Loomin, after a while you'll get used to seeing a new member's first post asking for the "brightest ________" (fill in the blank with AA, AAA, whatever). It's a natural first reaction after a lifetime of cheap, dim, $2 drugstore lights, and then suddenly finding an entire forum devoted to....... well....... all this
.
However, more often than not, after the shock begins to wear off they begin to see the possibilities beyond just the "brightest" light, and it's our responsibility to help guide them along that path, as others guided us when we first got here.
So, with that in mind, banzaiguy, welcome to CPF!
Don't bother with the Vesuvius, it will melt your face, and there are a large number of other small, cool lights that you can enjoy without having to worry about getting blisters on your fingers (
I'm serious, the Vesuvius should only be used by those knowledgeable enough to handle it in a safe and responsible manner).
To get you started, here are some excellent
flashlight review sites:
http://www.light-reviews.com/reviews.html
http://www.flashlightreviews.ca
http://www.lygte-info.dk/review/Reviews UK.html
There are lots of cool, small lights to look at.
Don't be in a hurry. Spend some time reading those reviews. Also, learn how to use the
Google Search Box in the upper left hand corner of most CPF pages. Leave it checked for "CPF Only" and it will give lots of relevant CPF threads. For instance, if you enter "Brightest keyring light", you'll get this page full of results:
http://www.google.com/search?q=brightest+keyring+light&sitesearch=www.candlepowerforums.com
Also, you might as well start learning about rechargeable batteries, because we use LOTS of those around here, so here's a good place for that:
Battery University:
http://batteryuniversity.com/
Have fun!