Basic Preparations #3 - Flashlights

[Paladine71]

I think that all of us can agree that flashlights are an essential preparation since flat tires, break downs and emergencies can and do happen at night.

Post up your choices for flashlights and mounts in your rig... :corn:

I have three flashlights in my rig, I believe in redundancy. I may even have a few more light sources if I look.

All three are LEDs, which produce bright light with low power usage.

The one on the left charges off of 12 volts and lights on the end like a regular flashlight, and from the front as a work light. It comes with a hook on the back to hang it as needed and is mounted beside my axe with durable Velcro.

The light in the middle uses regular batteries but has a more focused and brighter beam for distance. I carry this one in my rear door with my jack.

And then, my backup light is on the right. It is charged by winding the charging handle on the back. It never needs batteries or an external electrical source to charge it. After about a minute of winding, it will give you light for around 15 - 30 minutes depending on how many LEDs you use. This one is tucked into one of my Smittybilt G.E.A.R. pouches.

 

[3Hummers]

I have more flashlights than I can count. I have 7-8 Surefires, several of the Faradays, 4-5 headlamps from 35 lumen up to 200 lumen and several flashlights whose brands I can't remember here at work up to 300 lumens. None mounted in the trucks, just in storage backs and several in my go bag, along with lots of spare batteries.

 

[Bigunit]

I collect flashlights and have too many to mention here but my all-time favorite, go-to bug-out bag light is the Life-Gear 400 lumen 3 C cell flashlight. Here is the latest version for a great price (I have a few of these & lots of batteries):
http://www.costco.com/Browse/Produc...=6&Ntx=mode+matchallpartial&Nty=1&topnav=&s=1

In addition, I picked these lights up because they are bright and clip on to just about anything, swivil, move up & down & are really practical:
http://www.costco.com/Browse/Produc...=4&Ntx=mode+matchallpartial&Nty=1&topnav=&s=1

 

[Nacho]

I collect flashlights and have too many to mention here but my all-time favorite, go-to bug-out bag light is the Life-Gear 400 lumen 3 C cell flashlight. Here is the latest version for a great price (I have a few of these & lots of batteries):
http://www.costco.com/Browse/Produc...=6&Ntx=mode+matchallpartial&Nty=1&topnav=&s=1

I have the life+gear flashlight also. I'm very impressed with it.

 

[abearden]

I had a Fenix LD-10. It was a great little light, but it has since malfunctioned. Still need to call them about that.

I've got a couple of 3 D-cell maglights and cheapy LED lights around at the moment. Want to get LED bulbs for the mags.

 

[Kurt]

I got a bunch of surefires, with the urethane bodies. They are pretty pricey to loose, so I got a few "throwaways" that I keep in the truck and around the house.

I went to costco and they have a 3 pack aluminum black LED pack that has identical lights, with a 3 aaa battery cartridge for power and they were around 80 Lumens each. The kit was $25, much cheaper than the surefires and they do a decent job, I have one in each door pocket of my truck and a few at home at that price. I keep the surefires for myself for hiking and such.

 

[alrock]

I got the Fenix PD10 and have found it almost too small to use. I did have a large 5 cell Mag Light but with the LED lights out now that became a relic. Also using an off-brand Streamlight style clone that's worked very well for me. I think I actually have about 5 LED flashlights in the truck. :emb:

 

[deserth3]

Like everyone else I have an abundance of flashlites. But recently I've become a fan of the Maglite XL50. Had a power outage last winter. Put it on low as a night light. next morning it was still going strong. It takes 3 AAA batteries.
There is also the XL100 which I don't like as well and the XK200 which I haven't tried yet.
The XL100 has more complicated features which I never seem to remember when I go to use it. And I have to look at the back of the light to see what I'm adjusting.
[video=youtube;zzSUc5wb6F8]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zzSUc5wb6F8&lr=1[/video]

 

[Flash]

Flashlights to me, are a very important tool. In keeping with my theme of versatility and multi-use, my flashlights typically serve more than one role. On my key ring is a mag-Lite 2AA LED. It is with me 24-7 and it has the benefit of being a lead filled aircraft aluminum pipe the same dimensions as a Kuboton - and of course legal to carry - even on airplanes. I keep a 5C cell mag-lite by the bed - which sevres as both emergency lighting and an 15" lead filled machined aircraft alluminum pipe - should I ever need one. My tool bag has a pair of Stanley LED tri-leg work lights where the batteries are housed in the legs and the head swivels direction. I have a small one (3 battery - one AA in each leg) and a larger 9 battery (3 AA in each leg). Best protable work lights I've found for small spaces like under a kitchen sink or cramped in a wheel well.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Takayuki_Kubota

http://www.stanleytools.com/default...c=Stanley%AE+Tripod+Flashlight+%96+High+Power

eta: one thing about the 2AA mag-lite is its ability to convert into a candle. The head unscrews and serves as a base for the main body to sit in while the bare bulb is illuminated like a candle flame. Pretty ingenious for some camping applications or when at a concert and you don't want to burn your fingers with a bic :thumbs:

 

[MuDnYrI]

Same here ... Lot's O' Lights but my 2 favorites are:
The Torch from WICKED LASERS with an unreal 4100 lumens!! :whaa:
Completly overkill and extremely short battery life but it's strong enough to make scrambled eggs, toast and start a fire!
Also very costly but I need it for work so I paid up!
[video=youtube_share;TsV3-IvS8UA]http://youtu.be/TsV3-IvS8UA[/video]
My 2nd fav is my LUMAFORCE LF1 TACTICAL
520 Lumens W/ DISORIENTATING STROBE
Also can be used as a weapon with it's self defence bezel
Much more realistic for a bug out bag
http://www.lumaforce.com/520luxml5mob.html

 

[MaxPF]

I carry a couple LED flashlights, but I also keep a supply of road flares in my truck. I like having a light source that doesn't need batteries, and can double as warning beacons and fire starters if needed. Cyalumes are also a good no-batteries light source, but I worry about their "shelf-life" in a vehicle during hot AZ summers, so I don't usually carry any with me.

 

[JGBB04]

I had posted this in my build thread but I've been using 5.11 Tactical's flash lights for a couple of years now & love them. I started w/ the large 1 as a replacement for my Maglight & Streamlight ultra stinger as my primary duty light, it's about the same size as a Maglight but alot lighter. Then added the small one which replaced a Surefire 8nx as my duty belt back up light. They both have multi function settings, bright, dim & strobe which you can get in 3 different options. They use a capacitor instead of a battery so recharge time is about 1.5 minutes & don't build a memory but don't hold a charge as long as batteries. I still use the others as spares along w/ several smaller lights from Streamlight & Surefire. I just got an email from them that has the small yellow version on sale for $42.50 which is about $100 off.
http://www.511tactical.com/All-Products/Closeouts/Light-For-Life-Flashlight-PC3300.html

 

[abearden]

Any suggestions for a single-AA LED-bulb light? Preferably with 80+ lumen high and 40+ hour on low. I liked my LD-10, but apparently in order to have it serviced I have to ship it back to China. Forget that.

 

[Bigunit]

Any suggestions for a single-AA LED-bulb light? Preferably with 80+ lumen high and 40+ hour on low. I liked my LD-10, but apparently in order to have it serviced I have to ship it back to China. Forget that.

This is the best single-AA light that I have.

[video=youtube;daFqQjRYgMs]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=daFqQjRYgMs[/video]

 

[HUMMER INVESTMENTS]

I collect flashlights and have too many to mention here but my all-time favorite, go-to bug-out bag light is the Life-Gear 400 lumen 3 C cell flashlight. Here is the latest version for a great price (I have a few of these & lots of batteries):
http://www.costco.com/Browse/Produc...=6&Ntx=mode+matchallpartial&Nty=1&topnav=&s=1

In addition, I picked these lights up because they are bright and clip on to just about anything, swivil, move up & down & are really practical:
http://www.costco.com/Browse/Produc...=4&Ntx=mode+matchallpartial&Nty=1&topnav=&s=1

That Hummer Flashlight should do you well then! I'll call first dibs on that set if you ever sell it

 

[Bigunit]

You bet Olan. I will save the HUMMER maglight for you!

 

[DJinCO]

I have been using MagLites for about 35 years. What I have found is that for some odd reason the batteries corrode and mess up the lights. I think I have 4 or 5 that have been corroded up and I am just putting off sending them back to Duracell. Of course I don't really know what battery is in there, thus my reason for not sending them in yet.

I really like my Surefire lights. The can eat up those 123 batteries.

 

[cgalpha08]

I just picked up the maglite led xl200. It puts out 172 lumens. What i really like about it is that its really small, and has 5 functions, including an sos feature that does morse code.

The only downside i can see right now is that it will only last about 2.5 hours with max brightness on. But if you put it on the low setting it jumps to about 5 hours.

Ive only had the flashlight for a day so i cannot give much of a review other than initial findings and impressions.

Sent from my DROID BIONIC using Tapatalk 2

 

[justin94tt]

Hate to say that I bought a Chinese made flashlight from ebay, but I did. After seeing a guy at work with one I considered it being worth the $17 shipped from China. It is constructed of aluminum, and uses a rechargable battery, that is charged either with a wall charger or car charger. It uses a Cree LED bulb. The ebay link states 500 lumens but when he received the flashlight it states that it is 1000 lumens? It also comes with an extra spare battery. The flashlight has three modes High power, Low power, and strobe.

 

[tomp]

I just picked up a programmable Streamlight Protac HL LED with 600 Lumens for $70. I have the Streamlight Stinger XT mounted in a 12V charging cradle inside my H2, with 200 Lumen LED conversion.

If you use Litium batteries, you wont have to worry about battery leakage ruining your flashlights, especially with the high and low temps from the interior of out vehicles.

 

[nitrousvert]

The Mag-lite XL50 is a pretty good light for the money, but I just picked up a Klarus XT11 that put it to shame. 600 lumens on Lithiums for $80. :thumbs:

Promptly blinded myself with the strobe reflection off my desk... :whaa:

 

[alrock]

That Klarus is a nice looking light.

 

[Portager]

I got tired of not being able to find a flash light, or having dead batteries, or the light stops working just when I needed it or I dropped the light into the water and it stops working. So I decided to get high quality rechargeable water proof LED lights.

About 6 years ago I bought two Pelican 2460 LED flash lights :link:. The 2460 has ANSI/NEMA FL 1 ratings of: light output 116 Lumens, run time 4.5 hours, beam distance 153 meters and it is submersible to 500 ft so it can double as a dive light. It used 4 AA NiMH batteries and comes with a charging cradle and a 110 Volt transformer or it can be connected directly to 12 Volt vehicle power. There is also a lanyard.

I mounted the charger cradles in handy locations so as long as I remember to return them to the cradle I know where to find them and they are always fully charged. I just need to buy additional cradles and mount a couple in the truck.

Another consideration is battery type. Everyone these days seems to think they have to Lithium Ion (Li-ion) batteries, but the best choice varies by application. Here is a very useful reference on battery technology :link:. Li-ion and Lithium polymer provide the highest Gravimetric Energy Density(Wh/kg), but they aren’t the winners on cost per cycle or operating temperature range. Li-ion are rated for an operating temperature range of -20C to +60C which is only -4F to 140F. NiCd have an operating temperature range of -40C to +60C or -40F to +140F.

 

[MaxPF]

I agree with the suggestion that lithium based batteries may not always be the best suited to a given application. One significant disadvantage is lifetime - lithium rechargables begin dying from the day they are manufactured, and whether used or not they are generally at end-of-life after 3 years or so. By contrast, I have NiMH batteries for my Yaesu handheld radios that are probably over 5 years old and still have most of their original capacity.

For storage in a vehicle here in AZ, either lithium primary (non-rechargeable) or NiCd are probably best suited to summer in-vehicle temps. I know from experience that Li-ion and NiMH batteries do not like the heat. Alkalines work fine until they decide to leak and ruin your flashlight I've had good luck with my SureFire loaded with 3V 123A lithium primary cells. although they do degrade with heat, they seem to last for a couple years and don't spring leaks like alkalines do. NiCd are rugged, reliable, and heat tolerant, but they self discharge rapidly at higher temps and have lower capacity than NiMH, Li-ion, or primary cells, so they aren't really very useful IMO unless ruggedness is the main criteria.