Recommend Flashlight for EDC & Home?

[withoutink]

Looking for 2 flashlights 1 for EDC 1 for bedroom... I am looking for a high output, very bright... preferably LED flashlight for EDC. I have heard great things about Fenix and 4Sevens, but never used one before.

The flashlight will be carried 90% in a backpack... So, it doesn't need to be pocket sized. However, 10% of the time I may carry it on my person, or in my pocket.

I was looking at these (no experience with any of them though), would love to hear your thoughts...

EDC I was thinking one of these....

1. Fenix LD10
2. Fenix LD20
3. Fenix PD20
4. Fenix PD30
5. Streamlight PT2L
6. Surefire E2D
7. Surefire G2L
8. 4Sevens Quark 123² S2
9. 4Sevens Quar AA² S2
10. 4Sevens Quark MiNiX 123
11. 4sevens Quark 123² Tactical, S2 Edition
12. 4Sevens Quark 123² Turbo, R5 Edition

Home Use I was thinking one of these:

4Sevens Maelstrom X7
4Sevens Maelstrom G5, R5
4Sevens Maelstrom S12

 

[Jim Watson]

Without looking up catalog specs on all your prospects, I can say that my Fenix lights have been very serviceable.

My preference is to avoid those models with a lot of modes and settings reached by clicking the switch repeatedly to get the light you want. My Surefire only has low and high, but it is tedious to have to click twice to get to bright. My Fenix L2T's switch is strictly off-on with brightness selected by twisting the head. I normally leave it on high except for a recent trip when I needed a light to get around an unfamiliar house at night without turning on a lot of lights.

The Quark Tactical models have a lot of choices but you can go through a programming ritual so that two are set up for immediate use. Selection between those two is by turning the head. Leave it snug and you get one, back it off a little and you get the other. The remaining modes are available if you want to reprogram.

 

[SentinelStrategic]

Look into the new SureFire 6PX or G2X lines. 200lumens LED, 2hrs runtime, SureFire reliability.
http://www.surefire.com/G2X-A-BK
http://www.surefire.com/6PX-A-BK


SureFire originally said several years back that the recommended light output for an EDC light for self defense should be at least 60 Lumens. This was for being able to blind an assailant, while also having enough light to illuminate areas at distance with better detail. I am under the opinion that 120 Lumens should be the new standard. Given the capability of light technology these days, there are lots of options available. I personally like to be at 160-220 Lumens, but 120 Lumens is the lowest I go now for my lights.

 

[Armored farmer]

I have posted in several flashlite threads, and I think I must be the only guy carrying one but....
I carry a Streamlite Stylus every day. It is plenty bright, the size of an ink pen, and can double as a bore light. The batteries last for months. I use it daily in my work, and for shedding extra light on things for my 47 yo eyes. They are very well made, and will last years.

 

[bikerdoc]

Streamlight scorpion with belt clip.

110 lumems. Have 2, one in the B/R, one on my belt. Highly recommend.

 

[hgmike]

You might consider the Streamlight Polytac C4 LED. It's comparable to the new Surefire G2L. You can almost get two for the price of one G2L. I own two and love them. It's brighter than my Surefire 6P and much lighter.

The PT2L is great. I'd buy one again. For EDC switching to low is great and saves battery life. I liked the strobe mode at first but in reality, it's too hard to switch to strobe under stress.

 

[saltydog452]

Ohh Yeah.

The Streamlight Stylus is good stuff. Got one in my shirt pocket and another in my travel bag/shaving kit.

Streamlight Strion has been good home stuff so far. Its rechargable. Kinda pricey though. I have never purposely run the battery down, so I don't know how long a charge lasts.

Streamlight Scorpion is a slightly handyer size. Batteries availabe at CVS, Wallgreens, etc. Short run time 'tho.

For a long while, I carried a AAA Mag-Light in my pocket and a 4 cell 'thumper' in my bag. They were a comfort. The barrels are durable but the bulbs are fragile. I still have some and they work as well as they ever did. They aren't obsolete, just high maintence.

salty

 

[ColtPythonElite]

Another vote for Streamlight...I have been carrying a full size for over 15 years daily and a Stinger for well over a decade daily. The fullsize rides in a charger in my car. The Stinger goes on my belt. They are great lights.....I'd pony up the extra bucks and buy a rechargeable light regardless of the brand.

 

[SentinelStrategic]

The downside of rechargeables is that their batteries won't hold a charge for extended periods of time like a lithium battery will. I could charge my old PolyStinger up fully, leave it alone for two weeks, and when I came back and used it, I was lucky to get 45 minutes of use out of it before it started to get really dim.
My new Stinger DS LED HP is far superior in capability and quality, but I know that I can't leave it sit for 6 months and expect it to hold the charge. Smaller lights have this problem even more. I typically will go 6+ months on a set of batteries for an EDC flashlight.
If you use the light a lot, go rechargeable Streamlight. If you don't use the light much, go with a lithium CR123 powered light. I lost my old SureFire E2D for almost three years. I found it recently and still ran strong on the same batteries.

 

[Rubber_Duck]

The Streamlight PT 2L is a great EDC light that rides in the pocket well. The low mode is also very useful for conserving battery life. I also second the PolyTac LED. It is a very simple no-frills light and in my experience it beats the G2L in value, dollar for dollar and dollar for lumen. It is as tough as the SureFire offering. Another great EDC light is the SureFire E2E. It is currently my EDC light with a 250-lumen Veleno Designs LED drop-in and it is a bright sucker but the stock 60-lumen lamp is also very bright and throws well.

I just recently bought one of the new SureFire G2X Pros and it's been great so far, I only paid $55 for it and with the click tailcap and two very practical modes, it has been working great so far, though the shape is weird and kind of ugly. If not the G2X I also like the G2Z with an LED drop-in. I recommend one for a backpack light as the smaller PT2L or E2E are hard to dig for in a backpack.

 

[45crittergitter]

Try the Streamlight PolyTac HP LED. 6V, about $45. Try it. Trust me.