Every Day Specific Carry

matto11

Newly Enlightened
Joined
Sep 18, 2018
Messages
5
Hi everyone, I hope you are all doing well. I am researching a new flashlight and I am hoping to get your expert opinions. I need a pocket flashlight to replace the cheapy throw away I had bought for work. I do building inspections and emergency response for a living. I crawl around in attics, under buildings, in tunnels and many times need to read labels or information from a distance. I found that the cool or white lights reflect off labels and surfaces, making it hard to read or see in small spaces. So 1) the light has to be natural light. 2) I need it to throw as far as possible as some areas I go to cant be reached from up close. I also have to work outdoors at night and need to see pretty far. 3) this is going to be an everyday carry, so I am hoping the flashlight doesn't exceed 4-4.5 inches. Finally, I have a few 14500 cells around, so if those will work for it, that will be great.

So far, the closest thing I have come across is the Nitecore EA11. Do you all know of anything better? Less expensive? I appreciate any info. Thank you all and have a great one!
 

Timothybil

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
Nov 9, 2007
Messages
3,662
Location
The great state of Misery (Missouri)
I EDC the EA11 and really like it. The only drawback would be if you need really long throw. For that I would recommend the Nitecore P30. About twice the size of the EA11 with a larger head. It still fits nicely on my belt, and should do everything you need. Using the lower modes the spill will light up all of the immediate area so you can see all around. High and Turbo mode really throw a tight beam that does a great job of lighting things up at least a couple of hundred meters away, while the spill is dim enough that it doesn't mess your eyes up so that you can't see the details at a distance. IIRC, the price is about the same as an EA11 as well.

PS: I just glanced up and saw the words 'pocket flashlight' again in your request. Unless you have big pockets, the P30 isn't going to fit. Think of a Surefire G2 with a 2" head.
 

Hoka Hey

Newly Enlightened
Joined
Jul 28, 2018
Messages
40
Lumintop Tool AA might work well. I'm not sure what led is in mine, but it's a nice neutral white. Great throw for the size, and useful spill. Only thing I'm not a fan of is the clip. Tail sticks up a bit. Another I really like is the DQG SS Tiny AA. Also neutral white, surprising throw. It's barely bigger than the battery that goes in it. It's a twisty, but very easy to operate one handed, with nice knurling on the head.
Both will work with AA's or 14500. Both are brighter running 14500's, but you don't lose much running an AA.

Another to look at is the Maratac AA. Available with a nice Nichia led. Haven't tried one myself, but it's on my list to try. Seems fairly well reviewed.

Of course you didn't mention a budget. A McGizmo Haiku with an AA pack, HIVE converter, and a Nichia 119v would work well. Really, really well. Definitely my most used and most often carried of around 8 AA/14500 lights.
 

matto11

Newly Enlightened
Joined
Sep 18, 2018
Messages
5
I EDC the EA11 and really like it. The only drawback would be if you need really long throw. For that I would recommend the Nitecore P30. About twice the size of the EA11 with a larger head. It still fits nicely on my belt, and should do everything you need. Using the lower modes the spill will light up all of the immediate area so you can see all around. High and Turbo mode really throw a tight beam that does a great job of lighting things up at least a couple of hundred meters away, while the spill is dim enough that it doesn't mess your eyes up so that you can't see the details at a distance. IIRC, the price is about the same as an EA11 as well.

PS: I just glanced up and saw the words 'pocket flashlight' again in your request. Unless you have big pockets, the P30 isn't going to fit. Think of a Surefire G2 with a 2" head.


Thank you for the reply. I read up on that and, unfortunately, I do need to keep everything in my pockets. I sometimes have to wear coveralls or a harness, everything outside my clothes may get snagged or contaminated. The old flashlight I had had a1" head and it was a good fit. double might become intrusive. Thank you though, I appreciate it.
 

Bazar

Newly Enlightened
Joined
Dec 2, 2016
Messages
138
Location
Colorado
based on your close/far needs I'd recommend a fucusable light. I don't have personal recommendations at this time, but a 2-14500/2AA light with either focusing tir optics or aspheric lense should work best. a other option is one small 18350 light like the Emisar D4 (35$) for the crawl spaces (this also has a clip that can clip to a bill hat in a pinch for hands free lighting) and an additional single 18350 light for throw (the Emisar D1 or D1s comes to mind, other options exist) both could fit in a pocket... well not the D1S, it would consume a whole pocket but has enough throw it may be worth it.
 

matto11

Newly Enlightened
Joined
Sep 18, 2018
Messages
5
Lumintop Tool AA might work well. I'm not sure what led is in mine, but it's a nice neutral white. Great throw for the size, and useful spill. Only thing I'm not a fan of is the clip. Tail sticks up a bit. Another I really like is the DQG SS Tiny AA. Also neutral white, surprising throw. It's barely bigger than the battery that goes in it. It's a twisty, but very easy to operate one handed, with nice knurling on the head.
Both will work with AA's or 14500. Both are brighter running 14500's, but you don't lose much running an AA.

Another to look at is the Maratac AA. Available with a nice Nichia led. Haven't tried one myself, but it's on my list to try. Seems fairly well reviewed.

Of course you didn't mention a budget. A McGizmo Haiku with an AA pack, HIVE converter, and a Nichia 119v would work well. Really, really well. Definitely my most used and most often carried of around 8 AA/14500 lights.


Thanks for the reply. I loved the Lumitop. The size and power seem perfect. The DQG looks nice as well, but I like the stronger beam. The Maratac looks like what I used have, but mine was a cheaper no name version. After checking the Mcgizmo, I almost had a heart attack! I am really rough with my equipment and may lose it off a ladder or in a manhole. So would feel more comfortable spending abou $50-$60 on a decent light, $80 max if it was amazing.

Thank you as well for the input. I think I have a favorite so far!

By the way, a lot of these lights are on "banggood.com" I am assuming it is a shady website or is it trustworthy?
 

matto11

Newly Enlightened
Joined
Sep 18, 2018
Messages
5
based on your close/far needs I'd recommend a fucusable light. I don't have personal recommendations at this time, but a 2-14500/2AA light with either focusing tir optics or aspheric lense should work best. a other option is one small 18350 light like the Emisar D4 (35$) for the crawl spaces (this also has a clip that can clip to a bill hat in a pinch for hands free lighting) and an additional single 18350 light for throw (the Emisar D1 or D1s comes to mind, other options exist) both could fit in a pocket... well not the D1S, it would consume a whole pocket but has enough throw it may be worth it.


Great recommendations. I really liked the D1, but saw a video on youtube of the light smoking due to a possible faulty heatsink. I don't necessary need the light to be intrinsically safe, but can have it heat up that bad with only a few seconds of run time. I know it might have been a bad batch the guy got, but its got me worried. Thank you though, I appreciate it.
 

matto11

Newly Enlightened
Joined
Sep 18, 2018
Messages
5
Sorry I don't know if my replies are coming through. Thank you all for your great suggestions. I think the lumintop aa would be the best fit. The others were either way too big to fit in a pocket comfortably, or were way outside my price range (McGizmo, $500, YIKES!). So out of the two, what would you guys go with? The Lumintop aa or the Nitecore EA11? Again, I really appreciate all the input.
 

nbp

Flashaholic
Joined
Dec 16, 2007
Messages
10,970
Location
Wisconsin
The only thing I'm wondering is if a small twisty or small side button light will be easy to activate in the situations you are in. Some twisties require two hands to twist (though some can be done with one hand). Do you wear gloves usually or have or have to activate your light in the dark? Gloves can make it hard to twist small lights and it can be hard find small buttons in the dark. If these situations are typical, something with a prominent tailswitch may be easier to actuate on the job. Just something I thought of while I was scanning the thread to approve your posts.

Also, your post count is high enough, your posts should be visible immediately now. :)
 

Timothybil

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
Nov 9, 2007
Messages
3,662
Location
The great state of Misery (Missouri)
As far as my experience goes, Banggood has been reputable. They are a Chinese site, which turns some people off, and in my experience their free shipping takes about a month to arrive. The only thing to be careful of is that for the most part they are not a manufacturer's warranty site. When you are talking about a light like the Lumintop that's not a big deal, but for a more expensive light it can be.

I have also also shopped a Gearbest, which is a similar site, with all the same caveats.

PS: I liked what I could see of the Lumintop AA, but I have turned into somewhat of a CRI snob, and won't buy a light that won't do at least 80 CRI. I thought about recommending a Surefire G2 or 6P with a good P60 LED drop-in, but even getting one from ebay, you are talking about the same money as the Lumintop. You might want to check Lumens Factory. They have been having some good deals on their Seraph 6 and 9 lights. I have a Seraph 6 with their three mode LED drop-in and really like it. The only problem I see is that they recently upgraded their LEDs, and now only offer single mode versions. I think 700 lumens would be a bit much for close in work like you mentioned.
 

LetThereBeLight!

Enlightened
Joined
Feb 26, 2014
Messages
635
I like the Lumintop Tool 2.0 recommendation and you can carry an AA battery with you as backup.

But also consider Eagtac's D25A2.
 

Poppy

Flashaholic
Joined
Dec 20, 2012
Messages
8,359
Location
Northern New Jersey
Not quite as easy to carry in a pocket as a standard flashlight, but for crawling around on all fours, I much prefer a headlamp.

I very much like the Crelant CH10 which is often not available, but Jetbeam makes one very similar. It has 2 fully ramp-able modes, so you can set it at whatever output you want. It has a deep reflector (for a head lamp) with an XML2 emitter so that it has a broad hot spot, with decent throw. If you are wearing a helmet, the nose will better reach over the end of the brim, than a L shaped head lamp.

I have a imalent HR20 that some love, but not me. Similar in style to some zebra's or skillhunt, its beam is so wide, close to my head that dust, pollen, or insects reflect glare.

Those that I mention run on 18650 batteries. You may know that a 18650 has about the same capacity as 3 1/2 NiMH AA cells.
 

ChrisGarrett

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
Feb 2, 2012
Messages
5,725
Location
Miami, Florida
Great recommendations. I really liked the D1, but saw a video on youtube of the light smoking due to a possible faulty heatsink. I don't necessary need the light to be intrinsically safe, but can have it heat up that bad with only a few seconds of run time. I know it might have been a bad batch the guy got, but its got me worried. Thank you though, I appreciate it.

I have both the Emisar D4 and D1 lights and for pocket carry, the D4 is it. Get the pocket clip and the 18350 body for $42 shipped and you'll be fine. The D4 puts out a wall of light out to about 60+ feet, so you should be good there. Ramping UI allows you to dial things in and the light is comfortable in a loose pocket.

You'd want a Sony VTC-5a 18650, but that cell has pretty good capacity when compared to a 14500.

I guess we would need to know 'how many' minutes you typically use the light and on what type of modes you utilize--high, medium, low, moonlight.

I closed down two SEARS stores earlier in the year and was working in 40' trailers and the darkened bowels of the stores and carried the D4. It came in handy.

Chris
 

LightObsession

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
Nov 12, 2004
Messages
1,385
For 1AA I suggest the Coast HX5 focusing / focusable / zoomie / zoomable for excellent close up use for reading labels and such and pretty decent throw for more distant viewing, which I carry bezel up clipped to the top of my back pocket, which makes it extremely easy to deploy quickly, but also leaves it vulnerable to being snagged on something when scraping past or under something in a narrow opening or low crawl space.

For 2AA I suggest the Country Trails APL150 focusing / focusable / zoomie / zoomable from Rural King with adjustable focus (zoomie, zoomable, spot-to-flood) for $4.99. SKU: 21041015. ...ruralking.com/tactical-led-flashlight-150-lum.html, which I carry clipped inside my shirt breast pocket.

These are both too big for me to carry in the front pocket of any of my pants - I have too much other stuff in there.

They both have pretty decent throw in the most focused mode, but I have no idea how much throw that you actually need.
 

ven

Flashaholic
Joined
Oct 17, 2013
Messages
22,533
Location
Manchester UK
Some great suggestions, the D1 is a great light for the money(great UI, LED K options..............the 5000k is nice in the xpl HI along with the 4000k if a little on the warmer side of neutral suits). D4 is a blast! of course more floody bias compared to the throwy D1.

I have a few AA/14500 lights and tbh i am just not much of a fan, certainly for any type of use that is regular. By that, the 600-700mah typical fuel tank gets drained pretty quick if used for any decent amount of time. Although a similar tank, i prefer the 16340 form for in hand feel/comfort. Still for a work light , i would need to swap out cells 2 or 3 times a day................no thanks!

More expensive, but check out some zebralight offerings as well. Even some of the older models like the sc62/sc63 along with the newer 64. Flexible UI, small/compact and light weight, great ano and nicely made. The sc600 is a little more chunky, but still compact compared to many 18650 lights(typically). The HI flavours in 4500k are especially nice for a good all round beam, with a little emphasis on throw. Of course if AA size is a must, the sc52/53 are pretty tiny! Older models are 14500 compatible, not the latest gen.

:welcome:
 
Top