Caravan Park Light Required

Ok, im pretty new to this forum and flashlights, i have been surfing around and stumbled across this from torchreviews.net

Ok, that out of the way, im in need of some advice that would be greatly appreciated.

I stay at a static caravan park, hopefully you all know those, im not sure if you are in the UK or not, but anyways ill continue...

The area is not very well lit and when walking back home after a long night out on the beer it not very easy to see, there are walls and pot holes, etc...

Not im not one to do things by halves so im in need of a really stupidly bright flashlight/torch, maybe some fancy technology or something. I read that LED flashlights arent long distance and i really need something long distance.

So, have you people got any suggestion on what i should use as a stupidly bright flashlight, with good battery life, and that throws its light really far. (being inexpensive would also be a big bonus)

In an ideal world id be after something as bright as nuclear fusion, but i dont think im going to get away with carrying around a fusion reactor (i dont even think one exists yet, hehe)

Thanks in advance and apologies for such a long winded post!

-XT

ok, so after viewing this thread:

Link

im beginning to think my question can be taken in many possible ways. eek!

Anyways, im sure you get the idea of what im after, any link to place in the UK, England, I can buy these really bright flashlights etc... like those mentioned in the above thread URLs etc... would be greatly appreciated /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

I would recommend a Pelican M6, but if you really want the power go for a Surefire M6. You'll have to sacrifice some of your criteria as I don't know of one light that oculd meet them all. Another good mid road idea could be a Surefire C3.

Good grief! How fast do you walk, man, that you require a super powerful beam to avoid potholes and obstacles? Led lights are great for walking, but if incandescent is required, I'd think the UK2L would be an economical compromise on batteries and lamps. It's also small and easy to carry, and remains water tight should you stumble into one of the water filled potholes. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

...or the PT Surge which is very bright and about the size of a 2xD torch (notice I said torch not flashlight /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif). Upside is that it uses AA batteries...downside is that it uses 8xAA batteries!

Check the Torch Reviews Site which is produced in England. He should be able to give you some pointers on finding locally avaliable suppliers.

Ah, I thought you meant a Caravan light like a Dodge Caravan...I need one of those...(Well, Town and Country, same part...)

<font color="800080">Check the Torch Reviews Site which is produced in England</font>

Actually I`m from Wales - it`s not the same country. But yet, it sort-of-kind-of-is, if you get what I mean? Think of England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland as being like states.

Oh - and the best way to get to the Torch Reviews Site these days is http://torchreviews.net (with no initial Ws). I believe he`s already been there though (but thanks for the reccomendation!)


<font color="800080">In an ideal world id be after something as bright as nuclear fusion</font>

If you want something that`s bright enough to shine about a mile and annoy the pants off all of your fellow campers too, try the 1MCP "Search Guard" light avaliable from http://maplin.co.uk for £20. Fellow UK-based forumite (this time from Scotland) mr. Zelandeth wrote a great review of it here: http://zelandeth.artamir.org/cpf/1mcpspot

Runtime isn`t all that long but it`s rechargeable from mains or 12 volts. Oh, did I mention it`s bright? /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/eek.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

XStrike, your link doesn't work. I shortened it so that everybody didn't get wide-screened but the link still doesn't work /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif

Yep...the SG would probably do ya nicely! Just don't turn it on facing the wrong way...you did mention being on the way back from the pub, so anything's possible

Did I mention that you can also use the beam from the SG to warm your hands on a cold night?

I do admit that the runtime's a bit restrictive, but not drastically so. You could always stuff a smaller light in your pocket for navigating the beter parts of the trip, and just use that for the nasty bits.

Also, I'm not sure on this (yet), but I reckon that in theory, you could replace the battery in the SG with one of a higher capacity, which would give you a better runtime. Don't know if the charger would need alteration then though, so I'm not going to say that it can be done, but only that I *think* it might be possible.

I still reckon that it's the brightest thing I've come across for that price though. If you want any info on it that I haven't mentioned on the site, just send me an email, I'll get back to you as quickly as possible.

Got to get a light meter...just so I can see if the 1MCP rating is true...

P.S. Thanks for linking to my Review Chris! Nice to know that the site got noticed, will be adding a few more soon enough...like another 12...never realised how long writing a review took before...

[ QUOTE ]
Saaby said:
XStrike, your link doesn't work. I shortened it so that everybody didn't get wide-screened but the link still doesn't work /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif

[/ QUOTE ]

I think this is the correct link... /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/rolleyes.gif What is the brightest flashlight? /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif

If you just want something practical, try a Princeton Tec PT40, which runs on four AA cells and uses conventional PR bulbs. It's pocket sized and costs 10-15 USD here, probably more there. It's as bright as a typical 4-D-cell torch and should be plenty for your purpose.

If you're out to impress people and not just see where you're going, get the Princeton Tec Surge (already mentioned), which costs 20-25 USD (plus it uses special lamps so better get some spares) and uses eight AA's. You may want to get some rechargeable NiMH cells for it so it won't be too expensive to feed. It weighs about 12 ounces (300 grams?) and is the size of a conventional 2D torch but is many times brighter.

For even more light and longer distance (because of narrower beam), you can get an Underwater Kinetics (UKE) SL6 (around 30 USD), runs on six C's (in two columns of 3, so it's 8" or so long) and has pretty long runtime too, but weighs maybe 650 grams so it may be more than you want to carry. If you don't mind the weight, this may be a better choice than the Surge. Many people consider it a nicer light. As with the Surge, get a spare lamp for it.

If you're going to use it a lot, your best bet may be a Mag Rechargeable (about 100 USD). These have much longer range than conventional non-rechargeable Mags. A heavy light, but has a very convenient charging system (just drop the whole thing in a holder, no need to remove the batteries to charge them) and it can be an effective weapon (wham!) if you get in a bad situation. Police use these a lot. The Streamlight Ultrastinger is a much lighter but somewhat less powerful alternative, about the same cost.

Finally, if you want to go completely crazy, you can get the UKE Light Cannon, which costs 170 or so USD, uses eight C cells and a HID (metal halide) lamp like a Mercedes Benz car headlamp. It takes 20 seconds or so to come up to full power after you turn it on, but it will completely obliterate any other portable torch short of a much bigger HID unit or 12 volt spotlight, and puts out a blue-ish beam that will make people think you're an alien from the mother ship. Again, you may want to use rechargeables since the C cells last about two hours.

Note: the Surefire M6 someone mentioned is an amazing light, but probably not what you want. It costs 300 USD and burns through six somewhat expensive non-rechargeable CR123 lithium cells in 20 minutes. Its advantage is it's the size of a normal 2D torch while putting out almost as much light as the Light Cannon (which is 3x its size and uses your choice of a pistol grip or lantern handle), and doesn't need any warm-up time.

In practical terms, the Surge is probably about the limit of what you can conveniently stick in your overcoat pocket for a night out drinking. The others are purely to impress your friends.

www.brightguy.com sells all this stuff. www.texastacticalsupply.com has lower prices for some of the stuff but maybe not as much selection. I don't know if either ships internationally.

Of course if money were no object and you were simply looking to burn a hole in the side of your neighbour's caravan with your torch, you would have to look at the likes of the McCulloch X990, MaxaBeam or other big HID's...they're silly money though.

sorry for the delay in replying, thanks for the suggestions everyone, hopefully ill let you know which one ive gone for shortly /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif