Interest in Flashlights... Where to begin?

I'm interested in purchasing a survival type flashlight that would be in my truck at all times.

Price cap is ~100 dollars, right now I have my eyes on the Fenix TK11 R5... but hey, what do I know?

Any good reads out there for flashlights that you guys know of?

 

www.candlepowerforums.com is my best friend when it comes to lights (flashlights that is)

i really like the lineups for 4seven lights

 

Surefire for quality, Streamlight next for quality and price. IMHO.

 

4sevens makes great, great lights. i looked for a usa company that was comparable to fenix (chinese), and 4sevens kept coming up. the reviews on 4sevens are stellar. as soon as i get a few bucks saved up, one of their lights is going in my truck. the hard part is deciding which one.

 

http://www.shiningbeam.com/servlet/the-136/P-dsh-Rocket-XM-dsh-L-850-pls--Lumens/Detail

i have one of these and it stays in my backpack everywhere i go along with 2 other types of lights, but this is the one i use more often...I also purchased one for my brother... and one for my sister..

oh and JETbeam is great toooo!!!!!!

 

$100 can buy you several quality flashlights. Spend some time on BudgetLightForum.com. The guys there helped me choose a great little led torch for work that cost me less than $20!

 

Wow. Thanks for all the quick responses guys, I will start looking into the links and manufacturers provided!

 

5.11 just came out with the ATAC series, I just bought the A2, I love it, for the price it's a great light, fits nicely in my pocket for everyday carry too. They just had a 20% off special on 5.11 too, keep looking they will probably have some other deal soon..Check it out:

5.11 Tactical ATAC Series - LA Police Gear

 

i just got an ATAC for my neighbor. she is a rancher with a maglight. i thought she needed an upgrade. i got an streamlight for myself. same AA batteries.

here is my take. for an emergency car light you need the CR123 batteries. they last a very long time on the shelf. a AA would die much sooner, especially sitting in a hot car. i vote surefire G3 nitrolon. about $60 and will vaporize the darkness.

 

My pick is Streamlight, tasklight. Good run time on just double A batteries and I think theyre a 1w led. I beat the hell out of mine and they are all still awesome. My advice is buy something with double A battery power. Theyre everywhere, and relatively cheap. Batteries like cr123 are alright and do better in cold weather, but are spendy, and dont last as long.

 

i have 2 nitecore d11 leds they are wicked man!

the size of a roll of dimes yet put out over 200 lumens on 1 aa battery. full ramping adjustability of the brightness from a moon light setting that lasts over 100 hours to full brightness which is shocking. strobe and sos modes and the pd switch a piston driven switch that basically makes the flash light as intuitive and weather proof as possible.

there is even a spot on the back side on the light where the pd switch is to epoxy a tritium tube so the switch can be seen in complete darkness. i have had them for over a year now and they rock man very tough and full of features and they use one single aa battery thats cheap and easy to find.

 

Mag light!!! Ftw!

 

modified mag light with a custom drop-in kit! (i have Mac's Custom Drop-in Kit)

 

I really like Streamlights. Check out Galls.com for a bunch of other options.

 

Just get a mag lite

 

mag lite

I converted on of my maglights to a burning laser. Works pretty well

 

X2

I've spent way too much money on flashlights the last couple of years. Streamlight gets my vote for quality and value.

As far as what's in the truck all the time? 2D maglite with led conversion from maglite. Had the light forever, just converted it a year or two ago. I have purposely left it on for 24 hours just to see if it would last and it did. Not a whole ton of light, but the long run time is why it's in the truck. That and I like the weight of it in my hand if I have to be out changing a tire or something in the dark. I change the batteries once a year just for reliability. I also have a Pelican Recoil LED in the truck. 4AAS, something like 16 hours battery life. More of a handy size. Brighter than the maglight, but it's all relative.

You'll find that after you buy a few lights with the newer technology and beam patterns, a fullsize maglite starts to look dim. Funny since I spent so many years thinking they were the brightest thing out there.