Posted: 9/21/2012 1:01:08 PM EDT
| Here is a flashlight article that takes a look at some of the newer lights on the market without geeking out on stuff like reflector surface design. They are all handheld lights, not weapon mounted lights, though. |
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That's a good wake-up article for the 70% or so of the population who are unaware of the LED flashlight revolution of the last 10 years. I almost pity anyone who still uses incandescent lights.
I disagree with the mini maglight still being a good light for the cost. You can get threepacks of multi-mode 200-lumen LEDs from Costco for $20, batteries included. |
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I saw those yesterday while shopping Costco . Any reviews ?
That's a good wake-up article for the 70% or so of the population who are unaware of the LED flashlight revolution of the last 10 years. I almost pity anyone who still uses incandescent lights. I disagree with the mini maglight still being a good light for the cost. You can get threepacks of multi-mode 200-lumen LEDs from Costco for $20, batteries included. |
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I saw those yesterday while shopping Costco . Any reviews ?
That's a good wake-up article for the 70% or so of the population who are unaware of the LED flashlight revolution of the last 10 years. I almost pity anyone who still uses incandescent lights. I disagree with the mini maglight still being a good light for the cost. You can get threepacks of multi-mode 200-lumen LEDs from Costco for $20, batteries included. If they have the lit button they are garbage. Without it they are unregulated moderate performers, but they are all kinds of cheap! |
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A few years back deer hunting I went into the woods extra early one morning as I had a ways to travel to get back to my stand. My brother followed behind about 30 minutes later. I could barely see the trail from where I was at back on the mountain but I did see a faint light as he walked through some open areas, he was using a mini-mag same as me. I doubt I would have noticed if I hadn't been looking for him.
About 15 minutes later 3 other guys came walking in, we had seen these guys the two previous mornings. Each of them used a LED head lamp, Rayovac I beleive, the type you buy at Walmart, and it looked like a freight train in a tunnel as they walked by. LED's are brighter and may last longer but the mini-mag incandescent still has it's uses. |
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A few years back deer hunting I went into the woods extra early one morning as I had a ways to travel to get back to my stand. My brother followed behind about 30 minutes later. I could barely see the trail from where I was at back on the mountain but I did see a faint light as he walked through some open areas, he was using a mini-mag same as me. I doubt I would have noticed if I hadn't been looking for him. About 15 minutes later 3 other guys came walking in, we had seen these guys the two previous mornings. Each of them used a LED head lamp, Rayovac I beleive, the type you buy at Walmart, and it looked like a freight train in a tunnel as they walked by. LED's are brighter and may last longer but the mini-mag incandescent still has it's uses. That might be what you are missing.....many quality led lights have modes that are very low. Much lower than your mini mag. Once your eyes are adusted to the dark .3 lumens is enough light to navigate and a single AA quark can run like that for weeks straight. The next mode up is a few lumens and it will run for days straight. How many straight days will your mini mag be useful with one set of batteries? Step up to this century. |
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I saw those yesterday while shopping Costco . Any reviews ?
That's a good wake-up article for the 70% or so of the population who are unaware of the LED flashlight revolution of the last 10 years. I almost pity anyone who still uses incandescent lights. I disagree with the mini maglight still being a good light for the cost. You can get threepacks of multi-mode 200-lumen LEDs from Costco for $20, batteries included. If they have the lit button they are garbage. Without it they are unregulated moderate performers, but they are all kinds of cheap! Batman, what is a lit button? Is it just like it sounds-the button itself lights up? Thanks for the clarification 
A couple of the NiteEyes brand LED conversions for my AA MiniMaglights have a tailcap button that lights up when turned on. They have been problematic in terms of reliability. Is that what you are referring to? Posted Via AR15.Com Mobile |
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I saw those yesterday while shopping Costco . Any reviews ?
That's a good wake-up article for the 70% or so of the population who are unaware of the LED flashlight revolution of the last 10 years. I almost pity anyone who still uses incandescent lights. I disagree with the mini maglight still being a good light for the cost. You can get threepacks of multi-mode 200-lumen LEDs from Costco for $20, batteries included. If they have the lit button they are garbage. Without it they are unregulated moderate performers, but they are all kinds of cheap! Batman, what is a lit button? Is it just like it sounds-the button itself lights up? Thanks for the clarification
A couple of the NiteEyes brand LED conversions for my AA MiniMaglights have a tailcap button that lights up when turned on. They have been problematic in terms of reliability. Is that what you are referring to? Posted Via AR15.Com Mobile The button lit up for some silly reason. Those versions are known for draining the batteries without use. I don't remember if it was for locating or not. |
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I saw those yesterday while shopping Costco . Any reviews ?
That's a good wake-up article for the 70% or so of the population who are unaware of the LED flashlight revolution of the last 10 years. I almost pity anyone who still uses incandescent lights. I disagree with the mini maglight still being a good light for the cost. You can get threepacks of multi-mode 200-lumen LEDs from Costco for $20, batteries included. If they have the lit button they are garbage. Without it they are unregulated moderate performers, but they are all kinds of cheap! Batman, what is a lit button? Is it just like it sounds-the button itself lights up? Thanks for the clarification
A couple of the NiteEyes brand LED conversions for my AA MiniMaglights have a tailcap button that lights up when turned on. They have been problematic in terms of reliability. Is that what you are referring to? Posted Via AR15.Com Mobile The button lit up for some silly reason. Those versions are known for draining the batteries without use. I don't remember if it was for locating or not. Yeah, I've noticed that they tend to eat batteries-even when turned off. Posted Via AR15.Com Mobile |
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Quoted: I have one in front of me. Button glows when the batteries run low. Mine runs on 3 AAA which I don't care for, but it's just a light I keep at my desk in case the power drops at night.Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: I saw those yesterday while shopping Costco . Any reviews ?That's a good wake-up article for the 70% or so of the population who are unaware of the LED flashlight revolution of the last 10 years. I almost pity anyone who still uses incandescent lights. I disagree with the mini maglight still being a good light for the cost. You can get threepacks of multi-mode 200-lumen LEDs from Costco for $20, batteries included. If they have the lit button they are garbage. Without it they are unregulated moderate performers, but they are all kinds of cheap! Batman, what is a lit button? Is it just like it sounds-the button itself lights up? Thanks for the clarification A couple of the NiteEyes brand LED conversions for my AA MiniMaglights have a tailcap button that lights up when turned on. They have been problematic in terms of reliability. Is that what you are referring to? Posted Via AR15.Com Mobile The button lit up for some silly reason. Those versions are known for draining the batteries without use. I don't remember if it was for locating or not. |
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I have one in front of me. Button glows when the batteries run low. Mine runs on 3 AAA which I don't care for, but it's just a light I keep at my desk in case the power drops at night.
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I saw those yesterday while shopping Costco . Any reviews ?
That's a good wake-up article for the 70% or so of the population who are unaware of the LED flashlight revolution of the last 10 years. I almost pity anyone who still uses incandescent lights. I disagree with the mini maglight still being a good light for the cost. You can get threepacks of multi-mode 200-lumen LEDs from Costco for $20, batteries included. If they have the lit button they are garbage. Without it they are unregulated moderate performers, but they are all kinds of cheap! Batman, what is a lit button? Is it just like it sounds-the button itself lights up? Thanks for the clarification
A couple of the NiteEyes brand LED conversions for my AA MiniMaglights have a tailcap button that lights up when turned on. They have been problematic in terms of reliability. Is that what you are referring to? Posted Via AR15.Com Mobile The button lit up for some silly reason. Those versions are known for draining the batteries without use. I don't remember if it was for locating or not. I had a bunch of the clear tailcap Costco lights and yep they drain batteries without use, but Costco has a great return policy. Might were about 1 year old, brought them back for a full refund. Picked up an Olight T10 and still looking for a good place to pick up a 4sevens. Quantity might be less but the quality is better. |
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I've bought LED lights from both Costco and Sams, either their store brand or some no-name brand, looked like a good deal. They all ended junk.
I still use alot of mini-mags, I have put in some Cree conversions i found on ebay, they are very bright. My new favorite is a Mag-light brand LED light, it is just about a 1/2 inch taller than a regular mini-mag, takes 2 AAs, can focus the beam. |
LED lights get more bad ass every year. Just the last five years or so they have gone from bad ass to out of this world crazy bright. I'm a light whore, started off small and worked my way up. My next light will be 2000 lumen 
If you're using maglite anything just kick yourself in the nuts. Doesn't matter which model or size you have they suck on a major level to even cheap decent LED lights now. I highly recommend buying a light that runs on the rechargeable 18650 lithium batteries. They are dirt cheap, hold a charge for what seams like forever and power the most powerful lights out in most cases. |
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I have one in front of me. Button glows when the batteries run low. Mine runs on 3 AAA which I don't care for, but it's just a light I keep at my desk in case the power drops at night.
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I saw those yesterday while shopping Costco . Any reviews ?
That's a good wake-up article for the 70% or so of the population who are unaware of the LED flashlight revolution of the last 10 years. I almost pity anyone who still uses incandescent lights. I disagree with the mini maglight still being a good light for the cost. You can get threepacks of multi-mode 200-lumen LEDs from Costco for $20, batteries included. If they have the lit button they are garbage. Without it they are unregulated moderate performers, but they are all kinds of cheap! Batman, what is a lit button? Is it just like it sounds-the button itself lights up? Thanks for the clarification
A couple of the NiteEyes brand LED conversions for my AA MiniMaglights have a tailcap button that lights up when turned on. They have been problematic in terms of reliability. Is that what you are referring to? Posted Via AR15.Com Mobile The button lit up for some silly reason. Those versions are known for draining the batteries without use. I don't remember if it was for locating or not. You don't mind the light being dead when you need it? |
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I almost exclusively use Mag-Lites.
I have a handful of Surefire G2's, some off brand stuff and some of the "steal deal" stuff you see at Costco or whatever. Honestly, Mag-Lites are pretty much indestructible, the battery life is sensational and the design is perfect in its simplicity. I still have Mag-Lites from when I was 8 or 10 years old, still fully functional. (although phased out for newer) 
I despise CR123 batteries, so the G2's became my weapon lights. They just drain too fast when used regularly, but they store great. All my Mini-Mags are AA and have high, low, and distress beacon (flasher) modes. The batteries last ridiculous amounts of time, basically at this point, I need to change them once every 6 months. I keep an ultra-mini in my leatherman case on my belt. Its takes a single AAA, I received it for Christmas last year and still have not had to change the battery. It gets used A LOT. ( I need to upgrade this to LED) Next to my bed and on my desk is the (2)D LED. The truck and ladies car gets the (3)D LED's. Again, have not had to change the batteries on these once yet. Still bright as hell and the truck one especially gets tons of use. Headlamps are of various makes. Best part of all of it, they don't cost me a weeks paycheck each.  I cant stand looking at the nice Surefire of Phoenix etc lights. I mean, Im just a civilian and its just a flashlight. . . . . . Mag-Lite gets it.
ETA: Incandescent definitely has its place. . . I think they call them museums. 
If the purpose is not to be seen, you shouldn't be using a flashlight. |
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I have a mini maglite LED that I use regularly, along with a Fenix LD20 and various cheapos. I also have the Kobalt brand light from Lowe's, the 80 lumen one. The maglite is decent and seems to work reliably, but I've had one fail when it was needed. My buddy was using it while refilling a generator at night and it dropped a lousy two feet to the sidewalk and stopped working. No visible damage, just no light anymore. The new one he got me has gone for a year now but hasn't been dropped. Don't get me wrong, that was probably a fluke, but it made me shy about the light.
The Kobalt has been used and abused for a few years now and I like it. Nice spot style beam, decent low power mode for normal use, fairly easy on batteries. It's CR123 powered though, and uses two of them. These days you can get similar output from one cell and even one AA. It has been a reliable light and I do not hesitate to recommend it if you need something you can walk into the local store and buy. I just wish they made it in AA. I may pick up a few rechargeable CR123's and a charger so I can continue using this light regularly. The relative cost and run time of the rechargeable stuff has improved quite a bit so it's worthwhile now. The Fenix is my replacement for the Kobalt, since I wanted more of a flood and AA powered. I like this light quite a bit and am seriously considering their single AA versions as well. Tough, plenty of output, easy to use, tail stand and reasonable prices. I am looking at the USA made options but using the Fenix as a baseline. I want one or two more "tactical" style lights then a few general duty household units but want them all to run on AA or AAA's. There are plenty of options out there and the new rechargeable NiMH's are much better about their self discharge rate than in the past. Nearly as good as lithiums. |
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Personally, I go LED Surefire for anything. My definition of a "budget light" is an older G2 LED. I buy them for my family members and they are built like tanks so they last forever and with over 8 hours run time they rarely need the batteries changed (as in yearly at the most).
My personal carry light is either a 6P LED (P60L) that runs forever, or an E1L. A minimum of 8 hours run time on one set of batteries (13 hrs for the E1L on high, 48 hrs on low) is the way to go, and buy the CR123s in bulk to keep the costs down. The price is down right reasonable when you figure how long a comparable AA or AAA light would run and how much batteries cost. I am hung up on my stuff working when I need it, so I personally won't compromise and buy anything but Surefire. |
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A few years back deer hunting I went into the woods extra early one morning as I had a ways to travel to get back to my stand. My brother followed behind about 30 minutes later. I could barely see the trail from where I was at back on the mountain but I did see a faint light as he walked through some open areas, he was using a mini-mag same as me. I doubt I would have noticed if I hadn't been looking for him. About 15 minutes later 3 other guys came walking in, we had seen these guys the two previous mornings. Each of them used a LED head lamp, Rayovac I beleive, the type you buy at Walmart, and it looked like a freight train in a tunnel as they walked by. LED's are brighter and may last longer but the mini-mag incandescent still has it's uses. A company called NITE IZE, makes a LED conversion kit and a push button bottom that has 4 modes 3 (diff brightness and a strobe) they also make a lens kit that allows you put red, blue or green filters on the mini mag as well |
| I have the 160 lumen second rev of those Costco flashlights, no lit button and no apparent standby battery drain. The current Costco ones are rev 3 with 200 lumen LEDs and are presumably even better and still for the <$10 each. Honestly, since they use a battery cartridge I don't see a problem with storing even the old eat-your-batts-in-standby ones with the tailcap removed. It only takes a few seconds to install it. On my dive lights (SCUBA) I store batteries in place, but I cut plastic insulator disks I install so the light can't accidentally turn on in my luggage and cause a problem. |
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I have bought and destroyed the Costco and Sams lights. The battery carrier does not hold up to repeated battery changes and the overall quality is just not there for everyday use. Now for occasional use, they seem fine for the price and they are diffently a step up from old incandescent lights.
Now for lights that I actually use, I recommed an LED with multiple settings from low to high. I like the newer Surefire Dual output models, but Fenix, Quark, Jetbeam, and others have more options in variable output. Below are some of my lights that I have used 
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| I have just been investing in surefire bodies and swapping out the batteries and bulbs. They have all been getting LED D26 drop in's and Lithium batteries. I have 2 that run on 3 18650's They are crazy bright. I do have one light that is a Incan still. It's a 1,000 lumen surefire M6 with IMR batt's and the Light-hound drop in incandescent replacement. I like the life of them and the ease of charging them. My Leef 3X18650 has saved my ass too many times. |
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There are so many choices on lights. While I still run 1 incan lamp in a bored Surefire C3, it uses rechargeables and needs it. The color emitted by incan is more natural, there are high CRI leds that get you close but not quite there. That said, LED is without a doubt the way to go. The power savings are incredible. All LEDs are not created equal. Generally, the newer the better as far as watts per lumen are concerned.
As an example. A surefire G2 with a P60 incan lamp putting out 65 lumens runs for 1 hour. A Surefire G2 using the P60L led starts out with roughly 85 lumens but settles in to a regulated 60 lumen output for 4+ hours. Take the same Surefire G2 and install a Malkoff Devices M61LL drop in and you get 100 lumens for a regulated 10 hour output. I own quite a few lights. Mostly Surefire, most are bored for 18mm batteries, most use Malkoff drop ins with McClicky forward switches. Outputs vary from 100 lumens to 1000 lumens. I either carry or have one of these with me almost all the time. That said, these are not the lights I keep around the house to hand out for when the "lights go out". I'm a big fan of the Sanyo Eneloop battery. Sanyo Eneloop Roughly 1500 recharges across it's useful life. All my hand out lighs are AA and utilize these batteries. I highly recommend the Jetbeam BA20. It's a 270 lumen light running AA's and lasts for 1 hour and 45 mintues on high. It has a very simple two mode UI. 30 lumen low with a 35 hour runtime. No SOS, no strobe, etc. Very simple and easy to use. High Low is changed by twisting the head. Low is all you need for walking around. If you don't already own lights, I can't say enough about AA lights and the Eneloops or having the ability to scrounge batteries if needed. AA lights have come a long ways very quickly and very recently. They are limited on output compared to 123's but 270 lumens is nothing to sneeze at. Jetbeam makes another light that I am a huge fan of, the Jetbeam BC40. I highly recomend it to anyone looking for a vehicle light or a high output for around the house. Mine have been rock solid as far reliablity goes. I've dropped one several times walking my dogs. Bigger light with bigger output, robust and very economic. It is a thrower with plenty of spill. High is 830 lumens with a runtime of 1.5 hours, low is 110 lumens at 11 hours. Same simple UI, change modes by twisting head. It takes 4 123's or 2 x 18650 rechargeables. Jetbeam did take a shortcut on the circuitry that regulates the low, even with that figured in this is one of the biggest bangs for you buck period at roughly $65. I own two and carry one in each vehicle. These are big enough to use as a skull cracker if needed but not near as heavy as a MAG D light. There are so many choices. Don't get left in the dark on the road or at home. Do some research. Candle Power Forums is a good place to start. |
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If you only want to invest about eight bucks into a flashlight, then the Mini Maglite is still one of your best bets for a really well-made unit.
Sorry, cant agree with this. If you're not using LEDs in this day and age you're downright stupid. Even a Fenix E05 would be better than a Mini Maglite. Supermaket brand or no brand lights arent early as reliable as better known brands like Fenix, and its not expensive at all. FerFAL |
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LED lights get more bad ass every year. Just the last five years or so they have gone from bad ass to out of this world crazy bright. I'm a light whore, started off small and worked my way up. My next light will be 2000 lumen
If you're using maglite anything just kick yourself in the nuts. Doesn't matter which model or size you have they suck on a major level to even cheap decent LED lights now. I highly recommend buying a light that runs on the rechargeable 18650 lithium batteries. They are dirt cheap, hold a charge for what seams like forever and power the most powerful lights out in most cases. There's nothing wrong with being a light whore. Being a light snob is a different story. I have all kinds of high dollar lights that take the "special" batteries. I also have some of the newer generation maglites that accept "normal" batteries. If a major long term shtf scenario took place and all you have are the flashlights that take "special" batteries then you might as well go ahead and kick yourself in the nuts. |
| I'm a career firefighter, and a while back, a large apartment building that used to be a hotel had the power shut off for non-payment. The Fire Dept had to show up and use our generators and flood lights so residents could get their stuff out until the power was restored. One idiot even called 911 because he couldn't find his way out of his apartment in the dark. |
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LED lights get more bad ass every year. Just the last five years or so they have gone from bad ass to out of this world crazy bright. I'm a light whore, started off small and worked my way up. My next light will be 2000 lumen
If you're using maglite anything just kick yourself in the nuts. Doesn't matter which model or size you have they suck on a major level to even cheap decent LED lights now. I highly recommend buyiruns on the rechargeable 18650 lithium batteries. They are dirt cheap, hold a charge for what seams like forever and power the most powerful lights out in most cases. There's nothing wrong with being a light whore. Being a light snob is a different story. I have all kinds of high dollar lights that take the "special" batteries. I also have some of the newer generation maglites that l" If a major long term shtf scenario took place and all you have are the flashlights that take "special" batteries then you might as well go ahead and kick yourself in the nuts. That is silly. Most of my special batteries are rechargable. Many have 10 year shelf life. |
| I have four D-cell Maglites, two are three, one is four and the last one is six. Their all updated with Malkoff's drop in LED's. I carry a Surefire L2 luminanax. That Fenix light looks promising though 520 lumens ! Surefire would want 500 dollars for a light like that. |
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I would be curious to know: How many civilians in here with 1000 lumen 800 meter flashlights have <20/20 vision. Probably a whole lotta lighting things up you cant see anyways. hahaha
I can, BUT dont generally need to see past 300 yards. 9 out of 10 times I use a flashlight I'm trying to see something in my immediate area anyways (0-30 yards), and that can be done very successfully with +/-50 lumens (not that I limit myself to that) . . . . Not exactly $400 worthy, to me at least. . . |
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LED lights get more bad ass every year. Just the last five years or so they have gone from bad ass to out of this world crazy bright. I'm a light whore, started off small and worked my way up. My next light will be 2000 lumen
If you're using maglite anything just kick yourself in the nuts. Doesn't matter which model or size you have they suck on a major level to even cheap decent LED lights now. I highly recommend buyiruns on the rechargeable 18650 lithium batteries. They are dirt cheap, hold a charge for what seams like forever and power the most powerful lights out in most cases. There's nothing wrong with being a light whore. Being a light snob is a different story. I have all kinds of high dollar lights that take the "special" batteries. I also have some of the newer generation maglites that l" If a major long term shtf scenario took place and all you have are the flashlights that take "special" batteries then you might as well go ahead and kick yourself in the nuts. That is silly. Most of my special batteries are rechargable. Many have 10 year shelf life. Technically there are different types of "major long term shtf scenarios" so my fault for not defining what I meant. I was referring to a "no electricity, scavanging for food, cash money is worthless, carrying a gun around" scenario. Yes you could possibly have some sort of solar set-up to charge your rechargable batteries. I would bet that 95% of the people with those types of flashlights do not. I would also bet that if you were scavaging through drawers while out, or at a trading establishment that had sprung up, if you did come across any batteries they would be of the "normal" type. My entire point from the beginning is not to be a bias against flashlights that take normal batteries. The smart thing to do is to purchase a light or three for each type of battery out there. |
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LED lights get more bad ass every year. Just the last five years or so they have gone from bad ass to out of this world crazy bright. I'm a light whore, started off small and worked my way up. My next light will be 2000 lumen
If you're using maglite anything just kick yourself in the nuts. Doesn't matter which model or size you have they suck on a major level to even cheap decent LED lights now. I highly recommend buyiruns on the rechargeable 18650 lithium batteries. They are dirt cheap, hold a charge for what seams like forever and power the most powerful lights out in most cases. There's nothing wrong with being a light whore. Being a light snob is a different story. I have all kinds of high dollar lights that take the "special" batteries. I also have some of the newer generation maglites that l" If a major long term shtf scenario took place and all you have are the flashlights that take "special" batteries then you might as well go ahead and kick yourself in the nuts. That is silly. Most of my special batteries are rechargable. Many have 10 year shelf life. Technically there are different types of "major long term shtf scenarios" so my fault for not defining what I meant. I was referring to a "no electricity, scavanging for food, cash money is worthless, carrying a gun around" scenario. Yes you could possibly have some sort of solar set-up to charge your rechargable batteries. I would bet that 95% of the people with those types of flashlights do not. I would also bet that if you were scavaging through drawers while out, or at a trading establishment that had sprung up, if you did come across any batteries they would be of the "normal" type. My entire point from the beginning is not to be a bias against flashlights that take normal batteries. The smart thing to do is to purchase a light or three for each type of battery out there. I have enough light to run for many years with all battery types. That is even without my solar set up. Why would I leave my home or walk away from the family farm to be a waste land wanderer? |
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LED lights get more bad ass every year. Just the last five years or so they have gone from bad ass to out of this world crazy bright. I'm a light whore, started off small and worked my way up. My next light will be 2000 lumen
If you're using maglite anything just kick yourself in the nuts. Doesn't matter which model or size you have they suck on a major level to even cheap decent LED lights now. I highly recommend buyiruns on the rechargeable 18650 lithium batteries. They are dirt cheap, hold a charge for what seams like forever and power the most powerful lights out in most cases. There's nothing wrong with being a light whore. Being a light snob is a different story. I have all kinds of high dollar lights that take the "special" batteries. I also have some of the newer generation maglites that l" If a major long term shtf scenario took place and all you have are the flashlights that take "special" batteries then you might as well go ahead and kick yourself in the nuts. That is silly. Most of my special batteries are rechargable. Many have 10 year shelf life. Technically there are different types of "major long term shtf scenarios" so my fault for not defining what I meant. I was referring to a "no electricity, scavanging for food, cash money is worthless, carrying a gun around" scenario. Yes you could possibly have some sort of solar set-up to charge your rechargable batteries. I would bet that 95% of the people with those types of flashlights do not. I would also bet that if you were scavaging through drawers while out, or at a trading establishment that had sprung up, if you did come across any batteries they would be of the "normal" type. My entire point from the beginning is not to be a bias against flashlights that take normal batteries. The smart thing to do is to purchase a light or three for each type of battery out there. I have enough light to run for many years with all battery types. That is even without my solar set up. Why would I leave my home or walk away from the family farm to be a waste land wanderer? You got me. Everything I said is total foolishness. |
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I would be curious to know: How many civilians in here with 1000 lumen 800 meter flashlights have <20/20 vision. Probably a whole lotta lighting things up you cant see anyways.It's kind of nice having the ability to bring down low-flying birds... 
Most of the really bright LED flashlights have at least one reduced-brightness setting that provides a lot of run-time and brightness from a set of batteries. If your LED can pump out 1000 lumens running full-tilt, it can probably also produce 200 lumens at an incredible level of efficiency. That's one reason why I buy bright LED flashlights: They work so damned well on their medium- and low-brightness settings. |
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my fenix TK41 runs on 8 rechargable eneloop batteries and at full power, it can light up things 100 yards away so it looks like daylight and provides useful light for several hundred yards. At mid power setting, it still lights up things at 100 yards so they are easily visible. At low setting, it works well as a light in the house. In strobe mode, it will literally temporarily blind anyone you shine it at.
BTW, the light is about the size of a 2D maglight. That plus my 1 and 2AA leds have me well covered for SHTF and all share the same eneloop rechargable batteries. I am a firm believer in having multiple lights for different purposes. |
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I have the 160 lumen second rev of those Costco flashlights, no lit button and no apparent standby battery drain. The current Costco ones are rev 3 with 200 lumen LEDs and are presumably even better and still for the <$10 each. Honestly, since they use a battery cartridge I don't see a problem with storing even the old eat-your-batts-in-standby ones with the tailcap removed. It only takes a few seconds to install it. On my dive lights (SCUBA) I store batteries in place, but I cut plastic insulator disks I install so the light can't accidentally turn on in my luggage and cause a problem. I had the first generation that ate batteries, the second that work well and the third. the second and third generation are pretty good for the price. In total I have about 20 flashlights including 4Sevens, Surefire and Fenix and while those are main go to lights, the Costco ones are nice to have around as somewhat disposable lights that I can lend to someone and not worry about. I keep these scattered around the house and are the first thing to grab if I don't need a good light and don't want to walk the 30 feet. |
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A few years back deer hunting I went into the woods extra early one morning as I had a ways to travel to get back to my stand. My brother followed behind about 30 minutes later. I could barely see the trail from where I was at back on the mountain but I did see a faint light as he walked through some open areas, he was using a mini-mag same as me. I doubt I would have noticed if I hadn't been looking for him. About 15 minutes later 3 other guys came walking in, we had seen these guys the two previous mornings. Each of them used a LED head lamp, Rayovac I beleive, the type you buy at Walmart, and it looked like a freight train in a tunnel as they walked by. LED's are brighter and may last longer but the mini-mag incandescent still has it's uses. If concealment is a concern, that same Ray-O-Vac LED headlamp has a red LED in it, as well. I used to poo-poo headlamps, as they looked ridiculous...then I used one. Now I have 'em in all my cars, two in the garage, etc...The ability to have both hands free while still having directed light is very nice. Fenix PD-22 (I think? Single CR123 light, very small) should be in today: I'm jazzed about this one! I resisted CR123 stuff for a long, long time...but the X300 weapon lights I use just work too well. Incidentally, I use a 3-D cell LED maglite for hours at a time, 4-5 nights of the week (flight line QA). I try not to drop it, but it's been wonderful for the last three years. I need to change (disoposable) batteries once a month. I may change soon, though. There are just better lights out there now (brighter, with adjustable settings). Something rechargeable would be good, too––and the next light will definitely have power settings. While very bright is very good, it sucks when I'm inspection wiring or close-up mechanical work: the light splashback is blinding. Our command uses Maglite LED lites...they tend to stop working when dropped. For us, it's the LED "replacement" bulb that fails, every time. The military buys them in bulk, and they're pretty shitty. Dropping a Maglite with one of these in it almost always results in LED/base separation in the bulb unit. I use the "Maglite" brand replacement LED bulb in mine, and I've had no issues. I really don't use LED mini-Maglites anymore...I recently sold all my old incans at a garage sale (in a bundle of 6 for $6). The Coast Lenser LED light I bought in 2004 was so much better than those, that I just switched up and never looked back...Plus, am I the only one who ended up changing mini-Maglite bulbs almost as often as I changed batteries? VERY unreliable. |
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LED lights get more bad ass every year. Just the last five years or so they have gone from bad ass to out of this world crazy bright. I'm a light whore, started off small and worked my way up. My next light will be 2000 lumen
If you're using maglite anything just kick yourself in the nuts. Doesn't matter which model or size you have they suck on a major level to even cheap decent LED lights now. I highly recommend buyiruns on the rechargeable 18650 lithium batteries. They are dirt cheap, hold a charge for what seams like forever and power the most powerful lights out in most cases. There's nothing wrong with being a light whore. Being a light snob is a different story. I have all kinds of high dollar lights that take the "special" batteries. I also have some of the newer generation maglites that l" If a major long term shtf scenario took place and all you have are the flashlights that take "special" batteries then you might as well go ahead and kick yourself in the nuts. That is silly. Most of my special batteries are rechargable. Many have 10 year shelf life. Technically there are different types of "major long term shtf scenarios" so my fault for not defining what I meant. I was referring to a "no electricity, scavanging for food, cash money is worthless, carrying a gun around" scenario. Yes you could possibly have some sort of solar set-up to charge your rechargable batteries. I would bet that 95% of the people with those types of flashlights do not. I would also bet that if you were scavaging through drawers while out, or at a trading establishment that had sprung up, if you did come across any batteries they would be of the "normal" type. My entire point from the beginning is not to be a bias against flashlights that take normal batteries. The smart thing to do is to purchase a light or three for each type of battery out there. Or educate yourself to be able to make 'normal' [whatever they are] batteries adapt to 'special' battery flashlights. Easy but most will keep posting nonsense abt what's the ideal gun for this and that and never learn. 
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LED lights get more bad ass every year. Just the last five years or so they have gone from bad ass to out of this world crazy bright. I'm a light whore, started off small and worked my way up. My next light will be 2000 lumen
If you're using maglite anything just kick yourself in the nuts. Doesn't matter which model or size you have they suck on a major level to even cheap decent LED lights now. I highly recommend buyiruns on the rechargeable 18650 lithium batteries. They are dirt cheap, hold a charge for what seams like forever and power the most powerful lights out in most cases. There's nothing wrong with being a light whore. Being a light snob is a different story. I have all kinds of high dollar lights that take the "special" batteries. I also have some of the newer generation maglites that l" If a major long term shtf scenario took place and all you have are the flashlights that take "special" batteries then you might as well go ahead and kick yourself in the nuts. That is silly. Most of my special batteries are rechargable. Many have 10 year shelf life. Technically there are different types of "major long term shtf scenarios" so my fault for not defining what I meant. I was referring to a "no electricity, scavanging for food, cash money is worthless, carrying a gun around" scenario. Yes you could possibly have some sort of solar set-up to charge your rechargable batteries. I would bet that 95% of the people with those types of flashlights do not. I would also bet that if you were scavaging through drawers while out, or at a trading establishment that had sprung up, if you did come across any batteries they would be of the "normal" type. My entire point from the beginning is not to be a bias against flashlights that take normal batteries. The smart thing to do is to purchase a light or three for each type of battery out there. Or educate yourself to be able to make 'normal' [whatever they are] batteries adapt to 'special' battery flashlights. Easy but most will keep posting nonsense abt what's the ideal gun for this and that and never learn.
If you are using AA lights, all AA's work. Most factory lights that use 18650 batteries will use 123's also. Only specialized drop ins that have low voltage drivers will only use one 18650 lithium ion battery. These are made specifically for 3.7v lion batteries and the purchaser knows it. The good part is the drop in can be swapped out and you still use the same light host for 123 batteries. If someone has reached the point where they are using 18650 batteries they already understand all of this. I wouldn't depend on my 123 lights for long term SHTF anyways. AA is the way to go and all AA lights factory made that I am aware of will run on both rechargeables and alkalines. |
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I have an old Coleman MAX flashlight that I got at Wal-Mart a few years ago.
It has survived a ton of abuse including a drop from 10ft onto concrete landing on the bezel with no damage other than a few gouges. I dropped it while cleaning gutters out in a rain storm
I really want an HDS light but until then I have 2 Nitecore EX-10's, 1 Surefire G3L, and 8 or so Surefire G2L's (half are KX4 heads the rest are P60L). The Nitecore lights are as cheap as I would want to go and have pretty much decided that I won't buy any more Chinese made lights as I just don't trust them. I really want the HDS though
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One of the problems with being a prepper for a long period of time is that a lot of the gear I bought years ago is now either old school or obsolete altogether. I have several Maglights everywhere. They work, but there is no denying the intensity of a new LED light, not to mention the thrift (longevity of the batteries).
My newest flashlight is a Surefire G2 non-led. Its nice and handy, but definitely has its shortcomings. I'll be up in Maine fishing this weekend - I might just stop at Cabelas and pick up a new flashlight. Why not? I havent had a new toy in a while...
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My newest flashlight is a Surefire G2 non-led. Its nice and handy, but definitely has its shortcomings. I'll be up in Maine fishing this weekend - I might just stop at Cabelas and pick up a new flashlight. 320 lumen G2 5-mode LED upgrade for $12.99 + $2 shipping |
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My newest flashlight is a Surefire G2 non-led. Its nice and handy, but definitely has its shortcomings. I'll be up in Maine fishing this weekend - I might just stop at Cabelas and pick up a new flashlight. 320 lumen G2 5-mode LED upgrade for $12.99 + $2 shipping BAHAHAHA I put three of these in my cart, then went through the "registration process" and entered my info. The password I entered was too short so a prompt came up on my screen, read; "Password is too shart". BAHAHAHAHA Also noticed Hong Kong is the precedented choice for country. Ill order one to see if it comes, and then two more if they withstand any duration of time. Thanks for the link! Great thread Skibane! Whoops, definitely thought I was in Skibane's flashlight deal of the month thread! hahaha ETA: $2 shipping is pretty hard to beat! |
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One of the problems with being a prepper for a long period of time is that a lot of the gear I bought years ago is now either old school or obsolete altogether. I have several Maglights everywhere. They work, but there is no denying the intensity of a new LED light, not to mention the thrift (longevity of the batteries). My newest flashlight is a Surefire G2 non-led. Its nice and handy, but definitely has its shortcomings. I'll be up in Maine fishing this weekend - I might just stop at Cabelas and pick up a new flashlight. Why not? I havent had a new toy in a while... Just having that conversation with the wife, who was accusing me of being a "flashlight addict". I'm not really: I've visited the CandlePower Forums and I know what addiction looks like, LOL!
For years––and I was born in '66––the standard "Eveready" chrome 2-D cell lite, or angled military/Boy Scout flashlight was the norm for flashlights. There WAS no advance in lighting technology. Then the Maglite came out, and that locked in a new type of flashlight for almost two decades...but in the last ten years or so, there have been some great advances in handheld lighting. |