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That's the reason to look at not only lumens, but candella, and the overall beam pattern. Get a good light packaged with all the above...and you got a great light barrier to use for your advantage.
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Recommended Flashlights.
- Thread Starter CountryGent
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That's the reason to look at not only lumens, but candella, and the overall beam pattern. Get a good light packaged with all the above...and you got a great light barrier to use for your advantage.
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AE Lights is what I have been using for duty, for the past 5 years. Came with 2 rechargeable batteries. I think company is based in Oregon. As with anything your milage may vary. Price was around 120. Hundreds of traffic stops, countless building clearings, and still going.
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Did you ever get one of these to ring out?
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I did. Have had it for well over a year. Great light, as in beam. Great throw, good combo of spot and flood. Has 5 light settings...up to 1,600 lumens.
It has the larger 21700 battery, which does last about an hour on the 1,000 lumen setting.
Down side...personal opinion as to use. The body has little grip...had to put grip tape on it, but to be fair have had to do that with some Surefire lights as well. My Modlite will need it in the future as the finish gets smoothed from use.
The major downside, the light brightness has 5 settings...does not go well for hard use combat light. I want a light that gives me all it's got, every time without question. Would hate to have it on a lower setting should something pop up on me, and not be able to solve the problem because of not enough light...and have to fumble around for the button to up the output.
I've been in enough elephant crap to understand that when the elephant commences its bodily function, whatever position the light is in, both hand and bright setting, that's what position it'll be in throughout the fight.
I know some will say...just keep it on the brightest setting. Yep, that sounds good...but we know how uncle Murph finds his way into things. And over the last year, have heard of the bright setting button on some Fenix lights fail...doing one of 2 things, either renders the light useless as it won't turn on, or it's stuck on one setting.
So...the moral of all this rambling...it's a great light for around the house, I've used it as a work light...but won't carry it with me out and about.
It has the larger 21700 battery, which does last about an hour on the 1,000 lumen setting.
Down side...personal opinion as to use. The body has little grip...had to put grip tape on it, but to be fair have had to do that with some Surefire lights as well. My Modlite will need it in the future as the finish gets smoothed from use.
The major downside, the light brightness has 5 settings...does not go well for hard use combat light. I want a light that gives me all it's got, every time without question. Would hate to have it on a lower setting should something pop up on me, and not be able to solve the problem because of not enough light...and have to fumble around for the button to up the output.
I've been in enough elephant crap to understand that when the elephant commences its bodily function, whatever position the light is in, both hand and bright setting, that's what position it'll be in throughout the fight.
I know some will say...just keep it on the brightest setting. Yep, that sounds good...but we know how uncle Murph finds his way into things. And over the last year, have heard of the bright setting button on some Fenix lights fail...doing one of 2 things, either renders the light useless as it won't turn on, or it's stuck on one setting.
So...the moral of all this rambling...it's a great light for around the house, I've used it as a work light...but won't carry it with me out and about.
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As a mechanic, I have been using stream lights for years. They are rechargeable. Damn near indestructible. Have a lifetime warranty if something does break, most often the switch. Most have a strobe feature built in. Have dropped mine in oil, coolant and even run over it with a vehicle
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As an elevator mechanic I've been using the Coast A25R for the last 7 years and absolutely love it. The higher end coast lights are all pretty great. I've been using them exclusively for flashlights and headlamps and I've never had one fail.
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Not fancy but I've been pleased with my Coast HX5. Pocket every day carry. Bright with a AA NiMH (Eneloop, IKEA, etc.). With a 14500 / AA LiIon cell, it's about 355 lumins with a zoom. Great wide angle and spot. Simple on/off button , no high/low/strobe options. Often on sale at any Ace Hardware for $17 or so. After years of daily use, the rubber switch cover split. New end cap / switch was $5 so it works like new.
Need smaller and like CR123? Check out the Nebo HL20C. Tiny (2 3/4" long, <1" diameter). 6x zoom. 4 modes. $10 including the CR123 at Old Mill in The Dalles. Can't beat that! Have these in each car, wife's purse, etc.
Need smaller and like CR123? Check out the Nebo HL20C. Tiny (2 3/4" long, <1" diameter). 6x zoom. 4 modes. $10 including the CR123 at Old Mill in The Dalles. Can't beat that! Have these in each car, wife's purse, etc.
The Mac guy carries Coast and I converted years ago.
The A25R and smaller one are what I have now for handheld ones.
Pocket one for work, been on this one for quite a while.
My other work light. All day long on one charge.
First position is med, then high and low, long press for 1000 lumen.
One press to turn off, you don't have to cycle through all the positions.
With my other Coast headlamp with three spare batteries for a days work.
I just seen Olight's Odin Turbo and will be getting this one next.
Not really a light saber.
The A25R and smaller one are what I have now for handheld ones.
Pocket one for work, been on this one for quite a while.
My other work light. All day long on one charge.
First position is med, then high and low, long press for 1000 lumen.
One press to turn off, you don't have to cycle through all the positions.
With my other Coast headlamp with three spare batteries for a days work.
I just seen Olight's Odin Turbo and will be getting this one next.
Not really a light saber.
Member 66129
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That T shaped headlamp and the A25R are my favorite. I think I have a newer version of the headlamp though because mine is over 2,000 lumens.
I'm seriously thinking about this when it goes on sale.
www.olightstore.com
Olight Official Online Store: Odin Turbo is the first LEP light source tactical light, compared to LED light sources, it is better suited for high lumen locations. And the longest irradiation distance is 1050 meters. Enjoy fast delivery& best service
Olight Official Online Store: Odin Turbo is the first LEP light source tactical light, compared to LED light sources, it is better suited for high lumen locations. And the longest irradiation distance is 1050 meters. Enjoy fast delivery& best service here
I have a Baldr Pro mounted to my rifle, and the thing easily illuminates to 100 yards at 1300 lumens, and so does the laser. I'd jump on a flashlight too. Still going strong off the original battery after about 20 hours as well.I'm seriously thinking about this when it goes on sale.
Olight Official Online Store: Odin Turbo is the first LEP light source tactical light, compared to LED light sources, it is better suited for high lumen locations. And the longest irradiation distance is 1050 meters. Enjoy fast delivery& best service
Olight Official Online Store: Odin Turbo is the first LEP light source tactical light, compared to LED light sources, it is better suited for high lumen locations. And the longest irradiation distance is 1050 meters. Enjoy fast delivery& best service here
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Surefire, Streamlight, Fenix, and some of the Olight models....are pretty darn solid and hard to beat. I own some of them. You'll pay for them, but good tools are worth the price. No disagreement.
However.....I found a couple "off brands" that I'm very impressed with. I own them both and are the ones i use most often. The Sofrin SP31 has a single 18650 rechargeable battery, and is bright as heck. Very solid, very well built, can't fault them on this one. Comes with the flashlight, battery and charger for....$35.00. Friends that use it usually order one. They are good little machines. Another Sofrin that's a heck of a thrower is their SP70 that runs on two, 26650 cells. I can light up the field across the street with it...it's very impressive if a little big. Also very solid, very well made. Really like this one, it really turns night into day in a pinch. Flashlight, both batteries, and a charger are....$85.00.
I certainly won't claim they're "as good as a Surefire, etc.." but my experience is that they are very much worth the money. Both are good choices.
I also can highly recommend a little Deoxit red on all the contacts. They have a pen applicator and I wipe the ends of all batteries when they go into service. It's really good stuff. I use Deoxit red and gold on my electronics bench, all the time.
Have fun - B.B.S.
However.....I found a couple "off brands" that I'm very impressed with. I own them both and are the ones i use most often. The Sofrin SP31 has a single 18650 rechargeable battery, and is bright as heck. Very solid, very well built, can't fault them on this one. Comes with the flashlight, battery and charger for....$35.00. Friends that use it usually order one. They are good little machines. Another Sofrin that's a heck of a thrower is their SP70 that runs on two, 26650 cells. I can light up the field across the street with it...it's very impressive if a little big. Also very solid, very well made. Really like this one, it really turns night into day in a pinch. Flashlight, both batteries, and a charger are....$85.00.
I certainly won't claim they're "as good as a Surefire, etc.." but my experience is that they are very much worth the money. Both are good choices.
I also can highly recommend a little Deoxit red on all the contacts. They have a pen applicator and I wipe the ends of all batteries when they go into service. It's really good stuff. I use Deoxit red and gold on my electronics bench, all the time.
Have fun - B.B.S.
Sofirn Tactical Flashlight 1200 High Lumens, SP31 V2.0 Super Bright Torch with Cree XPL HI LED, EDC Pocket Size, Rechargeable 18650 Battery (Inserted) and USB Charger, for Camping Hiking Fishing - - Amazon.com
Sofirn Tactical Flashlight 1200 High Lumens, SP31 V2.0 Super Bright Torch with Cree XPL HI LED, EDC Pocket Size, Rechargeable 18650 Battery (Inserted) and USB Charger, for Camping Hiking Fishing - - Amazon.com
smile.amazon.com
Sofirn SP70 Tactical Flashlight High Lumens 5500 LM with Cree XHP70.2 Led, Police Military Outdoor Searchlight with Rechargeable 2pcs 26650 Batteries(Inserted) and Charger - - Amazon.com
Sofirn SP70 Tactical Flashlight High Lumens 5500 LM with Cree XHP70.2 Led, Police Military Outdoor Searchlight with Rechargeable 2pcs 26650 Batteries(Inserted) and Charger - - Amazon.com
smile.amazon.com
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Lots of good lights out there. Fenix makes more models that I can track with my toes and fingers. But my serious lights are Malkoffs. There have been times I have had my light running non-stop for over an hour at a time due to work. Unusual and extreme. Had a good number of Fenix fail after a half hour. The Surefires worked great but got very hot. Malkoffs kept plugging along. Got warm but not hot enough to worry about.
Last Edited:
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2022
Any updates - recommended brands / avoids?
Batteries?
Systems?
Batteries
In re-charging my lights / replacing batteries, I found a couple of leakers in the AAA CostCo brand. These are highly recommended by some review sites.
thrunite.com
What is your best 18650 battery and where are you getting them?
Lights
I have not had any issues with my Thrunite's - one in my pocket all waking hours Ti3, and 6 others TN12v4 (cars, rooms, bags, etc)
No issue with the Fenix I got via our older fund raisers. One has a USB Micro as the re-charge port.
I ditched a couple more of the old CostCo 200/300 series as these are going on 10 years of service use so I don't feel bad.
I ditched a Coast brand light.
The 'free" Harbor Freight light I got at work is still going - and on the plus side maybe 10 years of use and no one has "borrowed it' permanently.
Any updates - recommended brands / avoids?
Batteries?
Systems?
Batteries
In re-charging my lights / replacing batteries, I found a couple of leakers in the AAA CostCo brand. These are highly recommended by some review sites.
THRUNITE Flashlights. Their line of handheld flashlights includes some of the most popular LED devices on the market, while their EDC lights, head lamps, and search lights are indispensable gear to adventurers and outdoor enthusiasts all over the wor
THRUNITE FLASHLIGHTS, led lights, lamp, camping, camping accessories, led, hunting accessories, flashlights, rechargeable batteries, survival gear, uv light, survival kit, 18650 battery, aa batteries, emergency kit, tactical, camping gear, rechargeable aa batteries, torch, self defense, work...
thrunite.com
What is your best 18650 battery and where are you getting them?
Lights
I have not had any issues with my Thrunite's - one in my pocket all waking hours Ti3, and 6 others TN12v4 (cars, rooms, bags, etc)
No issue with the Fenix I got via our older fund raisers. One has a USB Micro as the re-charge port.
I ditched a couple more of the old CostCo 200/300 series as these are going on 10 years of service use so I don't feel bad.
I ditched a Coast brand light.
The 'free" Harbor Freight light I got at work is still going - and on the plus side maybe 10 years of use and no one has "borrowed it' permanently.
Last Edited:
I have a T1S coming from Amazon.2022
Any updates - recommended brands / avoids?
Batteries?
Systems?
Batteries
In re-charging my lights / replacing batteries, I found a couple of leakers in the AAA CostCo brand. These are highly recommended by some review sites.
THRUNITE Flashlights. Their line of handheld flashlights includes some of the most popular LED devices on the market, while their EDC lights, head lamps, and search lights are indispensable gear to adventurers and outdoor enthusiasts all over the wor
THRUNITE FLASHLIGHTS, led lights, lamp, camping, camping accessories, led, hunting accessories, flashlights, rechargeable batteries, survival gear, uv light, survival kit, 18650 battery, aa batteries, emergency kit, tactical, camping gear, rechargeable aa batteries, torch, self defense, work...
What is your best 18650 battery and where are you getting them?
Lights
I have not had any issues with my Thrunite's - on in my pocket all waking hours Ti3, and 6 others TN12v4 (cars, rooms, bags, etc)
No issue with the Fenix I got via our older fund raisers. One has a USB Micro as the re-charge port.
I ditched a couple more of the old CostCo 200/300 series as these are going on 10 years of service use so I don't feel bad.
I ditched a Coast brand light.
The 'free" Harbor Freight light I got at work is still going - and on the plus side maybe 10 years of use and no one has "borrowed it' permanently.
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Not for nothing, having USB rechargeable for the in-car keepers makes sense.I have a T1S coming from Amazon.
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