Orange/Yellow 2D Industrial/Safety Flashlights

Who made the best?

Fulton
Bright Star
Mallory/Duracell
Rayovac
Energizer
Other

I see that there are some LED models now and also that there are a few 3D versions.

Paging ericjohn. You out there?

pelican, streamlight and underwater kinetics make some pretty good "indusrtial" lights you might look at.

Sorry I haven't been on here in the past few days. My sincere apologies.

I would say that the Bright Star 22xx incancescent and LED models are the best. Also the Rayovac Industrials from the 1990s and the Eveready/Energizer 125x, 135x and 1151 Industrials from the 1990's and 2000's are also excellent choices. I have had no good experience with Pelican. Also I forgot to mention in the PM I sent you that I also have a UK Mini Q40 (xenon model.) I didn't list it as industrial, because I consider it more of a diving flashlight. It is also a VERY good flashlight; made in USA, waterproof, rugged, long lasting bulb.

The Fultons I have had were the MX military lights, and I have had NO luck with them. I have only owned tactical Streamlights, so I have no idea about their industrial line.

I hope I have been helpful.

Thanks ericjohn for sharing your experience with these class of flashlights with me. If you dont mind, Ill post the PM you sent me, so that others may benefit from your knowledge that you took the time to share with me.

Well, I like the explosion proof models most. I don't know why except for the fact that they are common in my area (South Louisiana.) We have plenty of sugar refining, oil production, grain storage, chemical processing and people working on boats. Incandescent explosion proof flashlights are significantly dimmer than a flaslight with a Krypton bulb. This is because the surface temparature of a bulb filled with a noble gas is much hotter than a vacuum bulb. This keeps the flashlight's temparature below the ignition point of the hazardous dust or vapor that it is approved to be used in. I try to buy only American Made lights, but I have experience with both. IMHO I find smooth reflectors out preform faceted ones. I don't know who brilliant idea (sarcastic) was it to start making those damn things. I will attempt to list, describe and review every industrial flashlight I have ever owned or used.

Rayovac Industrial 2D (1990's version.) I have had mine for 13 years and counting. It is actually the flashlight that I have had the longest. It has always preformed wonderfully and has a uniform beam. It came with a powerful, high quality PR Krypton bulb. American Made. Bought it from Wal-Mart when I was 13. smooth reflector.

Eveready Industrial 1151 (1990's version.) Made in USA? Incandescent. I had one for over a year from 1994-1995. From what I remember, it was VERY bright for its time. I remember one night I was playing in the backyard at dusk and my neighbor was coming in from working in the shipyards and I shined it at him from about 200+ feet away. He acknowledged it by shining his flashlight at me. He also likes flashlights, in fact it was him who gave me my first flashlight. (playskool 2c lantern.) This was probably the flashlight that made me interested in industrial flashlights. The bulb blew finally and instead of buying a new bulb, my mom bought me an Eveready Value flashlight (the good 1980s-90's version.) Came with a high quality PR bulb. Smooth reflector.

Eveready Industrial 1151 (2000's version) Made in china and no where near as good as the 1990s version. Bought several around 2007-2008. Unless I got used to brighter lights, this one seemed dimmer. faceted reflector.

Rayovac Industrial MSHA (1990's/2000's version.) I bought one at an aviation hangar in 2006. It preformed just like my original Rayovac 2D, just not as bright. This is because it uses a standard PR bulb and not a Krypton bulb. I lent it to my aunt during Hurricane Gustav and never got it back. The main drawback is that it is chinese made. smooth reflector.

Eveready 1251 (2000's version.) I've had several of these and I plan to buy another. It is American Made. Almost as good as the Rayovac Industrial 2D from the 1990s. It also uses a high quality Krypton PR bulb, but is slightly dimmer. This is because of the contact point at the bottom of the bulb socket. It easily gets oxide on it and that comprimises the connection. Produces a uniform beam. Bought it from my local NAPA auto parts store. I gave the damn thing away. faceted reflector.

Eveready 1259 2D and 1359 3D (1990s versions.) I currently have each. They are not as bright as their Krypton counterparts, but they have a much better connection system at the base of the bulb socket. Instead of a Copper? contact at the base of the bulb socket, it has a stainless steel wire coil. This makes a very solid connection and with fresh bulbs and batteries, it produces a decent amount of light for its class. American Made. It does not produce an even beam and that is about the only drawback for a light in its class. Got the 1359 off ebay and the 1259 from Motion Industries. smooth reflector.

Bright Star 2618 2D Incandescent (2000's version) and 2618 LED (2010s version.) American Made (shame) At first they seem like very good flashlights, especially for their price. BUT stear clear of them! Their switch mechanism, though replaceable, lasts only a few weeks with regular use. I bought the LED version a few weeks ago. Very bright and efficient (40 lumens for 200 hours,) however it also has a failing switch system and gave out within about a week. The good news is that Koehler-Bright Star stands by their products. They are currently sending me a 2217 LED as a replacement. This one has a much better switch and the also an LED engine that gives off 40 lumens for 200 hours. The Incandescent came with a high quality PR bulb. The LED produced a perfect beam. Got the 2618 LED from Bright Guy and the 2618 incandescent from Motion Industries. faceted reflector.

Bright Star 2217 2D Incandescent (2000's version) and 2224 3D (2000's version.) They have a much better switch system than the 2618. It is more rugged and doesn't move as much. I have had the 2D for almost 3 years and the 3D for almost 2 years. They are starting to flicker, but ONLY because I tampered with them and shouldn't have. If I would have left them alone, they would still be working wonderfully. American made and came with high quality PR bulbs. Got them from Motion Industries. faceted reflector.

Bright Star 1618 2D (1950's version.) This is the ancestor of the 2618 and works almost infinitely better. It has a similar, but much better switch system than the modern 2618. It also has better contacts at the base of the bulb and metal rings pressed into both ends. I gave mine away because there was something on my shelf that ate the lens. These are getting harder and harder to find and many times they cost much more than what they were worth when they first came out. I personally call it the "Kel Lite of Industrial Flashlights." It was American made and produced a very uniform beam. Also came with a high quality PR bulbs. Got it off ebay. smooth reflector.

Eveready 330 2D (1970's version.) This is American made and produced a decent beam. It worked fine in lieu of its age and came with a high quality PR bulb. Got it off ebay. smooth reflector.

Railtek 992-321-AG Trainman's Lantern 6 Volt 908 (2000s or 2010s version. Both LED and incandescent. Has a screw base Krypton bulb which has a specific model number. I am trying to look it up but the site seems to be down or slow. I have no idea what is the country of origin. It was given to me by a railroad dispatcher I initially heard on my scanner than looked up online. I have it as a shelf queen, so I don't know how it would preform under harsh conditions. Supposedly they are very rugged since they are used by conductors and brakemen which are exposed to some of the roughest conditions a job can present. faceted reflector.

Duracell Industrial
http://duracellflashlights.com/produ...ial-flashlight
I was given this by some BNSF Railway maintenance of way workers. I seriously don't know what the issue with this light is. It comes with a decent quality Krypton PR Bulb. The connection is very stable, but there has to be some kind of loss of current in circuitry. But it only gives off 6 lumen on a fresh set of batteries. It is made in Thailand. Beam is dim and ringy. faceted reflector.

Garrity R300G 2AA (1990's.) It looks like an industrial flashlight and it could be used as an industrial flashlight. It is however marketed to consumers and even children. This was my favorite flashlight growing up. It was made in 1994 and I got my first one in the summer of 1998 (age 11.) I've had several of them over the years. They were made in Macau (under the Portugese flag.) Garrity is now back in business and I will strongly petition them to bring back this flashlight again. It came with a VERY high quality Krypton PR bulb. Had a ringy, but very focused and uniform beam. The rings were produced by the lens. These are now EXTREMELY rare and a fellow CPFer mailed me one. May God immensely bless him. smooth reflector.

Energizer Hardcase 6 Volt 908 lantern (2006.) Made in China, but built like a tank. It floats too. IIRC, it came with a Xenon PR bulb. Could have also made a good self defense weapon. Got one in the summer of 2006, but lent it to my in laws. smooth reflector.

Energizer 4 AA Hardcase swivel flashlight (2000's.) Made in China, damn it. Decent brightness. smooth reflector

Rayovac Workhorse 2 AA (1990s version.) Made in Malaysia. Focused, neatly ringed beam. Bright, Krypton PR bulb. I bought one when I was 12 and had it for years unti I lost the spring. I even EDCed it on and off as a child and teenager. smooth reflector.

Garrity G600G G-Tech Floating Lantern. This is not as rugged as an industrial flashlight, but it still rugged enough for the outdoors. It has plenty of features to brag about. High quality Krypton PR bulb. Strong, decent beam. Made in Thailand. I personally call it my "fisherman's lantern." I have two of them, my wife bought them for me at West Marine, two of the last 3 on the shelf. faceted reflector.

Bright Star 575 2D made in USA, shame. (been around for a long time.) Do NOT buy one of these, unless only for shelf display. One of the flimsiest flashlights I have ever laid my hands upon. smooth reflector.

Lumilite Industrial 5451 with push button switch 2 AA. Made in China. I regret buying it because frankly it is chinese garbage. Bought one in the late winter of 2004. It lasted until about 2007, then began to flicker. Don't remember too many details. faceted reflector.


I hope I have been helpful.

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Do any of these use metal reflectors, ericjohn? Or are they all plastic?

I had a UK back in the incan days, would still rate it my all-time fave of all the incans I ever owned.

Been watching lots of X-Files on Hulu lately, Scully and Mulder used the UK 3C model constantly..

It's difficult to discern which of the Rayovac, Energizer, and Duracell lights are made in the USA. So Im sticking with Brightstar or Fulton.

I have 3 Pelican 4AA Stealthlites that for years were my favorite flashlights. I also like the Pelican 2C Sabrelite. Underwater kinetics looks to have some nice lights too, I like the looks of the 4AA model. But I class these are more akin to dive lights than industrials.

Great that there are so many US manufacturers of flashlights! I thought things were more dire!

I've always liked the look of the Fulton NRG series - full GITD body!

StarHalo said:

I've always liked the look of the Fulton NRG series - full GITD body!

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Pretty cool!

Try Wolf Atex for those type of lights.

Interesting UK company...never heard of them.

Here is their site with detailed specs:

Link

I have an earlier (perhaps 80s or early 90s) version of the Bright Star 2224 3D cell light coming...

"Circuit Breaker equipped"? What's that?

If the incandescent bulb breaks, instead of arcing and potentially causing an explosion in a methane rich environment,
it breaks the circuit.

Very important if using an incandescent in an atmosphere with volatile gases;
of little to no importance for the general public.

Ah, well that'd be more impressive if it weren't for the metal switch and lanyard, but a nice safety feature none the less..

I suppose they felt the danger from a flashing filament was greater than a metal switch and metal loop/hanger.

Maybe that is why they went to plastic switches and rings.

That is a noble ideal, but I am far more inclined to believe it was a matter of reducing expenses
rather than increasing safety.

Some metals when struck against any surface, don't produce a spark "hot" enough to cause an explosion. At least that is what I read. An Aluminum switch or ring would produce a much hotter spark than say a stainless steel one. Stainless steel is possibly safer, depending on the characteristics of the hazardous material. I prefer a plastic switch since it is much more impact forgiving AND I would want a plastic hanger ring just to be on the safe side. I have never worked in those type of environments and as far as I can see, I probably never will. However, since I would like to consider myself to be more intelligent on flashlights than the average person, I would like to use that knowledge for the common good of anyone else. I would definitely want to protect our American workers who keep this country afloat the best I could, given the opportunity.

The Bright Star 2217 LED is all plastic on the outside, and no metal piece is exposed. The only real danger is from the optional S-biner that comes with it. It is mostly plastic, but has two metal latches. They appear to be stainless steal, which again produces a cold spark. It is the safest flashlight out there at the moment and the S-biner can easily be removed completely from the light itself. Much better to carry the light in your back pocket. Hope I have been helpful.