It seems that flashlights have gone the way of everything else….simply too many choices:
Incandescent
Fluorescent
Krypton
Xenon
LED
along with truly amazing outputs…..
along with the technobabble surrounding these outputs,
Lumens
milliwatts
Watts
Candlepower
Foot-Candles
I try to decide by shining it toward the far end of the store…since
the Mfrs can’t talk in plain English
The gamut runs from ordinary to exotic,
from Ray-O-Vac© to Mag-Lite© to Sure-Fire©, et al:
I own about 45 of them from 1AAA to 6D,…my favorite is a Pelican 2400..four AAs and lanyard.
My least fav..would be my Streamlight Luxeon JR.
I had a pleasant experience with Pelican CS just this past week, they sent me a (FREE)replacement lens cap and I got it in three days
any way, what flavor do you like, hmm?
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I just picked up a couple LED aluminum flashlights from SamsClub yesterday for $28 for a two pack.
Unlike the two pack of LED lights I bougth there last year which were 1.25watt - these new ones are 3 watt LEDS. They came with energizer batts and they seem like they are brighter than any 4D maglight I've ever had.
For $14 each with batteries - I'd say you can't go wrong. On the flip side - I found led conversion kits for AA maglights for $8 at Lowes and they are also very bright - much brighter than the maglight ever was.
I use the heck out of my Makita flourescent 14.4 light - it's the whip whenever you need to light up a whole work space.
JT
you like the LEDs.
I read somewhere that LEDs lose their rated "brightness" shortly after they are used the first time and will continually get dimmer ...new batteries don't fix the problem
not a big deal if you don't use the flashlight a lot, plus,the batteries last a very long time too.The Streamlight© I picked up is a disappointment and is my last LED light, too bad,because it is well built !.
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Edited 1/23/2007 6:16 pm by maddog3
"I read somewhere that LEDs lose their rated "brightness" shortly after they are used the first time and will continually get dimmer ...new batteries don't fix the problem."
This has not been my experience with LEDs. In fact, just the opposite. While incandescent (such as in Mag Lites) do lose their brightness, LEDs just seem to keep on shining just like new. And they last WAY longer too (both the bulb and the batteries). The "spooky" light LEDs give off is sometimes a problem, though.
Mike HennessyPittsburgh, PA
.I guess that is the reason that LEDs are rated in watts, instead of some measurement of output..........more than likely just more minutiae that a consumer uses to sound smarterdo your lights use the Luxeon LED ?.
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Edited 1/23/2007 2:30 pm by maddog3
well, I finished talking to Streamlight about an hour ago
I have to send my flashlight back to the factory so they can replace the scratched lens .."free of charge " and wait two weeks...while they screw the new lens on I suppose??.....Or I can go into town (44 miles roundtrip) and BUY a new lens from their rep.
I give their CS a thumbs downMy experience with Pelican was excellent by comparison, they merely shipped me a new lens for my 2 yr. old Stealthlight, after calling them.... once.
No send this, or call this number , or drive somewhere.It seems that Pelican wants their customers to be satisfied and remain a Pelican customerI was assured by Pelican CS that they will replace whatever breaks, even the replacement lens....in the same wayBoth companies have lifetime warranties on their products, only Pelican did not jerk me around.....I give Pelican two thumbs up.
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Trying to do everything with one flashlight is like trying to use only one screwdriver. I have four lights I rely upon. Two are reasonably "normal," and two use my cordless tool batteries. First of all, my workhorse - the one always with me - is a pocket size, 6 LED, 3 AAA light. It is great for reading nameplates, looking into electrical boxes, etc. The second is a similar sized SureFire. While the current version sells for well over $100, there are other models of similar light performance that sell for maybe $40. Loosely similar to the Streamlight, it has a very bright, very focused beam that will light up every point in an attic from the hatch.The "down" side is short bulb life and even shorter battery life. I have a fluorescent that uses tool batteries. It's nice being able to recharge! It gives out an amazing amount of light, and is ideal for attic work. It also is the "cat's meow" for lighting up the back of my truck at night. Finally, I have light that uses a conventional bulb, but has a head that can be aimed. I find this good for work above suspended ceilings; I can set the light on the ceiling, and it will light up the structure above (which might be 6 ft. above).
I have boughten a couple of hats with the LEDS built in and they work really well not extremely bright but they always point were I am looking and they have red or white bulbs.
I love driving at night and turning the red LEDS on as I look like an alien to oncoming traffic.
ANDYSZ2WHY DO I HAVE TO EXPLAIN TO FRIENDS AND FAMILY THAT BEING A SOLE PROPRIETOR IS A REAL JOB?
REMODELER/PUNCHOUT SPECIALIST
Which surefire ??
I still want the M6at least the 6p for starters...:).
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Mine is a discontinued / replaced version of the 6P, called the Z6P. There are at least two similar models available mow, one of aluminum, one of plastic. Whichever you get, you will NEED their flashlight carrier, which is molded of hard plastic. You will also want to keep a spare bulb assembly on hand; they seem to last either 2 years or 2 minutes!
I'm undecided about a plastic lens and those high power lamps.. a buddy has the Defender and that thing gets warm.....I did find the G2 for around $31 on E-bay
http://stores.ebay.com/Heartland-Sportsmans-Supply
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For small, long-running ones (tent light, etc) the cold cathode units are pretty nice. Good white light, compact, and excellent battery life.
do you mean fluorescent??.
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They're sort of fluorescent. Never have seen a good description of how they differ from regular fluorescent, but they're much smaller -- typically an inch or two or three long and only maybe 3/16" to 3/8" in diamater. [The actual lamp, that is. Typically packaged more or less like a penlight.]
So convenient a thing it is to be a reasonable Creature, since it enables one to find or make a Reason for everything one has a mind to do. --Benjamin Franklin
Edited 1/23/2007 1:56 pm by DanH
I dogpiled coldcathode and found some stuff for lighting up PCs !!
is that it?.
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I have something (actually, two different units) vaguely resembling this:http://www.coolflashlights.com/images/41-2490.jpgNote that this unit has both xenon flashlight (top end) and cold-cathode area light (the shiny area near the bottom), and the one I have is just the cold-cathode part.
So convenient a thing it is to be a reasonable Creature, since it enables one to find or make a Reason for everything one has a mind to do. --Benjamin Franklin
something like that could work in the back of my truck...
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I think I have seen "closet" units.
So convenient a thing it is to be a reasonable Creature, since it enables one to find or make a Reason for everything one has a mind to do. --Benjamin Franklin
there's a Meijer / Lowe's / Menards.....over in Michigan City..I'll check there !.
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Poking around, it appears that, since cold cathode units are a bit more expensive (starting around $20), and white LEDs have become readily available (and since the entire cold-cathode production of a small country is apparently being used just to illuminate the insides of computers), a lot of the little, cheap, cold cathode stuff has been switched to LEDs.So a quick search didn't turn up any closet units.
So convenient a thing it is to be a reasonable Creature, since it enables one to find or make a Reason for everything one has a mind to do. --Benjamin Franklin
yeah.what's up with that computer goofiness.....LED fans?.
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Streamlight Stinger rechargeable
Streamlight Scorpion
(both the above are xenon)
inova led spot flashlight (1 AA) (http://www.inovalight.com/)
I didn't know how I'd like the Inova light. I saw it at Target and put it on my Christmas list a year ago. I ended up getting it, and I love it. Smaller and brighter than a Mini Maglite. My only gripe is that it has a round bezel rather than one with flats, so it will roll. It has a very defined "spot", which takes some getting used to when you're accustomed to the less focused beam of a regular flashlight. Inova has a 5-led flood model that I'm looking at too.
SureFire has some really nice lights (like their Aviator), but they're out of my price range (for now).
Flashlights are a weakness of mine...
....yeah,I want the surefire M6, http://www.surefire.com/maxexp/main/co_disp/displ/prrfnbr/419/sesent/00I could probably see you ,if I get high enough... elevationwiseI know a bunch of folks who bought that Stinger and piggyback charger .....that thing is bright.
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I love my Stream Light Lightbox. Super bright, rechargable, and has a nice feel to it. I take it in for the dirty work, othrwise it stays in the bedroom closet for the emergencies.
Its a mainstay of fire and rescue types, and one hell of a tough lite.
I e-mailed Streamlight regarding my displeasure..I like their lights, I just picked the wrong hype.......
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Torches
good for light, and chasing monsters
and setting fire to the castle...Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming<!----><!----><!---->
WOW!!! What a Ride!Forget the primal scream, just ROAR!!!
good, multi-purpose tool
can even cook dinner with it
beat back the chill of winter with it too...Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming<!----><!----><!---->
WOW!!! What a Ride!Forget the primal scream, just ROAR!!!
hahahahaaahah, forgot about those.
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My flashlights are my most important tools
My favorite is my Streamlight Ultra Stinger. Although when I sit in my truck it tends to slide out of the belt loop. And the bulbs are a bitch to change.
My fiberglass Streamlight (I forget the model name) is my second favorite.
Maglights aren't much more than toys, IMO. (Although some of my cop friends like them because of the the ability to set them to a wide beam and roll them into a room and sweep it with light. The dark center of the beam is a negative, though, for me.)
The LEDS seem cool but don't have the brightness I need.
My local police supply store has some awesome lights that fit on weapons, but they don't hold enough charge for my needs
What made the teaching of Jesus different and apparently so hard to accept then as now, was that it required a critical reassessment of the structures and values and attitudes of human society as his listeners and followers shared in it.
- Monika K. Hellwig
from Jesus: The Compassion of God (The Liturgical Press, 1983)
DW was the Mag-Lite junkie.every color ,every size ..except C...I need to float a loan to buy the batteries I just did a quick count and would need 54 Ds to refill just the Mags....I always had the mini-Mag for work but am now sold on the Xenon lamps and I have two, the Pelican and a Hubbelite...
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Surefire L2 and E2, Inova X5, Black Diamond headlamp.
The L2 took about 9 mo.s to go through a set of batteries with almost daily use. It was expensive but worth it. I drop the E2 in a jacket pocket when going most anywhere after dark. Bought my Dad a 6P for Xmas a year or two ago. Surefire stuff is expensive, but they really are awesome lights.
The Inova was a Target impulse buy. The current version of the headlamp I have is called a Helion. Can't say enough good about Black Diamond's combo headlamps- I use mine w/ the LEDs for basically any attic/crawlspace/dark corner work. But then you have a incandescent bulb to light up and see stuff further away.