Flashlights

[ConcoursRider]

Who knew that buying the right flashlight could be so hard?!?!?  There are so many options, brands, lumens, etc that it can be overwhelming at times. Not to mention that a good flashlight is expensive. So I'm thinking of going with Surefire G3D flashlights for our emergency car bag and our bug out bags. But I'm looking for something a bit less inexpensive for the house as I have a couple of lanterns for the home, but I want to have a decent flashlight. What would you recommend without breaking the bank? I'd probably pick up 4 of these and put them on each floor of the house. I'm also thinking of picking up a little LED flashlight that my wife and I can put on our keychains as well.

I have searched this forum, but haven't really found the answer that I'm looking for.

Any advice?

Thanks for the help.

-Chris

[average_joe]

Give these a try. Energizer Weather Ready flashlight. It plugs in to a outlet and acts as a night light when you lose power. I have found them locally for about $10. You can try them out without breaking the bank. It is rechargeable so you don't have to deal with batteries. I have had mine over a year and I'm pleased with them.

The only complaint that my DW would like it to be a little brighter but all around it is a good buy.

http://www.amazon.com/Energizer-Weather-Ready-Compact-Rechargeable/dp/B000V6USJQ/ref=dp_cp_ob_hi_title_0

[Medicineball]

For inexpensive flashlights to leave in the glovebox, drawers, etc, you can't beat the Coleman max line available at Walmart. They range in brightness and price from $15 to $29. They're durable, with metal bodies, and they're all LED.

[Nicodemus]

On the upside, most flashlights these days seem to perform and last far longer than the lights that were plethoric in my youth. Granted part of that is due to long lasting LEDs.

I don't know what you would consider expensive, but I know that I've never bought a SureFire because I consider them too expensive for me.

I have a Fenix L2D that I've EDCed for more than 5 years now that has performed spectacularly. It cost about $60.00 when I bought it and though they no longer make that particular model, they still get good reviews on the many iterations since.

I have a Maglite 4-D that I converted to LED about 5 years ago that works great. The light plus LED conversion kit cost about $30.00 total.

I have a Pelican 2330 M6 LED that I got as a gift about 7 years ago that still works well. I EDCed it for quite a while and only changed up to consolidate battery types. It was $60 but it came with 6 spare CR123A Batteries. I eventually ordered a specialty battery charger with CR123A batteries from China to use with it because originally these lights were unregulated.

I have a number of Maglite 2AA LEDs in various BOBs that cost around $15.00 each. They never fail to perform, but they have a downside with no variable light output.

I have a couple of Princeton Tec EOS LED headlamps that work well, but they're relegated to emergency kits and rarely are used for more than biannual tests. These cost around $25.00 a piece.

For keychain lights I have An ARC AAA Premium LED that has worked great for going on more than 5 years, but at nearly $50.00 it's an expensive light. I also have a couple of Doug Ritter Special Edition MkII Photon Freedom Micro lights wich are really handy with variable brightnesses and emergency modes hat clip, keychain clip and lanyard. These cost $17.00 a piece if I recall.

[YoungGunsPrepper]

A friend of mine had picked up the new Maglite the XL200. It is very impressive very bright and has different setting from high to dim and even strobe its 172 lumen LED and works off of 3 AAA batteries. So far it seems like a great light. I personaly use surefire only but thats just my personal preference and I wouldnt be against looking into buying this Maglite. If you want to check it out here is the link to maglites website.

http://www.maglite.com/Maglite_XL200_LED.asp

[ConcoursRider]

Thanks for the information. When I was in law enforcement I had the Maglite and loved it. Nice to know that I don't have to break the bank.

[Nate]

My wife and I use a Fenix E01 for our key chains.  At 10 lumens and a 20 hour battery life off 1 AAA it works well.  It is also very small and perfect for a keychain.  I bought all of my family E01 flashlights for christmas a few years ago and they love them.  You can find them online for around $12-$15 and free shipping.

Around our house I have old D cell rayovac flashlights in almost every room.  In rooms that dont have a D cell I have some LED flashlights that run on AAA and a AA maglite or two.  In my car I keep a 3 D cell maglite with the Nite Eyez LED bulb. For your house you don't need anything fancy. 

[ICBM99]

I keep a regular D cell Maglite by my bed.  For Christmas I received a Coleman LED (not sure of the model, but its pretty good) it fits perfectly in one of the sunglass holders in my F150.  We have a couple plug in "emergency" type flash lights around the house (not sure of the brand).  We've also got a few LED lanterns that run on D cell batteries.  I'd like to get some old school glass lanterns (kerosene) for nostalgia purposes, and for back up.  Nothing like the smell of them, it would bring back so many memories of growing up in Alaska.  In my BOB I've got a Fenix LD20.

[Sequanti]

Not the cheapest, (I picked mine up for $34), but I have been real happy with this one:

Streamlight ProTac 2AA

Unless you are getting a great deal on the Surefire, you could pick of four of these for the price of that one and have the same one for each of your locations.

[Ralph]

You can probably find kero lanterns in a lot of places, but check out www.wtkirkman.com even if you don't buy from them. They have a great selection and reasonable prices- and some good to know information. I've bought from them a few times with no problems. I like kero lanterns, they are simple and reliable.

This is not technically a flashlight, but I was recently in a Costco and they had Coleman Quad LED lanterns for $49. I remembered when they first came out, but the asking price $79 at the time was a bit steep. The one thing I really hesitated about was the NiMH rechargeable batteries in the light panels. I checked online and it turns out they are AAAs and can be replaced. I never like sealed in rechargeable batteries. Had I known they could be changed I probably would have bought one. Here's a link:
http://www.coleman.com/product/quad-led-lantern/2000001150?contextCategory=10451&promo=homefeatured
Overall the ratings seem very good. A couple negative comments were that the brightness could not be adjusted, the 8 D cells in the base made it heavy, and the plastic it was made of wasn't so sturdy. Has anyone actually used one of these or it's smaller version? I would be curious what someone thought about it, and whether it would really be good for outdoor use (weatherproof).

[Nicodemus]

Make sure you read the product information on all of the Interchangeable Power Coleman Lanterns very carefully. I almost picked up one at Walmart for $40.00 thinking it was a steal. Though it was labeled as rechargeable, it didn't include the rechargeable battery pack and power supply, which had to be purchased separately for another $25.00. Or you could buy the complete lantern and rechargeable battery kit for $65.00. The boxes for just the lantern and the combo lantern and rechargeable battery kit looked almost exactly the same. I don't know if the quad is the same.

[The Professor]

You can't go wrong with a Mini-mag.  Load it up with Lithium batteries and it will not fail you.

The Professor

[cheryl1]

I just bought a SureFire Fury LED, 500 lumens. I can now turn my backyard into daylight at midnight. MUCH better than my old SureFire.

[Ralph]

While I was reading about the Coleman LED lantern there was a mention that the large 8-D cell one could not use the rechargeable pack in place of the D cells. It seems you always have to look at reviews of products to find out the little things the manufacturer does not mention- or check on a good forum like this. I probably wouldn't have gotten the rechargeable battery anyway. My use for it would be it's hanging around until it's needed, not the best use for rechargeables which discharge fairly fast in storage. For regular use, not having the option is a minus.

[YoungGunsPrepper]

I just bought a SureFire Fury LED, 500 lumens. I can now turn my backyard into daylight at midnight. MUCH better than my old SureFire.

I love the surefire thats what I use to. The main complaint I have about surefire is the 123 batteries are expensive. I found a website where they are a bit better on price. I thought I would share it, you get a pack of 12 for $21. You DO NOT have to be law enforcement to order from this website. Anyone can join and they have some good deals on stuff.

Here is a link to the website.
http://www.lapolicegear.com/subasp.html

[ConcoursRider]

After researching this for quite awhile, I finally settled on these.

This Streamlight will be our EDC flashlight as my wife would rather keep it in her purse than on a keychain. I also like how I can carry it in my pocket.

Streamlight Microstream

For our Emergency Car Kits, I went with the Surefire G2X. I plan on buying 2 more for our GHB's as well.

Surefire G2X Tactical

Thank you all for the input, I appreciate it.

-Chris

[Hootie]

[quote author=ConcoursRider link=topic=33979.msg381892#msg381892 date=1332078667

This Streamlight will be our EDC flashlight as my wife would rather keep it in her purse than on a keychain. I also like how I can carry it in my pocket.

Streamlight Microstream


[/quote]

Streamlight Microstream has been my EDC light for the last 8 months and I love it. small, bright, and takes a standard AAA

[JerseyVince]

I just bought a SureFire Fury LED, 500 lumens. I can now turn my backyard into daylight at midnight. MUCH better than my old SureFire.

Don't toss your old SureFire light depending on the model and if its Incan or LED you can change the lamp to LED have another portable nightsun for a few bucks $50-60 for a good quality Led module

[The Professor]

Don't toss your old SureFire light depending on the model and if its Incan or LED you can change the lamp to LED have another portable nightsun for a few bucks $50-60 for a good quality Led module

I didn't even think of this. I upgraded from the Z2 incandescent to the LED version about a year ago.  I have the older Z2 hanging on the inside of my safe's door next to the holstered pistol I keep there for quick access.  I think I'll take a look at upgrading it!

+1

The Professor

[TLBones]

I'm a bit of a flashlight geek.   My family knows this and I get them for Birthdays and Holidays constantly not to mention the ones I buy myself occasionally.   I just went out to my truck and realized I have 5 in there alone (that I found just glancing around)    This one is a good balence between performance and price :   http://www.amazon.com/TerraLUX-TLF-1C1AA-LightStar100-LED-Flashlight/dp/B002FOF9DM/ref=sr_1_22?s=sporting-goods&ie=UTF8&qid=1332370790&sr=1-22    Good flashlight yet if I lost it I wouldn't be overly devastated.      Also, I'd recommend a headlamp style flashlight (doesn't have to be expensive, just get LED) for at least the adults in your family...they are incredibly handy to keep your hands free, although they can be annoying to others if you keep flashing it in thier eyes.   

[JerseyVince]

I didn't even think of this. I upgraded from the Z2 incandescent to the LED version about a year ago.  I have the older Z2 hanging on the inside of my safe's door next to the holstered pistol I keep there for quick access.  I think I'll take a look at upgrading it!

+1

The Professor

Take a look at these from Gene Malkoff for your Z2 Combat light http://www.batteryjunction.com/p60-dropin.html look at the 3 in the second row. I have the first one at 260 lumens, its underrated like Surefire does and will blind your attackers ass for over two hours the other two are lower rated with long runtimes it's up to you if you want runtime/power. I have 3 of them in my C2s and G2 Gene's are built in a solid brass heatsink and come with copper tape to help shed heat to the bezel during long runtimes. His are the best built and worth the extra money because they are made to run for hours without shutting down. The other non Surefire leds shutdown or burn if you keep them on for too long. for $50-60 its like getting a new Surefire. Check youtube for some vids on Gene's M61 give you some idea of the brightness and throw of that led. any questions please ask me

[Bradbn4]

I'm a bit of a flashlight geek.   My family knows this and I get them for Birthdays and Holidays constantly not to mention the ones I buy myself occasionally.   I just went out to my truck and realized I have 5 in there alone (that I found just glancing around)    This one is a good balence between performance and price :   http://www.amazon.com/TerraLUX-TLF-1C1AA-LightStar100-LED-Flashlight/dp/B002FOF9DM/ref=sr_1_22?s=sporting-goods&ie=UTF8&qid=1332370790&sr=1-22    Good flashlight yet if I lost it I wouldn't be overly devastated.      Also, I'd recommend a headlamp style flashlight (doesn't have to be expensive, just get LED) for at least the adults in your family...they are incredibly handy to keep your hands free, although they can be annoying to others if you keep flashing it in thier eyes.   

If you are looking for a few different options on that Terra light - try battery junction.

http://www.batteryjunction.com/terralux-tlf-1c1aa.html

I have picked up a few double cell versions that seem to work out quite well.  Now I am running good quality rechargeable AA cells and I like the option to thumb dim the light on some of their models.

[nelson96]

Here's a flashlight for you . . . .  The "Texas Flashlight" (FMG9) from Magpul.

http://videos2view.net/texas-light.htm#.TpjYMP3QiMM.aolmail

[JerseyVince]

For everyone with a Surefire and wants another option to Surefire 123's batteries,Surefire now has factory appoved rechargables And a charger avail from them that wont damage you Surefire light and covers the warranty. see Surefire.com to order or look at the batteries

Like cheryl1 mentioned the Surefire Fury is a definite portable can of woop-a$$. Surefire really came up with a reasonably priced winner here, it's built tough,lights up a wide area and portable. Ladies if you want a great light to carry in your bag with your pistol this is it. there are two versions out there A & B the newer b version has the upgraded tempered and coated glass lens instead of the plastic original version. The B version is more drop resistant with the hardened glass lens

[RPZ]

Streamlight Stylus Pro. I have the single cell AA model and it is an excellent little light.

[Ian Adams]

I, for one, am a flashlight junkie.  You cannot go 5 feet in my home without tripping over a flashlight.  Over the years I have tried just about every major brand of light that there is and have found that if you stick with obviously well built lights of any brand you'll probably be okay, and a well built light sticks out every time.  That being said, I rank flashlights up there with guns and knives in my list of tools that are most important in a survival situation so I am unwilling to risk my safety on a cheap light.  Personally, I use Surefire and Streamlight lights for everything.  My EDC light is a Surefire E2D LED Defender, and I keep one of these lights with each of my handguns.  Yes they are bloody expensive, and it is painful to buy them, but they are worth the money.  The rest of my regular flashlights are from Streamlight.  I keep a Sidewinder in each of my bags, and have several Stinger DS LED lights hanging on chargers with spare batteries on several walls in my place.   I also use the Stinger day in and day out at work and it is a great light.

All that being said, I do not like keychain flashlights.  I have owned several and they were all a disappointment.  My last one was a Streamlight Nano, a nice light light, bright, well-made, but the on-off mechanism was incredibly frustrating.  On the Nano, you twist the head to turn it on or off, and it had a bad habit of twisting in my pocket, quickly killing the batteries.  I have now switched to carrying only small LED pushbutton type lights and am presently using this one from GearPods, https://www.gearpods.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=GFL-1, they are cheap, work well, and what I really like is that it has a small lock to keep the light on rather than just have to hold the button all the time.  I have now put these into all of my personal survival kits, hang one on each of my bags (from a zipper pull), and have them on all of my keychains. 

[Reconnoiter]

These are AWESOME!!!


larry by FilmCrewTech, on Flickr

They put out a very bright wide beam. Like you could tape it to your front bumper and drive with your headlights off. It runs on 3 AAA batteries, has a rubberized finish, a magnetic clip that rotates, and cost $10.

http://www.ahappycamper.com/products/flashlights/nebo/larry.html

[Josh the Aspie]

I'd like to echo the call to suggest headlamps.  I enjoy them personally.  I use them any time I go camping.  Great for heading to the un-lighted latrine, setting up camping gear in the dark, etc.  I got one for my Step-father, and he loves it to death, he uses it any time he's working on one of the cars, or a dark corner.  It reduces one of the hands you need for fixing the under-side of a sink by one, sometimes moving you from a "I need three hands!" situation to only needing the two you have.

Also, if you tend to look around while you walk to monitor things, make sure everyone/everything is fine/safe, this makes doing so at night far easier than a hand-held model tends to do.

And if you need the light from a different angle than your head, you can strap the light to your hand, and still keep using that hand.

[Reconnoiter]

Totally agree. If you can only have one flashlight, it should be a headlamp.

[donaldj]

I love my Surefire E2D, but recognize it's more of an EDC than a "home flashlight".

Depending on if you have some cordless tools or not, I've found the Dewalt 18V light to be extraordinary.

http://www.dewalt.com/tools/cordless-lighting-flashlights-dw919.aspx





It will stand on its own due to the weight on the battery pack, and the neck is stiff enough to stay where you put it. The light is strong and lasts for hours on end. When I aim it at the ceiling I get "bounce light" (I'm a photographer, sorry.) sufficient to moderately light a room. The batteries are rechargeable, and if you already have the cordless tool set (or are looking at getting a set), then these lights become part of a very useful system.