LED flashlight

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I agree- EXCEPT for their Microlights. Every one I've had (3 or 4, IIRC) has broken (they were cheap and easy to find on military bases). I had to fall 9 feet and land on my little Pelican L1 to break it, and I've had several Photons that I never broke. The iNova Microlights break.

Other iNovas are good. In fact, I bought an X1 for Ms. Wonderful a couple of months ago. :)

John
 
On a side note...anyone who is looking for a great backup/EDC anywhere light should check out what is probably literally the best compromise between size, price, and brightness available anywhere: the Maratac AAA light. It is on countycomm. I got one and had it for about a week before it literally disappeared...hoping it'll be found upon moving out.


It's awesome with lithium AAAs, just awesome. It's bright enough to walk in the woods with, on a lower setting. On a higher setting it has great output, especially for indoors since it's more "spilley." The one thing it is not is a tactical light, but it works with one hand, and has a pocket clip, and is just wicked small...hence why I lost mine so fast. I think it is about $20+shipping, which is $8-9 from CComm.

Now available in stainless, as well, which might be nice as the added weight would make it harder to lose track of. http://countycomm.com/aaa.html
 
IIRC I paid $36 for the G2L at Cabela's.

Battery life, I've had it for 8 months and it still has the original Surefire batteries in it.

Brightness, it is brighter than a G2 with a P60 module in place.

I've dropped it from a 10 ft ladder on a concrete floor, fished it from the mud in the bottom of a manhole, clamped it to the barrel of a 12 ga. and punished it with 3 in magnums and assorted and sundry other abuses. Aside from from some paint chipped from the bezel it is good as new.

Minimag LED didn't make it a week.
 
$36 for a G2L is a screaming deal. Echo, if you can get one for that price range or less, I'd get one, and a smaller (single AA or AAA) light as a backup/everywhere light.

Plus your keychain light, of course. :)

J
 
The G2 is the light I am currently carrying. I have had it for about 5 years and it has never let me down. I did replace the bulb with an LED module from Malkoff.



Funny flashlight story I have told a bunch of times but I don't think I ever told it on this board.
I responded to a single vehicle rollover accident. When we arrived it was well off the road and lighting was bad: but of course I had a brand new Fenix flashlight. There was some hinky stuff going on without getting into details. The police show up and I start telling them what is going on. I am using my flashlight to point out various details. Right in mid-sentence the cop interupts me and says: Where did you get that ****ing flashlight ?
Before anything else was dealt with I had to give a demo of my flashlight and write down where I ordered it from.
Then we returned to business. :eek:
 
Hm, ok. The G2L does sound good. And you're right, that's a hell of a deal.

Thanks everyone, and if you have more input, feel free.

Otherwise, I'll let you know what I end up with.
 
Well, if it's a 123 light, it might be okay. The cheapest lights are usually 3 AAA in a carrier, though, which presents a couple of problems. Run time won't be great for the power output, but if you have rechargeables, that may not matter much to you. Much more important is the fragility of the AAA carrier. The additional strength of a 2 AAA light outweighs the power advantage of three in a carrier, IMO.

J
 
Sorry Echo, but you're in for a bit of dissapointment. :(

The light you bought is a 3xAAA light with 14 5mm led's in it. They are low power, and usually tinted blue/greenish. The battery carrier is fragile, and wastes battery power thru resistance.

The led lights we speak of use a single high power led, driven by high power cells.

I suspect that you understand the difference between a $50 light and a $1 light; I also suspect that this isn't the last flashlight you'll buy. ;)
 
Darn you conwict!.....I really didn't need another light....now a SS Maratac AAA is headed my way....and a shortwave radio
Regards,
Greg
Click to expand...

LOL...is it the radio about the size of a pack of cigs with a built-in LED? The LED actually sucks but the construction of the radio is awesome, with decent reception for the size. And again...price is great.

--end countycomm plugging unless they want to give me compensation :)--
 
Can anyone point me towards a good (ie useful & accurate) review of the NiteCore D20? It might become replacement for my E1B.

I wear a 6P LED everyday. Battery life compared to standard 6P is unreal.

I really like Surefires E1B backup as a backup. Don't like it for primary. I like simple button of 6P's I have used the light more than once as non lethal weapon, since I have asthma Peppersprays aren't a good idea. Bright light works good!


I like 120+ lumens for daytime use as a non lethal weapon. At night though for searching it can be way way to much.

John, I have tried several keychain lights I always seem to kill them or bust them off the keychain in less than year. So I gave up on them, because I couldn't count on them being there in working order when I needed them. But then I bend keys beyond use on occasion also.

Can you recommend a AK of keychain lights?
 
Can anyone point me towards a good (ie useful & accurate) review of the NiteCore D20?
Click to expand...

I carry and love my D10. What would you like to know?

(In the mean time, I'll dig up something technical at CPF)
 
I have an Inova (X03 I believe) I carry for work that has been beaten half to hades but works just the same.
It was rated at only around 80 lumens but provides a very nice beam and appears a quality light. I ruined the LED bulb by accidently replacing the batteries with 3.7 rechargeables (a higher voltage), Inova still repaired the light free despite my blunder and provided fresh batteries. I paid about $45 for mine but this was a while ago, they're likely cheap now.
 
This was brought up earlier, but something to consider is whether or not some of these lights are too bright for what you are using them for.
Like anything else, to get best results you need to pick the right tool for the job.
In the US, we have a strong tendency to think that bigger is always better. But (again, as mentioned previously) if you are trying to work on something or read with a flashlight, or in my case trying to start an IV or something like that, some of these super-bright flashlights are too much. They are blinding. I have a three cell Surefire light and I put a LED module in it from Malkoff. It is fantastic for searching around an area or using as a non-lethal weapon. But a few times I have needed to do something close up and it was almost not doable because the light was so bright it was actually a handicap rather than an asset.
I realize we can't carry around a bunch of lights to choose from like a bag of golf clubs, but when buying a light, think about what you are going to do with it and take that into consideration. It is really nice to have two lights. One small with decent brightness and another one that is really powerful.
 
Not a flashlight expert...

but I'm not against playing one on the Internet! :D

Been wanting to upgrade my carry/bed lights-had the Ken Hackathorn/Bill Wlson Night Master-Low Light Shooting & Flashlight Techniques DVD (which I just got around to watching), and liked the small Streamlight he recommends. The DVD was made in '96, so I went for the updated version-the Streamlight 88005 Night Fighter C4 LED

YMMV, but I wanted one for shooting first, general purpose second.
Things I like 'bout the Streamlight (for my needs):
1. End cap has been extended for easier palm activation when using with gun
2. The rubber O-ring-allows a good two-finger grip when using with gun
3. 125 lumen with the C4 LED
4. Streamlight name (tried and tested?)
5. Simple operation (no multiple stages, flashing SOS strobe, etc)

Got a couple of Insights (M6X) on the ARs with 125 lumens-at's a lot of light!

The Fenix etc look interesting, but I'm not sold on the reliability/lack of track record-plus I tend to stay away from Chinese made stuff.

I ordered mine from Optics Planet and used coupon code efb5rc-free shipping and 5% discount with the code-total was $57 and change.

Ain't gonna arrive 'til Monday-if I like, I may get another for bedside.


Iff'n your CR123s are getting plentiful...
If anybody's in the market-Optics Planet has good prices on the Pelican Micro Cases-got a 1010 (clear with black liner/Under $10) and had to order the CR123 foam inserts (holds 15 CR123s) from Lighthound. The page shows only the bottom foam, but it comes with a top piece also to prevent movement.

Got an identical all-in-one setup from Botach Tactical years ago, but they no longer sell the case/foam together.
 
This was brought up earlier, but something to consider is whether or not some of these lights are too bright for what you are using them for.
Like anything else, to get best results you need to pick the right tool for the job.
Click to expand...

That's the beauty of the Nitecore, and other simple multi level lights like the Fenix, etc. With the Nitecore, I can turn it on to low, and get a couple lumens. With a simple push of the tailcap, I can ramp up to hundreds of lumens.
 
Although the word Surefire has been used a few times in this thread, I'm surprised it isn't more prevalent. I get the feeling Surefire is looked at by some as an overpriced gimmick. But I have had great experiences with the brand. I'm not an expert by any means, and I haven't tried other brands such as Fenix, which seems to get mentioned FAR more than Surefire.

Anyway, I own a Surefire E2D LED Defender, with the "tacticool" crenulated strike bezel. It is now rated at 5 lumens for 76 hours (more than enough to see your way along a path at night, or light up a small room) or 200 lumens for 2 hours (more than enough to blind any living thing you hit with it). It's thin, relatively small, feels virtually indestructible, and will throw a tight white beam hundreds of feet. I've been very impressed with it in the year and a half I've owned it. No complaints at all. I'd own another for my truck if they weren't $150. The price is high compared to other brands with similar specs on paper, but it's justified in my opinion.
 
I think whoever tested the lumens on those Coleman lights added an extra zero.


I bought one for my mother, and returned it.


Absolutely NOT 100+ lumens.
 
"That's the beauty of the Nitecore, and other simple multi level lights like the Fenix, etc. With the Nitecore, I can turn it on to low, and get a couple lumens. With a simple push of the tailcap, I can ramp up to hundreds of lumens. "


That was one of the things that I thought was fantastic about the Fenix lights I have owned. Makes it very versitile. However, I wonder if this feature (making the whole thing more complicated) might be the downfall of the whole thing. Like I said before, I loved my two Fenix lights right up to the point where the switch went tango uniform.
 
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