Looking for Best LED Flashlight

[Don Klipstein]

My take is that 110 lumens is produced by the LED (maybe optimistically) if given "full power" according to nominal design of the system or a "characterizing current" of the LED (or worse still is maximum available from the LED) when the LED is cooled to having either its heatsinkable surface or the hottest part of its semiconductor chip at 25 degrees C (77 degrees F).

(Thankfully, the Seoul Semiconductor LED that I consider most likely to put in a bicycle headlight has its "upper grade" version supposedly producing minimum of 100 lumens at 350 milliamps IIRC - very good actually.)

Lumens produced by the LED do not all make it out of the lighting unit. Reflectors are not perfectively reflective, and absorb some of the light. Lenses reflect some of the light backwards, and the light reflected backwards by a lens is usually mostly either absorbed or ending up going somewhere other than where you want the light.

Maybe this bicycle light, shone upwards at a ceiling painted with brightest white paint, will illuminate a room as well as a 110 lumen lightbulb (typical of many 15 watt 120V ones) does. But I would not count on that, not even from a $129 bicycle headlight - even though it would kick kiesters and tookuses as far as bicicle headlights go if 75 lumens usually came out from it.

- Don Klipstein ( [e-mail])

[Don Klipstein]

One major good resource for LED flashlights, along with some non-flashlight LED products, a few non-LED flashlights and lighting products and a few laser products, is:

Please allow yourself time for that one!

The author there is a major contributor to candlepowerforums.com, another useful resource although that one is a discussion board.

- Don Klipstein ( [e-mail])

[frank1492]

Thank you all again for your comments. I have saved them all and will study them before making my decision. I'm sorry I don't have the energy to comment on each of them. I do think Streamlights and Fenixes are in the category I am looking for. A good review of the best lights is:

think I am prepared to pay $100 for a really good light, even though that may be overkill, because they fascinate me with their power. A couple have lumens in the 700 range! I already have a light in the category of the Lowes light, by the way. I will look for your further recommendations and again thank you all for taking the trouble to help me! Frank

[HeyBub]

No, drat. That link was for another group commenting on bear hunters shooting treed bears.

Here's the Harbor Freight coupon. Matter of fact, I got a free flashlight today.

[If this link turns out to be for a broccoli coring machine, let me know.]

[Jim Rusling]

Check out some of the lights and batteries at

[Ashton Crusher]

If you are just going to throw it in your glove box, CostCo has a three pack for $15 of 14 LED 40 Lumen flashlights.

[SteveB]

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BEST LED Flashlight? Look to spend about $300. Do not know what makes those the best, though. I have one that costs about $15, and I like it. I have had three that are on headlights, and have thoroughly different opinions about them all, favoring Ray-O-Vac because it has a red light, a LED light, and a regular bulb. One type of light does not fit all situations. I don't like the blue LED lights, the ones that make everything look blue.

True Story: A police officer in Boulder City, Nevada, was shot, and his expensive LED flashlight caught the bullet. The company heard about it, and sent him a new one. Guess for the average guy, those titanium cases wouldn't come into play.

If I ever spend $300 on a small flashlight, please just shoot me. Even if I was to win the Super Lotto, I would never fork out that money. That's like spending a couple of hundred for Oakley sunglasses. Stupid.

My wife has a business. We were sent two dozen LED metal flashlights as samples. I can find four or five of them right now if I had to. Whatever you buy will probably go in a drawer or get lost somewhere.

Steve

[Stormin Mormon]

That's a seriously good coupon. Says it may not be duplicated in any way including computer print outs. But, I doubt the store people will notice?

[The Daring Dufas]

Where's that Dick Tracy Atomic Light when you need it?

TDD

[aemeijers]

I've got a couple of the HF freebies so far, and plan to monitor my ad throwaways closely for some more of the coupons. They are one notch above junk, but for what I need them for (briefcase, both cars, etc) they are good enough. Somewhere around here I have an old-style Mag

4-cell, but I haven't used it in ages. As long as there aren't oncoming headlights or something, my dark vision is still pretty good, so a dim blue light is good enough for most of my needs. In the road-trip car, I carry a plug-in Brinkman Q-beam, which is basically an aircraft landing light. Haven't needed it in years, probably oughta make sure it still works. There is a revolving magnet-mount light in the same bag with it. I don't go out at night much anymore....

[Stormin Mormon]

I've got a couple of the HF freebies so far, and plan to monitor my ad throwaways closely for some more of the coupons. They are one notch above junk, but for what I need them for (briefcase, both cars, etc) they are good enough.

CY: The HF "short lights" are reasonable for the sale price. I actually like them.

Somewhere around here I have an old-style Mag

4-cell, but I haven't used it in ages.

CY: Please replace the batteries at your earliest convenience. I just found another light of mine with a corroded battery. So, that's in my mind at the moment. I've heard Energizers are very good quality.

As long as there aren't oncoming headlights or something, my dark vision is still pretty good, so a dim blue light is good enough for most of my needs.

CY: They may have changed LED, cause the HF light I got a couple years ago really screamed out light. I was pleased. Wonder if I still have that around.

In the road-trip car, I carry a plug-in Brinkman Q-beam, which is basically an aircraft landing light. Haven't needed it in years, probably oughta make sure it still works.

CY: Should, if your lighter socket is powered.

There is a revolving magnet-mount light in the same bag with it. I don't go out at night much anymore....

CY: You're not missing much.