FLASHLIGHTS (WOW)

[Colorado Coffinmaker]

I've had a really nice "D" cell MagLight for 35 Years.  Marvelous flashlight right up until I knocked it off the counter and the bulb thingie broke.  And I found the batteries glued themselves in.  Gave up and ordered a new one.

 

You don't just get a simple "Flashlight" anymore.  This new MagLight has more bells and whistles than I can count.  It has "Modes," it has "Settings," it does everything but cook breakfast.  All I wanted was a simple, new MagLight.  Nope.  You get a hand held Techno Demonstration that requires a set of instructions you can't read without a magnifying glass.  Batteries Not Included

[Calamity Kris]

I carried MagLights for a long time.  I have recently switched because of the weight.  They were just too heavy for what I needed.  I just purchased a couple of Streamlights.  I have one, the Switchblade, that I keep on my desk when I need a little extra light to assist me with color matching.  I love them.  You might want to look into them.

[Rye Miles #13621]

19 minutes ago, Colorado Coffinmaker said:

I've had a really nice "D" cell MagLight for 35 Years.  Marvelous flashlight right up until I knocked it off the counter and the bulb thingie broke.  And I found the batteries glued themselves in.  Gave up and ordered a new one.

 

You don't just get a simple "Flashlight" anymore.  This new MagLight has more bells and whistles than I can count.  It has "Modes," it has "Settings," it does everything but cook breakfast.  All I wanted was a simple, new MagLight.  Nope.  You get a hand held Techno Demonstration that requires a set of instructions you can't read without a magnifying glass.  Batteries Not Included

Nothing is simple anymore 🙄🤪

[Rip Snorter]

Rayovac, Eveready, Streamlight, Surefire!  Got my first Surefire 30? years ago?  I think the little 6P came as an extra with a fancy laser level - the maker Laser Products Corp at the time.  It was a part of my FIL's estate, one of a couple of things I was given for helping settle things.  At the time, the best flashlight I had ever had,  It still works and sits by the front door. In the intervening decades I have bought a few more.  The newest far better than the original, virtually indestructible, and will throw a coherent beam a considerable distance.  If you get one and plan to use it for anything close, map reading, etc. get the model with 2 brightness settings.  Streamlight was a great light at the time, but not even close, light wise to Surefire but with one advantage if in Law enforcement.  It made a decent baton in a pinch.

[Marshal Mo Hare, SASS #45984]

1 hour ago, Colorado Coffinmaker said:

I've had a really nice "D" cell MagLight for 35 Years.  Marvelous flashlight right up until I knocked it off the counter and the bulb thingie broke.  And I found the batteries glued themselves in.  Gave up and ordered a new one.

 

You don't just get a simple "Flashlight" anymore.  This new MagLight has more bells and whistles than I can count.  It has "Modes," it has "Settings," it does everything but cook breakfast.  All I wanted was a simple, new MagLight.  Nope.  You get a hand held Techno Demonstration that requires a set of instructions you can't read without a magnifying glass.  Batteries Not Included

The maglight that cooks breakfast is being tested now, expect availability for Christmas.

[Alpo]

I got a flashlight several years ago. Thousand lumens? 10,000 lumens? Yeah, I think it's 10,000. It's really really bright, anyway. The evening of the day it arrived I went out in the street in front of my house and turned it on and I could see the stop sign four blocks away. I pulled the truck out in the street, parked it and turn the headlights on. Then I turn the flashlight on and it lit up beyond the headlight beam. Very bright.

 

However. It has a four position switch. You push the button and that really bright light comes on. Then you push the button again and the light cuts in half. Then you push the button again and now it's a strobe. Why in the hell would anybody need a strobe on their flashlight? Going to do a disco out there in the front yard when you're looking for the dropped screw? Then, finally, you push it the fourth time and the light goes out.

 

Why?

 

I wanted a simple flashlight where you push the button and the light came on and then you push the button again and the light goes off.

 

Then I find these.

 

https://www.amazon.com/Hatori-Flashlight-Battery-Powered-Emergency-Flashlights/dp/B072JGQ9R5?pd_rd_w=d9Flc&content-id=amzn1.sym.af7623a1-9c1d-4857-8065-72d4ffe603da&pf_rd_p=af7623a1-9c1d-4857-8065-72d4ffe603da&pf_rd_r=J1JJ35SBTWG79Y9560J0&pd_rd_wg=Lny7g&pd_rd_r=ef1a5ab5-5d4f-45e0-815b-6e2a4b17fff8&pd_rd_i=B072JGQ9R5&psc=1&ref_=pd_basp_m_rpt_ba_s_4_sc

 

Uses one triple a. They claim 5,000 lumens when I bought the first of them, and they lied. But they are pretty bright. Standing out in the middle of the street, walking the dog, I could read house numbers over the door of houses I was passing. That's a hundred feet or so. I figure that's pretty good. Five bucks each. You lose one, doesn't upset you too much. Battery dumps and it doesn't work anymore. I'd rather have that happen to a $5 flashlight than a $100 flashlight.

 

They got a button on the end cap. You push it, the light comes on. You push it again, the light goes out. No modes, no colors, no strobes. Flashlight.

 

According to Amazon I have made that purchase of four lights three times. I got one in the glove compartment of both trucks. I got one laying next to the bed. One in the medicine cabinet. I have them scattered all over the house. They're cheap enough I can do that.

[Stump Water]

In the event that you haven't damaged your old Maglight, you can get replacement LED bulbs.

 

https://www.amazon.com/TRLIFE-Maglite-Conversion-Flashlight-Replacement/dp/B07TDL68D7?th=1

[Sgt. C.J. Sabre, SASS #46770]

4 minutes ago, Stump Water said:

In the event that you haven't damaged your old Maglight, you can get replacement LED bulbs.

 

https://www.amazon.com/TRLIFE-Maglite-Conversion-Flashlight-Replacement/dp/B07TDL68D7?th=1

My wife used to have a Mini Mag Light that I put an LED conversion into.

[sassnetguy50]

Agreed, they should offer a simple on/off that is always on high.   I'd get a smaller flashlight if I wanted a smaller light beam.  The good part is you can program that newfangled LED smart switch maglight to always start on high and have a one click off instead of scrolling through the modes.  Works well for daily use now.  It works for everything except morse code.

[Subdeacon Joe]

Harbor Freight inexpensive. 

https://www.harborfreight.com/3-12-in-led-mini-flashlights-2-pack-63600.html

 

3xAAA batteries. Small enough to slip into any pocket.  No big deal if lost or broken. Can stash them all over the house. 

 

I'm not doing Search and Rescue at night. Not speelunking. Not engaging in police or military clearing of warehouses or office buildings. 

 

I have a 12v rechargeable that came with a Ryobi set that i bought a few years ago.  It's sometimes useful. 

[Sgt. C.J. Sabre, SASS #46770]

Most flashlights these days have the "on high", "on low", "flash" switches on them. I don't care for them, but I'm not going to go to the effort to look for something simpler. I'd about bet that the circuits for these things are all made in the same Chinese factory anyway. And lately I've been seeing some of them with some FIVE way switch. AND the bezel slides for a "Zoom" effect. I think I'm glad I don't need a new one.

I got a set of these some years back at Sam's Club. They were 3 for $20 if my rememberer is right. Notice that they're "Tactical". I guess that's because they're black.  Same three way switch, but they work and the batteries don't drain as fast by not doing anything as many others do.

 

Now this light is a rechargeable light. USB C, (I think). But I got them at Walmart a couple years ago for about $14. I keep them in my vehicles, plugged in so that they're always fully charged. Same three way switch, but like the other one, it works.  

[Sgt. C.J. Sabre, SASS #46770]

12 minutes ago, Subdeacon Joe said:

Harbor Freight inexpensive. 

https://www.harborfreight.com/3-12-in-led-mini-flashlights-2-pack-63600.html

 

3xAAA batteries. Small enough to slip into any pocket.  No big deal if lost or broken. Can stash them all over the house. 

I don't know if you have these lights, but I've had a bunch. Just sitting in a drawer, the batteries drain in about a month or so. YMMV.

[Alpo]

23 minutes ago, Sgt. C.J. Sabre, SASS #46770 said:

I don't know if you have these lights, but I've had a bunch. Just sitting in a drawer, the batteries drain in about a month or so. YMMV.

Yeah, I've bought those little harbor freight flashlights. They are garbage.

[Texas Lizard]

3 hours ago, Rye Miles #13621 said:

Nothing is simple anymore 🙄🤪

Making babies the old fashion way....Still simple...And still fun.....

 

Texas Lizard

[Subdeacon Joe]

1 hour ago, Sgt. C.J. Sabre, SASS #46770 said:

I don't know if you have these lights, but I've had a bunch. Just sitting in a drawer, the batteries drain in about a month or so. YMMV.

 

The really cheap batteries they com with do.  But good quality batteries last at least a year. 

[J-BAR #18287]

40 minutes ago, Texas Lizard said:

Making babies the old fashion way....Still simple...And still fun.....

 

I forget who said it...(maybe Carl Sagan?)...

 

"Don't worry about declining birth rates.  Babies can be made by unskilled laborers who enjoy the work."

[Smokin Gator SASS #29736]

Like many I've had several different brands of inexpensive flashlights over the years. The worst have been ones that somehow seem to drain the battery even when you haven't used them much. I have one now that has a long rechargeable battery or you can use to regular alkaline batteries.  As far as the Lumens output I saw a comment about the super bright tactical lights that was funny. "I want to see the bad guy not give him a suntan."

[Pat Riot]

Back in the 90’s I bought the most impressive flashlights I had found at the time. A Streamlight Scorpion and. Streamlight Stinger. Both were very impressive in the amount of light they put out. I still have them and they work as well as they did new. 

From that time up to 2015 I tried lights from numerous manufacturers and became a big fan of SureFire lights. I had several. The one thing that I did not like about them was the cost and life of the CR 123 batteries.

 

In 2015 I bought an Olight Baton flashlight. “Baton” is the name, not the use. I also bought a small pocket light. I still have both plus about a dozen other various Olights. 
Olight is a Chinese company. They have distribution centers in Virginia, Minnesota and Arizona. They are innovative. They have the best and most accommodating Customer Service I have ever encountered. Their light products are the best I have found. I love to buy American, but unfortunately there isn’t an American company that holds a candle to them. 
Their lights do not have the stupid process of turning it on then cycling through pushing the button to get high, low then flashing before turning it off. I hate that crap!

Most Olights when received are set at the medium light level. The pushbutton turns it on then turns it off. If you want to change the brightness push and hold the on pushbutton. The light will cycle through its brightness levels. When you get to the level you like let go of the pushbutton. On many of the lights a quick double press of the ON pushbutton gives you what they call “Turbo” lighting which is typically double the brightness of the highest normal light setting. 
Most Olights are rechargeable by a magnetic USB cable or a USB-C cable. 
Olight also makes tactical rifle and pistol mounted lights and lasers. They recently started manufacturing Red Dot Sights that get very good reviews. 
 

Check out their stuff. They’re a good company to deal with. Their products are also on Amazon. 
https://www.olight.com/store

 

 

[Colorado Coffinmaker]

 

Hey Stump.

 

Unfortunately, the batteries were also corroded in so solidly, I couldn't get em out.  Really annoying.  It "was" a nice flashlight.  Operative - "WAS"

[Injun Ryder, SASS #36201L]

Like Pat, I like my Olight Arkfeld UV flashlight. I carry it on Custer's bedtime walks in warm weather to spot scorpions so that Custer does not step on one.

 

The rest of the time on his bedtime walks, I carry a Surefire Fury to spot anything that Custer sees/smells in the dark - deer, skunks, javelina, possibly a mountain lion once.

[Rip Snorter]

Surefire Fury is superb.  If you aren't using the rechargeable batteries, you might try them.  I have a pair I alternate on a schedule as well as backup boxes of regular Surefire batteries.

[Forty Rod SASS 3935]

About 1978 I lived in Ontario, Ca. (for nearly 38 years), about a mile north of the Mag Light factory, and over the years I bought five or six Mag Lights in different sizes. 

 

The last one died (see the original post above) and I bought a Nebo to replace it.  It's a rechargeable, adjustable beam beauty that gets really hot (might come in handy in cold weather) with use and only holds about an hour charge.  You can pull it open and get a bright "shop" light that can be turned into a red emergency light light that can be a non-flashing or flashing mode, and the butt is magnetized

 

It wasn't very expensive so I now have two and am looking for a smaller one for every day carry.  I noticed they have several other sizes. too.

Edited September 15 by Forty Rod SASS 3935

[Forty Rod SASS 3935]

7 hours ago, Alpo said:

Yeah, I've bought those little harbor freight flashlights. They are garbage.

I never bought one but for awhile they gave them away at most purchases.  I must have fifteen or so now.  They work okay for emergency lights around the house, and I change the batteries every year about Christmas time.

 

There are two different light types

[DeaconKC]

Surefire and Streamlight are excellent heavy duty flashlights. For normal [non LE or Fire work] look at the Nebo lights. Very reliable and stand up well for hunting use.

[Pat Riot]

2 hours ago, DeaconKC said:

Surefire and Streamlight are excellent heavy duty flashlights. For normal [non LE or Fire work] look at the Nebo lights. Very reliable and stand up well for hunting use.

I would love to see a torture test between SureFire, Streamlight, Maglite & Olight models. I’d bet money Olights would prevail or at worst be 2nd place. 
I have taken them over SureFire and Streamlight for years. Maglite hasn’t impressed me in 35 years, though I still have a 3 C cell light near my front door. My wife likes using that one at night for some reason. 

[Injun Ryder, SASS #36201L]

If you have any problems with your (high end?) flashlight, check the warranty. 

 

I had a Streamlight with laser that was a promotional gift from a vendor that failed after 15 years or so. It had a lifetime warranty so I contacted Streamlight and they sent me a current version of the same flashlight. They had switched from aluminum to plastic. But it functions the same and is brighter than the original.

[Sgt. C.J. Sabre, SASS #46770]

21 minutes ago, Pat Riot said:

I would love to see a torture test between SureFire, Streamlight, Maglite & Olight models.

Send that to Project Farm. Maybe he'll do it. 

[Widder, SASS #59054]

My favorites are Streamlight 'ProTac HL5 X  and the newer ProTac HL6-X.   (the 6X has more lumens).

 

I live in the country, sorta, with LOTS of woods and open farm land.    Both the HL5 and HL6 models can light up

about as much territory as you can see in this area.   VERY POWERFUL.

 

BUT, I also got a Streamlight 'MEGASTREAM HP' light that cast an unbelievable beam.....way out into the

'never before seen'  Twilight Zone where night creatures roam.   Its kinda like a standard sized flashlight with a

larger than normal light head on it.   But it deserves a 'WOW' factor when you turn it on at night.

 

..........Widder

 

[Injun Ryder, SASS #36201L]

Regarding corrosion and the inability to remove the batteries:

 

Lithium batteries are generally not corrosive like alkaline batteries, as they do not contain acid. However, they can still experience some corrosion under certain conditions, particularly if exposed to moisture or improper connections.

 

They are more expensive than alkaline but will last longer.

 

I have switched to Energizer Lithium batteries and quit using alkaline/regular batteries. Time will tell if this was a good decision.

 

Note: Like those above, I have lost numerous Mag-Lites (and others) due to battery corrosion and the batteries being stuck solid in the flashlight. 

[Eyesa Horg]

I've found the Energizer batteries to corrode much less than the DuraCell brand by a long shot. Duracell seems to be the Pyrodex of batteries.

[watab kid]

a year or so a friend gave me a small one that uses rechargeable and its bright - beam carries a long way , i also have a coaste headlamp , ill be using both enext week when i go fishing/shooting in southern illinois , 

 

i dpo have a three cell maglight in both "D: and "C" , they stay in the truck and boat for that time you need them , either as a light or a weapon , 

[Hardpan Curmudgeon SASS #8967]

A few years ago my son gave me a Fenix E35R "pocket" flashlight.  Rechargeable, with multiple settings up to 3100 lumens - it's a bright booger!  And it will fit in a pocket, but it's a mite large.  It does come with a belt clip.  Do NOT rely on the belt clip; mine gave way and dropped the flashlight.  Fortunately, I found it in my front yard, and found myself a belt "holster" that's much more secure.   It now lives on my nightstand, but gets taken out occasionally for odd tasks.

 

My daily "pocket lamp" is a Fenix E12.  About thirty bucks, it won't break the bank.  It has three settings up to 200 lumens.  Rides in my jeans pocket quite easily.  And takes a single AA battery.  I think they're up to the third version; mine's the first generation ~ been carrying it for quite a few years.

 

Otherwise, I have a basketful of the cheap "pocket flashlights" in a closet ~ all dead.  

[watab kid]

22 minutes ago, Hardpan Curmudgeon SASS #8967 said:

A few years ago my son gave me a Fenix E35R "pocket" flashlight.  Rechargeable, with multiple settings up to 3100 lumens - it's a bright booger!  And it will fit in a pocket, but it's a mite large.  It does come with a belt clip.  Do NOT rely on the belt clip; mine gave way and dropped the flashlight.  Fortunately, I found it in my front yard, and found myself a belt "holster" that's much more secure.   It now lives on my nightstand, but gets taken out occasionally for odd tasks.

 

My daily "pocket lamp" is a Fenix E12.  About thirty bucks, it won't break the bank.  It has three settings up to 200 lumens.  Rides in my jeans pocket quite easily.  And takes a single AA battery.  I think they're up to the third version; mine's the first generation ~ been carrying it for quite a few years.

 

Otherwise, I have a basketful of the cheap "pocket flashlights" in a closet ~ all dead.  

yes , i forgot to mention the basketful of flashlights we have around here as well , 

 

i have one in every bag / cooler / lawn chair , as well as every side table i can turn to - some are good most are old and not real effective , i have a high intensity spot in all the vehicles as well as the boat , tha ones hard wired in as ive used it a lot on remote lakes late at night in the past , but we dont do that anymore ....sad , it was fun back then