Looking for Best LED Flashlight

Should have Li-Ion battery, with good life, and be rechargeable. Saw a nice bike light, but would like this to be hand-held. Would prefer flood to spot, high lumen. Recos much appreciated. Thank you! Frank

Reply to
frank1492
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I don't know what's best but this one has a hand crank so that you can charge it or your cell phone by hand.

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Reply to
tnom

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has a big lineup, HD carries a few of them I just got one that is 2.2 watts with 3 aaa batteries. Recharagable? get recharageable batteries but if you dont use it much the batteries will be dead when you need it and alkaline last a long time in Led lights. Li ion battieies, will cost more than a flashlight.

Reply to
ransley

I have a 3 watt Cree, believe it is called, from Lowes, although not sure it is still there. Uses 2 C batteries but I guess you could use rechargables. Cost $30. Rated output is something like 170 lumens. All the multi led's I've seen are OK for close use but are anemic on light output.

Reply to
Frank

Cree is the name of the led bulb, they are bright, Ledlenser has one with 7 Cree leds, it sells for something like 400$

Reply to
ransley

Yes, I would look for the led and look for watt, candlepower or lumen output. I bought a 12 led lantern for my wife's use during power failures and it does not even give off enough light to read by. She bought me one with 20 leds focused in one direction and you can read by it. I have several other led lights and, as I said, they are adequate for close work. What I really like about led's is that they get much more effective power out of a battery.

My main use is hunting and just this week I was out at 5am in an area I was somewhat familiar with but needed a light to find the public stand and the Lowes light was great illuminating trail markers 200 yards away.

Reply to
Frank

My do all light is a single cell with a CREE lamp. I wanted a small form factor. I have a belt holster for it and also a velcro mount for the bike. It gets used a lot and has excellent battery life because it has variable intensity. The pattern is also really good for biking. The lowest intensity is brighter than the full output of a big box quality light.

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Reply to
George

I like the variable output offered, but on output you are wrong, you can easily find 100 lumen-3watt Cree Led lights at box stores, sure they cost maybe 30$, but output more than Fenix.

Reply to
ransley

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This is my light although they say only brightness of 100 but don't give units. Whatever, this is the brightest light that I have including other leds and incandescents.

Reply to
Frank

Rather than sticking exactly to your specs, I'll tell you what I have

- Lowe's sells a 3W LED "Task Force" flashlight that is excellent. Much brighter than my slightly older LED Mag-Lite and much smaller and lighter. Takes two C-cells. I actually use one as a secondary bicycle headlight, I use rechargeable NiMH C-cells with it and it'll last at least 6 hours or so on a charge (longest I've let it go, it was still bright) it's strapped to the handlebars of my touring bike with a Twofish mounting block. I also got a collimator from DealExtreme that changes the beam pattern from a spot pattern to a horizontal line - neither is optimal but the horizontal pattern keeps me from blinding traffic. It's actually noticeably brighter than my Lumotec halogen headlight that is driven from a dynohub, but I'm saving up for a B&M IQ Cyo to replace the Lumotec. Anyway, the Lumotec and the Task Force together provide enough light for me to ride on even completely unlit roads well after dark. I'm not a racer type but I don't ride slowly either.

I like the Task Force so much I bought another one that I keep next to the front door (still with the included alkaline batteries in it) so if I come home and the power is out I just use that to see. No need for candles except in the case of a very extended power failure. It cost about $30 apiece when I bought mine last year.

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nate

Reply to
N8N

I can think of several different reasons for having a light. If you search the archives of alt.survival you will find that I've posted a bit too much, on the subject.

We're just guessing, at this point. We don't know what your intended purpose is. Do you want a pocket size light? Belt sheath light? Tool box light for big light needs? Task light, or area light? Close up, or seeing at a distance? Do you want to light up an entire room? Blind attackers? See a racoon in a tree at night? Read books? Light to walk around a room?

Each of these tasks will take a different light.

Reply to
Stormin Mormon

General Purpose Survival Flashlight

Let there be light. In cities and towns, we're bathed in light all day. Street lights at night, and all the electrical devices in the house. We take light for granted these days. But in the woods on a dark night, during a power outage, or--most importantly--in a long-term survival situation, you'll quickly learn just how important light is, and how important it is to be prepared.

Here are my opinions about what makes for a good survival light.

First, there is no "one light" that will do every thing. Any more than "one gun" or "one knife". You wil need several.

  1. Small and lightweight is better. Except when you need bigger. Indecisive? Naah, just that there are different needs.

A smaller flash light is the one you have with you at all times. A squeeze light on your key ring is there when you need it, or a light to put in your pocket. I carry a 2AA mini mag with LED conversion. It is a compromise between size, convenience, and light output. But, it's with me all day.

Some are bigger due to marketing, or poor design. Many rubber flash lights run on two AA cells, are twice the bulk of a Mini Mag, and don't work as well as the Mini Mag. Bigger flashlights are heavier. They may or may not have longer runtime.

  1. Uses a common battery size Currently, the most common flashlight battery sizes are AAA, AA, C, and D cells. A few lights use 9-volt batteries or lithium photo batteries.

That leaves AA- or AAA-cell lights are the most convenient for pocket carry. C and D cells for in the truck. For occasional use when more light power is needed.

Using a common battery size is important for price, and for getting more batteries if you need them. Depending on the scenario, the easiest battery to find at stores is C. You may be able to buy or barter for AA, AAA or D cells. I just don't know about the lithium photo batteries. They may be in stores after a crisis, or may not.

  1. Uses a variety of battery types It's important that survival flashlights be able to function whether using carbon, alkaline, or rechargeable batteries. Since you may run out, and need to use whatever you can find. In a long-term survival situation, rechargables and a solar charger may work long after there are no primary cells left. Most lights will function using all three types, though some manufacturers don't approve lithium primaries. Find out exactly what batteries your survival light can tolerate before you purchase it, or test the batteries in your light before you have to rely on them.

  1. Fewer batteries is better Obviously, the fewer the batteries needed to operate the light . . . the fewer batteries you'll need to operate the light. This is a good thing in a survival situation, even better for long-term survival. As a rule, a survival light should use no more than two batteries, preferably just one. Currently, there are many one-cell AA lights on the market that not only produce a lot of light (for their size), but also enjoy excellent run times. Twenty-plus hours of usable light is not uncommon, and even longer run times can be found. There are also a few 1xAAA lights available that might make adequate primary or excellent back-up survival lights.

  2. Simple to operate There are lots of fancy lights out there that sport multiple output levels, including SOS and strobe modes. Some are even computer-programmable. When it comes to survival lights, simple is usually better. A light with just one medium-intensity level will usually suffice, or perhaps a two-level light with low and high output levels. Just so that it's simple and intuitive to operate.

  1. Reliable operation mechanism " Twisty" or "clickie," that is the question. Which is more reliable? There is no definitive answer, reliability depends more on the quality of the light than on the particular mode of operation. And even a good company can turn out the occasional bad light. Most clickies have the on-off mechanism on the rear of the light, while some have it on the side (e.g., Maglite). Most twisties are operated by turning the bezel (head) or tail cap. And there are also hybrid models utilizing both twisty and clickie operations. If at all possible, obtain spare mechanisms.

  2. Well constructed Look for lights where the bulb is reasonably protected, that are shock resistant and water resistant/proof, and that won't accidentally turn on while in your pocket or backpack. Clickies are most prone to accidental activation. This can usually be prevented by rotating the tail cap counterclockwise while the light is on until the power cuts out, then clicking the clickie button off.

  1. LED versus incandescent No contest here. A flashlight that uses an incandescent bulb is simply not a primary survival light. Period. If the bulb itself can burn out or malfunction due to shock (broken filament), then you don't want to trust your life to its operation. While light emitting diode (LED) "bulbs" technically don't last forever, a 5,000- to 10,000-hour use life is close enough to "forever" for survival purposes. LED bulbs are a heck of a lot tougher than other bulb types. Over the last few years LED technology has improved exponentially, to the point where they now can out-perform most other lights. The newest and brightest LEDs will do what you need. The LEDs put out blue light Many people find this blue objectionable. Some folks are willing to put up with the bluish tint due to its superb runtime (80+ hours of usable light on just 1 AA battery). Not to worry. The newer LEDs have a crisp white white light. Luxeon is like this.

  2. Good compromise between output and run time Run time is arguably the most important criterion, and it's what separates true survival lights. The longer the run time, the better. Super-bright "tactical" lights are great for impressing your friends, but will usually suck batteries dry much more quickly. Also, the darker your environment, the less light you need to see well enough. Brighter lights can actually be a disadvantage, because they more readily attract unwanted attention, and can also impair your night vision. Again, we're talking about survival lights here, not tactical (super bright) lights.

It's OK to also take along a super-bright light for "tactical" use (e.g., disorienting or disrupting the night vision of a potential threat), in most cases these lights will not be used very often.

  1. Quality of light beam What this refers to is the illumination pattern, or beam characteristic, of the light. For survival lights, you really need both. A wide beam provides light to a wider area, gives a broader picture and better edge vision. Tight beams will light specific objects, and will have longer "throw," but will also tend to draw your line of sight inward, so that you focus more on what's illuminated in the spot. Tight, bright beams are also more detrimental to night vision than wider, dimmer spill beams. But, sometimes you need to see what is that noise, out there. A few lights seek a compromise, claiming to offer both a bright center beam as well as decent spill. If you happen to choose to also carry a more powerful "tactical" light, you'll probably prefer that it have a bright, fairly narrow beam. But for a general purpose survival light, you want a wider, more diffuse beam, allowing you take in more visual information at one time.

  1. Lanyard hole The lanyard hole is just that--a hole through which you can attach a lanyard. The lanyard can then be tied around your wrist, for example, or through a belt loop to prevent the loss of your light. Always use a lanyard and secure it to your person, your clothing, or your gear, especially when not in use. Your survival light is an essential, life-saving, possibly irreplaceable tool, but it will do you no good if you lose it.

  2. Pocket clip Most smaller lights these days come with pocket clips. They are usually detachable. They are useful to clip the light to a pocket, or hat brim while performing tasks that require both hands. Pocket clips are nice to have. If your light doesn't come with one, it would be worthwhile to find a clip from some other source (such as another light of the same diameter).

  1. Can stand on its tail Lights that can do so add a nice feature. They are especially useful when you desire area light, such as when reading or dressing in your tent. Of course, you can always prop your light up or clip it to some thing to get the same effect, but it's not quite as handy.

  2. Caring for your light Other than lubing the bezel and/or tail cap threads with an appropriate wet or dry lubricant. Avoiding cross-threading. Put the batteries in, pointing the correct way. Keep it dry, don't drop it, etc. I'd suggest keeping your survival light empty of batteries until needed. Otherwise, keep lithiums in there. Alkalines can leak and ruin your light.

Q: What about headlamps? Can these be used as survival lights? A: Very handy items to have. The light shines right where you look. Including smack dab into the face of the person you're looking at. Maybe it's just me, but I don't much care for light in my eyes when I'm trying to preserve my night vision. They might also make a handy head-shot target for hostiles. Let's put it this way. While most small flashlights can usually be rigged to serve as makeshift headlamps (with the aid of a pocket clip or headband, for example), most headlamps cannot readily be used in the same manner as one might use a flashlight. Headlamps could possibly serve as back-up survival lights (if they use only one or two batteries), but I would not recommend them as primary survival lights. A flashlight will, in most instances, prove more versatile. Resources

  1. The best flashlight resource on the Web is Candle Power Forums . Lots of traffic and more info about flashlights than most people would ever need to know. Also a good source for obtaining custom lights.
  2. One of the better flashlight review sites is FlashlightReviews.com. It's no longer updated regularly, but many of the lights still being sold are reviewed at the site.

if you decide to transition to LEDs, save those original incandescent light bulb components. You never know when someday you may need a lot of light--for example for impromptu surgery out in the field.

The other exception is truly SHTF tactical use. While I do not advocate using a visible light flashlight or rail-mounted weapon light where you are up against and armed opponent. (Since they provide your opponent with a convenient point of aim.) They are fine for shooting marauding bears.

I also keep a

50 piece box of the standard Panasonic brand CR-123 lithium batteries in my refrigerator, as a "tactical reserve." These have a 10+ year shelf life.

Regarding lanyards, I recommend using a long, stout lanyard that is a full loop, preferably with a ball-shaped spring button slider. I mainly use olive drab paracord. The longer the better, for the sake of versatility. If the lanyard is too short, then there is not enough slack to loop the flashlight through (in a Girth Hitch--a.k.a. Lanyard Knot) to be able to hang a light from a branch, belt loop, tent d-ring, or other object.

Reply to
Stormin Mormon

Subject: Flashlights for every purpose Date: Monday, October 20, 2008 9:05 PM

Please be sure to add any I missed.

Photon squeeze light. Carry on keyring for occasional light needs. Like when you drop your mini mag outdoors at night.

Mag or Garrity 3 or 4 D cell light. Slice the night. Read house numbers. Beat off muggers and burglars. See what is that noise in your chicken coop.

Tactical Xenon light. Expensive light with expensive bulbs and expensive batteries. But it does a terrific job of lighting house numbers for night service calls. Also good for spotting racoon in trees. Actually small enough to put in pocket.

Closet light. Runs on D cells, some run on AA cells. Can be fluorescent, filament bulb, or LED. Stationary applications, for short term light. Many closet lights are bright enough to light up an entire room enough to walk around.

Camping lantern. I have one which is fluorescent and runs on D cells. But doesn't work when it is cold. LED, or filament bulbs work when cold.

Dorcy single AAA LED light. Fits nicely in the coat pocket, and provides light when everything else is broken.

Spotlight that plugs into the lighter socket. Light up the entire side of the house. Make burglars go into V-fib. Spook the horses. Signal alien space ships, and confuse airplane pilots. A bit too bright, some of them. And plenty fun to play with.

Mini Mag light. My daily work horse. Use it several times a day, every day. Nite Ize and Terralux conversions are an excellent idea.

Headlamp. Used when working, so as to keep both hands free.

I'm Christopher Young and I approved this message. . .

Reply to
Stormin Mormon

Several Survival Flashlight

Let there be light. In cities and towns, we're bathed in light all day. Street lights at night, and all the electrical devices in the house. We take light for granted these days. But in the woods on a dark night, during a power outage, or--most importantly--in a long-term survival situation, you'll quickly learn just how important light is, and how important it is to be prepared.

Here are my opinions about what makes for a good survival light.

First, there is no "one light" that will do every thing. Any more than "one gun" or "one knife". You wil need several.

I propose that the following list of lights will do most of the jobs a survivalist needs.

  1. Pocket light.

A smaller flash light is the one you have with you at all times. A squeeze light on your key ring is there when you need it, or a light to put in your pocket. I carry a 2AA mini mag with LED conversion. It is a compromise between size, convenience, and light output. But, it's with me all day.

Some are bigger due to marketing, or poor design. Many rubber flash lights run on two AA cells, are twice the bulk of a Mini Mag, and don't work as well as the Mini Mag. Bigger flashlights are heavier. They may or may not have longer runtime.

  1. Distance light.

When you're trying to figure out what is that noise on the far side of the field, you need a bright light that shines at a distance. I've found few lights that are better than a

4D cell Mag light with a Krypton bulb. Until they came out with the Mag light with the LED bulb, that is. The Garrity LED bulb is no where near as bright as the LED original equipment bulb.

  1. Area light

When you'r eating dinner, or walking down a trail, or walking around the living room. It's not convenient to hold a flashlight in one hand (or between your ear and your shoulder) while you use two hands to cut and eat your food. At t his moment, an area light is what's needed. I like the fluorescent camping lanterns from Walmart, that run on 4 D cells. These lights don't work well in cold weather, which is when the Jeep lights come in handy. 20 LED bulbs, and runs on 3D cells. Not as bright as the fluorescent lantern, but it does work when it's cold.

Uses a common battery size Currently, the most common flashlight battery sizes are AAA, AA, C, and D cells. A few lights use 9-volt batteries or lithium photo batteries.

That leaves AA- or AAA-cell lights are the most convenient for pocket carry. C and D cells for in the truck. For occasional use when more light power is needed.

Using a common battery size is important for price, and for getting more batteries if you need them. Depending on the scenario, the easiest battery to find at stores is C. You may be able to buy or barter for AA, AAA or D cells. I just don't know about the lithium photo batteries. They may be in stores after a crisis, or may not.

  1. Well constructed Look for lights where the bulb is reasonably protected, that are shock resistant and water resistant/proof, and that won't accidentally turn on while in your pocket or backpack. Clickies are most prone to accidental activation. This can usually be prevented by rotating the tail cap counterclockwise while the light is on until the power cuts out, then clicking the clickie button off.

  1. LED versus incandescent No contest here. A flashlight that uses an incandescent bulb is simply not a primary survival light. Period. If the bulb itself can burn out or malfunction due to shock (broken filament), then you don't want to trust your life to its operation. While light emitting diode (LED) "bulbs" technically don't last forever, a 5,000- to 10,000-hour use life is close enough to "forever" for survival purposes. LED bulbs are a heck of a lot tougher than other bulb types. Over the last few years LED technology has improved exponentially, to the point where they now can out-perform most other lights. The newest and brightest LEDs will do what you need. The LEDs put out blue light Many people find this blue objectionable. Some folks are willing to put up with the bluish tint due to its superb runtime (80+ hours of usable light on just 1 AA battery). Not to worry. The newer LEDs have a crisp white white light. Luxeon is like this.

  2. Good compromise between output and run time Run time is arguably the most important criterion, and it's what separates true survival lights. The longer the run time, the better. Super-bright "tactical" lights are great for impressing your friends, but will usually suck batteries dry much more quickly. Also, the darker your environment, the less light you need to see well enough. Brighter lights can actually be a disadvantage, because they more readily attract unwanted attention, and can also impair your night vision. Again, we're talking about survival lights here, not tactical (super bright) lights.

It's OK to also take along a super-bright light for "tactical" use (e.g., disorienting or disrupting the night vision of a potential threat), in most cases these lights will not be used very often.

Q: What about headlamps? Can these be used as survival lights? A: Very handy items to have. The light shines right where you look. Including smack dab into the face of the person you're looking at. Maybe it's just me, but I don't much care for light in my eyes when I'm trying to preserve my night vision. They might also make a handy head-shot target for hostiles. Let's put it this way. While most small flashlights can usually be rigged to serve as makeshift headlamps (with the aid of a pocket clip or headband, for example), most headlamps cannot readily be used in the same manner as one might use a flashlight. Headlamps could possibly serve as back-up survival lights (if they use only one or two batteries), but I would not recommend them as primary survival lights. A flashlight will, in most instances, prove more versatile. Resources

Reply to
Stormin Mormon

The crank up lights with the silver "tornado funnel" in the middle, I find them to be useless. The crank is noisy, and the light spreads on a single plane, hardly lights the room.

Kmart has a "Jeep light" with 10 or 20 LED, and three D cells in the base. Looks like a creature from STar Wars. I've got a couple of these, and really like them. Long run tme on D cells. and you can point it to the ceiling, to light the entire room. These work nicely when it's bitter cold.

For area light, my favorite is the Ozark Trail fluorescent camping lantern from Walmart. Ten bucks, and takes four D cells. Hang from the ceiling, and light the entire room. Walmart also has fluorescent "closet lights" in the hardware section which are very good. Fluorescents do not work when it's cold.

The round "tap lights" are OK for finding the bathroom at night, but not much more than that. They have either LED or filament bulb types.

Pocket carry. For me, the minimag with LED conversion is good. Nite Ize makes a convesion for $4.97 at Walmart. I went with the Teralux for $25 and very pleased with it.

Harbor Feight has a 15 LED light that takes three D cells. Very blue light, and very short range. It has its uses, indoors, but I'e never bring it camping.

Mag makes a LED 2D through 4D light with the mag brand LED bulb. I got a couple 3D, when Lowes had them on sale. They are super bright, and the batteries last a long time. Brighter than my Garrity light that had 3D cells. I even swapped out the batteries on the Garrity, I thought the batteries were low, the Garrity was so dim compared to the Mag LED.

Garrity LED bulb from Walmart, replaces 2D through 6D bulbs. Blue light, dim, not worth the cost of the bulb. Turns a good flash light into a nightlight.

Reply to
Stormin Mormon

For thirty bucks, that's a bit pricey. But, I guess the LED Mag lights are up around thirty bucks.

It sounds like a good combination of factors. Small enough for short term pocket carry, if needed. Belt sheath provided. Bright enough to be useful.

C cells are likely to be at the stores long after the other sizes sell out.

Reply to
Stormin Mormon

I may be looking for something more than many of you think. (Thanks so much for your ideas.) To clarify, this is the light that caught my attention:

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Not really looking to spend quite that much, but this is in the league, power-wise. I thought it would be good to use in an emergency on my boat if I got caught in darkness. (Rare but could happen.) Frank

Reply to
frank1492

Had something like that with a squeezy thing for the switch - the squeezy bit wore out very quickly. Not impressed.

Similiarly unimpressed with my 3-cell LED Mag; light output is crap. My

2-cell Mag with a conventional bulb is just awesome, though. Only issue I have is that there's no provision for a strap so it can be hung from things - I'm tempted to see if I can drill the base and add a small eye-bolt.

Had some of those, too (3xAA, incandescent). Utter shit. They never made it as far as the closets, and I don't know what I even did with them now :-)

I have a big ol' oil lamp for that, and so far have managed not to burn the tent down ;)

Talking of which, I had a homebrew lamp made from a car headlight grafted onto the body of a cordless drill - it gave a huge amount of light and would run for quite a long time (just less useful for 'distance' work). I finally killed the battery in it though, so it went the way of the dodo :-(

cheers

Jules

Reply to
Jules

3w is bright for a Led , the 100 would be lumen which is bright for a focused flashlight beam.
Reply to
ransley

The only lights I have ever seen in big box places are total junk. Usually they seem to offer lights with multiple cheap LEDs etc.

The particular model I have has 175 lumen output on high and 100 lumen on the third setting from the bottom so maybe you misread the specs.

The variable output is fantastic. You really get a very long battery life because I find if I need to use it for long periods of time such as biking I really don't need full intensity.

Reply to
George

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