User Panel
Check out Coast lights.... decent price and well made
http://www.coastportland.com/hp21-led-flashlight.htm |
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As far as non-boutique lights are concerned, I've owned and used a bunch, and Surefire and Lenslight are the only two brands that I've ever been 100% satisfied with.
When you're talking lumen ratings, a lot of time, XXX lumens isn't actually XXX lumens. What I mean is that many flashlight manufacturers are, shall we say, overzealous when it comes to rating their light output. Surefire and Lenslight are NOT among them, however. They're the most consistently robust and bright lights I've ever owned, hands down. Either will cost you, but you get what you pay for. I have been using SF lights for more than 10 years, and I still own and use five of the six lights I've purchased (I'd still have the sixth if I hadn't gifted it to someone). Dropped, kicked, soaked, mounted on guns, used to open beer bottles, smashed things with, rattling around loose in tool boxes and gear bags... ZERO issues with any of my SF products, period. Ok, I did snap one of the ears off of the battery trapdoor on my X300 because I'm an idiot, but the light still worked, and SF had a free replacement door out to me in two or three days. THAT is some service. The Lenslight I've only had for a year or so, but it's my current carry light. Longest I've carried a non-SF light. Fantastic piece of kit. Stupid bright. And it's got adjustable focus with a hot center and plenty of spill. Also, the hot center is square, which is cool because you can use that to ID stuff - "Look at the upper left hand corner, etc..." I have owned probably another 20-30 lights from a variety of vendors during this time, and none of them ended up fitting the bill. Some are no longer with me, and mostly the rest just gather dust. I always go back to my Surefires. |
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Quoted:
As far as non-boutique lights are concerned, I've owned and used a bunch, and Surefire and Lenslight are the only two brands that I've ever been 100% satisfied with. When you're talking lumen ratings, a lot of time, XXX lumens isn't actually XXX lumens. What I mean is that many flashlight manufacturers are, shall we say, overzealous when it comes to rating their light output. Surefire and Lenslight are NOT among them, however. They're the most consistently robust and bright lights I've ever owned, hands down. Either will cost you, but you get what you pay for. I have been using SF lights for more than 10 years, and I still own and use five of the six lights I've purchased (I'd still have the sixth if I hadn't gifted it to someone). Dropped, kicked, soaked, mounted on guns, used to open beer bottles, smashed things with, rattling around loose in tool boxes and gear bags... ZERO issues with any of my SF products, period. Ok, I did snap one of the ears off of the battery trapdoor on my X300 because I'm an idiot, but the light still worked, and SF had a free replacement door out to me in two or three days. THAT is some service. The Lenslight I've only had for a year or so, but it's my current carry light. Longest I've carried a non-SF light. Fantastic piece of kit. Stupid bright. And it's got adjustable focus with a hot center and plenty of spill. Also, the hot center is square, which is cool because you can use that to ID stuff - "Look at the upper left hand corner, etc..." I have owned probably another 20-30 lights from a variety of vendors during this time, and none of them ended up fitting the bill. Some are no longer with me, and mostly the rest just gather dust. I always go back to my Surefires. SF was one of the companies that was dramatically OVER RATED their lights for YEARS. several weeks worth of reading on it over at CPF. |
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Most of the quality lights recommended in this thread are ANSI rated so the numbers they quote are spot on. Klarus, Fenix, Foursevens, Jetbeam, and Nitecore are all ANSI rated.
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Really? Maybe on opposite day...
http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?316245-Surefire-Overview http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?218991-which-manufacturers-overrate-their-lumens http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?346045-Seriously-does-anyone-know-how-much-Surefire-underrates-their-lights-outputs I'll also judge by what my calibrated eyeballs tell me. Given fresh batteries, and taking my existing similar lights of comparable quoted lumen values, my SF lights are brighter. Quoted:
SF was one of the companies that was dramatically OVER RATED their lights for YEARS. several weeks worth of reading on it over at CPF. |
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http://www.fenixlight.com/viewproduct.asp?id=171 Fenix TK35. I have one. It's a great light. 860 lumens max. The 860 compares with a high beam headlight. This is my recommendation also. I own one too. The TK35 is pretty amazing for $100. |
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trustfire Cree c8 1000 lumen, best $20 you'll ever spend in flashlights. thank me later lol 20 bucks. hhaha I'll check it out. I lost my Streamlight flashlight so I just ordered one of these and a 4 pack of rechargeable batteries for $30 shipped. |
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I'm partial to Fenix and JETbeam products.
Better that the cheaper junk, not as expensive as the high-end stuff. I have some Fenix TK22 and TK41 lights ... BEAUTIFUL. On the JETBeam side I have Jet-III and RRT01 lights. |
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The Fenix tk41 looks like the best bang for your buck deal. They're nice and big - run on a 8 AA batteries forever. |
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Quoted:
Really? Maybe on opposite day... http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?316245-Surefire-Overview http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?218991-which-manufacturers-overrate-their-lumens http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?346045-Seriously-does-anyone-know-how-much-Surefire-underrates-their-lights-outputs I'll also judge by what my calibrated eyeballs tell me. Given fresh batteries, and taking my existing similar lights of comparable quoted lumen values, my SF lights are brighter. Quoted:
SF was one of the companies that was dramatically OVER RATED their lights for YEARS. several weeks worth of reading on it over at CPF. It still does change the fact that if you want a light with options, Surefire is a joke. Their new line of two mode lights were designed by idiots. Any fool who makes a tactical light that must turn on in low first deserves to have his nuts smashed with a hammer. Why not make it like the better lights and have the capability to turn on in either high or low? Most cheap Fenix lights can do that simple task. |
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OSTagging, cause this is relevant to my current situation of needing more lights
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My latest choice is an MT26 from Nitecore. I wanted something with good throw and spill that could use CR123A primaries or 18650 rechargeables. I have been very impressed so far after using the light for ~3 months.
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I picked up 12 packs of 14 AAA Duracell batteries tonight on clearance at Marshall's for $5 each.
What are the best AAA options out there, single or double cell? I love the bigger lights, but it helps to be able to throw some smaller lights in pockets. I know there is the Fenix LD01. |
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i would honestly recommend more than one light.
BRIGHT light for area work or distance. Low light <10-50lm> for close work and tasks. in a dark area 10lm is actually a good bit of light for most general tasks, and those lights run forever on a battery. i am VERY happy with my streamlight strion. VERY bright for it's size and i have yet to find it's not enough light for most tasks on duty. it also has a nice low power mode for close up work. |
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i have this light and it resides in my ATV pack and gets the crap beat out of it, its still ticking, cheap, very bright, and it throws like a monster
being a flashlight nerd for $30 it's hard to beat this light and their terralux's lifetime warranty http://www.batteryjunction.com/terralux-tlf-3002aa-bk.html |
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Why not another Fury? I just picked up a EB1 that is also really nice. Would like to have more battery life and at least 1000 lumens. Does not compute. |
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trustfire Cree c8 1000 lumen, best $20 you'll ever spend in flashlights. thank me later lol 20 bucks. hhaha I'll check it out. I lost my Streamlight flashlight so I just ordered one of these and a 4 pack of rechargeable batteries for $30 shipped. I bought one and the 2 pack with the charger, carry it everyday in carhartt pocket, 3 brightness settings, low, medium and "shit that's bright"! has a strobe "dazzle" setting and an sos. it's not surefire quality, it's $15! it does have o rings but I wouldn't count on the water proofing. it works, bright as hell and can use the rechargeable bats or 2 cr 123s. can't be beat for the $. buy 2! |
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Are you not American?
I wonder because we call flashlights, flashlights and not torches! |
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I picked up 12 packs of 14 AAA Duracell batteries tonight on clearance at Marshall's for $5 each. What are the best AAA options out there, single or double cell? I love the bigger lights, but it helps to be able to throw some smaller lights in pockets. I know there is the Fenix LD01. 4sevens preon clicky. Pretty cool little light! Preon 2 for two cell. |
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For general purpose work/camping/around the house flashlights I use the Ryobi tek4 rp4450 model
they are very very very bright extremely rugged,less expensive than a tac light and run on a rechargable liIon battery. I keep and extra battery from my ryobi hearing protector/headphones in the truck but I rarlely have to change it out in a full day -- if I forget to charge it usually at the end of a 2nd day it will start to run out of juice. they take beating, are fully waterproof/dustproof and impact resistant. run about $40 but you will never have to buy batteries for it unless you want a spare..... I have surefires also but I keep them for thier intended purposes. these are like a g-shock of flashlights. IF you buy the light lantern combo pack you get the AAA battery adapter that allows these and the lantern to run on AAA's if you need to. Ryobi states these are 220 lumen and from what I can see that is accurate. My only bitch with these is that they did not include a lanyard loop/hole somewhere on the body of the light. I eneded up taking some para cord and duct tape to my work one so when I am looking down a 4in riser I dont drop the light down and loose it and if I do I can hook and retreive it. |
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I picked up 12 packs of 14 AAA Duracell batteries tonight on clearance at Marshall's for $5 each. What are the best AAA options out there, single or double cell? I love the bigger lights, but it helps to be able to throw some smaller lights in pockets. I know there is the Fenix LD01. 4sevens preon clicky. Pretty cool little light! Preon 2 for two cell. Any other suggestions? |
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Quoted:
I picked up 12 packs of 14 AAA Duracell batteries tonight on clearance at Marshall's for $5 each. What are the best AAA options out there, single or double cell? I love the bigger lights, but it helps to be able to throw some smaller lights in pockets. I know there is the Fenix LD01. 4sevens preon clicky. Pretty cool little light! Preon 2 for two cell. Any other suggestions? They don't make the Preon revo I have on my keychain any more. Fenix, Klarus, and 4sevens all have nice single AAA options. I haven't looked at the 2AAA options in awhile. |
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Any Surefire. I think my E2D is 120 lumens. Love it. My wife's key chain light puts out 180 lumens..... |
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I picked up a 6D cell 200 lumen Cree security flashlight at Autozone of all places for $35
Not sure about battery life yet, but it seems much brighter than I expected |
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i have this light and it resides in my ATV pack and gets the crap beat out of it, its still ticking, cheap, very bright, and it throws like a monster being a flashlight nerd for $30 it's hard to beat this light and their terralux's lifetime warranty http://www.batteryjunction.com/terralux-tlf-3002aa-bk.html x2 Has high and low beam also. I prefer the 220 over the 300. |
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Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: What you said about the CR 123 type lights not dying till the end have me confused, cause the Sufire Fury I have dims after 1 hour then stays on for another hour then dies.You can not go wrong with Fenix. What type of a battery do you want to use? AAA, AA, CR123 CR 123 will give you the best battery life and the best performance (It doesn't go dimmer as the battery runs down ...it stays bright right up to the end and then flickers before dying) but they are a bit more expensive. Then pick your lumens. Go a minimum of 200 with a two or three way dimming option on the light. You do not need full power all the time and at the lowest power the batteries can last a long time. The type of battery that you have in your flashlight is one of the most important factors to consider for many different reasons. If your life may be dependent on whether or not your flash light works then you should strongly consider a flashlight that uses lithium CR123 batteries. The life of one of these batteries in a high lumen flashlight may be double that of a standard alkaline AA battery. A CR123 Lithium will also provide virtually full power/lumen right up to the point that the battery dies .......versus an Alkaline AA becoming dimmer and dimmer over the last so many hours that the battery dies. The only downside to CR123 batteries is that they are not available for sell everywhere that other batteries are sold......but you should buy your batteries over the net anyway to get your best price. UM, wat? totally not the case. you should really do more reading before posting old info. how the the light works depends on the circuitry inside it. some lights are "direct drive" and NO MATTER which type cell it uses it will diminish in brightness as the batteries get weaker. then there are "regulated circuits" these lights will keep a constant level of brightness until the battery hits the lowest voltage the circuitry is designed to work at. 123A's provide no more or less light in a regulated light than a AA battery. OP if you really want light output look into 18650 powered lights. be warned, in order to get higher output and longer battery life you will have to have a flashlight that is pretty big. high output comes with the cost of shorter run times. the key is to find where they equal out in light output, size, and battery life. Thanks for the info and I am not worried about the size of the flashlight. |
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Quoted: make sure to get a $5 UV flashlight from dealextreme so you can check your boots for scorpions at night Good idea. |
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Quoted: Most of the quality lights recommended in this thread are ANSI rated so the numbers they quote are spot on. Klarus, Fenix, Foursevens, Jetbeam, and Nitecore are all ANSI rated. ANSI???? |
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Quoted: You said high lumen, how bout 2200 for 90 minutes or 700 for 9 hours? http://i468.photobucket.com/albums/rr45/_matt_arf/image_zpse0735b10.jpg http://i468.photobucket.com/albums/rr45/_matt_arf/image_zpsa07f7616.jpg Is that the SR22? Id like to stay under 300 bucks, but that is a nice flashlight with a wide spill.
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Quoted: My latest choice is an MT26 from Nitecore. I wanted something with good throw and spill that could use CR123A primaries or 18650 rechargeables. I have been very impressed so far after using the light for ~3 months. That is a nice flashlight and I will look into it. |
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Quoted: i would honestly recommend more than one light. BRIGHT light for area work or distance. Low light <10-50lm> for close work and tasks. in a dark area 10lm is actually a good bit of light for most general tasks, and those lights run forever on a battery. i am VERY happy with my streamlight strion. VERY bright for it's size and i have yet to find it's not enough light for most tasks on duty. it also has a nice low power mode for close up work. Good recommendation as I already have low lumen flashlights, but now need a torch or 800+ with good battery life. |
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Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Why not another Fury? I just picked up a EB1 that is also really nice. Would like to have more battery life and at least 1000 lumens. Does not compute. The Fenix TK70 has a 930 lumen mode that runs for 4 hours, so that is pretty gtg imo. |
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OK I will go counter to the crowd and tell you what I did.
I have surefire, fenix, browning, cabelas and several other makers of lights. I bought a light at Walmart in a pinch once and have been *extremely* impressed. It's a coleman LED light, there are three models, and 150, 250 and now 500 lumen model. They are black carbonate bodied and the 250 and 500 are aluminum. these are the bigger lights that look like the old D Cell maglights. They are very light though for their size since they are plastic they run on 6xAA batteries, so I can buy them at any gas station in america. They are extremely bright, well focused, and frankly I have beat the ever living hell out of these things. beat them to death. and none of them have failed. I backed over one of the plastic ones and it's still good to go. The battery life on them is amazing, the 150 has something like a 15-18 hour runtime, the 250 is 8 hour and the new 500 is 8 hour I think. Take that for a strong light, and then I use a Petzl Tikka or Tikka Tactical for my headlamp. 3xAAA batteries and a 150 hour burn time. Most of them I lose before the batteries run out .Great head lamps. |
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I bought one of those surefire knock off bodies that take two of the batteries used in laptop battery packs and got a high output incandescent bulb for it. You can only run it for a few minutes at a time but it will char paper from an inch away. A cool thing to do with it is point it at your hand and turn it on for a second until your hand burns a little then when you turn it off you touch the glass bezel it's still cold.
I mount it on my AR for HD because it will blind the shit out of anyone. |
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I currently carry a Fenix PD30R2 on duty. It's wicked bright and perfect for pissing off inmates who are too lazy to stand up for count. I love it!!! I don't think Fenix makes it anymore but if I were to choose a replacement, I'd go with the PD32
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Malkoff
I don't have this one but I do have a couple of his MagLite drop-ins. If I were in the market for a high lumen light, this would be it. |
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Quoted: OK I will go counter to the crowd and tell you what I did. I have surefire, fenix, browning, cabelas and several other makers of lights. I bought a light at Walmart in a pinch once and have been *extremely* impressed. It's a coleman LED light, there are three models, and 150, 250 and now 500 lumen model. They are black carbonate bodied and the 250 and 500 are aluminum. these are the bigger lights that look like the old D Cell maglights. They are very light though for their size since they are plastic they run on 6xAA batteries, so I can buy them at any gas station in america. They are extremely bright, well focused, and frankly I have beat the ever living hell out of these things. beat them to death. and none of them have failed. I backed over one of the plastic ones and it's still good to go. The battery life on them is amazing, the 150 has something like a 15-18 hour runtime, the 250 is 8 hour and the new 500 is 8 hour I think. Take that for a strong light, and then I use a Petzl Tikka or Tikka Tactical for my headlamp. 3xAAA batteries and a 150 hour burn time. Most of them I lose before the batteries run out .Great head lamps. Interesting. thanks
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Quoted: I bought one of those surefire knock off bodies that take two of the batteries used in laptop battery packs and got a high output incandescent bulb for it. You can only run it for a few minutes at a time but it will char paper from an inch away. A cool thing to do with it is point it at your hand and turn it on for a second until your hand burns a little then when you turn it off you touch the glass bezel it's still cold. I mount it on my AR for HD because it will blind the shit out of anyone. It's okay I understand your need to joke around. lol Also you could use that light you made to give people tans on a lower setting and make some dough.
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(Camping + desert) * needing a light = Kerosene lantern. Yup. I got a Dietz "Jupiter" lantern from Lehman's and I love it! A good lantern is definitely worth having. I'll buy a couple more for my SHTF stash. |
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Quoted: I have a battery LanternQuoted: (Camping + desert) * needing a light = Kerosene lantern. Yup. I got a Dietz "Jupiter" lantern from Lehman's and I love it! A good lantern is definitely worth having. I'll buy a couple more for my SHTF stash. |
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I bought a couple these from walmart.....$50.00 apiece. 500 leumens
http://www.coleman.com/product/ultra-high-power-led-aluminum-flashlight/2000003911?contextCategory=1110 |
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