[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Iraq flashlights (Page 1 of 2)
Posted: 11/24/2004 1:16:49 PM EDT
| I'm looking for a good flashlight to use in Iraq and since you all have helped me so much I want to know your opinion. I've gotten many mini-mag lights the problem is that the bulb brakes and it is hard to find new one's. Thanks for the help |
I don't own one but I have played with some of those new LED flashlighs and they seem pretty nice. no bulbs to break, very bright and I think they are more economical on the battery power. The ones I was looking at were Brownings and I thought they were decent. Not made in America however and at that I didn't buy one. Yet. Streamlight Stinger if you like rechargeable. Have 2 and love them but you will only get about 1 hour of burn time before you need to recharge again- Good luck. 
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I would recommend Surefire flashlights. They maybe a little on the expensive side, but they have some some anti-shock mounting on them, which helps to prevent broken bulbs. I would call them on their 800 number and talk to them about what your needs. All Surefires run on those little thumb-nail size DL123 batteries. Surefire is selling DL123 batteries for something like 12 for $15 which is a real good deal. Surefire Flashlight Co I would take a whole bunch of extra lamps for them, because they are very specialized and only available from Surefire. |
| Depends on what you are going to use it for and whether you have a ready source of batteries. The tactical lights have their place, but come with serious limitations for general use. I have mag lights, tactical lights, and LEDs. I rarely touch the mag lights now and carry both a tactical light and LED when out and about. The tactical light is small enough to not cause any problems getting in the way. The LED I use (Streamlight 4AA) is bright, durable, and has a long battery life (150+ hours). |
I have a small LED light and I like it the only thing is that when your trying to read the little mail youm get at night its hard to hold on to.
I use to have one and lost it some where the only problem is that the price of the 3v and being able to get them. |
| I've been using a Princeton Tec Aurora led headlamp for about 2 years. REI-Outlet had some cosmetic blemishes at the time $20; new they run about $30 Campmor. 3 led; l,m,h output and 2 flashing modes, tilt head. Works very well, and water resistant. Been using them during power outages, works well, low to no heat. bluish white light. The Petzyl reg. Tikka doesn't tilt. |
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We sent a couple dozen Pelican L1's to an MP co in Iraq. They sent me a letter back saying the lights worked great and the lanyard was especially handy. The L1 is pretty bright, waterproof, comes with colored (red and green) filters, is pretty sturdy, has a clip and lanyard included and has a decent battery life. About $12 apiece. 
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If its just for general purpose then Energizer makes a nice LED head lamp that you can pick up at Walmart for $13 and it even comes with 3 AAA batteries. At that price you could get 2 and a bunch of batteries for $40. Well worth it.  There are quite a few AR15.com members in our survival forum that have used these with no problems. EDITED to add: The lights swivel so it can be placed on top of something and aimed at what your working on. The lenses are focused and really put out a lot more light then you would expect from an LED. God bless you. I wish you a safe return from the sand box. 
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It's going to be an everyday use flashlight . Just something that is there when you need it. I'm sorry for not placeing what it would be used for. |
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I just bought several of these LED lights. You can get them at Walmart. They are very solidly built out of aluminum, use 3 AAA's, have only 1 LED but it is very bright and have a button switch on the rear. They are built more like a much more expensive light. I have 2 Streamlight Stingers and although I like them, battery life is terrible. But if you need a bright light, they can't be beat. http://www.garritylites.com/site/retail_details.php?recid=101 |
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streamlight-flashlights.com/led-twin-task.html A friend of mine who is a cop uses a light at the link above. I toyed around with it last year when hunting. It was nice being able to switch from high entensity/high battery drain to low drain/LED light... If I was only gonna have one light with me I think this would be it. My $.02 |
+1 Have a red L1 on my deuce gear. Haven't broken it yet. It's small durable and not hard on the wallet. Sure fires are great but at $17 a bulb and and $15 for 12 batteries that get you 6 hours of light. Good for a weapon, bad for personal task use, waste of/way too much light IMHO. |
Skibane: Thanks for putting this link up! Awesome site... The flash light I mentioned was reviewd there:www.flashlightreviews.com/reviews/streamlight_twintasks.htm Edit to add, I just purchased one online at: store.yahoo.com/dtdistributors/stbltw1li.html for $20.95 + shipping |
Where can you get them at? also can you get a red lense for them?
They look like a nice flashlight and the price is not that bad. Do you know if they have a red lense on them? |
| I've carried Surefires for a lot of years in a leo capacity. Get the bulb hot, then drop it and see what happens. Our agency just bought us a bunch of Pelican M6 LED lights, and I must say that they are the "cats ass" for tactical work. They are bright, but not so much as to totally fuck up your night vision, and they definately pass the drop test, trust me. The batteries last forever (Lithium) and they are bulletproof construction, like the Surefires. Surefire is way overpriced, and way overated. The good thing about surefire is that they made tactical lights, when nobody else did. It's a whole different era now. If you end up deciding on Surefire, be sure to take a ton of extra batteries and bulbs..........cause your gonna need em! |
Can't speak for the halogen, but the TwinTask has both LED and halogen... LED's don't break, and run a -long- time even on lithiums. They offer them in AAA, C, and D, if you don't want the lithium... If I only had one flashlight to put in my kit. This is it (and its going in my hunting kit). |
I don't know that one. Check the links... |
 Not sure what kind of light you're looking for. As a Helo guy space and weight is important. I took this headlamp over to Afghanistan last year. It worked flawlessly. The unit got issued a different brand and most of the guys took that over. Upon our return the issued head lamps were rounded up and returned back to REI. They were junk... The supply guys asked me what kind I took over and ordered the Petzl. Good luck and tell us what you end up getting, Dg84 |
Petzl was one of a handful of companies (along with Leatherman) that publically stated their support for John Kerry's Presidential bid. You might want to look elsewhere for a decent LED light, especially since there are plenty of other excellent brands on the market. |
My head spins when I try to remember all the companies I'm not supposed to support. Fuck it, they make a good product. I hope they sleep tight knowing that John Kerry lost and their stuff is used to win the war on terrorism. "Fuck the bozo's!" 
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There's a company out there that makes a magnetic "shake to charge" flashlight with an LED bulb... kind of like the old "pump" flashlights, but, with an LED, it'll hold a charge for a few minutes. 90 seconds of shake for 5 minutes light... I'll try to find some info. I know Major Surplus had 'em. Edited to add - quick Google said they're called the "Diamond Gen IV"... and supposedly 90 secs of shake gives you 2 hours of LED. About $25.00, and a variety of colors. The 90 sec shake for 20 mins light was the "gen III"... |
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Surefires, in addition to being overpriced, are in my opinion TOO bright for everyday general use, although they really shine {har} in tactical and other special uses. For instance, darker spots under the hood or dash are easily illuminated in daylight where an ordinary flashlight would be ineffective. At night, though, the same light causes such glare that for these same two uses, I switch to a double-D cell mag light or mini-mag. If you're getting a Surefire I'd recommend the 6p tactical, with lanyard and the rubber bushing that lets you use it one-handed much more easily. Also some of the newer models seem to have plastic or very light-weight metal cases, asnd seem too flimsy. I didn't like LED flashlights at first, then I got to liking them. Some are hard to hold, with not enough knurling or other gripable surface. |
| I’m in Iraq right now (Camp Victory, Baghdad). The PXs here stock MiniMag bulbs. They also carry LED Lenser and Inova lights and all the chi-chi Li batteries and such. If you’re concerned with downstream sustainability, you might want to go with what’s available here. |
JUNK! i have a "mini" version and it's not much light. my favorite LED lights follow: ARC "AAA" same size as a MagLight Solitare, runs on one AAA, aluminum body, twist bezel... great light for the keychain. about $20 CMG/Gerber Infinity Plus, runs on one AA and gives good light for reaadimg maps or directions, or small stuff up close. aluminum body, twist the bezel to turn it on/off. small enough to wear around your neck. more light than the ARC. about $20 "Streamlight 4AA" with 7 white LEDs. bright yellow body that simply says "Streamlight 4AA", has click on/off tail cap but not as nice as Surefire. lots of light for use around the house or in the truck, but not as bright as a surfire. about $30. i've gotta get several of these to upgrade some lights around the house and vehicles. Petzl Tikka, 3 blue-white LEDs, runs on 3 AAAs, green or red filters available. about $30. great headlamp, but newer models are coming out from many vendor. Wal-Mart has a headlamp by Energizer with 2 white LEDs and one red LED, runs on 3 AAAs, cheaper copy of the Tikka, only about $12. good LED headlamp on a budget. Wal-MArt has a |
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Gerber Infinity Ultra LED lights are great for general purpose illumination. About as bright as a Mini-Maglite 2 AA light. Runs on 1 AA cell, so no problems getting batteries, and has a _very_ long battery life. No bulb to die if you drop the light. I carry a red LED one on my LBE, and a white one in a pocket. A Caplugs EC-12 connector cap (smaller version of the dust cap for the M16's muzzle) with a small 1/8" or so hole in the center makes a good beam reducer, for digging stuff out of your pack or reading without waking up your neighbors. There's also an infrared LED version, but they're hard to find. It was part of the older CMG Infinity line, which wasn't as bright as the Infinity Ultra model; after CMG developed that the rights were bought by Gerber, so if it's marked Gerber it's definitely one of the Ultras. Wholesale Hunter has the white LED version for $13. REI and so forth want about $20 for them. |
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Go with a combination LED and halogen light. The led's last forever, and they don't run the battery down The halogen is bright, but drains the battery fast. plus, if the halogen burns out, you still have your led's The led's are about as bright as a standard flashlight. The one I have is called "twin task" (I think) Been reliable, and well built. Go to BotachTactical.com good prices, and decent service. 123 batteries are about $1.00 each |
The light BillofRights mentions above is the same light I was talking about... But If you want to spend a lot more try this one htttp://www.flashlightreviews.com/reviews/surefire_a2.htm Its the one I would have gotten if money hadn't been an issue... you can also get it in various led colors. |
| Last night I went to the mini PX here on Victory South to check. In addition to the lights I already mentioned, they also have two of the smaller Pelicans. IIRC, one was a double AA and the other was a single AAA. If you're coming in through Camp Doha, the PX there is likely to have the same stock. |
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I ordered one of these just last night, after spending several hours doing product research. I never did find a bad review of it (other than one that said it was too bright for reading). Inova X5 |
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I use several Surefires over here. G2/6P on pistol belt and a M3 Millinium on the M4. On the body armor and shaving kit are a Mini-Maglites. Each PX I have seen all carry Surefire G2s or LED models. Surefire 123 are avaible there also. Another very useful light is one of those small LED lights (Nova type) and clip it to the top button of your DCUs. Good luck. CD |
Camp Doha sound like I'v been there. I know I'v been to a lot of camps my last past two deploments but where is yours at? |
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First off, don't get a mini-mag. They break. The standard mag lights are great, very durable, but they are heavy as hell. I always kept one in my HMMWV. I would get a combo LED and halogen they are selling now. You have LED longevity for everyday use, but if you need to shine something very bright, you have that ability too. Also, get one of those really small, squeeze single bulb LEDs and put it on your dog tag chain. You can put it in your mouth and use your hands when digging through your ruck. Get it in red or blue. Oh, and for your next thread, get a G-shock. There is NO other watch to deploy with. |
Is the red lense for reading maps without giving away your position? If this is the reason for the red filter, an alternative would be the Surefire L1 Lumamax. The low setting is the perfect brightness for reading maps in a car. |
Sorry about the spelling before!! What type of batteries do they run off? Also for how long? |
It uses a single 123A lithium battery, and gets approx. 2.5 hrs run time on the high setting, and it will run for days on the low setting. AR15fan recommended the A2 Aviator, which might be a better choice than the L1 Lumamax, because it has an incandescant lamp for longer "throw", and three 5mm led's built into the reflector, which can be had in white, red, blue, or green, and are perfect for reading maps. The A2 Aviator will be about $20-$50 more than the L1, depending on where you buy. I would email Brightflashlights for prices, he seems to have a lot of fans around here. |
From my experience with those things, blue is by far the brightest of them. |
First off it is not a bright you might think it is from close but far way its hard to see. Also red, blue, green save your night vision something I think we all know . Last it's only with the blue but I know the Helios and fixed wings have a harder time spotting blue lights I know it's true for chem lights. |
 That little knurled light pictured above kicks any SureFire LED's ass I own or have seen to date. Want one? It's a limited edition custom built run. Pricey but if you're going to use it for work, it's the way to go. www.candlepowerforums.com/ubbthreads/showflat.php?Cat=&Number=765020&page=0&view=collapsed&sb=5&o=&fpart=1&vc=1 |