List the BEST/WORST flashlight purchases you have made.

[ganz-lite]

Ok, my list:

Worst Lights in my house:

• An Energizer 2D flashlight, MASSIVE flood... but about 10 feet of throw... useless outside of the house (or even outside of a small room)
• A Dorcy 2D "worklight"... yes, if your work requires a dark orange spot, no flood, and less than a 10 foot range

Sad part: Total they were about $25

Most Underrated Light:

• A Dorcy Searchlight that has a flexible head... it's great for working on cars or having to shoot light in a direction where you can't stick an entire light in... it's incandescent but I'd like to make it into a 2D LED conversion.

Best Light:

• My Malkoff XML'd Maglite with a 9AA to 3D Conversion rack from mdocod. Lightweight due to 9 Lithium Batteries, strong and consistent light that doesn't fade too quickly due to heatsinking, and over a quarter-mile range of visible light (ie: i can clearly see everything that far away)... trees visible from over 300m / 1,000 feet away. All around great light.

Jason

 

[amham]

An Absolute steal:

Techlite 200, 3 for $20 at Costco. Three AAA, two levels plus strobe, small and very bright. How does Maglite stay in business????

 

[Atakdog]

Worst light purchase I ever made was my first led light.

I got a $10 light that had 9 LEDs with no reflectors and took 3 AAAs, probably produced 5-10 lumens, one mode.
I at first liked it because it was brighter for its size than an incandescent light, but then got a dose of reality about the piece of Chinese garbage.
I reached for it one night on my bed stand and knocked it about 3 feet onto the floor. I picked it up and it didn't work.
THE THING FAILED AFTER FALLING 3 FEET ONTO CARPET!!!

 

[JohnnyBravo]

Best: Surefire 9P, LED Maglites, Energizer e2 Ultimates, 1970s circa Eveready Captain, and a 3C LifeGear.
Worst: Trustfires, Ultrafires, 9 LED AAA (dollar stores), and some multi pack LED from Home Depot - which I returned.

 

[Adobo]

Worst: Zebralight SC51Fw.. I HATE it turning on in my pocket whenever I forget to loosen the tailcap.. a horrible design flaw arrrgggg
Best: Zebralight SC51Fw... im really really really in LOVE with the flood and colour rendition of this thing and I cant let it go.

Its complicated.

 

[ScottFree]

Most, well, nearly all of the flashlights I've bought over the years have been some of the best purchases I've made. In terms of a list it would be.

GOOD: HDS 200T, HDS 120T, 4Sevens Quark 123, 4Sevens Quark Mini 123, Fenix PD20 R2, Fenix PD20 Q5 (second-hand), Surefire G2 LED, Surefire G2X Pro + Tactical, Fenix E01, Fenix E11, Fenix TK15

All of the good ones are still ticking and working fine. The G2 LED has a slightly cracked lens from a three foot drop from my kitchen counter but since my lights are all working lights unless the glass has come out of the head I really don't care. In terms of abuse the Quark 123 probably had received the most drops, cracks and whacks during my time with it until I retired for a HDS but I still have that stored someone in my Maxped Jumbo.

So hardly any major problems.

 

[CMAG]

I can't speak for the best. Many to list.

Worst: Maglite 6D
Man, that thing is way too heavy and long to use. Hands and arm sore after long period.

Some of the neighborhoods I worked nights in my 6D mag was my best friend, Ok that was 30 yrs ago

 

[ScottFree]

Some of the neighborhoods I worked nights in my 6D mag was my best friend, Ok that was 30 yrs ago

I remember some of the early Maglites when my dad was a LEO in the UK. They were heavy as hell, but at least if the torch broke or ran out of power you could throw the D-cell batteries as a last resort.

 

[CMAG]

Never thought of that, I just use it as a bat

 

[Adobo]

I still see some old school cops use 6D mags with the tonfa adapter.

 

[funkymonkey1111]

Best: Malkoff Wildcat 2 with MD3 body;

Worst: Leatherman 3aa light from costco--stainless body--very slick, poor battery life, not super bright. same size as a 6p/G2 family. it was only $29, but the thing never could hang with any good lights

 

[Lou Minescence]

It's hard to list best and worst. It depends on the context. I'll try.

Best - Inova X5 - in it's day it was dependable & small with long battery life.
Today's best is my Sunwayman V10R Anniversary Edition w/extender. Yes, the V10r is way better than the X5

Worst - some of the old 2 D cell carbon battery flashlights of the 70's. Metal or plastic junk. Point it at your eyes it worked, point it any other way it quit. That was if you were lucky.

 

[lampeDépêche]

my biggest disappointment:

a Fenix TK40 that was totally unreliable. From one minute to the next, the switch either would or wouldn't work.

I liked the output--on the floody side, since it was an MCE--and I liked the use of AAs. I liked the levels and options.

But the danged thing wouldn't switch on! Then I would clean all of the threads once again, and it would turn on. Hurray!

Until a minute later, when it wouldn't.

I never have figured out what's wrong with it.

 

[Kitchen Panda]

My worst flashlight purchase really wasn't the flashlight's fault.

A couple of years ago I was taking an introductory astronomy evening course (really basic naked-eye stuff, names of constellations, etc.) and they recommended you have a dim flashlight for looking at sky charts. I picked up a pair of "Econo-pack" 2-for-$8 lights at Canadian Tire and used some stoplight lens repair tape to make them dimmer and redder. However, even a PR2 bulb on two D cells is still a lot of light; I had to put two layers of tape over the lens and they were still a bit bright. I also found that enough light got through the head (and reflector!) that I had to wrap the head end of the light with electrical tape.

In retrospect, I should have got a pair of AA penlights or something even dimmer, or some red keychain LEDs. Maybe this was the job for a Solitaire.

Best purchase has got to be the TK70 - by jumping in at the deep end right away, I've saved hundreds of dollars on slow upgrades.

Bill

 

[Jaiofspam]

best flashlight purchase so far? hmmmmm thats a tough one... but i would have to say:

zebralight sc60w, hds edc-t1b-120 & jetbeam rrt-0 for all around edc lights
crelant 7g5 v2 w/ aspheric/collimator head for the most fun in the fog
surefire c2-ha w/ malkoff m61w & mcclicky switch for being bomb proof

worst purchase? i think 90% of you may know this beam profile/pattern ... this is unedited straight from my camera phone lol.

 

[Bobpuvel]

Best: Fenix LD10, Zebralight H51w
Worst: Hellfighter X15

I would probably recommend the fenix LD12 over the 10 now because of increades brightness and knurling on the body(LD10 completely lacks knurling)

 

[LightCrazy]

My worst was probably that Solitare as well. I forgot the beam looked like Saturns rings

 

[Jash]

Best light: TK40, it gets used all the time and despite being dropped many times, even from over two metres onto concrete, it just keeps working. Also for those with the malfunctioning switch, try a little electrical contact cleaner. I had a problem with mine until I hit it with some Inox. Haven't had a problem since.


Worst light: Anything from Nitecore. I've had three out of four fail, and the one that remains is a little iffy as well. I'll never buy another Nitecore - EVER!!! Overpriced rubbish fit only for landfill.

 

[Monocrom]

Worst light: Anything from Nitecore. I've had three out of four fail, and the one that remains is a little iffy as well. I'll never buy another Nitecore - EVER!!! Overpriced rubbish fit only for landfill.

I only own 1 Nitecore model. Can't comment about overall brand reliability. But my Original EZAA model has been very good. Minor issue with occasionally having to give the head a 2nd quick twist to get high-mode switched on. But love the simple as dirt U.I.

 

[smithd003]

sometimes best is worst

I'm new to this flashlight obsession, and I've liked all my flashlights so far. The one I use for my EDC is a 4sevens Quark AA2. I was impressed with it and its 205 otf lumens untill the day after I got it and found the new version online with 280 otf lumens--for the same price!!!