes an issue in smaller lights when you reach that level of brightness. I rarely use turbo unless I'm trying to impress someone, and only for a few seconds at a time then. The optic puts out a nice beam with a decent amount of throw and an impressive amount of light overall. It's definitely not a spot in any mode.