Flashlight

[LkWinnipesaukee]

I'm looking for a good EDC flashlight. It should be small, durable, pretty bright (blinding would be nice), but not too expensive. I plan to just use it for whatever situation calls for a flashlight. What do you guys have?


Thanks

 

[modifiedbrowning]

This light is my usual carry. Small and fits into the 5th pocket of a pair of jeans. Also, it costs about $20 from Target.
This is another inexpensive light, but bigger than the super 1 watt. This one costs $18.99 at Wal mart.
Obviously there are better, brighter and more expensive lights like Surefire, Pentagon, Streamlight etc, but I have been happy with these low cost lights.

 

[stdlrf11]

I'd go with the Surefire G2. It's $34 at most good gun and sporting goods stores. It's blindingly bright, small, lightweight and it will last you forever.

Buy a bunch of the surefire SF123A batteries. You should be able to get them for about $4 per two-pack. I use my light every day and the batteries last about 4-5 months.

If you try to buy the batteries at Wal-Mart, you'll pay $10 for a pair of duracells and they last just as long as the surefires.

Hope this helps,
stdlrf11

 

[Fosbery]

Surefire G2, or if you can afford it the Surefire 6P (the same torch but with alluminium casing instead of the plastic G2). Will blind a person, has a pressure switch on the end, don't accept anything less.

 

[JShirley]

It depends on what you're going to use it for. For a lot of everyday tasks, SureFires are actually too bright, and they don't have much burn time.

Decide if you want a "tactical" light, or an everyday use light.

For everyday use, I'd get a Fenix. I have an L2, and I carry it everyday.

For tactical use, a SureFire G2 is a best-buy.

John

 

[Gary G23]

I carry a SureFire E2E. The G2 is less expensive but bulkier. Cheap batteries can be found at http://www.batterystation.com/.

 

[Fred Fuller]

My wife and I carry this one:

http://www.amondotech.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=816

It's a 3-watt LuxeonIII LED light, with a clicky switch on the tailcap and two levels of brightness (first click low, second click high, third click off). It uses two CR123A batteries ($1 each from the same source, or a two-battery 'stick' in shrinkwrap for $2). It has a crennelated bezel and it makes a very satisfactory fistload as well as being bright enough to blind someone if necessary on the high setting. See a full review at http://www.flashlightreviews.com/reviews/nuwai_tm301x3.htm .

These are great little lights, about the same cost as a 'cheap' Surefire ($42). The quality of the light from an LED is different from an incandescent bulb- it's 'cooler' for lack of a better way to put it, but still very penetrating and painful close up on the high setting. We've found them very satisfactory, and battery life is great.

Note that there is a one battery version as well ($29) at http://www.amondotech.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=692 if you need a light with a shorter barrel. We like the larger one as it is more of a handful if needed for striking.

hth,

lpl/nc

 

[The Deer Hunter]

I have a Brainkmann LI-ION light like most of the ones above.

about $20 walmart, bulleproof, lightweight, good for anything but when the batteries start to die they dont dim like alkaline batts, they go out all of a suddon with almost no warning.

And BTW batteries are about $18 for 2 so your better off just buying a new flashlight everytime

EDIT: my dad bought a surefire combat light for about $100, a couple of weeks later he got the Brinkmann from walmart, the exact same thing with just a little variations.

 

[Ricebrnr]

It really depends on the mission you intend for the light. I have 2 missions hence 2 choices both using lithiun ion 123 batteries. Akalines don't have the same output or storage capability and if you shop around the cost should not be a consideration (or else get a rechargable system).

Mission 1, low use, high output, bump in the night investigation:

The Streamlight Skorpion is the light I chosen to have in the nightstand. Only about a 60-70 min run time on two 123's but at 114 lumens, the highest output for the measly $30-40 price tag.

Mission 2, general purpose intermittent use pocket light:

For this I chose an Premier Light PL-7. This unit is very rugged has 6 leds rated at apprx 2 watt output, about 30-40 lumens with a central laser diode. I want to be able to use the light intermittently for extended periods (20-40 hour run time depending on use) and have a handy laser pointer. The unit also costs about $40 but is about the size of a long roll of quarters. Needs a good pouch and dedicated switches but otherwise a very handy unit.

Now my ultimate choice for both bedside & carry would be the Blackhawk Gladius. Its a 90 lumen beuty with strobe functions, selectible output etc. It a bit pricey at about $200 though and no laser pointer.

 

[Dirty Bob]

Go online, and CR123A batteries run from about $1 to $1.75, from places like batterystation.com or surefire.com.

Don't pay full retail!

Regards,
Dirty Bob

 

[Brian Williams]

Everyday flashlight, Inova X1, single led, relatively bright, 11/16 x 3 7/8 fits in my pocket and uses a AA that lasts about 3 to 6 months depending on how often I use it. I use it just about everyday. If you want more look at the X5 with more LEDs, uses 123 batteries.

 

[Fosbery]

When buying batteries, eBay is your friend

 

[clown714]

check out

www.candlepowerforums.com

alotta benefits of being a member there.

clown

 

[Sharpdogs]

I like the Inova brand of lights.

https://edcdepot.com/merchantmanager/product_info.php?cPath=5&products_id=75

Before you make an decision, consult this website.

http://www.flashlightreviews.com/index1.html

 

[dlcrouch]

Streamlight Twin Task

LED / Xenon combination - the 3 LEDs are pretty good for most tasks and the Xenon is fairly bright (but not as bright as most dedicated Xenons). Just wish it had a switch on the tailcap.

http://www.streamlight.com/tasklight_info.htm

 

[pete f]

While just slightly too big to fit in your pants, but works good as a car light or a backpack/bookbag light is the 4AA streamlight polypro, two versions exist with LEDs the first and older has several LED's in a cluster around reflector. the newer Luxeon version has jjust one LED. Both give plenty of light, but the older one has something like 200 hours of usuable light from 4 AA batteries, and the Luxeon version gives like 5 hours of very bright light and then many many hours of dimmer light. you pick which you like better.

I EDC carry a streamlight xenon NF1 which uses the 123 batteries. I buy bulk batteries from batterystation for about a buck a piece, they test out just as good as the pricey ones, too.

I will break down soon and get a better LED version of my EDC but so far it has lasted for a couple of years.

 

[black bear]

If you don't wnat to expend too much but are looking for a small light with a lot of power, you can not do better than with the Fenix L1 P or the L1T.

I have used these ( in the picture) as EDC for the last few years and the Fenix wins hands down, in portability and easy to feed.





It uses a AA battery, and in my case I use AA rechargeables, so I can use the light all I want without guilt.

I second Pete f on the Streamlight Polypro Luxeon, as a house light, it uses 4 batteries AA and if you also use rechargeables you don't have to spend an extra dime in batteries for a long long time.

However for the car, I want something that can throw a long way and put the maximum amount of lumens possible, to act as a deterrent if you find yourself in trouble in some dark road or even as a weapon of sort (club) for defense.

I have two lights of my manufacture in the car, in the glove compartment I have a Black Bear 678 (720 lumens) and in the floor under the seat a BOREALIS 1050 lumens.
Both lights are more powerful than a 1,000.000 candlepower spotlight, are rechargeable using Nimhs AA (so free to run) and can be used as a short club 10 " long for the Black Bear 678 and 12 1/2 " for the BOREALIS.

If used with the stainiless steel Crenellated bezel, a blow with it can take out a knee cap, elbow or clavicula, a very effective legal weapon.



In the trunk I keep a Cabela's head light LED that leaves two hands free to work under the hood or changing a tire.
And also a Maglite 6 D and a traffic cone, so a helper can control incoming traffic out of the way.

Regards
black bear

 

[B.D. Turner]

My lights are carry overs from my law enforcement days a Streamlight Stinger and a 6 C-cell MagLight. I like the C cell better than the D because I can get my fingers around it better and it can and has been used like a batton.

 

[10-Ring]

Ever since I discovered Surefire, I've gotten rid of the others. It's no longer about cost, but about value. My current everyday light is my L2...15 & 100 lumen LED...tough to beat that This morning I was comparing lights w/ one of my instructors...he had an older 6P and his Streamlight. I had my L2 & Z2 w/ upgrade bulb...bright is a wonderful thing

 

[AJ Dual]

The Nuwai QIII and the two-cell model that Lee Lapin posted about from AmondoTech are favorites over at candlepowerforums.com in the "value category". Three watts of blinding crisp-white LED goodness. A real aluminum reflector with texturing for an even beam, and a real glass lens. It compares very, very well to the much more expensive SureFire E1E. This light is 1/2 the length of an AA Mini-Mag, and brighter than a 4-cell D battery Mini-Mag...

It's the third one down in black bear's photo.

The Innova X1 is a very nice value too as a good EDC light for general utility. It's got a more traditional style domed LED in it, but it's good as a step up from the coin-cell keychain lights. However it's not a light for "throw" or blindingly bright. There's an older style X1 with a lens that gives a very tight circular spotlight effect, and the newer one has a reflector and a more traditional flashlight-like beam.

The Fenix is also a very good choice. Currenty this is "It" at CPF for reasonably affordable but high-end EDC. (As opposed to the ultra-high end like semi-custom HDS or JIL) I want to get one soon. It's similar in size to the single AA cell Innova X1 but has a 1 watt Luxeon in it.

Don't be scared off by CR123 lithiums that sell for $9.99/2 at the store, they're easy to find for $1 ea. on-line at places like amandotech.com and batterystation.com, and they have very long shelf life so you can stock up and spread the shipping over many batteries.

 

[black bear]

I think highly of my Fenix L1P for EDC, I just realized that in my above picture the Fenix been first, looks about the same size as the Surefire E2E, it is not, it is much smaller than the E2e.

I also have the Fenix LOP (1 AAA) battery and have replaced the ARC AAA that I used in a lanyard from my neck (great conversation starter with the girls at the beach)

The run time of the LOP is not as long as the ARC AAA but as I use rechargeable batteries and AAA are so small and light it is not a problem to carry two or three more batteries in a pocket.
Besides you can always harvest the batteries from portable radios, or any other gadget if you are running low on juice, much better than trying to find 123's.

Here is a picture of the Fenix LOP in comparison with the ARC AAA, on top is the Fenix L1P



And here a beamshot of the Fenix LOP (right) against the ARC AAA (left)



I haven't do any diving with my Fenix L1P, but it excluded water well in this water glass test.



cheers
black bear

 

[usmccpl]

I like my 3 and 6 d cell Maglite and 2aa Maglite for most work. They even work as bludgon weapons if need be.




one shot one kill

 

[JohnKSa]

Tactical flashlights and EDC flashlights are two completely different things to me. A flashlight that is bright enough to be "blinding" is almost useless for the things I usually need a flashlight for in my job & normal everyday happenings.

 

[LkWinnipesaukee]

Well, I got the 3-watt LuxeonIII LED light off ebay. Nice light. Really bright, even during the day.


What I also have coming in the mail is a 6-cell D maglite. I was on ebay, looking at the 4 cells. But the I saw the 5 cell. "Hmm, its only $5 more".... then the 6 cell. "Hey look only another 4 bucks for the 6 cell!"

This should be a cool flashlight