EDC handheld flashlights

My Olight Warrior Mini along with the rest of the stuff that I EDC.

The problem with rechargeable is you have to recharge them. Plus with standard batteries, you just throw in another one and keep going. Not an option with SOME rechargeable. AA's are available most anywhere. I have some rechargeable but they're not for everyday carry.

Here's the two Streamlights I carry. The 1L is everyday. The 1AA is in my workout shorts.

alfsauve said:

The problem with rechargeable is you have to recharge them. Plus with standard batteries, you just throw in another one and keep going. Not an option with SOME rechargeable. AA's are available most anywhere. I have some rechargeable but they're not for everyday carry.

Here's the two Streamlights I carry. The 1L is everyday. The 1AA is in my workout shorts.

View attachment 1040836

Click to expand...

I use to think similarly and always carried a flashlight that used a single AA battery for easy change/spare.

But several factors changed my thought process:

First performance, the lithium-ion batteries and LEDs used in these the newer flashlights have spectacular performance in both brightness and run time, performance even a two cell AA battery light can't match for brightness.

LED flashlights in general (independent of battery type) will still produce a modest amount of light even with a nearly dead battery. It won't be bright but they will run on vanishingly little power in a pinch.

Lithium batteries store/sit-idle better than alkaline.

Most of the new rechargeable flashlights, recharge using a 5VDC USB charger as a power source. USB 5VDC power is nearly as ubiquitous as 120VAC wall outlets. We have access to USB power on computers, phone charger, vehicle, and portable battery packs.

If it's really critical to have light carry a spare rechargeable battery, most of the modern recharge flashlights are using 18650 batteries that are easy to get spares for. A single 18650 battery has 2 to 3 times the energy a single AA does and its less than twice the weight. Many of the new rechargeable flashlights package even come with a spare cell.

Nothing wrong with many of the AA battery flashlights out there but the advantages are demising as the lithium cell markers standardize lithium cell sizes and charging methodes.

Get something with a 21700 battery. These things are awesome -- way better than 18650. Spec wise it's 5000MaH at 3.6V so 18Wh. 18650's range from 9 to 12 Wh. I've had a Fenix PD36R for a couple years now, had a different Fenix for three or four years before that. Fenix haven't let me down, but this is the first battery I've had that just doesn't quit.

mcb said:

I use to think similarly and always carried a flashlight that used a single AA battery for easy change/spare.

Click to expand...

I went to the 1L-1AA StreamLight because it uses either the CR123 or an AA. CR123 gives the higher power advantages, but in the event I unexpectantly run out of juice a AA will work as a stop gap.

Some flashlight go to low power mode when the batteries get low. That's a real plus in it give you something to work with rather than just turning off.

Get something with a 21700 battery. These things are awesome -- way better than 18650.

Click to expand...

I find the 18650's a bit big for my taste for EDC. I do have a dual 18650 model by the beside, plugged in all the time. And of course use it when events call for. Just don't lug it around day-in and day out. I'll check out the 21700s. Maybe a compromise.

I usually have a Streamlight Microstream or Protac-2L within reach.

I do have a small Fenix 90 degree LD15R that I'm trying to like. but I keep going back to the Streamlight. Nothing wrong with the Fenix, just old habits die hard.

-Jeff

Surefire Defender 500 Lumen.
It’s all I’ve carried for last 8 years.

when I can’t carry a handgun… a Knife and that makes me feel better

Amazon just dropped this off today... Streamlight Protac HL-X. Its my new EDC.


Thats it on top, the light on the bottom is one of my Polytacs, which Ive been carrying for a couple of years now, and also have on a couple of rifles. Its only slightly bigger than the Polytac, and carries just the same in my front pocket.

I was just out back playing with and comparing, and the difference is pretty stark. The HL-X is rated at 1000 lumens, the Polytac is 275. I was always impressed with the Polytac, and around the house, anything out to the tree line 50-75 yards away, I can see anyhing in the yard. In the field out back, I could usually makeout the deer's body at around 100 yards with it, and "eyes" quite a way out.

The HL-X just lit everything up from me to a tree line on the other side of the field I know is over 300 yards away, and I could easily see everything in between. Ill have to see what I can see running around outback tonight.

It comes with the "High, Strobe, Low" setting in the light, but you can program it in a bunch of different ways. I like how it comes and thats how the Polytacs come too, so no new learning curve.

Amazon, $80 delivered.

herrwalther said:

I like my EDC lights to have a lot more brightness than a single AA or AAA battery can provide. I have been using a Fenix LD30 for a few years now. The only thing I don't like about it is the pocket clip came off too easily and I had to replace it with a different one I found on Amazon. Works better than the original clip anyway. I use several no-name brand 18650 batteries in it with no problems.

https://www.fenixlighting.com/product/fenix-ld30-flashlight/

Click to expand...

frogfurr said:

I have three of these. One on the bed stand, one in the garage toolbox, and one I keep in the car. They are a nice flashlight.

These have built in USB chargers. With the charging cable provided I can charge them in my car on the way to work and in my garage while plugged into my PC.

Click to expand...

SharpDog said:

That's what I use.

Click to expand...

JTQ said:

Me too.

Click to expand...

The LD30 had the charging port on the battery and not the flashlight body so you have to take out the battery in order to charger it....Is that correct?

I have a handful of Fenix's and was thinking of adding the LD30 for the tail switch.

danez71 said:

The LD30 had the charging port on the battery and not the flashlight body so you have to take out the battery in order to charger it....Is that correct?

I have a handful of Fenix's and was thinking of adding the LD30 for the tail switch.

Click to expand...

My "Me too" was in relation to the Streamlight MicroStream with a single AAA battery. https://www.streamlight.com/products/detail/index/microstream

I don't know anything about the LD30 or the charging system

alfsauve said:

I find the 18650's a bit big for my taste for EDC. I do have a dual 18650 model by the beside, plugged in all the time. And of course use it when events call for. Just don't lug it around day-in and day out. I'll check out the 21700s. Maybe a compromise.

Click to expand...

I don't mind charging the 18650 that I keep in the LD30. I usually have 3-5 fully charged extra batteries on hand in case it does go out. The LD30 has a little indicator on the side for battery life so I haven't run out of battery when I didn't expect to. The LD30 is pretty small, just slightly bigger than the battery itself. It is even smaller than the Streamlight Protac 2L it replaced.

danez71 said:

The LD30 had the charging port on the battery and not the flashlight body so you have to take out the battery in order to charger it....Is that correct?

Click to expand...

Yes and no. You can get the LD30 with or without the integrally charged 18650 battery. Most retailers sell it with the battery for about 20ish more. I bought mine without because I usually have a dozen or so 18650 batteries around the house to put in at any time.

herrwalther said:

I don't mind charging the 18650 that I keep in the LD30. I usually have 3-5 fully charged extra batteries on hand in case it does go out. The LD30 has a little indicator on the side for battery life so I haven't run out of battery when I didn't expect to. The LD30 is pretty small, just slightly bigger than the battery itself. It is even smaller than the Streamlight Protac 2L it replaced.



Yes and no. You can get the LD30 with or without the integrally charged 18650 battery. Most retailers sell it with the battery for about 20ish more. I bought mine without because I usually have a dozen or so 18650 batteries around the house to put in at any time.

Click to expand...

I just want to make sure I understand correctly as may get a LD30 and I want to make sure of what I'm getting into.


The integrally charged 18650 and the regular 18650 are interchangeable, in the LD30 (same size etc). Correct?

So you could use for/in the LD30 either the integrally charged 18650 and use the charging port on the battery or use a regular 18650 and use stand alone charging base to charge the battery. Correct?

And if they are the same size, I suppose you could charge an the integrally charged 18650 in a stand alone charging base instead of using the built in charging port...?

I have a similar light to AF, about the size of my thumb with LED bulb that runs off 1 123 lithium battery. Unfortunately, it has no markings and I am clueless as to its origins or manufacturer (I got it from a former employer). I will take a pic of it and post it here- maybe someone knows the deal on it. I also recently bought a streamlight 6608, about the size of a pen, rechargeable from a mini USB port. I REALLY like this light- amazon has them right now for $30.

danez71 said:

The integrally charged 18650 and the regular 18650 are interchangeable, in the LD30 (same size etc). Correct?

Click to expand...

Yes. I use 3 or 4 different branded 18650 batteries in my light. None of them are the Fenix brand with the integrated charger. I have a couple Nitecore batteries and those seem to work the best in the light.

danez71 said:

And if they are the same size, I suppose you could charge an the integrally charged 18650 in a stand alone charging base instead of using the built in charging port...?

Click to expand...

Not sure about that. That would be a question for Fenix on how their batteries work. If I had any of their batteries, I wouldn't risk putting them in my regular chargers.

And now for the view from the cheap seats.

For about 25 years or so I was a Maglight fan and carried a MiniMag on my belt. Their quality started to slip so I was forced to look elsewhere.

I have a few rules about my belt light - The first is it must work every time I want to use it. The second is it must use commonly available batteries, so for a belt light that means AA or AAA. The third is the beam must be focusable. The fourth is that it should not cost so much that if I lose the thing I'm not going to smart over it for days (I wish I could say that for my pocket knife and Leatherman tool!)

When I finally decided it was time to part company with my Mini-Mags I bought and tried several of what many would consider "low-end" flashlights. Frankly every one I tried worked OK, but I eventually settled on the Coast HX5 you see in the photo because it also met with my other three rules. I've bought them from Amazon, Lowes, and Home Depot. The HX5 comes with a belt clip, but I took it off as I use a belt holster. It has pretty good battery life with alkalines while also can use lithium rechargeables. I've dropped it any number of times and it still works. Dropped it in puddles and it still works. The push button on the end works with a positive click if you want it to stay on or you can simply push it in and hold it if you need to do a brief flash. Best of all it uses a single AA battery and the last couple I bought were $21 each. I have bought several because once I decided it was going to be the Mini-Mag successor I started buying extras. I try hard never to set one down some place, but who doesn't lose a tool once in a while? If I'm wearing trousers I'm carrying it and it is used every single day.

I'm not going to knock anyone else's choices. We all decide for ourselves what's "good enough", but if you want a dependable, useful light at a price that won't do you emotional injury if you should lose it I think the Coast HX5 is a good candidate.

https://coastportland.com/collections/led-flashlights/products/hx5

I have a couple of Coast lights, and a couple of thier headlights. Use the latter with the dogs at night. Their stuff is decent.

I used to carry one of these, a Romisen. Used to get them off a website called Shining Beam. Last time I was there they seemed to be having issues and they didnt seem to have a steady stock.

They were dirt cheap, $15, and were as bright as some of Streamlights and others Ive carried in the past, and at that price I had a bunch of them, and still have a couple. They held up surprisingly well too, although some of them eventually start to drop out of "high" when switched on, and end up in "low" mode. But that was usually after the light had taken a beating. This one still works fine, and is actually a tad brighter than my Polytac.

herrwalther said:

Yes. I use 3 or 4 different branded 18650 batteries in my light. None of them are the Fenix brand with the integrated charger. I have a couple Nitecore batteries and those seem to work the best in the light.

Click to expand...

Thanks for the info. I figured they would be interchangeable being both '18650' but then I noticed that the batteries with the integrated charging port listed as being 1mm longer than with out the charging port.

So.....

herrwalther said:

Not sure about that. That would be a question for Fenix on how their batteries work. If I had any of their batteries, I wouldn't risk

Click to expand...

.....so, just to share info....

I 'live chatted' with fenixlighting earlier today and they confirmed you could charge them either via the built in charging port or by stand alone charger.



I gotta take a moment and give credit where credit is due for fenixlighting dot com live chat.

I was a pleasantly surprised that it was a real person in Colorado I live chatted with instead of a Bot and the person was very helpful with various questions about different products. It was a model of how live chat should be.

mcb said:

I use to think similarly and always carried a flashlight that used a single AA battery for easy change/spare.

But several factors changed my thought process:

First performance, the lithium-ion batteries and LEDs used in these the newer flashlights have spectacular performance in both brightness and run time, performance even a two cell AA battery light can't match for brightness.

LED flashlights in general (independent of battery type) will still produce a modest amount of light even with a nearly dead battery. It won't be bright but they will run on vanishingly little power in a pinch.

Lithium batteries store/sit-idle better than alkaline.

Most of the new rechargeable flashlights, recharge using a 5VDC USB charger as a power source. USB 5VDC power is nearly as ubiquitous as 120VAC wall outlets. We have access to USB power on computers, phone charger, vehicle, and portable battery packs.

If it's really critical to have light carry a spare rechargeable battery, most of the modern recharge flashlights are using 18650 batteries that are easy to get spares for. A single 18650 battery has 2 to 3 times the energy a single AA does and its less than twice the weight. Many of the new rechargeable flashlights package even come with a spare cell.

Nothing wrong with many of the AA battery flashlights out there but the advantages are demising as the lithium cell markers standardize lithium cell sizes and charging methodes.

Click to expand...

Or... you can have the best of both worlds...

https://products.4patriots.com/powe...5e92&msclkid=e18e47de0fac185d69ae2679fd8f5e92

Officers'Wife said:

Or... you can have the best of both worlds...

https://products.4patriots.com/powe...5e92&msclkid=e18e47de0fac185d69ae2679fd8f5e92

Click to expand...

Those are a neat option but they hold half the energy of an standard alkaline AA battery.

alfsauve said:

The problem with rechargeable is you have to recharge them. Plus with standard batteries, you just throw in another one and keep going. Not an option with SOME rechargeable. AA's are available most anywhere. I have some rechargeable but they're not for everyday carry.

Click to expand...

I lived by that thinking but a lot less so now.

Both the Fenix LD12 and RC05 SE (Special Edition) will run on 1 AA or a rechargeable 14500 Li-ion battery.

The LD12 uses the 14500 with the integral charging port or 1 AA.

The RC05SE uses a normal 14500 rechargeable or 1 AA (actually, can use either type of 14500). It also uses a magnetic charging cord so no chance of micro USB socket to wear out. However, if you opted to use a 14500 battery with the integrated micro USB charging port you could have 2-3 ways to charge it and still be able to use AAs.

Those were the 1st Fenix's I bought because of the battery flexibility still giving me the security of being able to use AAs.

Honestly though, I've only used AAs long enough to see the reduced performance in brightness and run time & realized that recharging isn't a big deal at all.

I still feel the AA lights have their place and still have bought some. But those 2 light were game changers for me and I'm more focused in the rechargeables now.

Im waiting to see how well this rechargeable battery holds up in this HL-X. Ive never really been a fan of rechargeables in the past, as they just dont seem to hold up charge wise, and compared to the lithium 123's, dont seem to sit well for long. At least with this light, I can use either.

I just ran into that with an Olight PL-Pro I got for one of my AR's recently. Its rechargeable, and had a full charge when it was put on, and has only been on there a couple of months, and when I tried it last night, it was already dead. I have a PL2 on another, that takes 123's, and they were in there for about a year before I changed them out with the Aimpoint battery at the time change. Still strong and bright too.

The bad thing with the PL-Pro is, its recharge only, so when its dead, I have to wait.

I'd love to see more drop-in chargers. Not magnetic ones. Ones you drop in a holder and it chargers. Not just the battery. That's a pain to take it out to charge it, but where the whole device drops in the charger. No cables to mess with either. USB is ubiquitous but drop-in chargers are so much cleaner and neater.

I worked in A/V in several venues. Trying to keep up with rechargeable batteries was always a pain and hence we chose to
use alkalines. We knew how long they'd last and when they needed to be changed. When the wireless mic and monitor companies
finally got their act together with easy to use drop-in's our battery bill plummeted. Yes, we paid for it up front with the purchase
of the drop-ins but we were getting new wireless devices anyway. We did keep a couple of spare battery packs,
which also drop-in the same chargers. When a show is on we drop the spares in the chargers just vacated.

Of course the change from Ni-Cad to Li-ion helped tremendously, too.

Armored farmer said:

If there is a better edc flashlight than my old ...View attachment 1040178
STREAMLIGHT MICRO STREAM...
I want to know about it.
It must have pocket/ hat clip.

Click to expand...

In today’s world of throw away stuff, it is really cool to me to see well worn gear that is used and appreciated!

luzyfuerza said:

I love to see pics of carry gear that is clearly being used every day. A lot of blueing rubbed away, some dirt in the stippling, bumps and dings on the leading edges. And it just keeps on working!

Click to expand...

Me too! Saw this post after I posted my response.

I carry an older Streamlight Pro Tac 1L, have been debating migrating to the 1L-AA version.

That Fenix LD12 looks pretty nice too!