8" flashlight in the $50 range?

I'm looking for a solid flashlight (like the Maglite 2 Cell-C) around 8" or so and uses regular easy to come by batteries. Is there anything you guys recommend similar to this that is nice and bright?

I recommend you take some time and do a little research into what is available now in single battery AA form flashlights. You could begin with the sticky threads at the top of each forum. They are brighter than the older Maglight 2xD's and much lighter- easier to carry as a EveryDayCarry (edc) light. Check out Fenix, Lumapower, and the many other manufacturers available.

What do you guys think?

I think today's common size general purpose flashlight is the two AA size. Many options. E.g. Fenix L2T is a common recommendation, but Fenix has other models and most other manufacturers also have a selection.

Think about what your priorities are. How bright? How much runtime? (Which is more important to you? They tend to be traded off.) Modes? A low or med-low is ideal for many (most?) things, especially indoors. But "what's that over there?" situations often demand bright with good throw. Some lights offer other modes too. I'm not sure I'd ever use flashing modes, but some people like them and some user interfaces keep them out of the way of everyday use.

Of course, this site will expose you to many other options. (Bigger, brighter, smaller, longer running, and certainly more exotic.

Is there any particular reason you want the light to be that size? It's not large enough to be useful for "blunt force" applications (4C, or D-Cell maglites are nice in that respect...), but too big to conveniently portable (IMO).

What sort of application? What runtimes do you need?

Here's a very nice, bright, 2AA flashlight, for $30.


TerraLux 2AA Rebel, from Battery Junction. (an excellent vendor)


http://www.batteryjunction.com/tlf-3l2aa-.html


Note: It's just been upgraded !

I have the previous version, which is only 90 Lumens,
and it's wonderful ! :thumbsup:


This one is 50 % Brighter !


:twothumbs


Bet you'll like it much better than a heavy, bulky, 8-inch flashlight.



_

You could always go with the classic Surefire 6P and add extenders as you wish.

The the Maglite 2 Cell is good value

Well you can get much more then Mag4D light out of 1 AA battery(LED, so are then other ones below).

There are a few lights in that size and price range but some don't use easy to come by batteries and others don't feel that solid.

If you have a maglite, there are a few drop-ins and mods you can do to make them brighter.

:welcome:

Thanks for the input everyone.

This will be primarily for indoors use. I have a Nuwai Q3 I carry daily. I want something larger I can keep by the bedside and use around the house, garage, attic, etc.

TORCH_BOY said:

The the Maglite 2 Cell is good value

Click to expand...

Especially when upgraded with a U-bin SSC running off of a micropuck. I'm getting 120 lumens for six solid hours of regulation off of 2 alkaline C-cells. And it throws on par with much more battery-hungry lights.

EDIT: and the parts cost me $46 total.

LukeA said:

Especially when upgraded with a U-bin SSC running off of a micropuck. I'm getting 120 lumens for six solid hours of regulation off of 2 alkaline C-cells. And it throws on par with much more battery-hungry lights.

EDIT: and the parts cost me $46 total.

Click to expand...

Another good mod for the 2C, which preserves cam focusability, is the following:

• buy a MagLED drop in
• swap the LuxIII for a SSC-U
• Replace the plastic bulb tower with an aluminum MagCTower.
• Use copper desoldering braid and thermal paste to make thermal "gauze" strips, to improve the thermal connection between the MagLED and the aluminum tower.
• Stipple the reflector with some hairspray, or apply a light diffusino film to the window

Now you have a cam focusable MagLED with a modern LED that is actually heatsinked, meaning its thermal feedback won't cause it to dim to <50% in ten minutes.


.... Or if you want to convert to the "dark side" (incans w/ rechargeables... dark side is actually a huge misnomer...) you can make a Mag2C into a Mag61 with smooth reflector for under $100. 1200 lumens in a highly concentrated beam that no sane person would ever expect from such a small light

I personally like the size of the Maglight 2-C, I can easily stick it in my front or rear pocket.

I'd simply buy one of the replacement LED lamps for it. I went for the Maglight brand, it works nicely.

Jago1911 said:

Thanks for the input everyone.

This will be primarily for indoors use. I have a Nuwai Q3 I carry daily. I want something larger I can keep by the bedside and use around the house, garage, attic, etc.

Click to expand...

Ray-o-vac sportsman extreme is well under $50. Nice warm tint from the Lux Rebel emitter. Tight beam within ~20 yards that transitions smoothly to some wide area flood beyond that distance. Its hot spot is not overbearingly bright when used close proximity. Its a great around the house floody torch at ~65L, of warm color-tint. Runs on either alkaline or NiMH AA cells. Run times vary depending on the cell capacity. I get about 1:25 using old (really old) 1700Mah NiMH cells.

Momentary forward with twist-on type cap, might take some time to get used to, depending on your preferences. I find it perfect as a night-stand light. I dropped mine hard on the tile floor from about 4 feet, it hit hard enough to dent the bezel a tiny bit, but the light works just fine still.

I am not sure if its much brighter than a QIII though. The QIII uses a Luxeon III emitter with a 3V CR123. The ROV uses a low bin Rebel with 2.4V from the AA cells.

Well, it is longer than 8 inches, but the Lowes Taskforce 2C flashlight with the Cree emitter is a nice light for general usage. It is very bright, and very reasonably priced.