[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Old GI Issued flashlights... (Page 1 of 2)
Posted: 6/1/2014 3:29:13 PM EDT
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Anyone still use them? The Old OD Angle head lights with the colored lenses?
Found mine in a box I had packed away. I used to use this thing all the time. Seem's out of date by todays lights. But still love this 'ol thing 
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A lot of capacity in those big D-cells. If you have the model that has protective bolsters alongside the switch (to protect it), you could install an LED element in place of the OEM bulb, giving a super long run time.
Primary and uncorrectable flaw in the light is no means to run the element in very low-light mode, thus saving power and not blinding yourself all the time. True that one can rig up different/masked filters to do this, but bulb/led element is still burning bright, and wasting energy. I installed LED elements in mine, and have kept them around as loaners/emergency units. YMMV These lights have been surpassed by more modern lights, but OTOH, a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush, and the upgrade LED elements are not expensive. As noted above, the switches seem to be the thing that goes on these lights, but the bolsters protect them against most damage. |
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I still have mine with my rack number sharpie's on the side. I've been thinking about getting one of those drop-in LED lamps, like Bubba & raf said. Still haven't done it yet though. Is kinda nice to have a light that hangs off my old ALICE suspenders, though. It's my understanding that there was a very limited run of factory LED angle head flashlights made by Fulton. |
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Still have a couple around.
They were buried in the bottom of a trunk of military junk that I went through as part of my recent move. Threw some batteries in them and they lit up, so I threw them into a drawer along with some other power outage preps. They're the only things I own that take any of the D cells I have on the shelf |
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Yeah, I have one or two, but they are not really worth much, IMO.
With an LED upgrade, they would be passable for power outages. I've got single AA lights that will give me 120 lum. for an hour or 3 lum for 2 full days...and I barely notice it's in my pocket. Then, there are the 2x 123 lights that will blow those away. |
Pretty far off-topic, but Wal-Mart is now carrying the Energizer 'Hard Case' 2 AA cell angled-head LED flashlight.
Very nice light for the money. IIRC, Energizer was pitching a slightly fancier version of this light to the mil - but apparently never made the sale. |
| I like the idea of the angle head, and the storage capacity of the D cell frame. Seems to me a LED upgrade bulb, and a CR123 battery conversion mod would give you lots of space to store other essentials. First Aid Kit, or a fishing kit, or smallish multi-tool. Seems to be it would be better than a alto ids tin. |
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Pretty far off-topic, but Wal-Mart is now carrying the Energizer 'Hard Case' 2 AA cell angled-head LED flashlight. http://imageshack.com/a/img837/7396/ucyj.jpg Very nice light for the money. IIRC, Energizer was pitching a slightly fancier version of this light to the mil - but apparently never made the sale. I got one of these, the tactical one with the IR strobe function. Super handy light, it is used as the all purpose light around the house. The output and beam could be a lot better though. DannerTrax |
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I tossed mine or gave it away. Bulky inefficient design that does nothing for me. I don't have one, but if I did, I probably wouldn't dump a bunch of money into it, since there are so many better lights to be had, for less money than the mods would require. Chris |
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I don't have one, but if I did, I probably wouldn't dump a bunch of money into it, since there are so many better lights to be had, for less money than the mods would require. Chris Quoted:
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I tossed mine or gave it away. Bulky inefficient design that does nothing for me. I don't have one, but if I did, I probably wouldn't dump a bunch of money into it, since there are so many better lights to be had, for less money than the mods would require. Chris Depending on what you want, P2 style LED replacement elements can run from about $6 to about $25. Here's one source (no financial interest); there are others, of course:http://www.superbrightleds.com/cat/flashlight-bulbs/ |
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Depending on what you want, P2 style LED replacement elements can run from about $6 to about $25. Here's one source (no financial interest); there are others, of course:http://www.superbrightleds.com/cat/flashlight-bulbs/ My TerraLux Ministar5s for my 6D MLs are similar to those, for ~$16 ea. shipped and they do a decent job of replacing the OEM Krypton bulbs, but at 140LM, they're anemic compared to even the cheapest of AA LED lights, in terms of output. Now, with the bigger reflector and 6D cells, runtimes are greatly improved and that's why I switched over, instead of ditching them. They don't get used much, compared to some of my pocket lights, but they're there if I have to give one to a neighbor. For nostalgia purposes, I get it, but in practical terms, one can do better. Chris |
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My TerraLux Ministar5s for my 6D MLs are similar to those, for ~$16 ea. shipped and they do a decent job of replacing the OEM Krypton bulbs, but at 140LM, they're anemic compared to even the cheapest of AA LED lights, in terms of output. Now, with the bigger reflector and 6D cells, runtimes are greatly improved and that's why I switched over, instead of ditching them. They don't get used much, compared to some of my pocket lights, but they're there if I have to give one to a neighbor. For nostalgia purposes, I get it, but in practical terms, one can do better. Chris Quoted:
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Depending on what you want, P2 style LED replacement elements can run from about $6 to about $25. Here's one source (no financial interest); there are others, of course:http://www.superbrightleds.com/cat/flashlight-bulbs/ My TerraLux Ministar5s for my 6D MLs are similar to those, for ~$16 ea. shipped and they do a decent job of replacing the OEM Krypton bulbs, but at 140LM, they're anemic compared to even the cheapest of AA LED lights, in terms of output. Now, with the bigger reflector and 6D cells, runtimes are greatly improved and that's why I switched over, instead of ditching them. They don't get used much, compared to some of my pocket lights, but they're there if I have to give one to a neighbor. For nostalgia purposes, I get it, but in practical terms, one can do better. Chris It's not entirely nostalgia, though. There's the increased run-time, and the near-invulnerability to shock as well. I agree that more modern, smaller lights are available, but the old war-horses, if they are in good shape, and well-made to begin might be decent candidates for upgrading. YMMV. |
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Depending on what you want, P2 style LED replacement elements can run from about $6 to about $25. Here's one source (no financial interest); there are others, of course:http://www.superbrightleds.com/cat/flashlight-bulbs/ You guys have to remember that the basic design dates back to WW2 What rugged field-worthy flashlights were available back then. You all might as well be criticizing a 1940s era car for not having 2014 amenities. Not sure I'd dump even $25 into a field flashlight. I used to upgrade the bulb from what came as standard and leave it at that. The things got bashed around and lost in the field at a fast clip anyways. That's why I always had more than one of these lights kicking around to cannibalize for parts With noise and light discipline we really didn't WANT a super-bright flashlight in the 90s-era Army anyways. |
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I tossed mine or gave it away. Bulky inefficient design that does nothing for me. I bought one a long time ago at a surplus store. kept it in the car. it eventually broke. I was unimpressed with it. as flashlights go it was about as good as whatever else was available back then. Mag lights were just coming on the market. |
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I bought one a long time ago at a surplus store. kept it in the car. it eventually broke. I was unimpressed with it. as flashlights go it was about as good as whatever else was available back then. Mag lights were just coming on the market. Quoted:
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I tossed mine or gave it away. Bulky inefficient design that does nothing for me. I bought one a long time ago at a surplus store. kept it in the car. it eventually broke. I was unimpressed with it. as flashlights go it was about as good as whatever else was available back then. Mag lights were just coming on the market. Be aware that there are loads of knockoffs offered, especially at "surplus stores". While they look like the real thing they tend to be much more fragile. Mine have taken absurd abuse with little more than the clip breaking off it's rivets or the base ring being lost. |
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Electrolumens
using a Fulton Industries Anglehead flashlight, standard military issue, but modifed to use a Cree XPG LED, 210+ lumens. On 2 D alkaline batteries, runs 24 hours continuous to 50% of original brightness, and keeps on running for days at lower level brightness. A fantastic emergency preparedness light! Great for camping, or if you are in the military, this is a wonderful replacement of a stock Angle head flashlight, with a beam vastly superior, both in brightness and beam quality and run time, to the stock incandescent bulb. |
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AFAIK, all of the PR-2 LED conversion bulbs that will fit this flashlight without any modifications aren't dimmable - and that's not good.
Sometimes, brightness is more important than battery life - And sometimes, it isn't. IMO, best approach is to have two different conversion bulbs - One for max brightness, and the other for max run-time. Nite-Ize makes pretty decent examples of both types, for cheap. Swapping bulbs on these flashlights is pretty quick and easy. |
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AFAIK, all of the PR-2 LED conversion bulbs that will fit this flashlight without any modifications aren't dimmable - and that's not good. Sometimes, brightness is more important than battery life - And sometimes, it isn't. That's when you use the colored lens inserts |
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That's when you use the colored lens inserts Quoted:
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AFAIK, all of the PR-2 LED conversion bulbs that will fit this flashlight without any modifications aren't dimmable - and that's not good. Sometimes, brightness is more important than battery life - And sometimes, it isn't. That's when you use the colored lens inserts Skibane's comments are valid, as using colored inserts which only slightly diminish light output, or taped inserts which reduce emitted light to a small fraction of that emitted by the bulb/LRD element still run the bulb/led element at full power, and consume batts at full power. The GI light is NOT dimmable at the present time. As I said before, primary advantage of LED inserts for these lights is run time, and not being vulnerable to being dropped. Certainly not one's first concern, assuming one owns more modern lights, but something to consider/ upgrade as a third-tier use, or a possible hand-out to a neighbor in need. If, for some reason, you did not have access to your modern lights, an upgraded older light might be a lifesaver. Now, I have plenty of modern lights, but I upgraded the older lights as backups, and hand-outs; They work well, and have a LOT longer throw than the original IC bulb in the original light body. As good as modern lights? NO. But this is a bird in the hand, and a simple drop-in for mebbe $20 might be worth it. I even upgraded some aluminum Pilot's AA-batI lights with a threaded LED, and since they have a thumbed red lens, work surprisingly well. Indestructible. Some might say: "Well, I can't charge C or D cells to full capacity with my solar array.". IMHO, you might want to re-think your recharging capabilities. One never knows, and it is far better to have too much charging capacity than too little. |
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Still doesn't fix the craptastic switch issue. Quoted:
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Drop a LED bulb in, makes them far more useable. Still doesn't fix the craptastic switch issue. It could help some, if you're using a LED that draws a lot less current than the incandescent bulb it replaces. Less current = less voltage drop across the switch contacts, less contact wear, more voltage delivered to the LED |
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While never owning any I always like the idea of the angle head style...
I am pretty much a head lamp guy but am considering picking up one of these Energizer angle heads for use around the house and clipping on my pack... http://www.walmart.com/ip/Generic-TUFSW21EW-Energizer-Hardcase-Swivel-Light-100L/34580077 Would any one say that its better then the non angle head that cost half the price sitting on the store shelf next to it? |
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they were required but not issued. our shoppette at Camp Gruber, Ok still sells them, in OD and Desert tan Quoted:
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Issued? We had to buy ours  Why would you have to buy yours? they were required but not issued. our shoppette at Camp Gruber, Ok still sells them, in OD and Desert tan Same with us They were never issued |
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Looks like a plastic Zebralight clone - Not that that's a bad thing... |