flashlight

jason201710

Newly Enlightened
Joined
Oct 26, 2017
Messages
1
hi there,

I'm new here.I'm wondering how to choose a suitable flashlight.Any suggestions??Thanks!
 

scout24

Flashaholic
Joined
Dec 23, 2008
Messages
8,869
Location
Penn's Woods
Hello, and welcome. I'm going to mo e your post to "Recommend me a Light" hoping you let us know what exactly you want a light for. Size, preferred battery, etc. :)
 

Modernflame

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
Jan 27, 2017
Messages
4,383
Location
Dirty Dirty South
Welcome to CPF! If you go to the "Recommend Me a Light" subforum under "General Flashlight Discussion," you'll find a sticky note with a checklist of features. You can copy and past it into this thread and edit it with your preferences. You'll get tons of advice.

Cheers!
 

bykfixer

Flashaholic
Joined
Aug 9, 2015
Messages
20,348
Location
Dust in the Wind
Welcome aboard.

Well the first question to ask yourself is "what will I use it for"?
If it is for general purpose then you won't need a bunch of lumens. If it is for searching for a lost dog... lots of brightness.
Perhaps a multi setting light would do both.

Next, your budget.
Then fuel.
Will it sit a lot? If so ensure you either remove the batteries or know that some have a 'parasitic drain' similar to the tv that always pulls a little juice for faster startup.

Do you like simple, like an old side button Maglite? Or perhaps prefer a switch on the tail end.

What size is important?

Will you need close up light or distant, or both?

Around here we reccomend having a backup light as well.
 
Last edited:

xxo

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
Apr 30, 2015
Messages
2,993
Welcome aboard.

Well the first question to ask yourself is "what will I use it for"?
If it is for general purpose then you won't need a bunch of lumens. If it is for searching for a lost dog... lots of brightness.
Perhaps a multi setting light would do both.

Next, your budget.
Then fuel.
Will it sit a lot? If so ensure you either remove the batteries or know that some have a 'parasitic drain' similar to the tv that always pulls a little juice for faster startup.

Do you like simple, like an old side button Maglite? Or perhaps prefer a switch on the tail end.

What size is important?

Will you need close up light or distant, or both?

Around here we reccomend having a backup light as well.


+1 on that.


Some of the entry level quality LED lights that I recommend:

Key chain size - Maglite Solitaire LED - runs on 1 AAA cell.

EDC/pocket size - Streamlight 1l-1AA - runs on either a single CR123 or AA (will also run on a AAA in a pinch). Has a pocket clip that can also attach to a hat brim to work as a head lamp can be programmed/customized using Streamlight's ten-tap system.

Winter coat pocket/glove box size - Rayovac 300 Lumen "Indestructible" 2AA - very bright and rugged; has 2 brightness levels.

- Maglite 2 or 3C ML25 - basically a fatter version of the LED Mini Mag, single mode twisty. I like the size of the 2C running Eneloops, but if you intend to run C cells the longer running 3C version is probably the way to go.

Full sized - Maglite ML300 3D cell or ML50 3C cell - both have electronic side switches and 3 modes which can be customized with 4 programmable function sets.


I also highly recommend investing in some AAA/AA Eneloop batteries and a good smart charger. C cell lights are easy to run on AA's using a simple DIY spacer tube and can even be used in D cell lights with 3 AA to D parallel adapters.
 

archimedes

Flashaholic
Joined
Nov 12, 2010
Messages
15,780
Location
CONUS, top left
Stating how much you would like to spend will usefully narrow your choices here faster than almost any other single piece of information ... :broke:
 
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