best 1xcr123 for car/emergency use?

[fizzwinkus]

my eagletac m2sc4's control ring broke so i'm looking for a new car light. it will live in the glove compartment and likely be forgotten until i'm out in the middle of nowhere, at midnight, looking for someone's glasses in a field.



the m2 was great, but that many batteries always made me a little bit nervous. so far, i only use cr123 primaries, but this time around am thinking of a 1xcr123 light.



things i like:

-no/less parasitic drain

-some throw. doesn't need to be a light saber, but hopefully i'll be carrying a chimera mini for flood. enough to light up a 30ft long cone of ground very well would be great.

-some sort of turbo/boost/afterburner mode that i can use, but don't have to worry about handing it to someone and worrying they'll melt their hands off.

-less modes or a simplistic ui. the one thing i don't want is to be clicking through five different brightness levels every time i pull it out. i don't mind programming a light to achieve this though.



things i like but realistically will never use in a car light

-novatac locator beacon (it's just so cool!)



nothing here is set in stone of course, i just don't know that much about what's out there. all ideas are welcome



and thank you!lovecpf

 

[ExtremeX]

Something simple but good. Assuming you get something you like from a decent brand like Fenix, 4 Sevens, Klarus, Jetbeam, whatever....

I think the cells you use will be just as important. Any CR123 primary light or use Lithium AA lights since storage life is good.

I keep 2 lights in my car, small ITP CR123 keychain light in the center console, and a 2 x AA in the glovebox.

 

[LED_Thrift]

Zebralight H31 / H31w would be a great car light. Having the option to use it as a headlamp for fixing things/ changing a tire would be really useful. It's easy enough to use as a flashlight if you want to, but you'll probably have a flashlight with you anyway. [note: answering 'no' to that question could get your CPF posting privileges revoked]

The H31 has a great UI and great battery efficiency.

Thrifty

 

[thaugen]

I use a Surefire G2LED in my car with CR123's...sorry you want one battery...I would go with +1 on the H31!

 

[FPSRelic]

If it were me, Id go a Surefire e1b. It gives lots of throw, and you can pair it up with a diffuser for flood. It's 2 modes of low and high are simple enough, and it's low mode gies you something like 30 hours of runtime.

I would suggest a HDS light, such as the EDC clicky or rotary, but you mention you want simple, and from what people tell me, a HDS light deserves to be an EDC. The HDS lights get you your locator beacon though.

 

[js82]

How about a thrunite neutron 1C? You get strobe and SOS for catching attention and it's easily bright enough to light up an area of 30'. When the head is tightened it starts at max brightness so you won't need to go through the lower modes.

It has parasitic drain but it's easy enough to lock it out with a little bit of loosening.Mine locks out with less than 1/8 of a turn.

 

[damn_hammer]

In case you're not married to the idea of using CR123 consider this. The newest 2D LED Maglite is available for $14.88 at the Home Depot right now. It uses a XP-E emitter, 134 ANSI Lumens, and throws very well. In fact it's the best thrower that I have. The tint/color temperature on mine is pure white. Get them in the HD holiday gift area ... black, red, or blue. For a car light at this price it's hard to beat.

Another alternative is the Mag 2xAA LED multi-mode which has very simple UI. Use Energizer lithium batteries for better handling of the temperature swings that would occur in a vehicle. The 2xAA should fit in any glove box. These are usually deeply discounted on Black Friday either at Lowes, or Home Depot.

For both the Mags look at the emitter, and check for the color green on the PCB to make sure you're getting a Cree XP-E. Rebel was the previous LED, and is rectangular shaped.

For a 2x123 light the Surefire G2 and with a L, or LL Malkoff dropin is also a great vehicle light.

 

[Tiggercat]

A headlamp is a good idea, but for your specs, I would suggest a very small 2xCR123 - the EagleTac D25C2 or D25LC2. It's very small for a 2xCR123, inexpensive, comes with a holster and lanyard, and meets all of your needs.

 

[Black Rose]

I use a 2xAA Mag LED (one of the newer ones with modes) and a Gerber Trio - both twisties, so less chance of failure compared to a clickie.
Both lights use Energizer L91 cells to handle the temperature extremes we get here.

 

[Outdoorsman5]

Take a look at the Quark 123 (runs on one CR123 battery) with the Tactical UI. You can choose from 8 output options (moonlight, low, medium, high, max, sos, beacon, and strobe) and program any two of those into the light. The two settings are head tight & head loose. Programming either of these takes 30 seconds. I like this UI quite a bit for simplicity. If I hand the light to someone, all they need to know is that high is head tight and low is head loose.

 

[Beastmaster]

My take on this....

Get a used Surefire 6P sized light. Then put in a good quality drop in.

Nothing is more reliable than the classic momentary on/twist to stay on switch.

In emergency situations, and using gross motor skills, the slightly larger body will be easier to handle.


Sent from my SGH-T959V using Tapatalk

 

[think2x]

I have an Zebralight SC31w in my car, Streamlight Sidewinder Compact in my truck and Jetbeam BC10 in the wife's car. I like the SC31w the best but kept it simple in the wife's car so anyone could use it easily.