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advice- best flashlight?

Nitt1300

Well-Known Member
Nov 2, 2008
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Yes, it's true that I don't think anybody here knows jack shit about football, but I bet that some of you have bought a really good flashlight in the last couple of years. My old 3-D cell Maglite died due to my neglecting to change the batteries before they corroded, so it's time for an upgrade. This is the one that lives in the car- I want a very bright one, could be rechargeable, but doesn't need to be. I do want a focusable beam. Price is not an issue, quality is.

What have you got?
 
Yes, it's true that I don't think anybody here knows jack shit about football, but I bet that some of you have bought a really good flashlight in the last couple of years. My old 3-D cell Maglite died due to my neglecting to change the batteries before they corroded, so it's time for an upgrade. This is the one that lives in the car- I want a very bright one, could be rechargeable, but doesn't need to be. I do want a focusable beam. Price is not an issue, quality is.

What have you got?
Surefire .. should be boycotted for donating to liberals but still the best light there is.
 
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Yes, it's true that I don't think anybody here knows jack shit about football, but I bet that some of you have bought a really good flashlight in the last couple of years. My old 3-D cell Maglite died due to my neglecting to change the batteries before they corroded, so it's time for an upgrade. This is the one that lives in the car- I want a very bright one, could be rechargeable, but doesn't need to be. I do want a focusable beam. Price is not an issue, quality is.

What have you got?

I am old school.

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Yes, it's true that I don't think anybody here knows jack shit about football, but I bet that some of you have bought a really good flashlight in the last couple of years. My old 3-D cell Maglite died due to my neglecting to change the batteries before they corroded, so it's time for an upgrade. This is the one that lives in the car- I want a very bright one, could be rechargeable, but doesn't need to be. I do want a focusable beam. Price is not an issue, quality is.

What have you got?
Stream light or surefire are good ones. You can get them at LA Police Gear.com
 
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Yes, it's true that I don't think anybody here knows jack shit about football, but I bet that some of you have bought a really good flashlight in the last couple of years. My old 3-D cell Maglite died due to my neglecting to change the batteries before they corroded, so it's time for an upgrade. This is the one that lives in the car- I want a very bright one, could be rechargeable, but doesn't need to be. I do want a focusable beam. Price is not an issue, quality is.

What have you got?

I've been pretty impressed with the flashlight I currently own, it's super bright LED (1000 Lumens), focusable, uses 4 C batteries, it's not as compact as the Fenix mentioned earlier. I didn't even know what brand it was until I just checked, it's a Duracell Durabeam Ultra and it currently costs $29 on amazon.
 
Yes, it's true that I don't think anybody here knows jack shit about football, but I bet that some of you have bought a really good flashlight in the last couple of years. My old 3-D cell Maglite died due to my neglecting to change the batteries before they corroded, so it's time for an upgrade. This is the one that lives in the car- I want a very bright one, could be rechargeable, but doesn't need to be. I do want a focusable beam. Price is not an issue, quality is.

What have you got?

How does one kill a flashlight with leaking batteries? I would think a little sandpaper and a cleaning cloth could get that working in no time.
 
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How does one kill a flashlight with leaking batteries? I would think a little sandpaper and a cleaning cloth could get that working in no time.

In my case with the same issue i couldnt get the D cell out.

At some point had to give up.

LdN
 
Yes, it's true that I don't think anybody here knows jack shit about football, but I bet that some of you have bought a really good flashlight in the last couple of years. My old 3-D cell Maglite died due to my neglecting to change the batteries before they corroded, so it's time for an upgrade. This is the one that lives in the car- I want a very bright one, could be rechargeable, but doesn't need to be. I do want a focusable beam. Price is not an issue, quality is.

What have you got?
I carry a Maglite in my briefcase, since the 1993 attack on the WTC. I got out in the dark but have had one else ever since
 
I carry a Maglite in my briefcase, since the 1993 attack on the WTC. I got out in the dark but have had one else ever since

In a similar vein, since the NYC blackout in 2003 I always have about 10 of each type of battery and at least 8 flashlights in my home.

Worked out great in Sandy.

In terms of recommended flashlight, with LEDs I don't find much value in paying up anymore. I have had multiple MagLites and I find the battery drains for some reason.

$20 to $30 will get you a solid flashlight no matter the brand.

LdN
 
How does one kill a flashlight with leaking batteries? I would think a little sandpaper and a cleaning cloth could get that working in no time.
more importantly, why would anyone recommend a $150 flashlight to someone who did that to their $20 maglite
 
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How does one kill a flashlight with leaking batteries? I would think a little sandpaper and a cleaning cloth could get that working in no time.

Depends on the light. If there is corrosion on the front contact and the barrel doesn't come off, it's a pain to clean. You can try lemon juice or vinegar on a long cotton-tipped applicator, but odds aren't good.
 
I had no idea you could spend $150 on a flashlight. If I spent that much on one, I'd have to turn off all the lights in the house just so I could use it all time!:)
I spent $1200 on a good flashlight that I carry at all times. It's rechargeable too. Among it's hundreds of other features, it allows my to take pictures and post on this board. It also allows me to make calls.
 
I spent $1200 on a good flashlight that I carry at all times. It's rechargeable too. Among it's hundreds of other features, it allows my to take pictures and post on this board. It also allows me to make calls.
You bought the Gambit #2 ??? It goes for a bit over a grand, plus shipping. Hundreds of features, a few of which actually work.


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Yes, it's true that I don't think anybody here knows jack shit about football, but I bet that some of you have bought a really good flashlight in the last couple of years. My old 3-D cell Maglite died due to my neglecting to change the batteries before they corroded, so it's time for an upgrade. This is the one that lives in the car- I want a very bright one, could be rechargeable, but doesn't need to be. I do want a focusable beam. Price is not an issue, quality is.

What have you got?
As some others have mentioned Streamlight make absolutely great flashlights. They are pricey but you said that isn't an issue. I work for a utility co. and we used to use them and most utility and emergency responders around my area use them. If one would break or quit charging we would send it in and they would fix or replace no questions asked. I think you'd be interested in their Stinger line which you can see on the Streamlight web page. I have one of their small tactical flashlight and it's incredible how bright this thing is. It's about the size of 2 c batteries end to end. The problem with this thing is the disposable battery in it is expensive, but I only need to replace it every couple years.
My company has quit buying most of the high end expensive flashlights because lights have come so far over the last 10 years or so. As long as you're not concerned with it being rechargeable the cheap ones do the same thing the expensive ones do. The flashlight I have now is a Craftsman. It takes 3 AA batteries instead of a rechargeable and is similar to Stinger as far a function goes. Craftsman $30 - Streamlight Stinger $200. For my work I don't like rechargeable. If it dies you need to wait for it to recharge to have light. The one that takes the AA's I can just put in a new set and I'm good to go.
 
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I have mix of Surefires and streamlights that get used regularly. All work great, but started but if I had to choose I would say stremlight for less money.
 
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I never thought I had to pay attention when choosing a flashlight, but I convinced myself when I got into a rather unpleasant situation. I had lost my phone while working in the field, and the flashlight got broken before I could find the phone, I had to go back to a neighbor to borrow his flashlight. It sounds quick, but 17 miles in one direction and 17 back isn't quick. After this happened to me, I decided to buy something durable. I found this Amazon product ASIN B089T8HDBV, it surprised me that it's water resistant.
 
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Yes, it's true that I don't think anybody here knows jack shit about football, but I bet that some of you have bought a really good flashlight in the last couple of years. My old 3-D cell Maglite died due to my neglecting to change the batteries before they corroded, so it's time for an upgrade. This is the one that lives in the car- I want a very bright one, could be rechargeable, but doesn't need to be. I do want a focusable beam. Price is not an issue, quality is.

What have you got?

Why not stick with Maglite? The XL200 is a great compact light with a lot of features for a reasonable price and it's made in the USA.

 
Another vote for Streamlight. Also there is such a thing as too bright. If you're trying to fix something in the dark, the glare off of what you're working on with a 350 lumen is ridiculous. Almost everyone in the shop has a Streamlight (Stylus Pro) 100 lumens. Nobody uses the 350 because it's too much.
 
Depends a lot on its intended use. I have a number of cheap Chinese 18650 zoomables from various companies in the $10 to $25 range for indoor use mostly purchased on Amazon. They are all very bright and useful for emergencies, camping, survival kits, and general home use. It's the lithium battery safety that concerns me. Many of those lights come with cheap chargers and/or batteries I don't really trust. There are a number of intelligent protected circuit chargers available now that will charge a variety of lithiums. I also invested in a number of long life protected circuit 18650's that I have a lot more confidence in. I still don't leave these things unattended while charging. In addition, it's important to store them properly in small segregated cases so they will not accidentally short against each other. Don't carry them loose in a pocket where they could contact other metal like car keys. For outdoors my favorite light is a Convoy M3, but its uses 26650 rechargeable lithium batteries. That sucker is bright and you don't want to shine it in anybody's eyes at close range. I charge both the 26650 and 18650 batteries on the same intelligent charger. The M3 is also my home defense flashlight when used with a handgun. It is totally night blinding and is great for clearing whole rooms at a time. It's probably at least twice as bright as the light built into my police tactical shotgun that is my other home defense weapon. The M3 is not zoomable but fixed beam with a number of brightness settings and works well for my intended purposes. There are of course higher end flashlights that if I was depending on them for my profession would probably be well worth the investment but for my purposes, the cheap ones have been dependable and worth the limited money. Just use common sense and be safe when using lithiums. Many of the 18650 flashlights are zoomable but also have multiple brightness settings. Since they are so cheap, I look at them as disposables and keep them all over the house and in the car. I've had some of them for over 5 years and so far no failures.
 
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I used my DeWalt light that came when my wife bought me the package for Christmas last night when the hurricane knocked out our power. See below. I have 4 batteries for all of the tools. Worked great.

shopping
 
If you want a cheap flashlight, stop reading now.

For your consideration, Elzetta and Malkoff are two small American companies that make great flashlights. These guys make a variety of excellent flashlights that are used a lot by tactical folks and first responders.

In addition, Malkoff makes some components that can upgrade some of your Surefire or Maglite flashlights.
 
Power is out here in Atlanta now. The flashlight advice I would like is “ Where the hell is my flashlight “

I have a bunch of emergency flashlights strategically located throughout the house that plug into outlets. If the power goes out, they turn on. They work great.
 
Check out O light, much better price points then stream light and sure fire.
 
Ever since I started camping in Scouts I developed an appreciation for a good flashlight, and gone through quite a few. Technology has advanced quite a bit.
Look for a CREE led bulb.
I found a "deal" on techlite flashlights that are low cost, come with lith-ion batteries, a AAA battery option, CREE led bulb, and a car and AC charger. Around $30. For the price of a Fenix I have one of these in my car, another at home, and a third in my laptop/commute bag.
 
I had no idea you could spend $150 on a flashlight. If I spent that much on one, I'd have to turn off all the lights in the house just so I could use it all time!:)

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Seriously, I know that you were looking for the best one, but Nebo has some decent ones that are moderately priced. You could have several and keep them where you need them. I did that with my PA gear. That way I always had one with my gear. That way I could take out the compact flashlight and check the back of the amp racks, etc. without interupting anything.
 
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