Household flashlight for bedside?

For everyday use at the fire station I use Streamlight rechargable stuff. I have a bunch of mag lights 4D ( My first real paycheck was used to buy a maglight and a spyderco endura) 2 2D magslights in the other 2 bedrooms and a 3D downstairs. Now the lights that I find that I am usuing day to dar are all LED stuff

http://www.dorcy.com/products.aspx?p=414281

is my daily carry

I also use the dorcy 1 AAA led keychain lihgt to get around at night.


I have surefire stuff put up with the guns and emergency packs

For the bedside, if you don't mind some size, check Lowe's if you have one in your area. They've had the Dorcy 3D 1 watt LED light on clearance for $6.98, and it will blow a 3D MagLight (regular OR LED) out of the water.

http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=150578&highlight=dorcy

I collect old flashlights and have hundreds. My favorite for all around use? A plain old military crookneck. It's virtually indestructable. It's easy to point it where you want my standing it up or laying it down. It has a belt hook so you can carry it around hands free. Usually, I keep a diffusion filter in it to avoid the harsh bright spot, but if I'm looking for something at a distance, I take the filter out. If I want to preserve my night vision, I can pop in a red filter. For sneaking around the house without disturbing people, I can put in a white blackout filter. All the filters fit in the endcap, along with a spare bulb. And it uses batteries. If they run low, just drop in a couple new ones. No fussing with trying to recharge the thing.
Marty

I carry a Streamlight twintask 2L its got the super powerful Xeon that eats through batteries and then the 3led for more usual tasks.

Click to expand...

+1 on the Streamlight Twintask, but I prefer the AA version. I used for public safety work and have literally had it on all night long for several nights (on LED mode) before needing to replace the batteries. The Maglight minimag LED AA looks nice to. Now, I use only AA and it makes life much easier, except that I still have a AAA headlamp and a small rechargeable bright light for use when someone needs to be blinded. The headlamp is real handy too, especially for roadside repair work or repairing around the house after dark. Not bad for reading either. I have several more cheapie lights of all types and a small LED on every key ring.

I've had almost every type of light through the years. Old maglights, surefire, stinger, and others of all sorts. But the Twintask is the keeper of the group. Heck of a light. If I could only take one, it would be it.

A plain old military crookneck.

Click to expand...

Had a few dozen through the years. Heck it was basically a military uniform item in the 80s. But they are too heavy (2 D cell batteries) and don't last that long. Durable for a plastic light, but not durable compared to the small LED lights with aluminum bodies. I wonder if there is an LED version for the old Vietnam era crookneck?

If applied sparingly, 3D Mag Lites give you a non lethal option

Check out member black bear's Borealis flashlight. 1050 lumens. Rechargeable. It'll light up a road sign at 450 yards. Not black bear's claim. I've done it and lased the distance myself.

Word of caution though. If you get one of these lights, be very careful with it. If you shine it at a window, mirror, or picture glass, you'll be seeing spots for a good while.

http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=125447&highlight=borealis

Surefire.

another vote for Surefire as long as it's an LED Model since my E2E needs lots of bulbs.

I've had a StreamlighT Scorpion light for 0 years now. I love that little light. As bright as a mag light.

$30-$36, depending on where ya buy it at.

I have tons of assorted flashlights

(Hello my name is secamp and I'm a flashaholic)
I have a Streamlight xenon TL-3 on my nightstand and a Surefire G2 in the lockbox with the nightstand gun. I also have a Safe-light (which has a magnet on the clip) stuck to the outside of the gunbox. That has a nightlight mode that stays on all the time. Thats the non-tactical light for bedroom ops.

Flashlights

I have a few different "lumination tools" that I use on a regular basis. I have a GunVault on my nightstand with a Surefire E2e inside, just in front of my pistol. Two of my three HG's have rails and those carry a Surefire X200b. If you buy the batteries by the box (18bucks) it's not that big of a deal. If I'm going out and about I have another E2e to carry around. I also have one clipped to my Mossy.

For about the house use I have two LED's that I switch between. One is a Shakeable light that makes a great deal of energy but sure entertains the kids. I also have a little AA LED that I picked up at Target or somewhere for a couple of bucks. Works great, and has an aluminum housing, totally generic and worth my four hundred pennies!

In a Katrina setting I picked up an electric lantern. I got it at Sams for forty bucks.

http://www.samsclub.com/shopping/navigate.do?dest=5&item=330230

Can be plugged into a wall, or a DC car outlet. So that adds extra versatility. Additionally it has a hand crank that actually works very well. Five - ten minutes of light for 30 seconds to a minute rotation. Also it has LED lights and Halogen. Plus it has an AM/FM Radio along with Emergency Band. For hard use it has the metal legs on the outside to keep it from getting broken.

Streamlight NF-2. It's only a 1 watt LED, but it's brighter than a cheap 5 watt that I carry in my truck. Whiter, too. Cost me about 45 bucks and no bulbs to replace.

I keep three lights on my bedside table.

A Fenix L1P 1W LED for work that does not require lots of light (poking inside closets, computer cases, etc).

A Surefire L4 5W LED w/Li-ion rechargable battery for when I need a wall of light (clearing the inside of the house, for example).

And the big daddy, a Borealis. It's a 9-cell AA Maglite that has been modified by black bear to output over 900 lumens. It's the light I grab when I have to investigate outside, since it has greater reach than the other lights, and can also be used as a makeshift club.

I use one of the following lights in my bedside table:

Surefire 6P w/120 lumen bulb
Ultrafire 12V xenon
Maglite 3D/4C conversion with magnum star bulb

the Maglite conversion is simple, take a 3D light, cut a piece of 1" PVC pipe to make an adaptor to hold 4C batteries, insert, remove the tailcap bulb, flip the spring upside down, and install a better bulb. Magnum stars are bright but I haven't found them anywhere other than Ebay.

I have been using the Dorcy 3 Watt LED for over two years now at work and around the house it puts out 80-90 lumens uses three AAA batteries in a cylindric pack . You can find them at www.Sears.com for $40 just search for Dorcy .

I have dropped the one I use at work many times on a concreete floor and other than scrathes has had no effect on it .

I picked up a recharger for $20 and use Energizer rechargeables and keep a pack or two of standard ones around the house just for emergencies .

They now make a 3.85 Watt one that uses 6 AAA and has a listed run time of 6 hours with an 80 lumen output . It also runs $40 here .
http://www.brightguy.com/products/Dorcy_High_Power_3.85_Watt.php

Check out the Inova T4. LED, 100 lumens output, rechargable lithium-ion battery (no memory, will last thousands and thousands of charges), both AC and DC charger. Regulated runtime of about 2 1/2 hours. Around $100.

Next to the bedside I keep one of those ONE MILLION candle power rechargeable spotlights. They are about 10 bucks to buy. I have a surefire I carry daily, but that spotlight is as bright as the sun. A bad guy couldn't look at it, and would have to put their arm over their eyes or keep their back to you to keep the painful light from their eyes. These 1 million or brighter spotlights are the only light that will 100% dialate your pupils with your eyes completely closed !!! That totally ruins the night vision of anyone trying to confront you. It's also so intensely bright that it will positively ID anyone you are pointing the light at. This bright light stops people in their tracks and gives me the edge to either aim or leave quickly. It would be tough for a perp to shoot at you and hit you with their back to you, their arm over their eyes and them being completely blinded ... You definitely have the advantage. Being it's cordless I can carry it all over the house in one hand with a pistol in the other, and use it either momentary or on all the time. This is my choice for my bedside light and my wife likes having it there also. I'll take any advantage I can get .......
Ohio Rusty

I like the 3 D cell maglite as well. I don't spend a fortune on batteries. Only use it for emergencies, and probably replace batteries 1-2 times a year

Whatever light you choose, consider a Tiger Ring, as describe in Tiger McKee's great Book of Two Guns. This is an O-ring as a lanyard. I was skeptical at first, but I've found it to be a great way to carry a light.

I use one on my Streamlight TL-2 and on my Inova T1. I put my forefinger through the ring. It allows me to open my hand without dropping the light. If I need my hand free for a moment, I flip the light onto the back of my hand, then flip it back into place when done.

You could also use it to carry a spare light, while using another. I think Clint Smith showed this in a photo in a recent article.

I used #18 O-rings, but I have thin fingers. YMMV. On the Streamlight, I connected the ring to the loop on the pocket clip with a small split ring. With the Inova, I used a short piece of gutted paracord. I overlapped the ends of the paracord and sewed them together with a few good stitches of strong thread. I then pulled the overlapped part inside the lanyard hole to protect it, as shown in the photo.

Regards,
Dirty Bob

Surefire E1L

Sleeper hit

I have a surefire e1e that I've been keeping on board for mall ninja nightops.

But a few months ago (I forget when.. before PA small game and deer seasons ) I bought myself a Garrity Luxeon light -
http://www.garritylites.com/page45.html

Mine is in black. It's a one LED light, that runs on 3 AAA batteries. It's great for short distance stuff. The secret is it's got a 'lens' (this is the only way I can think to describe it) that makes the light strong and consistent, very little "spill" light.

Mine was $12 at generic nat'l pharmacy chain.

It beats out my surefire for EDC so far (I'm keeping the sf for bedside duty) and I haven't had to change the batteries in 2, 3 ish months.


If you buy one, be sure to get one with the tailcap switch!

Flashlights...

I carried a Sreamlight Stinger for several years. It was a good light but it seemed to draw down batteries fairly quickly.
To the member who suggested Surefire G2...They are nice lights. They also have a "G2 Z" which is a Combat Light with the G2s polymer body. I bought the G2Z and it ate batteries also; So I called Surefire and bought a 3 watt LED head and a click on/ off tailcap. It is bright, but more importantly I have had the same batteries in it for a little over 6 months.

I posted before, but my latest is a WalMart special. It's a metal, silver-colored "Coast", 3-LED, single AA battery. It's thin like a mini-maglite, and has each LED sunken into a reflective pocket - it's a great design cuz it's brighter than another 8-LED, 4-AAA battery flashlight that I have. It's not quite as bright as a G2, but it will blind for an instant & leave long-lasting after-image... so be careful with it!

Not a throw-away cheapie at $20, but I'm going back for a couple more. I'm impressed with the way design is improving with LED's - these deep reflective pockets work really well.

Pentagon Lights

I am surprised that no one has tried the Pentagon lights. www.pentagonlight.com I have 2 X3 and love them. I keep one on my 870 tactical shotgun and the other I carry. Don't overlook these. I get mine from www.islandtactical.com

+1 on the Maglite. If it's not used too often alkaline batteries can last over a year or two. The 3 D cell Maglite I use has the same batteries in it since last year at this time, and it still shines bright. Just check the batteries on occasion to make sure there is no corrosion or leaking.