Reliable flashlight brands

[ruriimasu]

I forgot to mention a budget of $100 and less. 😅

JJ

The Alpha series from Prometheus /Dark Sucks, is one of the toughest out there. I think you would have to shoot it out of a rail gun and hit a boulder at terminal velocity to kill them.

 

[Vemice]

Hi @Vemice

Thanks for your suggestion. I think twisties may be one of the types to less failures as I have just realised those that failed are all electronic clickies.

Do you know what runtimes and lumens I can expect from El Capitan? I can't seem to find a straight answer to this.

JJ

Sorry but don't really know. I usually use NiMh rechargeables and as I don't use lights for extended periods of time, I was never concerned with those.
They may be able to give that information at Peak. You can also get the Momentary switch that allows for use as a twisty or instant on.

 

[Lumen83]

Many first responders trust streamlight with their lives. They have a good reputation in the fire service industry. Theyre taken into some of the harshest environments strapped to a helmet or jacket and are subject to about as much abuse as a flashlight can take.

 

[daffy]

The Alpha series from Prometheus /Dark Sucks, is one of the toughest out there. I think you would have to shoot it out of a rail gun and hit a boulder at terminal velocity to kill them.

Overbuilt for sure but it's a nice light.

 

[bykfixer]

Dollar for dollar a mini mag is hard to beat.

 

[Poppy]

There's a huge difference between dropping something at 3 feet, and throwing it into the ground.

Maybe you should keep your lights out of reach of your child until he/she learns how to treat them. If you want a light that your child can throw around and try to break... give him/her a rayovac indestructible. It has rubber cushions at both ends, and it will handle a 30 foot fall. Or getting run over by a pickup truck.

 

[cityevader]

My vote goes to Zebralight.

Oh, my beat-for-years ITP A3 keychain light rules, especially on Li-Ion!

 

[WarriorOfLight]

The best AA capable lights I have, are the Surefire E2L-AA and HDS Rotary with 2xAA tube. Both are only working without any problem at all with Alkalines, NiMH and Lithium AA (LR92) batteries.
I use them since a long time.

 

[desert.snake]

I also remembered, the Pelican and the UK, they are not very afraid of the alkali spill due to the large size of the contact areas and the minimum of electronics that can suffer.

 

[slappomatt]

My experience with nitecore does not mirror you all's. I have had 2X EC30 both fail within months, and a coworker has also had 2 fail in the same time period. I will never buy another. I have had much better luck with ( old ) 4 sevens and Olight. streamlight as well.

 

[Monocrom]

Doesn't get much ❤️ on CPF, but Streamlight.
At least their higher quality models made for Law Enforcement use.
Stinger, and Strion models especially.

 

[Monocrom]

My experience with nitecore does not mirror you all's. I have had 2X EC30 both fail within months, and a coworker has also had 2 fail in the same time period. I will never buy another. I have had much better luck with ( old ) 4 sevens and Olight. streamlight as well.

Will admit that most of the different Nitecore models I've bought over the years have failed on me in some way, shape or form. Badly enough to end up in the garbage can. Biggest exception is their Tube model. Especially the Nitecore Tube V2.0 which has been extremely reliable. Used to carry a Nitecore TIP before switching to the Tube. I could live with the exposed charging port (an issue that the Tube does not suffer from), but the buttons literally popped out and fell off one day shortly after buying the TIP!

So yeah.... Thumbs-up for the Tube.

 

[idleprocess]

Will admit that most of the different Nitecore models I've bought over the years have failed on me in some way, shape or form. Badly enough to end up in the garbage can. Biggest exception is their Tube model. Especially the Nitecore Tube V2.0 which has been extremely reliable. Used to carry a Nitecore TIP before switching to the Tube. I could live with the exposed charging port (an issue that the Tube does not suffer from), but the buttons literally popped out and fell off one day shortly after buying the TIP!

So yeah.... Thumbs-up for the Tube.

I've gotten a surprisingly long service life out of the TIP - about 10 years - to the point that it looks like this:

However it's clearly at end of life: lockout is suspect, I've cleaned out the switches several times lately, and charge duration seems to be perhaps 2 weeks (possibly a function of the lockout not really working). Feel like I've gotten my money out of it, however.

 

[TheFraz]

Fraz Labs is the toughest I know of. I could say it is my grail light.

Thank you! I would add, engineered obsolescence is definitely the enemy. No reason pliers and an allen wrench shouldn't be able to breathe new life into an old design.

 

[LeanBurn]

Thrunite, I have yet to have a failure or malfunction in any of the lights I have of theirs.

 

[sambob223]

WOW..I'm only the 2nd one to say Mag-Lite really? I've run maglite for thirty years, I push the button or twist the head It always works.
Thrunite, I bought my 1st one 8yrs ago still going.
I've found both brands very reliable.

 

[Limit_hex]

A nice thing with Malkoff is the easy availability of spare parts. I have lenses etc stocked up just in case.

 

[GregP507]

I came across the conclusion that the Nitecore Tube is the best EDC light ever by trial and error. I own dozens of flashlights, but I needed one to attach to my vest. My Streamlight was getting dim and it required two hands to turn it on. I tried the Nitecore Tube, and there's no going back. The one I had (probably a 1.0) was accidentally left on too long, and it wouldn't take a charge, so I ordered 3 more online. It works perfectly for all those unforeseen situations when you need a little light.

 

[sween1911]

There's a huge difference between dropping something at 3 feet, and throwing it into the ground.

Maybe you should keep your lights out of reach of your child until he/she learns how to treat them. If you want a light that your child can throw around and try to break... give him/her a rayovac indestructible. It has rubber cushions at both ends, and it will handle a 30 foot fall. Or getting run over by a pickup truck.

I bought my son that rubber armored 2AA Rayovac. Armored front and rear and very handy light!

 

[Monocrom]

I came across the conclusion that the Nitecore Tube is the best EDC light ever by trial and error. I own dozens of flashlights, but I needed one to attach to my vest. My Streamlight was getting dim and it required two hands to turn it on. I tried the Nitecore Tube, and there's no going back. The one I had (probably a 1.0) was accidentally left on too long, and it wouldn't take a charge, so I ordered 3 more online. It works perfectly for all those unforeseen situations when you need a little light.

The Tube is horribly underrated.
I haven't had the best of luck with Nitecore's flashlights over the years. And, that's putting it mildly. But the Tube is the one HUGE exception.