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I have old school maglites one large one Leo size that I converted to led ,the brightness and battery life is much better.. It rocks and makes a good club .
 
I use the Fenix brand. Good price to performance. My latest is the LD30. LD30 Great for EDC/work etc.

Went 2 weeks of good use at my job before I needed to recharge. Fits in the palm of the hand and is rechargeable. Fenix usually has a 20% discount for new sign up members so just make a spoof email and take advantage.

Costco sells some simple Duracell 500lumen lights that are AA operated and have a good pitch. 3 pack for $15. Nice to have for those around the house drawers/cabinets/glove box etc. As @Kruel J said avoid cheap "tactical" and other cloned looking lights from Ebay/Amazon that claim to do 10,000lumens.

My work recently bought some (to replace the streamlights we used) and they barely do 10lumens at 3ft in front of you, and no lens at the end.
 
I like Surefire quality and am willing to pay the price but I'm not usually too happy with Surefire's feature set. But they're great lights if you can find something you like.

I have a number of Surefire weapons lights but most my handhelds are Fenix. They've all been great...

My Standard Requirements. YMMV
  • Lumen Output (This is based on user requirements)
  • Must be able to run on both primary cells and rechargeables. These days there is no reason why lights shouldn't run on both. For long term storage lights that get little use but need to work when you need them...like a light for the car...I want primary cells. For heavy use lights I want rechargeables
  • Clicky tailcap. I'm a "clicker." This is another subjective requirement. Some folks like "twistys" or a light with the button up on the body. YMMV
  • Outputs. I want a high, a moonlight, and an output for general tasks like 50 lumens. Anything else is a bonus but I want at least those three. I do not need a strobe. Again, YMMV
  • Batteries - Another very subjective reqirement. Most my lights run on either CR123's/RCR123's, and 18650's so I tend to buy lights that run on either those or AA's since I've always got those around. But battery management can get cumbersome so keeping things consistent really helps. Also do your due diligence if you will be recharging lithium batteries. There are lots of good, high quality lithium rechargeables on the market these days but a lithium battery fire is no joke. I only recharge lithiums when I'm there with them...and never at night when I'm sleeping. YMMV
 
Since you have a pile of CR123 batts, SureFire G2X. Won't break the bank, same lighthead in their more expensive metal bodied lights. I've had a couple of the G2 lights over the years - lost a few, found a new old one. Amazing how I thought the original incan was "bright" - my inexpensive Mag XL50 puts out waaaay more light, and uses AAA batteries.

And the Mag XL50 would be my recommendation for a reliable, inexpensive, rugged light. 1 inch tube. Takes 3 AAA batteries. High, Low, and Strobe modes. Clicky tail cap switch. All metal body construction with a Pyrex lens. Great light for around $30. My first one lasted a number of years before quitting. I've had #2 for a couple years now and its still going strong. They make a brighter, more expensive version as well (XL150, I think) that is the same dimensions.

I also like Streamlight products.
 
Anything from Surefire, Streamlight, or Fenix...in that order.

I never thought I'd recommend anything over Surefire but that day has come, Modlite all the way. I'm going 100% rechargeable.

I like Surefire; however, I picked up a fenix and really like it! Rechargeable or can use the same battery as my Surefires.... also, it has various output modes and a strobe!

You can have that strobe stuff, I'll stick with an eye blistering torch.
 
Flipped from a streamlight to a Fenix for eveyday carry. Like them both, like the Fenix a bit better.

Not into recharge "in the flashlight" flashlights (yet), however have started to use rechargeable CR123's.

Really depends on what size, lumens & features you want tho. The streamlight I had was off on. Worked fine.

The Fenix is off on, side button for 4 levels of bright + a strobe. Works fine, like the various levels better.
 
Application makes a great difference for the recommendation.

As a daily carry - tough to beat the streamlight model that takes 2 AA and isn't much larger than a big pen. Lots of light and batteries are cheap.

As for larger area flood lights. There's a brand called Nebo and they make an led light with a magnetic base that is probably my favorite light for illuminating an area. It is about the same size as a small mag flashlight.

If you plan to use the light as a baton and educate people with it - the large 3D cell maglight seems to be the ticket.
 
There is more to output than lumens. My Surefire DF puts out 1,500 lumens and approximately 15,000 candela while my Modlite OKW is only 680 lumens but with approximately 69,000 candela and it whips the snot out the SF DF when it comes to long range luminescent.

Yep...way more than lumens to take into consideration when choosing a light.

There's the parts of the light...spot, flood, and throw...and then there's the candela thing.

I urge everyone to take a low light class, but if it doesn't get into the parts and use of a light...get a refund.
 
I am partial to armytek. Very durable, 10m drop, fully potted, waterproof.

The user interface is not as slick as some others, but the ability to go straight to turbo with 0 thought 100% of the time is a big plus for me.

I have hung then on rifles and they work, but surefire is my #1 choice for a weapon mounted light.

Been having some issues with my Olight PL2s so they are not high on my list right now.
 
Can of worm thread!

My absolute favorite are these little guys. I buy them in lots of ten. One or two go missing, I don't care. Not one hasn't worked when I needed it to work. I have them literally everywhere around the house. They run off one AA battery. Fairly bright, they get the job done.

View attachment 649702

Yes I own more expensive flashlights, do I use them as much as these guys, no.

Ill wait for the, "Don't trust your life to those" responses!

I gave up all my 4 D cell Maglites, my rechargeable police light, my 2 D cell common flashlights, in favor of these little guys. They are so much brighter! I have one in every room of the house, and one in every car, several in the 5th wheel. 7W Cree. Packs of 5, 10, or 2 for $5.80 at Amazon or EBay.

They haven't replaced my gun mounted lights, nor my Taclights (yet), but I use them for everything else. But if bashing someone over the head, a 4 cell Maglite is my top choice. ;)
 
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I'll post this up too, as I'm a firm believer in having at least one or two of this type of flashlight on hand. Rather it be old school or new tech, these are very handy type lights.

1579021102478.jpeg
 
That's a great article.

Some of the group get together and classes last year had a low light element optional, where students came out after hours and we went over different lights that they brought compared to what I and others use.

Was a great eye opener for a lot of people...especially the part about trying to ID people at 35 yards and in. A lot of lights failed to be able to do this. The upper end lights did way better than others with the same or close to specs.

What works inside, gets swallowed up by darkness outside.
 
Those little Blue flash lights at Harbor Freight. They're really bright, they have two modes of operation and
best of all they're usually FREE ! :eek:

I have several of them around the house and boat, plus I often have one in my pocket. :p
 
Tip for rehab of some tail cap jiggies: my old L2P was crapping out after 5 years daily use. No replacement parts left on this now antique. Ordered Fenix recharge clone....but discovered Deoxit D5 aerosol that seems to have cleaned contacts enough for another career. So I'm good for a while, but looking at the 2000+ LED beasts. Haven't yet recovered from having the old Maglites finely going gunnybag after so many decades of abuse.
 

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