looking for a light recommendation...

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SolarForce and Fenix lights, etc, sure are tempting...

I have a few Surefires (G2, E2D, E2DLED, and the TLS/2 Bezel for the original E2D, and a Surefire X200)...

I almost pulled the trigger on a Fenix TK10 or TK11, with pressure pad, mount, etc, all for less than $100...

Problem is, I depend on my lights. I have no tolerance for failure in a component I may use to protect my life (flashlights fall into this category, whether it be changing a flat on the side of the road, or target ID in a house or other zone).

I don't lose things. I spend my money once on a Surefire product, and I'm done. I may tinker with some other lights, but when I think about it, I would never 'depend' on them... so I've never bought a light to 'tinker' with.

Also, Surefire customer service has been great to me. =)
 
Phoenix_III said:
SolarForce and Fenix lights, etc, sure are tempting...

I have a few Surefires (G2, E2D, E2DLED, and the TLS/2 Bezel for the original E2D, and a Surefire X200)...

I almost pulled the trigger on a Fenix TK10 or TK11, with pressure pad, mount, etc, all for less than $100...

Problem is, I depend on my lights. I have no tolerance for failure in a component I may use to protect my life (flashlights fall into this category, whether it be changing a flat on the side of the road, or target ID in a house or other zone).

I don't lose things. I spend my money once on a Surefire product, and I'm done. I may tinker with some other lights, but when I think about it, I would never 'depend' on them... so I've never bought a light to 'tinker' with.

Also, Surefire customer service has been great to me. =)
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I don't know what the deal is with surefire but they are way behind the tech curve when it comes to LED technology. Sure they are rugged but battery life is terrible on many of their models.

I like Fenix. I've got a TK10 I use with all the accessories you mentioned on my AR-15 back home. Much longer battery life then any led bulb surefire makes. Not sure about the mount though. Mine is not tight and wobbles on my forward rail a bit. Could be the mount or could be my rail on my crappy Oly Arms AR is out of spec. I havent abused this light yet though in a carbine class or anything like that so not sure about the ruggedness. I also have a Fenix PD20 which I LOVE. I'm a soldier and used it alot on field exercises at Ft Lewis, Ft Irwin, and Ft Polk and I've been using it alot in Iraq now for the last 3 months. Dropped it a number times no problem. All the fine dust doesnt seem to effect it and it can get wet. I love how in the lowest setting it will last about 35 hours and on the highest setting it is much brighter then the surefire weapon light I'm issued. The price is right too.
 
I bought this UltraFire A40 from this supplier. It has high (220 lumens), medium, and low, plus two strobe settings, in a very compact package. And for less than $14. I haven't had it long enough to offer a thumbs up or thumbs down yet, but I am hopeful. It may be worth your time to look at that website's other offerings, and there are very many, but don't expect a quick delivery if you order there. My order took more than a month to be delivered.
 
thanks for the link knothead...

My bet is that the ultra fire lights rolled off the same assy. line as the solar force...

machined components are identical, except for the bran name put on the identical lable panel machined into the body...

pricing with shipping is comparable to Jim's SolarForce lights
 
I have a Surefire E2O (Outdoorsman, 25 lumens) and have bought several G2's. One of the best reasons for buying the lights with the 123 Lithium batteries, is long shelf life. One of the best reasons for buying Surefire is quality. My wife likes to take the G2 anytime she goes out at night, for walks, to the store, etc. I am happy to keep her supplied with fresh batteries.
The Outdoorsman projects a beam that is just as bright (seeminly) as the higher output G2, but has a smaller spot. I have found that to be just perfect finding my way to the deerstand in the morning dark, or following a blood trail after dark. The longer life of the Outdoorsman makes it my choice in the woods. BTW, the lithium batteried lights run out of energy all at once. Good idea to keep a minimag in the pack just in case.
 
Here's a different idea...

From another former Navy guy (surface warfare),

I like to use a converted MagLight 2C. It's larger than the SureFires, but that's not a problem in a vehicle light. It is very bright, and the beam can be focused or switched to flood in a moment. This mod reduces the weight of the light, because I use three CR123As in it, instead of two C cells. Best of all, the total cost for the converted light is under $25, and I can switch it back to its original configuration in about a minute.

The steps are:

Use a short piece of plastic tubing to sleeve the MagLight, so that the CR123As fit nicely. I bought some clear plastic tubing at Lowes. It was flattened and curved from the roll it was on, so I had to boil it for a few moments in water to restore its original shape. I used a bit of flour on the outside of the tube to help it slide into the light.

Replace the 2-cell bulb (and the tailcap spare) with a 6-cell Xenon or a 5-cell Krypton. Not LEDs, but the bulbs are inexpensive and easily available.

Insert three CR123As.

Cheap, bright, and bulbs are readily obtainable. I get batteries in bulk from batterystation.com, so they're not so expensive. What's not to like?

All my best,
Dirty Bob
(former tin can sailor)
 
You are all ridiculous. What do cops use? Huge freakin mag lights. Does it really matter, just buy a light that works at wally world. Just because its cheap doesn't mean it won't work when you need it to. Unless of course all of you are SEALS and FORCE RECON, why do you spend hundreds of dollars on a flashlight...ridiculous. When the time comes that you need it, does it really matter, no. More than likely you keep all your cool tactical gear in one location all tucked away in their special cases and pockets or bags. So when the time comes I would bet on you running around in the dark trying to find your 300 dollar flashlight then saying, screw it, and grabbing the cheapo wally world special thats in your kitchen drawer anyways.
 
You are all ridiculous. What do cops use? Huge freakin mag lights. Does it really matter, just buy a light that works at wally world. Just because its cheap doesn't mean it won't work when you need it to.
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Wow, my friend, time to switch to decaf!

I personally don't care how much or little others spend. I suggested the modified MagLight because it mixes low cost with a bright, high-quality light. If someone else wants to spend $300 for a light, you might point out a few low-cost lights that have worked for you. I've got a $10 River Rock 2-AAA LED light in my pocket that works great for day-to-day stuff. For out on a rainy highway some night, though, I want something a heckuva lot brighter.

Respectfully,
Dirty Bob
 
I didn't mean to come across so umm...*******ish. And I was refering to the overall thread I guess, not your post in particular. It just ticks me off when people that may not know anything about tactical equipment or gun related stuff ask what they should buy, and people immediately tell them they need the best of the best. I actually didn't even take the time to read all the posts, shame on me. I especially hate lithium lights, and those are the ones every says to get(well..most of the time). The lights usually are on the more expensive end and so are the batteries. The battery life is terrible. I used surefire's extensively in Iraq and got a plastic cheapo rayovac from wal-mart sent to me as soon as possible. I went through several surefires and my rayovac is still working flawlessly, yeah i went through a couple of bulbs but they're cheap. My surefires would break if dropped, didn't seal well(i was constantly taking them apart to clean sand out), and I had went through at least 100 batteries. Of course I didn't pay for any of those, but I definitely won't in the future. I do like the higher light output in some situations, but its usually a tad bit of overkill anyway, I don't need people to see me coming around the corner and 2 blocks away. Mag lights are definitely my recommendation though, because of their proven durability, they don't use lithium batteries, cheap, and the smaller ones can easily be mounted on a rifle. My apologies to all for my overreaction.
 
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I just spent three days without electricity, and the main workhorse for me was an old two D-cell MagLite with an LED bulb replacement. It probably spent nearly thirty hours on, using batteries placed in it almost two years ago, and is still going. Perhaps even more useful was the Gerber LED headlamp that gave me the use of both hands for tasks, especially holding a book.

These may not be the most "Tactical" of choices, but they were certainly great items to have on hand.
 
That's the can-do spirit Dirty Rob...

(which you must have needed to keep some of those tin cans afloat :^)

Improvise, Adapt, Overcome!

Thanks for the battery station link.... good prices
 
Love my Fenix PD30+. Uses Cree R2+ LED and two CR123. Light output with the R2+ is 235 Lumens. I think the old Mag lights with D batteries were what, 60 Lumens? Also the size is perfect for both hand and pocket carry.
 
Rechargeables can be a blessing. I use rechargeable RCR123As in single cell lights only. I got the batteries and charger from batterystation.com, and a single-cell lithium LED light with a rechargeable battery makes a fairly bright, very economical pocket light.

SSN Vet: At least tin can sailors get to enjoy a sunset now and then!

All my best,
Dirty Bob
 
I have a Nitecore D20 (2x AA, Cree R2). It works well and is plenty bright for general/indoor HD use (about 200 lumen).

Anyway, check out this company, their products seem top notch and rugged, and so are their prices

(they have other product too, using CR123A's etc)
 
After years of buying cheap lights, I finally bought a Surefire G3 LED. Holy cow, there is no comparison; it's the size of a Mini-Maglite but brighter than a 4-D Maglight using fresh D cells. And because it's an LED, runtime is very good (hours); I've had mine a year, use it fairly regularly (have even directed traffic with it and a cone), and am still on the first set of batteries.

IMO, you do get what you pay for.
 
mcdonl said:
I love my surefire, except I should get a second. The reason is I use it a lot, and when I put it in my turnout gear pockets it always manages to turn itself on and I do not have the LED model and it eats the special batteries fast.

But, with new batteries it is an awesome light. Also, LOWES in SP now carries the batteries.
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Surefire G2 for about $30.
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This flashlight will fit in the single 9mm or .40Cal Glock magazine pouch, you need to run it under very hot water in the sink, it softens it up.

Then force the nose of the flash light into it. It fits great ($9.00?) cheap I have carried the same one for 6 years. You would be amazed how often a flash light is used in the day.
 
I use an INOVA Bolt 2L. Obscenely bright. The 2A isn't quite as bright. The INOVA lights are great for the money, and very solidly built. Very good value. I've had more than one person comment on how obscenely bright they are.
 
At least tin can sailors get to enjoy a sunset now and then!
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Oh, I've enjoyed many a "submariner's sunset" while underway... that's when the white flourescent lights get turned off and the ones covered with red lenses get turned on... sooo beautiful! brings a tear to my eye just remembering ;)
 
I have the Smith & Wesson Delta Force Tactical Light for $30. It has been reliable and very tough. I used it once tied to a rope to drag a long and heavy piece of cement. It has absolutely no wear.

But getting these less than popular brand tactical lights might make finding parts difficult. I finally found a replacement bulb ($7 +shipping) on the internet since mine burnt. But then I'd have to buy alot or keep finding rare suppliers. If I stick with maglite that has parts everywhere, I can always find parts in town.

If I use a battery holder for d or c cells, I can use aa size batteries in 1.5, 3, or 3.6 volt. So I can convert a 2C cell maglite into a 6 or 7.4 volt light with the right bulb and battery holder. The battery holders also make the light economical and lighter.

Maybe, I'm missing something. But I think the mags seems more practical.
 
I bought a couple of these http://www.batteryjunction.com/alx-352l.html while it might not be considered a tactical light it is very bright, and slightly larger than a mini mag and the best part is it doesnt cost much.
and if the led last as long as its post to, shouldnt have to do much but feed it batteries perfect to keep in the vehicle or nightstand when the batteries start to get low you lose high but the other levels still work for awhile.
 
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