Newbie question about best household duration light...

Alpha Strike · Jun 8, 2009

First, my apologies to both the mods and veterans alike if I'm posting in the wrong place. I'm a newbie when it comes to flashlights and it can be difficult to figure out exactly what it is I'm looking for! With that in mind...

I'm looking for a general household light - something that I can toss aside on a bookshelf, desk-drawer, etc and count on to provide several hours of fairly good illumination in case of black-out, power-loss, Armageddon. I do NOT need a light that will run brighter then the sun but chew through batteries in 1-2 hours - longevity is a plus, and so is the ability to work even after taking a lot of abuse.

In reading through several different discussion lines, I've seen references to the Maglite brand in general, and several versions of the Pelican (7060, 2440, 2330, 2390 and Stealthlite.) Any other suggestions or recommendations?

Thanks all!

nbp · Jun 8, 2009

Could you provide any more info about your needs or preferences? Such as:

How long should it last on a battery?
How much output?
Single mode or multi?
Do you care what type of batteries it takes?

These kinds of things will help narrow it down a bit.

And even though you have been a member for a while

:welcome:

Lighthouse one · Jun 8, 2009

Many of the Eagletac models are 2 level- with the lower level getting 8 hours runtime.

They have 2AA models, and a good assortment of cr123 battery models.

Several dealers on the site sell them

Marduke · Jun 8, 2009

Easy. Fenix E01's loaded with Energizer L92's.

NonSenCe · Jun 8, 2009

interesting question.. i cant wait what people suggest

first to choose a price range.. do you have some or is it "no limit" as armageddon is near? is it?

decent quality light(s) (yeah buy a spare one too, for backup) are easier to suggest if the price range is established. there are options in different cathegories.

spare batteries are the key feature in this scenario. lithium batteris that are good for years. (i got some AA lithiums that expire on 2023) but high quality cr123 lithiums would be a smart option too. so which do you prefer?

some lights i would think of in Fenix line up (if budget is under 100$) are in TK series.
tk20 (2AA: 10-12 hours of decent 45lm output)
tk10 or tk11 (2*cr123 for same 10-12 hour timeframe at 60lm)

for longer runtimes.. in lower output.. hmm.. it gets tricky after that.. to get a real robust light that actually has a low low mode..

at 100 or over it i might think of Ra Lights clicky or twisty. (one cr123 and not that long output at high, but can be programmed to really low output and is said to be really tough light.) (novatacs come in here too.. they have similar design)

(one old RA/hds sample has been running in low beacon mode for some years now.. 30 or so months.. one blink in 3-4seconds. with same old battery)

above hundred dollars.. well, i think the surefire guys are going to chime in soon.. i cant afford em so i suggest cheaper ones

Arthur D · Jun 8, 2009

Many fine choices.

I purchased and used an Elektrolumens Blazer and mag mod drop in during 7 day power outages for hurricane season. Was perfect for me and the situation you describe.

I also plan on buyin glo toob.

3rd Degree · Jun 8, 2009

Maglite 3d lux....no it's not a modern super light.....but it 's tough as nails and runs 50+ hrs on a set of batteries. You could swap the bulb to a 10mm nitize bulb and get 90+ hrs but this is not very bright.

John_Galt · Jun 8, 2009

Fenix LD20. Uses 2AA, is multimode, and seems to be made well. Also can use rechargeable batt's.

Sgt. LED · Jun 8, 2009

Milky 6D Candle. :nana:

aussiebob · Jun 8, 2009

Sgt. LED said:
Milky 6D Candle. :nana:

Similar thing, my grandparents house got flooded a little while back, no power, i gave them 2 stock 3d 3watt mags. Gave them enough light on original batteries for almost a week with no power. The candle mode really lights up a good area.

Fenix E01 would also be good, it runs for 10hr on a AAA and will light up a small room sufficiently at night. There also indestructable if you ask me.

Gunner12 · Jun 8, 2009

What price?
What batteries?
Multimode?
Size?
Beampattern?

If you don't mind low output and large size, a 2D light with the Niteize LED upgrade (not the "1watt" one) should provide lots of runtime. With 2 D cells it didn't drop below 90% the starting output of a bit more then 6 lumen (a normal 2D light has 15 lumen) after 24 hours or continuous running. The SMjLED 2D drop-in should give more output while still giving a good amount of runtime (over 40 hours to 50% output).

Many lights can run a very long time on low output.

hyperloop · Jun 8, 2009

what about the paklite? you can check them out here they're having an offer on now, $49.99 and you get 3

GPB · Jun 8, 2009

I'd have to agree with the Mag LED suggestions. I like the 3D size, but you could even go with a 4D and get even more run time.

The new Mag's are even better for brightness. The minimag LED will run for over 36 hours on low, or for crazy run time you can take the multi mode LED from a minimag and put it into a 2D Mag and get run times of over a week.

AusKipper · Jun 9, 2009

Fenix TK40 will last 160 hours on low mode, and gives you the option of 640lm if you need it. Low mode puts out a usefull amount of light.

TK40 will also tailstand (important for power outage use)

Zebralight H501 is something you would stick on your head, its comfortable, and if its on your head, the light is always right infront of you, exactly where you need it, no wasted battery power lighting up the roof

On a budget, people have already suggested E01's, and i +1 that, if you have the money, a stainless steel LD01 would do the trick nicely.

It sounds like you just need a normal torch with a low mode that can tailstand to me, and theres 100's of options out there.

I also +1 the TK20, and -1 the TK10/11 (thats just a CR123 battery issue, non tail standing issue for me). Both the TK10/11 are good torches.

jhc37013 · Jun 9, 2009

John_Galt said:
Fenix LD20. Uses 2AA, is multimode, and seems to be made well. Also can use rechargeable batt's.

I would agree with John_Galt the LD20 has a long running low uses 2xAA but can also bump up to a really good turbo mode if the need arises for more light. For emergency situations such as armageddon low mode is great but I would want the ability to have more light so it's nice to have the high mode if needed, if not you can just stay in low.

Arthur D · Jun 9, 2009

Sgt. LED said:
Milky 6D Candle. :nana:

Are these still available? Those are cool.

Short and Round · Jun 9, 2009

Surefire E2L because:

1. Two settings. Low 3 Lumens that will last 60 -70hr. High 60 Lumens which will run 9hr without lossing it brightness. By the way, when the lights are out trust me the low setting is plenty of light!!

2. It take the Surefire Cr 123 batteries that hold their shelf life for 10 years. Plus they do not leak and the heat and cold do not affect them like Alkalines. So you can leave this laying around and it will still light up when you need it most.

3. Surefire quality. Own a Surefire and you will know what I mean. Customer Service is only a phone call away if you need it. I know from experience that they are excellent.

4. If you are not happy with it. You can get most of your money back. They hold there resale value. Just check ebay or the marketplace on the forums.

5. I have 6 Surefires, 4 fenix, 2 eagletac and a few others. If I had one light to have with me in a emergency or out in the wilderness, it would be the Surefire E2L hands down, with extra batteries of course.

Good luck and I hope this helped you. :wave:

Alpha Strike · Jun 9, 2009

nbp said:
Could you provide any more info about your needs or preferences? Such as:

How long should it last on a battery?
How much output?
Single mode or multi?
Do you care what type of batteries it takes?

Gunner12 said:

What price?
What batteries?
Multimode?
Size?
Beampattern?

Click to expand...

Even though I try and keep up with some of the more basic discussions, I'm still a flashlight novice at heart and so it never occurs to me to mention those items. Hopefully I do a better job the 2nd time around...

Size: Probably no bigger then large size Maglites.
Batteries: Preference is rechargeable but I've got plenty of Cr123s handy.
Multimode: A plus, but not required.
Cost: I'd prefer something under $60, especially since I'm planning on buying at least a couple but I've seen that high quality lights can get pretty pricey.
Run time: The longer the better. I figure at least 9-12 hours minimum - anything after that is a bonus.
Beampattern: Not even sure how to answer this one... oo:
(I will also mention that I've never modified a light before, so I'm not sure suggestions along that line would work for me.)

Anyway, thanks for all the great suggestions. Lots of lights to choose from but at least I know they're all good ones!

Click to expand...

milkyspit · Jun 10, 2009

Arthur D said:
Are these still available? Those are cool.

Arthur, the Milky Candle (also called MC2) is still available via the thread posted over here. I can build custom versions such as in a big Mag body if you wish, too... but should mention that I'm running low on parts so please let me know soon.

An MC2 powered by a new set of 4D alkaline cells would deliver the following estimated runtimes...

High beam... 900h (37 days, 12 hours)

Medium... 2571h (107 days, 3 hours)

Low... 18,000h (750 days = 2 years, 20 days)

Turn on the MC2 only at night (maybe 8 hours per night?) and you can triple the above runtimes.

wmirag · Jun 11, 2009

> hours of fairly good illumination
> toss on a shelf

How about the portable flourescent lanterns? I have several. They work on 4 or 8 D batteries. Some have dual modes. They run for a very long time with significant output. Plus they are floods, easy on the eyes and great for lighting a room for general purposes.

W.

The Energizer:
http://www.energizer.com/_layouts/d...ts/lighting/outdoor/large/FL4DAVODE-LPENR.jpg

The Coleman:
http://www.walmart.com/catalog/deta...alse&corpCard=false&type=-9223372036854775808

Newbie question about best household duration light...

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