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Posted: 10/27/2006 11:25:02 AM EDT
everyone here seems to be a flashlight guru.

tell me what you know. i only own a couple of maglights. what am i missing out on?
Link Posted: 10/27/2006 11:25:58 AM EDT
[#1]
I use them to see in the dark.

YMMV.





Link Posted: 10/27/2006 11:29:19 AM EDT
[#2]
Check out Surefire or Streamlight.  MUCH brighter and complete light beam. Enough to temporarily blind a person. Of course, more expensive too.
Link Posted: 10/27/2006 11:30:18 AM EDT
[#3]

Quoted: Tell me all about flash lights


At first I thought your post said "Flesh Lights"

Link Posted: 10/27/2006 11:31:21 AM EDT
[#4]
Check into a sure-fire.
Link Posted: 10/27/2006 11:33:19 AM EDT
[#5]
Flash lights create light from electricity.  That's about all I know.  That and they make this funny sound when struck against someones head.


Flesh lights create pleasure from friction.  If you see light, you might be going to fast.
Link Posted: 10/27/2006 11:33:37 AM EDT
[#6]
a flash light is a device that uses electricity from a battery or kinetic energy source to power a light emitting diode or bulb.


i also recommend surefire. i have 2.

Link Posted: 10/27/2006 12:32:25 PM EDT
[#7]
I also own a couple maglights, and find them to be acceptable, but there are better lights available now.

I have a surefire G2 that is absolutely worth the money. Very bright, sturdy, and uses CR123 batteries. Great beam, easy to carry.

I have a streamlight propolymer 3N 3-led light that goes alot of places with me simply because it has a pocket clip. I like it alot. It isn't as bright as some of the very new LED lamps, but its light and handy.
Link Posted: 10/27/2006 12:39:31 PM EDT
[#8]
Lights can be there own addiction.  

Like BRD it is hard to cure.

I probably have $3,000 in flash lights.    
Link Posted: 10/27/2006 12:40:38 PM EDT
[#9]

Quoted:

Quoted: Tell me all about flash lights


At first I thought your post said "Flesh Lights"



Ok tell me about those? are they worth the extra $?
Link Posted: 10/27/2006 12:41:21 PM EDT
[#10]
LED 1 watt luxeon, and the 3 and 4 watt ones are the way to go.  Even the cheap ones are impressive.  Get the 3 watt LED conversion for your Maglight and see what I mean.

Surefire type zenon flashlights are nice but the batteries wear down fast.  A G2 with an LED bulb would be a great combination.  (does anybody know if they make an LED conversion, and if so, how much?)
Link Posted: 10/27/2006 12:42:23 PM EDT
[#11]

Tell me all about flash lights  


If you don't have one, start by getting an LED Minimaglite that runs off of two AA batteries.  If those are too expensive, buy a cheap Dorcy brand LED that takes one AAA size battery.  The Dorcy is not waterproof...the minimaglight is watertight.  Don't forget extra batteries.  There is NO excuse for people not to have a decent flashlight nowadays that is small enough to carry at all times when away from home. Carry it every time you leave home, just like keys or your wallet. And then you have the crank LED flashlights that dont need batteries.  
Link Posted: 10/27/2006 12:42:55 PM EDT
[#12]
Seriously,  you need to upgrade to at least LED bulbs from traditional bulbs.  They never burn out, and take 4 times longer to use up the same batteries.

A 1 Watt LED is already pretty good, but there are alot of 3 Watt LED bulbs (and maglite drop in replacements at Walmart, etc...).

Link Posted: 10/27/2006 12:44:10 PM EDT
[#13]
You might try here...Lights Forum
Link Posted: 10/27/2006 12:46:25 PM EDT
[#14]
I have about ten flashlights scattered around the house.  They all are of varying quality from cheapo-crap to a nice Maglite.  They all work just fine.  I would only really worry about a surefire or other high-dollar light if it's going to be attached to a firearm.  Those have to be able to withstand a lot of shock.

If it has a good heft and seems sturdy, it's probably good enough for 99% of things.  There are some people who wil spend $100 on a flashlight.  I would pay $100 for 6-8 flashlights maybe.  Just my humble opinion.
Link Posted: 10/27/2006 12:47:07 PM EDT
[#15]

Quoted:
You might try here...Lights Forum


Or www.candlepowerforums.com
Link Posted: 10/27/2006 12:47:46 PM EDT
[#16]

Quoted:
Seriously,  you need to upgrade to at least LED bulbs from traditional bulbs.  They never burn out, and take 4 times longer to use up the same batteries.

A 1 Watt LED is already pretty good, but there are alot of 3 Watt LED bulbs (and maglite drop in replacements at Walmart, etc...).


Isn't the brightness crap?  Do they make LED flashlights that are actually bright now?  The one I have I bought for dependability and long life, but it's not the greatest light.
Link Posted: 10/27/2006 12:48:02 PM EDT
[#17]
Ive developed an addiction to flashlights.  Im always looking through ebay for deals and I keep finding them.  My most recent purchase was a Surefire A2 that i got yesterday....WOW...what an amazing light.
You should check out candelpowerforums...its the ARFCOM of the flashlight world.  

as a side note everyone thinks Im crazy for spending hundreds of dollars on something that they think can do the same job as a 3 dollar unit from walmart.
Link Posted: 10/27/2006 12:49:35 PM EDT
[#18]

Quoted:

Isn't the brightness crap?  Do they make LED flashlights that are actually bright now?  The one I have I bought for dependability and long life, but it's not the greatest light.


The 3 Watt ones are really good.   You can shine them up into tall trees at night and they illuminate animals way up there very well.  As another gauge, they are genuinely painful to look into.  

The little keychain ones were, and still are weak, with the benefit of extended battery life.



Link Posted: 10/27/2006 12:54:51 PM EDT
[#19]

Quoted:
The little keychain ones were, and still are weak, with the benefit of extended battery life.


Yeah, I have one of those too.  Very handy to have a little illumination anytime I need it.  Not very bright, but good enough to see to walk in the dark.  It's also still on the original battery after five years.
Link Posted: 10/27/2006 1:13:21 PM EDT
[#20]
I would just go with the $16 Brinkman lights from target and order a dozen batteries from surefire.com. Surefires and the like are nice lights, but very pricey. I like my Brinkman lights. They work fine on my AR15, and for use around the house. They are MUCH brighter than maglights.
Link Posted: 10/27/2006 1:21:52 PM EDT
[#21]
Surefire Xenon lights stomp any mag light in output.  The $30 G2 will toast a mag 4d in output and have a much more useable beam.  A less expensive knock off running $15-$20 is the Brinkmann Maxfire LX available at the local walmart.  There is several LED conversions available for the 6p, g2, Maxfire, etc, bugoutgear.com has them at reasonable prices.  There is also a high output bulb that is twice as bright as the standard surefire bulb, but your runtime is like 20 minutes vs 1 hour.  Biggest drawback is the batteries are expensive and can blow up if they are mixed/used improperly/for no apparent reason.  Advantages to using cr123's is that lithiums have a long shelf life, are not affected by the cold like alkies, and weigh hardly anything.

Also www.flashlightreviews.com is an awesome resource for lights.  

I have gotten into LEDs mostly and have a bunch of them.  My latest is a Surefire L2.  You can find them for around $140 or so depending on where you look, it puts out more light than a g2 with a standard bulb and has a regulated low stage that runs for 10-18 hours that is brighter than most flashlight are.

IF you want a really good light to get into LED's with I like the Fenix LxT's lights, the L1t is a single aa, and the L2T is a 2-aa light.  Run them on NiMH batts and you have tons of guilt free light for free.  www.fenix-store.com is the best place to get them.

Link Posted: 10/27/2006 1:28:22 PM EDT
[#22]

Quoted:
You might try here...Lights Forum


Sonofabitch! Never even saw it.


Edit: Not much in the way of pistol stuff here, but good enough.
Link Posted: 10/27/2006 1:28:57 PM EDT
[#23]
Mag-lite: Not worth a fuck.

Fleshlight: Expressly and solely intended for a fuck.
Link Posted: 10/27/2006 1:39:58 PM EDT
[#24]
what was that huge spotlight someone linked a pic of. something like 10millino candle power..

is candle power and lumen the same measurement ?
Link Posted: 10/27/2006 1:42:00 PM EDT
[#25]
I have a 3 cell Maglight that I added the 3 watt LCD conversion. I really a lot for close up, it lights everything with great white light, but IMHO they suck as far as distance, and the normal bulb that comes with it will light up like a spotlight things off in the distance.


I was on the verge of buying a G2, but just could get one because of the crappy battery price/life. I bought a Cabelas 5 watt lcd, bt am totally unipressed with it, espeacuially fro what I paid for it.

Link Posted: 10/27/2006 1:43:07 PM EDT
[#26]

Quoted:
what was that huge spotlight someone linked a pic of. something like 10millino candle power..

is candle power and lumen the same measurement ?
no
Link Posted: 10/27/2006 1:47:26 PM EDT
[#27]
Once you start - there is no going back.












Link Posted: 10/27/2006 1:52:40 PM EDT
[#29]
HOLY SHIT!

what do you spend in batteries in a year?
Link Posted: 10/27/2006 1:55:51 PM EDT
[#30]
Somewhere a tweaker is thinking "I could cook me a bunch of meth will all those batteries"
Link Posted: 10/27/2006 1:56:38 PM EDT
[#31]
I keep a little photon light clipped to a belt loop all the time.  It's got a keep-on switch so that I can turn it on and let it hang while I carry things with both hands.

It's not super powerful, but very convenient.  I got a red one so it doesn't interfere with night vision so much.
Link Posted: 10/27/2006 2:04:01 PM EDT
[#33]
Surefire
Link Posted: 10/27/2006 2:30:20 PM EDT
[#35]
Nice collection.
Link Posted: 10/27/2006 2:40:16 PM EDT
[#37]

Quoted:

Quoted:

Quoted:
Once you start - there is no going back.


i3.photobucket.com/albums/y91/Eyesofsilver/MyCollection4-7-05.jpg

i3.photobucket.com/albums/y91/Eyesofsilver/chess.jpg

i3.photobucket.com/albums/y91/Eyesofsilver/al-collectionbag1.jpg

i3.photobucket.com/albums/y91/Eyesofsilver/alephmadness.jpg

i3.photobucket.com/albums/y91/Eyesofsilver/60833739-M.jpg



so...you got a thing for <7 identical models of every flashlight made> huh?




There are guys here with more guns than that.  Comparatively, Flashlights are a much less expensive hobby.  Much easier to enjoy as well, and ultimately more useful day to day than a gun.


I still  have more guns them flashlights though....and knives, just so you guys don't question my priorities, I can just empathize with the flashlight addiction.
Link Posted: 10/27/2006 2:56:37 PM EDT
[#38]

Quoted:

Quoted:

Quoted:

Quoted:
Once you start - there is no going back.


i3.photobucket.com/albums/y91/Eyesofsilver/MyCollection4-7-05.jpg

i3.photobucket.com/albums/y91/Eyesofsilver/chess.jpg

i3.photobucket.com/albums/y91/Eyesofsilver/al-collectionbag1.jpg

i3.photobucket.com/albums/y91/Eyesofsilver/alephmadness.jpg

i3.photobucket.com/albums/y91/Eyesofsilver/60833739-M.jpg



so...you got a thing for <7 identical models of every flashlight made> huh?




There are guys here with more guns than that.  Comparatively, Flashlights are a much less expensive hobby.  Much easier to enjoy as well, and ultimately more useful day to day than a gun.


I still  have more guns them flashlights though....and knives, just so you guys don't question my priorities, I can just empathize with the flashlight addiction.




you've got to be kidding me...

priorities? on ARF? as long as you've got 48 mags, 10,000 rounds per firearm, and a bunker in the backyard...you can buy whatever you want.
Link Posted: 10/27/2006 3:35:55 PM EDT
[#39]
Well a quality flashlight is paramount in day to day life, my main ones are surefires, i have a G2, E2d, M3, M6, and M900a on an AR. I use the M3 the most, it takes three batteries, puts out 125 lumens for 60minutes, it has a Type III hard anodized finish and is double O-Ring sealed and waterproof to 150 Ft. I am also looking at a couple of pentagon lights,from what i hear they a right under surefires in cost and a very high quality  light as well, but i havent used one yet. The Dorcy Metal Gear L.E.D is also a good light that can be had for under $20 @ Wal-Mart, I have one i bought for T&E and like it a lot, this weekend im going to buy the Brinkman Maxfire L.E.D at Wal-Mart and see which one i like better and buy a few of one or the other to have for extras and loan-outs, they can also be had for less than $20.
Link Posted: 10/28/2006 3:05:49 PM EDT
[#40]
My most useful flashlight is Petzl Myo XP headlight. 5 watt luxeon with a flip down flood dispersion lens. Works on 3 aa's for a long time.

The instant flood/spot is the most useful part of it, for doing "real" work (not talking about tactical). Its actually bright enough to be used as a tactical light, but its form factor is not as good in the hand and you dont want the light on your head if someone is aiming at it :-).  But vice-versa, the Surefire just doesn't mount on my head as nicely for the 99.99% of doing things a flashlight is generally used for.

Although lithium batts are nice in the Surefires and such (of which I have several). AA's are just plain cheaper and readily available EVERYWHERE.

I keep the Surefires next to the bed for emergencies, but the headlights, I actually use a lot.
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