Posted: 8/25/2011 2:49:10 AM EDT
| Ok so I need to get my act together on flashlights. Specifically, I want a weapon mounted light and a personal light. Here's my dilemna: most all tac lights are CR123A for good reason. However, I think of it like this..for the personal light would it be smarter to get a AA light because of how common the batteries are even in a SHTF scenario or another CR123A light so that I can stock up on one type of battery? Thoughts? I'm sure at least some of you guys have this well thought out and good reasoning to support either way so I'd love to hear. |
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I went to the dark side (CR123) a few years ago after the same thought process. The good batteries have a 10 year shelf life, have more power, and are smaller. They're the perfect small flashlight battery for me. I eventually ordered a box of 50 energizer 123's from battery junction and that was that. We go through AA's like water, and seem to always be out of them. Now, if the kids would realize that the on/off switch on the flashlights actually does turn them off, those batteries would last me a really long time... -Slice |
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I went to the dark side (CR123) a few years ago after the same thought process. The good batteries have a 10 year shelf life, have more power, and are smaller. They're the perfect small flashlight battery for me. I eventually ordered a box of 50 energizer 123's from battery junction and that was that. We go through AA's like water, and seem to always be out of them. Now, if the kids would realize that the on/off switch on the flashlights actually does turn them off, those batteries would last me a really long time... -Slice The shelf life is appealing. If I had a weapon light and a personal light and yeah bought a bulk amount of CR123A's(I can get a really good deal on them through a former employer's discount ..through a friend still working there) And if shit REALLYYYY hit the fan and both my flashlights broke, I'm sure I could figure out an inexpensive AA solution as well. CR123 lights it is! Thanks homeslice 
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I use a Surefire G2 (CR123) as my weaponlight. It has a quick-release mount an can be used as a personal light as well.
I have a few G2's (both LED and incandescent) and a pretty good supply of CR 123 batteries. - long shelf life However; I live out in the country, it's dark on my property, So, I also buy a lot of AA flashlights. I tend to use the personal lights more, so I use the AA lights more than my G2's. I have an Eotech (AA batt) on the rifle. I chose this model because I can use my rechargeable AA's. I use rechargeable AA's in my flashlights as well. There are so many low cost, high brightness AA flashlight choices out there now, I see no reason not to have both. Another hint: I stock up on AA batteries every "Black Friday" - usually Home Depot has some sort of promotion. I can usually get enough to last me till the next year. 
ETA: I have the Elzetta mount on my carbine, has a quick release: 
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I went to the dark side (CR123) a few years ago after the same thought process. The good batteries have a 10 year shelf life, have more power, and are smaller. They're the perfect small flashlight battery for me. I eventually ordered a box of 50 energizer 123's from battery junction and that was that. We go through AA's like water, and seem to always be out of them. Now, if the kids would realize that the on/off switch on the flashlights actually does turn them off, those batteries would last me a really long time... -Slice The shelf life is appealing. If I had a weapon light and a personal light and yeah bought a bulk amount of CR123A's(I can get a really good deal on them through a former employer's discount ..through a friend still working there) And if shit REALLYYYY hit the fan and both my flashlights broke, I'm sure I could figure out an inexpensive AA solution as well. CR123 lights it is! Thanks homeslice +1 on what HS said. Shop around and buy your batteries in bulk. Be sure to look for reviews on a brand before buying (the cheapest aren't always acceptable). There is a lot of good battery info available on other forums dedicated to flashlights. |
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Of course, you can also buy a Gerber Option 50 that will run on AA, AAA, or CR123 batteries.
As a flashlight whore.... You can never have too many flashlights..... no matter what your wife thinks
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Staying with CR123s is fine.
Streamlight Sidewinder is an excellent little light. Ugly, but tough and well executed. Blue, red, IR, and White. The spring steel clip is sized perfectly for MOLLE webbing. An elastic strap with mount plate is $10 and turns it into a headlamp. |
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I've gone to CR123's because every flashlight I've left stored with AA's or AAA's has been destroyed by the batteries bursting. I pulled a maglite I had stored in the car the other day out and again it was toast. The battery blew out and it was trash.
I now store any items that use standard batteries with the batteries out. Even my EoTech 512 I'm afraid to leave with AA's in it. |
I've been of the opinion that more = better. if you have 3 or 5 flashlights, then you need 10-15 more 
I categorize them as follows : Tactical lights (CR 123 or 18650) , General lights (AA, AAA, C, D) and Area lights (usually C or D cells) Tactical lights (weapon mountable or designed for tactical use) Use CR123 or RCR123 (rechargeable) or 18650 (rechargeable) - I have chargers for each that will run of 12v for either car charging or charging from my solar panel. These are a must and I figure given that I only have a limited supply of CR 123's that the rechargeables are the best way to go long term. the down side is that rechargeable lithiums with protection will shut off instantly when done, rather than dimming. Note that unlike rechargeable AA's or AAA's RCR123's have a higher voltage than the regular lithiums.. many ligthts now have the ability to run CR123 RCR 123 or 18650 (if they use 2 CR123's) - I would definately prioritize getting one of these as you have great options over a light that only eats CR123's (e.g. FenixTK11) General Lights (not tactical) Using AA or AAA batteries is great for everyday use without using expensive CR123's and also most use rechargeable AA and AAA batts so that is good to. I like the Costco AAA lights a lot, since they put out tactical level light and I dont have to worry if my daughter uses up the batteries. Also good to have some lower power lights - no reason to light up the whole neighborhood when a few lumens is the right choice. Area lights Important to remember to have some lights to light up a room so you and your family can play board games or light up the gourmet MRE meals or whatever. Usually these Take C or D, not sure if there is a rechargable solution for these - would be nice. |
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CR123 as primary batt,buy a case.
If you go with a 4sevens light as a personal 1xcr123 ,you can simply add a AA or 2xAA tube to the order.. Alkalines are a last resort,keep a stash of primaries,cr123,AA L92.As mentioned they can destroy a light. For everyday use ,AA Eneloops work well without alota fuss[cost,danger],14500 and rcr123 are also fine if your willing to go there. Have backups on your keychain,lithium coin cell or AAA. |
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Also good to have some lower power lights - no reason to light up the whole neighborhood when a few lumens is the right choice. Area lights Important to remember to have some lights to light up a room so you and your family can play board games or light up the gourmet MRE meals or whatever. Usually these Take C or D, not sure if there is a rechargable solution for these - would be nice. Yup.A light with multi levels including a low,extra low output mode is great. For outside area lights lanterns are nice to have. For inside a flashlight aimed @ a white ceiling works,diffuser optional. Rechargeable 123,14500,18650 protected cells excell in this. You don't need to worry about leaking alks,and it won't damage itself running down too far. |
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I've gone to CR123's because every flashlight I've left stored with AA's or AAA's has been destroyed by the batteries bursting. I pulled a maglite I had stored in the car the other day out and again it was toast. The battery blew out and it was trash. I now store any items that use standard batteries with the batteries out. Even my EoTech 512 I'm afraid to leave with AA's in it. if it's going to sit around it better have lithium AA's in it. |
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I've been of the opinion that more = better. if you have 3 or 5 flashlights, then you need 10-15 more
I categorize them as follows : Tactical lights (CR 123 or 18650) , General lights (AA, AAA, C, D) and Area lights (usually C or D cells) Tactical lights (weapon mountable or designed for tactical use) Use CR123 or RCR123 (rechargeable) or 18650 (rechargeable) - I have chargers for each that will run of 12v for either car charging or charging from my solar panel. These are a must and I figure given that I only have a limited supply of CR 123's that the rechargeables are the best way to go long term. the down side is that rechargeable lithiums with protection will shut off instantly when done, rather than dimming. Note that unlike rechargeable AA's or AAA's RCR123's have a higher voltage than the regular lithiums.. many ligthts now have the ability to run CR123 RCR 123 or 18650 (if they use 2 CR123's) - I would definately prioritize getting one of these as you have great options over a light that only eats CR123's (e.g. FenixTK11) General Lights (not tactical) Using AA or AAA batteries is great for everyday use without using expensive CR123's and also most use rechargeable AA and AAA batts so that is good to. I like the Costco AAA lights a lot, since they put out tactical level light and I dont have to worry if my daughter uses up the batteries. Also good to have some lower power lights - no reason to light up the whole neighborhood when a few lumens is the right choice. Area lights Important to remember to have some lights to light up a room so you and your family can play board games or light up the gourmet MRE meals or whatever. Usually these Take C or D, not sure if there is a rechargable solution for these - would be nice. I prefer AA's for area lights as well. I have nearly zero D and C batteries on hand. With eneloops my lanterns become a long term solution in conjunction with my solar system. |
| I have a surefire G2 LED on my AR and also have one to use around the house or carry it in my truck but I just found a light made by Duracell and it is called a "Daylite" and it is a led light with adjustable beam. It uses C cell batteries and has 160 lumens which is pretty bright. It also comes in a AA, CR123, and D cells versions. So far it has worked out better than I expected and it has a life time warranty. Check one out it might suit your needs. I bought it at Costco for around $11.95 |
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4Sevens Quark MiNi 123 rides in my pocket everywhere I go.
There's also a 4Sevens 2AA Quark in my GHB, and one each in the kitchen, my night stand, and on my desk in the computer room. All of these are powered by Sanyo Eneloop AA batteries that I bought when Costco was clearing them out a couple years back. My HD AR-15 also has a 4Sevens Maelstrom X7 on it. I like 4Sevens, can you tell? |
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CR123 as primary batt,buy a case. If you go with a 4sevens light as a personal 1xcr123 ,you can simply add a AA or 2xAA tube to the order.. Alkalines are a last resort,keep a stash of primaries,cr123,AA L92.As mentioned they can destroy a light. For everyday use ,AA Eneloops work well without alota fuss[cost,danger],14500 and rcr123 are also fine if your willing to go there. Have backups on your keychain,lithium coin cell or AAA. Definitely sounds useful and gives a lot of flexibility. Though I'm leaning most towards a Streamlight Polytac LED for a weapons light and a Streamlight PT 2L for a handheld(and it has high/low) and that'll give me 2 respectable quality lights using the same batteries from there. I have a classic big maglite and its useful, but bulky and heavy which for any type of survival scenario goes down in worth. I feel like at this point I wanna have 2 solid lights running CR123's and from there incorporate more and more. Admittedly there's a lot I need and more I want, but I'm still miles ahead of the people I know. Still trying to budget to cover all bases and still get enough of one thing is tricky, but slowly getting there. I won't be the first one dead at least! 
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4Sevens Quark MiNi 123 rides in my pocket everywhere I go. There's also a 4Sevens 2AA Quark in my GHB, and one each in the kitchen, my night stand, and on my desk in the computer room. All of these are powered by Sanyo Eneloop AA batteries that I bought when Costco was clearing them out a couple years back. My HD AR-15 also has a 4Sevens Maelstrom X7 on it. I like 4Sevens, can you tell? me too! 
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CR123 as primary batt,buy a case. If you go with a 4sevens light as a personal 1xcr123 ,you can simply add a AA or 2xAA tube to the order.. Alkalines are a last resort,keep a stash of primaries,cr123,AA L92.As mentioned they can destroy a light. For everyday use ,AA Eneloops work well without alota fuss[cost,danger],14500 and rcr123 are also fine if your willing to go there. Have backups on your keychain,lithium coin cell or AAA. Definitely sounds useful and gives a lot of flexibility. Though I'm leaning most towards a Streamlight Polytac LED for a weapons light and a Streamlight PT 2L for a handheld(and it has high/low) and that'll give me 2 respectable quality lights using the same batteries from there. I have a classic big maglite and its useful, but bulky and heavy which for any type of survival scenario goes down in worth. I feel like at this point I wanna have 2 solid lights running CR123's and from there incorporate more and more. Admittedly there's a lot I need and more I want, but I'm still miles ahead of the people I know. Still trying to budget to cover all bases and still get enough of one thing is tricky, but slowly getting there. I won't be the first one dead at least! quark AA regular |
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my weapon mounted lights are all 123A powered Surefires most have LED conversions except for the ones with odd bulbs, those still need to be converted.
EDC lights are all AA, but those are not my only handheld lights, also have 123A powered handheld. it's possible to run AA powered weaponlights, but you don't get the shelf life or runtime from them. i'm sticking with 153As on the guns. |
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CR123 as primary batt,buy a case. If you go with a 4sevens light as a personal 1xcr123 ,you can simply add a AA or 2xAA tube to the order.. Alkalines are a last resort,keep a stash of primaries,cr123,AA L92.As mentioned they can destroy a light. For everyday use ,AA Eneloops work well without alota fuss[cost,danger],14500 and rcr123 are also fine if your willing to go there. Have backups on your keychain,lithium coin cell or AAA. Definitely sounds useful and gives a lot of flexibility. Though I'm leaning most towards a Streamlight Polytac LED for a weapons light and a Streamlight PT 2L for a handheld(and it has high/low) and that'll give me 2 respectable quality lights using the same batteries from there. I have a classic big maglite and its useful, but bulky and heavy which for any type of survival scenario goes down in worth. I feel like at this point I wanna have 2 solid lights running CR123's and from there incorporate more and more. Admittedly there's a lot I need and more I want, but I'm still miles ahead of the people I know. Still trying to budget to cover all bases and still get enough of one thing is tricky, but slowly getting there. I won't be the first one dead at least! quark AA regular They're Chinese made afaik and I like how Streamlights can be American made but still relatively inexpensive, what's your take on how they stack up? |
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CR123 as primary batt,buy a case. If you go with a 4sevens light as a personal 1xcr123 ,you can simply add a AA or 2xAA tube to the order.. Alkalines are a last resort,keep a stash of primaries,cr123,AA L92.As mentioned they can destroy a light. For everyday use ,AA Eneloops work well without alota fuss[cost,danger],14500 and rcr123 are also fine if your willing to go there. Have backups on your keychain,lithium coin cell or AAA. Definitely sounds useful and gives a lot of flexibility. Though I'm leaning most towards a Streamlight Polytac LED for a weapons light and a Streamlight PT 2L for a handheld(and it has high/low) and that'll give me 2 respectable quality lights using the same batteries from there. I have a classic big maglite and its useful, but bulky and heavy which for any type of survival scenario goes down in worth. I feel like at this point I wanna have 2 solid lights running CR123's and from there incorporate more and more. Admittedly there's a lot I need and more I want, but I'm still miles ahead of the people I know. Still trying to budget to cover all bases and still get enough of one thing is tricky, but slowly getting there. I won't be the first one dead at least! quark AA regular They're Chinese made afaik and I like how Streamlights can be American made but still relatively inexpensive, what's your take on how they stack up? I own three Streamlights. I own many Quarks. the Quark is just as good quality with much more capability. No contest. Streamlight is a good company that makes good lights. 4sevens is a good company that makes great lights with exceptional features. ETA: This is my EDC carry most of the time when I am at home. You cannot get how great this little non tactical light is until you hold one and use it. It's tiny and really damn bright! Three easily available modes by turning off and on quickly. I can't imagine why people carry much bigger lights every day unless they are constantly using their lights. I use it a lot and I still don't need much more. Quark mini 123 |
| If you have a Costco in your area check out the "Techlite". Sold 3 to a package for around $18.00. They use AAA batteries. I have tested them and they are noticebly brighter than the Streamlight G2 led, but the batterys don't seem to last as long as the G2, but for $6.00 or so you can't beat the price. I bought 4 packages of them to put in my emergency food and supply stockpile. For the price you would think they are junk but if you saw them you would change your mind. Google Techlite for more info on the flashlight. |
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Quoted: If you have a Costco in your area check out the "Techlite". Sold 3 to a package for around $18.00. They use AAA batteries. I have tested them and they are noticebly brighter than the Streamlight G2 led, but the batterys don't seem to last as long as the G2, but for $6.00 or so you can't beat the price. I bought 4 packages of them to put in my emergency food and supply stockpile. For the price you would think they are junk but if you saw them you would change your mind. Google Techlite for more info on the flashlight. The latest revision is much improved over the original. As a flashlight addict, I have many light / battery configurations. CR-123 for weapons mounted and AA - AAA - C and D for utility and general use. But even my older Mags have all been converted to LED. I've actually found some of the AA -AAA lights from dealextreme.com and EBay to be pretty good. |
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as another flashlight junkie, I'd say better to have too many than not enough. I limit my flashlights to AA or 18630 rechargers these days with 90% being AA. I am a huge fan of eneloop rechargables and have some that are now 3 years old and going strong. I have 32 eneloops and feel in SHTF, those would serve my main lighting needs. A combination of led flashlights and AA lanterns are ready to go.
Having said all that, I still am always watching for brighter AA handheld flashlights. Does anyone have any experience with the TerraLUX LightStar220? It is only $25 shipped right now and I am thinking about ordering one just to see how it compares to my others since it has a 220lumens rating and uses 2xAA.. |
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If you have a Costco in your area check out the "Techlite". Sold 3 to a package for around $18.00. They use AAA batteries. I have tested them and they are noticebly brighter than the Streamlight G2 led, but the batterys don't seem to last as long as the G2, but for $6.00 or so you can't beat the price. I bought 4 packages of them to put in my emergency food and supply stockpile. For the price you would think they are junk but if you saw them you would change your mind. Google Techlite for more info on the flashlight. we have seen them and they are junk relative to a good quality light. unregulated junk. use them if they make you happy, but they are light years behind most lights mentioned in this thread. Those 3AA lights come up in all of these threads. Many of them are not even two mode. |
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In the event of a major "TEOTWAWKI" event, you're not going to be able to buy AA batteries anyways, and for shorter events you should have enough batteries on hand anyways.
Alkaline batteries should be avoided anyways, so you don't really save money by going with AA or AAA-based lights. CR123A batteries are common enough that you can get them at CVS in a pinch, though best deals tend to be on the Surefire brand 123A batteries purchased online. Standardizing always makes life easier (ammo type, battery type, fuel type, etc), but that's not always possible. If your life fits conveniently in CR123A batteries, go for it. Personally my EDC light is a AAA-based Preon2 running Energizer e2 Lithium primary cells, but since no one makes AAA-based weapon lights I've got a Surefire G2 LED and Fenix TK12R5 that both take CR123A batteries, and right now I've got a radio running on AA's. –––––––––––––––––– It's not a serious tactical light, but I was recently given a richuang P36 and I'm planning to pick up a couple more. http://www.dealextreme.com/p/richuang-p36-tir-optic-3w-80-lumen-led-flashlight-with-clip-black-1-123a-1-16340-44704 The major innovation on the richuang P36 is that the tailcap button actually gloes in the dark. It's one of those things that you have to expose it to light to "charge", but I find that just by leaving the flashlight on the bedstand the button it gets enough light during the day to glow all night, and it glows about a little brighter than a set of tritium night sights. It seems closer to 40-50 lumens than the advertised 80 and the switch is questionable, but for a hurricane light it or as an "I've got to pee" bedside light it's not bad. |
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*snip It's not a serious tactical light, but I was recently given a richuang P36 and I'm planning to pick up a couple more. http://www.dealextreme.com/p/richuang-p36-tir-optic-3w-80-lumen-led-flashlight-with-clip-black-1-123a-1-16340-44704 The major innovation on the richuang P36 is that the tailcap button actually gloes in the dark. It's one of those things that you have to expose it to light to "charge", but I find that just by leaving the flashlight on the bedstand the button it gets enough light during the day to glow all night, and it glows about a little brighter than a set of tritium night sights. It seems closer to 40-50 lumens than the advertised 80 and the switch is questionable, but for a hurricane light it or as an "I've got to pee" bedside light it's not bad. I've been looking for a cheap $10 or less around-the-house flashlight for a while now. This light would be perfect if it was AA! I keep the free harbor freight 3xAAA's around at the moment, but want something better. The flashlights are largely for my wife, btw. She is always misplacing her Fenix. Anyway, anyone know of a comparable light that runs on AA's? I on the other hand EDC ALWAYS a Fenix 1xAA light, the L1D, and have an L2D and a TK-15 in my bag that goes everywhere with me(at least in the car). If I can find the right "cheap" AA light, I will get a few extra to keep in the vehicles with Eneloops.
edit: I had almost forgotten about dealextreme... Haven't been on their site in a while. Looking at their AA Cree lights now. 
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*snip It's not a serious tactical light, but I was recently given a richuang P36 and I'm planning to pick up a couple more. http://www.dealextreme.com/p/richuang-p36-tir-optic-3w-80-lumen-led-flashlight-with-clip-black-1-123a-1-16340-44704 The major innovation on the richuang P36 is that the tailcap button actually gloes in the dark. It's one of those things that you have to expose it to light to "charge", but I find that just by leaving the flashlight on the bedstand the button it gets enough light during the day to glow all night, and it glows about a little brighter than a set of tritium night sights. It seems closer to 40-50 lumens than the advertised 80 and the switch is questionable, but for a hurricane light it or as an "I've got to pee" bedside light it's not bad. I've been looking for a cheap $10 or less around-the-house flashlight for a while now. This light would be perfect if it was AA! I keep the free harbor freight 3xAAA's around at the moment, but want something better. The flashlights are largely for my wife, btw. She is always misplacing her Fenix. Anyway, anyone know of a comparable light that runs on AA's? I on the other hand EDC ALWAYS a Fenix 1xAA light, the L1D, and have an L2D and a TK-15 in my bag that goes everywhere with me(at least in the car). If I can find the right "cheap" AA light, I will get a few extra to keep in the vehicles with Eneloops.
edit: I had almost forgotten about dealextreme... Haven't been on their site in a while. Looking at their AA Cree lights now.
I carried a Icon Rogue (single AA, dual output, 50 lumen max) flashlight in a pocket for over a year, Other than getting hot when the button came on in my pocket, I had no complaints about that light. They run around $20-$25 though. |
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Quoted: I've been of the opinion that more = better. if you have 3 or 5 flashlights, then you need 10-15 more I categorize them as follows : Tactical lights (CR 123 or 18650) , General lights (AA, AAA, C, D) and Area lights (usually C or D cells) Tactical lights (weapon mountable or designed for tactical use) Use CR123 or RCR123 (rechargeable) or 18650 (rechargeable) - I have chargers for each that will run of 12v for either car charging or charging from my solar panel. These are a must and I figure given that I only have a limited supply of CR 123's that the rechargeables are the best way to go long term. the down side is that rechargeable lithiums with protection will shut off instantly when done, rather than dimming. Note that unlike rechargeable AA's or AAA's RCR123's have a higher voltage than the regular lithiums.. many ligthts now have the ability to run CR123 RCR 123 or 18650 (if they use 2 CR123's) - I would definately prioritize getting one of these as you have great options over a light that only eats CR123's (e.g. FenixTK11) General Lights (not tactical) Using AA or AAA batteries is great for everyday use without using expensive CR123's and also most use rechargeable AA and AAA batts so that is good to. I like the Costco AAA lights a lot, since they put out tactical level light and I dont have to worry if my daughter uses up the batteries. Also good to have some lower power lights - no reason to light up the whole neighborhood when a few lumens is the right choice. Area lights Important to remember to have some lights to light up a room so you and your family can play board games or light up the gourmet MRE meals or whatever. Usually these Take C or D, not sure if there is a rechargable solution for these - would be nice. FYI my current favorite lantern is the coleman sold at walmart for $20. They use four D cells. They are also compatable with coleman's new rechargeable powerpack. You can also buy the lantern with the rechargeable pack for $35. |
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Ok so I need to get my act together on flashlights. Specifically, I want a weapon mounted light and a personal light. Here's my dilemna: most all tac lights are CR123A for good reason. However, I think of it like this..for the personal light would it be smarter to get a AA light because of how common the batteries are even in a SHTF scenario or another CR123A light so that I can stock up on one type of battery? Thoughts? I'm sure at least some of you guys have this well thought out and good reasoning to support either way so I'd love to hear. The way I handled that same dilema was doing the following: IN my keychain I keep a Fenix LD01 AAAx1 LED. Its small, always with me, uses a single AAA which is cheap and commonly available but still puts out 80 lumens with fresh batteries. In my pocket for EDC I went with a 4Sevens Quark Tactical CR123Ax.By tactical it means it can be set up at its 200 lumen maximum mode and activated with a pressure clicky, either clikcing or temporary presure. A twist like the Mini123, while excellent and of similar lumen output, because of the twist user interface, just sucks when used along with a gun. With the tactical clicky you can move around in the dark on only flash the light when needed in a second or two. This sort of thing is impossible to do with a twist LED. At the same time the Qaurk Tactical has a 10 lumen mode for when you dont need som much light (the reflection of the 200 lumen blinds you up colse, really bright) adn that 's what I use most often, but always remember to set it back to its maximum output in case I need that in a hurry. That way I have both a powerful light and another one that also has a good lumen output but uses more common AAA batteries found anywhere. Sometimes I think of changing the AAA one with a AA, but AAA are common enough. Somewhere, somehow, I should find either one AAA or one CR123A battery. Lo mid and Hi modes help save juice, so that's sometihng you might want to consider. At the same time, the tactical light should be simple and on high mode, you shoudl have to go through 5 different modes each time you use it, thats why thr Qaurk Tactical works very well in that regard with its combination of twist and clicky UI. Buy brands you can trust and dont waste your money on unreliable junk (I have over 20 "junk" flashlights, no comparison with the good stuff) FerFAL |
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cr123a here for long gun weapon lights and personal lights. I have headlamps and maglights as well, maglights are the ones on sale for the holidays at lowes and use 2 or 3 d batteries. Headlamps are aaa I think but it has been a while since I needed batteries for any of them. I still have incandescents in some of the surfires but I have been buying led drop ins when the mood strikes me and I find a good price on one or two. My surefires are a single cell for personal use and either g2 or p6 for weapon use or carry of just the light at work. With how the aa and aaa stuff has come along I could see moving that direction if I had to start over but I have a lot of cr123a already bought and in the next year or two plan to put 100 more into storage in the fridge for long term storage in vacumn packed setup. I have moved away from alkaline for the most part. I like lithium for storage and am working on having rechargables for daily stuff. Rechargables eventually pay for themselves and with the quality of a lot of alkaline stuff I just don't trust alkalines any more. I have energizer and duracell alkalines to use up. For those that have had batteries ruin something call the battery maker and see what they have to say. Simply telling them you are unhappy might get you something. I know I have read where others got a light fixed or replaced. I could kind of see reading up on the aa or aaa stuff to see if there is something out there that will hold up like a surefire when it comes to being a weapon light. And no I have not read up on the aa surefire stuff being talked about a while back. I have an investment in cr123a stuff and will still buy g2 or p6 or single cell stuff when people sell it for cheap because they don't like the cost of batteries. I know some of the newer technology blows that older tech out of the water but I tend to hold hard to stuff that has worked for me in the past. I plan to buy one or two personal lights that use aa batteries probably buy for long gun weapon lights the g2 and p6 are cheap and there are a lot of mounts out there for them. If I did not already have em I might go a different route. |
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I'm not quite the flashlight w**** that batman is... (yet!) But I've got a quark tactical single CR123 that I really like, and a Quark Mini-123 EDC in my pocket. I also was given a Fenix LD10 in the forum gift exchange last Christmas. It's a single AA, and a really like it. The only problem with it is Mrs. Slice liked it so much she stole it from me, and EDC's it in her purse  .None are in the $10-15 range, but for a little more than that you can get a really nice light like the Fenix or Quark. |
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In the event of a major "TEOTWAWKI" event, you're not going to be able to buy AA batteries anyways, and for shorter events you should have enough batteries on hand anyways. Alkaline batteries should be avoided anyways, so you don't really save money by going with AA or AAA-based lights. CR123A batteries are common enough that you can get them at CVS in a pinch, though best deals tend to be on the Surefire brand 123A batteries purchased online. Standardizing always makes life easier (ammo type, battery type, fuel type, etc), but that's not always possible. If your life fits conveniently in CR123A batteries, go for it. Personally my EDC light is a AAA-based Preon2 running Energizer e2 Lithium primary cells, but since no one makes AAA-based weapon lights I've got a Surefire G2 LED and Fenix TK12R5 that both take CR123A batteries, and right now I've got a radio running on AA's. –––––––––––––––––– It's not a serious tactical light, but I was recently given a richuang P36 and I'm planning to pick up a couple more. http://www.dealextreme.com/p/richuang-p36-tir-optic-3w-80-lumen-led-flashlight-with-clip-black-1-123a-1-16340-44704 The major innovation on the richuang P36 is that the tailcap button actually gloes in the dark. It's one of those things that you have to expose it to light to "charge", but I find that just by leaving the flashlight on the bedstand the button it gets enough light during the day to glow all night, and it glows about a little brighter than a set of tritium night sights. It seems closer to 40-50 lumens than the advertised 80 and the switch is questionable, but for a hurricane light it or as an "I've got to pee" bedside light it's not bad. Got a link to a good place to buy the Surefire brand 123A batteries online? |
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In the event of a major "TEOTWAWKI" event, you're not going to be able to buy AA batteries anyways, and for shorter events you should have enough batteries on hand anyways. Alkaline batteries should be avoided anyways, so you don't really save money by going with AA or AAA-based lights. CR123A batteries are common enough that you can get them at CVS in a pinch, though best deals tend to be on the Surefire brand 123A batteries purchased online. Standardizing always makes life easier (ammo type, battery type, fuel type, etc), but that's not always possible. If your life fits conveniently in CR123A batteries, go for it. Personally my EDC light is a AAA-based Preon2 running Energizer e2 Lithium primary cells, but since no one makes AAA-based weapon lights I've got a Surefire G2 LED and Fenix TK12R5 that both take CR123A batteries, and right now I've got a radio running on AA's. –––––––––––––––––– It's not a serious tactical light, but I was recently given a richuang P36 and I'm planning to pick up a couple more. http://www.dealextreme.com/p/richuang-p36-tir-optic-3w-80-lumen-led-flashlight-with-clip-black-1-123a-1-16340-44704 The major innovation on the richuang P36 is that the tailcap button actually gloes in the dark. It's one of those things that you have to expose it to light to "charge", but I find that just by leaving the flashlight on the bedstand the button it gets enough light during the day to glow all night, and it glows about a little brighter than a set of tritium night sights. It seems closer to 40-50 lumens than the advertised 80 and the switch is questionable, but for a hurricane light it or as an "I've got to pee" bedside light it's not bad. Got a link to a good place to buy the Surefire brand 123A batteries online? amazon.com |
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In the event of a major "TEOTWAWKI" event, you're not going to be able to buy AA batteries anyways, and for shorter events you should have enough batteries on hand anyways. Alkaline batteries should be avoided anyways, so you don't really save money by going with AA or AAA-based lights. CR123A batteries are common enough that you can get them at CVS in a pinch, though best deals tend to be on the Surefire brand 123A batteries purchased online. Standardizing always makes life easier (ammo type, battery type, fuel type, etc), but that's not always possible. If your life fits conveniently in CR123A batteries, go for it. Personally my EDC light is a AAA-based Preon2 running Energizer e2 Lithium primary cells, but since no one makes AAA-based weapon lights I've got a Surefire G2 LED and Fenix TK12R5 that both take CR123A batteries, and right now I've got a radio running on AA's. –––––––––––––––––– It's not a serious tactical light, but I was recently given a richuang P36 and I'm planning to pick up a couple more. http://www.dealextreme.com/p/richuang-p36-tir-optic-3w-80-lumen-led-flashlight-with-clip-black-1-123a-1-16340-44704 The major innovation on the richuang P36 is that the tailcap button actually gloes in the dark. It's one of those things that you have to expose it to light to "charge", but I find that just by leaving the flashlight on the bedstand the button it gets enough light during the day to glow all night, and it glows about a little brighter than a set of tritium night sights. It seems closer to 40-50 lumens than the advertised 80 and the switch is questionable, but for a hurricane light it or as an "I've got to pee" bedside light it's not bad. Got a link to a good place to buy the Surefire brand 123A batteries online? amazon.com Talk about weird. Found a 12 pack on Amazon.com for $26, yet I can just order them directly from the Surefire website for $22. 
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Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Got a link to a good place to buy the Surefire brand 123A batteries online? amazon.com Talk about weird. Found a 12 pack on Amazon.com for $26, yet I can just order them directly from the Surefire website for $22. Can I ask why the hangup on SureFire brand? I've gotten the energizer and panasonic 123's from battery junction for about $65/50. I believe they're both 1550 mah, with a 10-year shelf life. -Slice |
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I readily admit my entire stash is surefire cr123a batteries except for a 4 pack of energizer cr123a batteries I bought because some store had it on serious discount for no reason I could figure out. I am very comfy checking out battery station and there is also a dealer here that may or may not be battery station, someone mentioned it in other threads and will point it out shortly I expect. I tend to check the brands of batteries out at the big flashlight forum everyone plays on, candlepower or whatever its name is. And you can tell that lately I have not been checking diddly squat because none of the names are fresh on my mind. I no longer have to have surefire stuff, I just keep finding surefire stuff I trust at low prices and buying it here and there. Then again some folks at work bought a few here and there because they say how nice they were when working 3rd shift or even 2nd shift with an inmate trying to cover up his back windows to make the cell dark. As long as candle power forums rates the batteries as darn good I am comfy buying em. I highly recomend shopping around and reading candle power to see where the current deals can be found. Not everyone wants to even consider 100 batteries at a time but it was a heck of a nice price break point at the time I got them. Like I said, I don't know if I would start today with cr123a stuff but since I already have em and know em and trust em I have no issues sticking with what I know will work. Come winter and slow overtime I will do more reading and probably find something that is even more efficient and effective and that makes my battery stash last that much longer. Running a search for the other flashlight threads in here should turn up the dealers name folks use here as well as some other options. I think interstate batteries has a sale for the rest of this month perhaps, I saved a bookmark to it and their site has a code to type in for a race winner I guess. But I don't really want to get into shipping huge batteries and I will buy some 6 volt golf cart batteries before I buy anymore tiny batteries. |