# Flashlights...... It was bound to happen



## Robert (Mar 13, 2011)

I mentioned flashlights in another post, but I really feel they deserve their own thread. 

Flashlights are, hands down, one of the most practical pieces of equipment that a person can own, operate and maintain. They provide light, a means for signaling, self defense, etc. 

Let's start with the market leader, Maglite. Maglites are one of my most loved and most hated flashlights. My fascination with my dads Maglite is what got me interested in flashlights as a kid, so I have to give them that. I keep a 4 d cell Maglite under the seat of my car. I keep a 3 d cell Maglite under the seat of my wife's car. I keep 2, 3 d cell maglites in the bedroom, one on either side of the bed. (Perfect for when one of the kids wakes up in the night and I need to orient quickly to find out who is throwing up where! Also good for power outages, getting up without turning on lights and waking my wife, possibility of intruder etc.). Unfortunately, my love of Maglite ends here. I love the d cell lights. They are sturdy and fill a role. Light output is fine and construction is solid. I do not like the AA cell maglites at all. In my opinion they are worthless. Light output is poor, construction is so so, battery life is poor. The switch models feel cheap and I just hate twist models. 

I also keep a bunch of Surefire lights around the house. I really like the G3L Fire Rescue models for around the house. they are bright yellow and have reflective sections. They also contain a lanyard strap attachment. 120 lumen, LED, 3.5 hours of max output runtime. Weatherproof and high heat rated, so great tool to have if ever in a fire. I keep one in the bedroom, one at the top of the basement stairs, one by the back door, one in the garage, one by the furnace/electrical box in basement and one in my car and one in my wife's car. Overall a GREAT flashlight that I would recommend to anyone! Perfect flashlight to keep around the house. 

For carrying around flashlights, I am always in flux. For work, I often leave the house in a shirt and tie, but then change into scrubs in the hospital. I really like The Surefire E1B Backup for work days. It is dual output LED 110/5 lumen. For such a small light ( 1 c123 battery) it really packs a punch on high output. The low output setting is also nice for doing close work when you don't need such a bright light. The light is virtually indestructible and waterproof. I once dropped it off a 30 foot ledge at night while camping. It was raining and the light was on. I took the long way down and around to try and retrieve it in the dark in the rain. When I got to the bottom it was just sitting their on rocky ground still shining brightly. It also has a crennulated bezel for self defense. Overall it is a great flashlight. Well worth the money. Great light output, rock solid construction, small and compact, weatherproof, crush proof, etc. Awesome light. 

I sometimes carry a Surefire 6p in a nylon sheath on my belt. This is more often for casual clothing where I don't mind strapping up my belt. (In another life I was meant to be a police office or possibly batman. If I could wear a fully loaded utility belt at all times I would. My wife often prevents this!). The 6p is just an overall great flashlight. I am considering purchasing the new Surefire 6px Pro dual output LED. I really, really like the dual output models, so maybe it's time to upgrade that one!

Another light I sometimes carry is the SureFire E2D Executive Defender. Great light. Solid construction. It has an aggressive crenelated bezel on both ends and is a perfect self defense light. Bright and tough. This thing is weatherproof and bomb proof. This light is not carried in a sheath or holster, so it is the light I use when I don't feel like having something strapped to my belt. (Or when my wife says, "Think you've got enough crap on your belt Batman?")

A friend gave me a Fenix light recently. I don't remember the model. (The light was misplaced.). Overall a very cool light. Waterproof to 2 meters. It had SIX output modes and a very interesting touch sensitive cap switch. It had dual strobe modes as well. Signal style and self defense style. Overall a very cool and interesting light. Well made. It involved a slight learning curve to navigate through the touch sensitive cap switch and six modes. All of this came from AA batteries which was also a nice cost savings over the 123's. A cool company that I will definitely look further into!

Well, that's all for now. If the pic of me in star wars pajamas didn't make me a geek, I'm sure this thread will solidify it! 

I'm always looking for new and interesting flashlights, so any and all recommendations are welcomed! I operate a "Flashlight Rescue", so donations are always welcome and I'm always interested in trades.


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## Laura (Mar 13, 2011)

Its Official!!!!
HA.. but yes a very good piece of equipment.. 
In fact I used one just last night.


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## Yvonne G (Mar 13, 2011)

You are too funny!

But your thread is going to help my buy a flashlight that lasts longer than one or two uses. Every time I pick up the flashlight it either doesn't work or the batteries are dead. I hate flashlights.


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## Tom (Mar 13, 2011)

You are a weird dude, Rob.

That must be why we get along. 

I also have them all over, and I'm also really starting to favor the LEDs too.


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## Edna (Mar 13, 2011)

I love Maglights too. I have a couple of the 4Ds. I do keep a AA single on my key lanyard that I always wear at work. Why? I have 16 first graders with me in a room with no windows and no backup lighting. When the power goes out during the school day, and it will at some point, I want to have that light with me so I can find my way to the big flashlight in the closet. I have explained this possible scenario to the students because they are less likely to scream and panic if they know we have a plan.

I love the Dr. Seuss quiz where he asks about flashdarks. Why not?


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## Jacqui (Mar 13, 2011)

lol you would be so lost in my house.  Currently we are flashlight free.


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## Robert (Mar 13, 2011)

I would be the only one not lost!!!


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## Mao Senpai (Mar 13, 2011)

Ever since I played with my cousins flashlight I ended up getting myself one. It's a Fenix and I think it's great for the money. Light output is great and well built. Not to mention I use a rechargeable AA eneloop battery with it. I will never go anywhere without it!


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## dmmj (Mar 13, 2011)

I don't get it, I use them as tools , but have no great love for them. Do you by chance belong to a flashlight forum?


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## Robert (Mar 13, 2011)

dmmj said:


> Do you by chance belong to a flashlight forum?



I'm not sure if this is a real question or not, so I'll answer both ways. 

If it is a real question, then Yes. I used to belong to a flashlight forum. I think it was called Candlepowerforum. I didn't enjoy it and I didn't stay long. The folks there were way too smart for me. The focus was much more physics based and flashlight modification based. I am more interested in practical uses for commercially available lights. Not a negative against that forum, just didn't fit what I was interested in talking about. 

If your question was meant to imply, "Why are you talking about that here, wouldn't a flashlight forum be a more appropriate place for that post?" then point well taken. Moderators can certainly delete if this thread is way, way too far off topic. No offense taken at all.

(I do, however, use a flashlight when examining my tort and her enclosure. Light just makes it so much easier to see things that you might otherwise miss!)



emysemys said:


> Every time I pick up the flashlight it either doesn't work or the batteries are dead. I hate flashlights.



I use the same methodology for flashlights that I do for smoke detectors: I change all of my batteries every time I change my clocks for daylight savings, no matter what. That way I know everything gets news batteries at least twice a year!


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## Angi (Mar 13, 2011)

I have bought the big spot light ones twice and they always quit working right away. These are the kind you have to charge. Is that normal? Are the just crappy flash lights? I like them when they work because I like to try and spot coyotes at night. Can you recomend a good distanse flash light? I need it to shine far in a really dark area. BTW~ I know I have to recharge them, but they dont seem to hold the charge.


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## Robert (Mar 13, 2011)

Angi said:


> I have bought the big spot light ones twice and they always quit working right away. These are the kind you have to charge. Is that normal? Are the just crappy flash lights? I like them when they work because I like to try and spot coyotes at night. Can you recomend a good distanse flash light? I need it to shine far in a really dark area. BTW~ I know I have to recharge them, but they dont seem to hold the charge.



I'm not quite sure I'm familiar with those. I'll be the first to admit that I don't get too into rechargeable batteries. I know that the technology has improved, but I still don't love it. Rechargeable alkaline, NICAD, and NIMH degrade in quality too quickly. The Lipos have their own issues and require too much babysitting. So for flashlights I go the single use, replaceable route. 

For distance, I like LED over incandescent. Something with a glass lens helps give some distance with less diffusion. Fenix uses what they call CREE technology. They are affordable and Fenix claims you can get over 100 meters of distance with them.


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## dmmj (Mar 13, 2011)

Don't get me wrong, It is off topic talk so talk about whatever you want to, I was just wondering since you like flashlights so much whether or not if you belonged to a forum about them, no criticism was meant, Myself when I am passionate about something I usually try and find a forum so I can connect with others who are also passionate about what I am, Like I said I personally don't get the passion for them, but I am in no way making fun or criticizing you about them.


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## Mao Senpai (Mar 13, 2011)

I know what you mean with the rechargeable batteries. I used to hate them since whenever I actually needed them they were always dead or require long hours to recharge. The new stuff... has impressed me a bit. They are suppose to keep most of their charge for a year or something. Like after a year they still retain 80% of their capacity which is perfectly fine by me. Works great for stuff I don't use all the time like flashlights, wireless keyboards and other devices...


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## Angi (Mar 13, 2011)

I will have to write down your flash light reconendation and go shopping for it. I hate not being able to see the coyotes when I know they are running past my fence. I also like to be able to see what is on the hills behing my house. The coyotes have beed so loud lately I wonder what they are doing. I love the noises they make.


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## Yvonne G (Mar 13, 2011)

CtTortoise said:


> dmmj said:
> 
> 
> > Do you by chance belong to a flashlight forum?
> ...



I'm pretty sure the forum comedian was just being funny!


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## Isa (Mar 13, 2011)

Thanks for starting the thread and the info Rob  I think it is interesting. I only have one small flashlight in my house, now after reading this thread, I am thinking that It would be a good idea to buy one or 2 more since they could always be useful


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## Robert (Mar 31, 2011)

Just picked up the Surefire 6px Pro. I can't say enough good things about it. It is really the perfect everyday flashlight. Smooth, sleek, solid, rugged, and usable. 

LED Dual Output light. First setting is low output: 15 lumens. This is great for many up close applications where some illumination is necessary, but blinding light is not essential. Perfect for indoor use. High out put is a whopping 200 lumens. Really nice and bright. Great for outdoor use: security, search and rescue, flood, self defense etc....

The push button thumb switch is very intuitive. Slight depress is temporary low output. Full click is constant low output. Repeat the process within ten seconds and you now have high output. Very easy to use. 

The finish is different than the incandescent 6p. Less of a rough texture, but still very solid. 

Overall, a GREAT flashlight. Dual output LED is my new gold standard.


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## ALDABRAMAN (Mar 31, 2011)

MAG LITE'S!


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## jackrat (Apr 1, 2011)

Hi,I'm Jeff and I am a flashlight addict.Mags,streamlights,surefires,pelicans,nitelights,wheatlights,conventionals,LED's,I love them all .


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## Robert (Apr 1, 2011)

jackrat said:


> Hi,I'm Jeff and I am a flashlight addict.Mags,streamlights,surefires,pelicans,nitelights,wheatlights,conventionals,LED's,I love them all .



We would get along very well!


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