Flashlights

The light I use is a Led Lenser T7 that I keep with me. And I hear on the ebay deal. I buy them a case at a time. Just like my AAA , AA and D's

 

my 16 year old polystinger finally died. bummed. i used it everyday for the past 8 years...night dog walks, running off racoons. the button was worn thru!! damn, that thing WAS dependable. the new stingers dont have the best online reviews.

need a new rechargable home flashlight for about $120..any ideas?

so much has changed.

 

rigid industries halo check it out. Amazon has it for less than 80 bucks

 

I took your recommendation and Santa brought me one for Christmas. Its a bad ass little light. Thanks for the lead!

 

This is a nice AA flashlight, I use it daily for work and it has held up well. Here is a listing for it. The picture shows the old design but that model number ships as the newer design.

$34 Streamlight 71500 JR 225-Lumen LED AA Battery-Powered Flashlight, Black

http://www.amazon.com/Streamlight-7...qid=1357666091&sr=8-1&keywords=streamlight+jr

this is the newer shape...

http://www.streamlight.com/en-us/product/product.html?pid=101

 

this ^


for something stuffed in a truck, where it can be 140+ in the sun and
-20 in the winter,

cr123 lithiums usually sit there, and deal with it with no problems.
fill flashlight with them, hide in truck, forget about it. come back
10 years later, flashlight is OK and likely works fine

alkalines will split and leak under those conditions eventually, ruining your light
unless you keep checking it

aaa and aa sized 1.5 volt lithiums are preferable to alkalines, for those
who want to keep aa and aaa sized lights around....

-----
I am pretty in tune with the latest flashlight technology and custom flashlights
and have a variety of aa, aaa, cr123, rcr123, 18650 powered lights. cannot have enough.
I also have 10180 and 10220 powered keychain lights on me all the time. at any moment have
at least 5 lights if I am in one of my vehicles. always have 2 lights on me keychain (nice custom 44DD and a photon II)
yes I am nutty, but hey....I never need help in the dark either

in each my vehicles I always have 3 lights...a cheapo AAA headlamp, a NICE fenix e11 AA, and something
loaded with 2xcr123 or 4xcr123 (and always have 4 extra cr123 banging around too)

no way will I ever be without at least 2 hours of light if I need it. even if the alkaline lights go to crap, I have the lithiums

I keep: fenix e11, [novatac storm or thrunite TN11 or Klarus XT11], and cheap brinkman headlamps in all my rigs.

and to top it off, over and above all that, usually if going more than 40 miles from home I stick
my McGizmo Haiku XML 1xcr123 high-cri in my pocket too....[yes I have a problem]

 

Commenting on the battery types, I think the long life is a lot due to how the LEDs work. Full brightness until the battery is dead and can't turn on the diode any more.

I had an older D cell maglight that the batteries were very weak already, dim yellow light only. I put an LED conversion bulb into it and voilla blinding white light again even with the weak batteries.

 

Patiently awaiting delivery of my Thrunite Catapult V3

 

now that is a proper flashlight

 

I'm pretty excited, major upgrade from my Sure-Fire G3

 

I'm a big fan of the Surefire E1B. One CR123 and it sips batteries at the low setting. No crazy strobe or SOS, just hi then low with the tailcap. I have one and will probably buy another as a backup backup soon.

 

got the preon p2 during their winter sale last year. use it for work. Every year on black friday, lowes sells 2D LED maglights for 15 bucks. can't beat it and I always buy a few to store around the house and for vehicles.

 

That's a serious necro-bump, but since it has been bumped I'll add that Fenix has really stepped up their game. What started as a company to take advantage of cheap & bright Chinese tech has turned into a legit company with good customer service and really good quality for the money. I have a TK22 that is incredible, and they have enough variety in their ~$40 lights to satisfy anyone' size/battery format/output preferences.

 

Surefire for hand, streamlight for firearms.

 

I favor the high quality LED lights that utilize a standard battery. It's true that the CR123 lithium batteries have a long shelf life and tremendous powder output (for a short time!) but they also have some real world drawbacks. The CR123 battery is expensive and they are not readily available. Yes, you can order them and find them in some special locations. The chances of finding AAA, AA, C or D cells in a local store is far greater than finding the ninja batteries. The Lithium batteries also fail quickly when they die.
I've used both and have the ability to use some high quality, high output lights for free but I prefer high reliability over high output.

As Tigerfan00 said, "ebay is not readily avail in an emergency situation

I prefer having batteries I can find in any store"

That makes good sense.

The LED Lenser models that utilize regular batteries are far more reliable than most of the high power, super-slick ninja "Tactical" lights that the Delta Force/SEAL team Wanna-be's gravitate towards.
Rechargeable lights are my choice when I have to use a flashlight every day and well made conventional flashlights are my choice for emergency lights. I'm not convinced that the CR123 battery is really any better in the real world than conventional batteries; and I've used both types, A LOT.
When you need a flashlight, you need one that works way more than you need one that will illuminate the far side of the moon. I've carried a Coast LED Lenser for well over 10 years and it's never failed. That light has a single high output LED powered by 3 AAA batteries in a waterproof body. If you really want to spend $100 + on a light that is half as dependable - go right ahead. Yea, my little light isn't very cool but I bet it will work!

 

That's basically how I am. I got sick of pulling new alkalines out of a box only to have them be DOA, so I standardized to CR123. I'm not a flashlight collector, but I have 3 or 4 gun mounted lights, 3 or 4 flashlights and an EOTech that all take them. I throw a box of 12 in with an occasional order and mark the purchase date on the box. It's the same concept as building a larder. Now I have enough batteries to last years and don't need to worry about them going bad as long as I use them FIFO.

 

For long term storage the lithium batteries are hard to beat. I can't argue with the logic of storing a supply CR123 batteries. The key is having access to that supply. I see a lot of people that lose 95% of their "kit" when they get separated from their home or vehicle. In most emergency situations there is still a large dependence on rechargeable batteries (radios, cell phones, flashlights, etc.) and that works fine if you have the means and time to recharge (or swap out) those items. A solar panel, generator, command post with power; even a operable vehicle will generally be available. I like the commonality of standard batteries but I acknowledge the limitations of their shelf life.

The best flashlight definition I've ever heard:

Flashlight - A metal tube used to store dead batteries !

 

Lol on the dead batteries. I've ruined many lights by leaving them in a vehicle with batteries in them for a year.