BEST GENERAL FLASHLIGHTS FOR USE IN HOUSE, CAR, and BUG OUT BAG

[LA Senior]

I am interested in hearing what flashlights members keep in their homes for every day use. Do you keep one type of flashlight for general and another for emergency use in your home? If so, what kinds? I assume those that have bug out bags keep separate flashlights in the bag inventory. What type do you keep in a bug out bag? Also what kind do you keep in your car?

I am 74 and live in So. California. I want to be prepared for power outages (a couple of hours to a couple of days) and for real emergencies (earthquakes/wildfire). We have some back up lighting, but I would like to be better prepared by purchasing new flashlights for use in emergency situations. The 3 places I believe such flashlights would be kept is 1) in our home; 2) in our bug out bags; 3) in our cars.

What kind of battery is best? Rechargeable or non-rechargeable? If rechargeable is it best to buy those that are not removable or those that one can remove? How many lumens does someone need to look around the yard or walk down a road at night? Do you really need a flashlight that adjusts from a wide to narrow beam? Do you need a flashlight that has a low, medium and high setting?

If asked, I would say my best guess for a general flashlight for my purposes would be a flashlight that is easy to hold, not too heavy, easy to use (e.g., a button for on/off) with a decently wide beam that holds power as long as possible (at its highest setting if it had more than one setting)--meaning that it holds the charge for a long time or that the batteries are very long lasting and, once turned on, it will operate as long as possible without needing to be recharged or running out of juice. Perhaps I am asking for too much, but any advice any of you have would be most welcome.

Grateful for any advice offered.

 

[bhds]

Search Amazon for "B000R8J8CQ" The actual name of the flashlight is "Energizer Tactical LED Flashlight, Hard Case Professional Work Light" but if you search for that you wont find it very easily. (amazon search engine is really quirky)

I've bought 11 or 12 of these lights over the past few years. Gave a couple away, lost a couple, have a couple around the house. I also keep a couple unopened stored for just in case.

For $9.49 you cant beat it: 2AA, 300 lumens, tough plastic body and the best thing about it is that it has a simple and easy to use High/Low/Off mechanical switch(no parasitic drain)

Put a couple of Lithium AA batteries in it and you have the perfect light for the car, walking the dog or all around house use that cant be beat.

 

[dan05gt]

Everyday use - Streamlight Strion DS. You will get 2.5 hours on high and 24 hours on low. It comes with a rechargeable battery and a charging cradle. You can leave it charging indefinitely so it will always be charged. You can also get a car charger for it for flexibility. You can go to Streamlight's web sites for more details on this light including ordering options.

For emergency use or even everyday use - Surefire G2X Pro. It uses lithium primary (not rechargeable) batteries, which has the advantage of being able to be left unused for a very long time (10 years or so) without worrying about them leaking or loosing significant capacity. You can get up to 1.5 hours on high or 52 hours on low. The low setting is all you would need in the house. You can go to Surefire's website to get more information on this flashlight.

Of the two the Surefire has in my opinion the better beam for short and mid range use (good combination of spill and throw). I always order my Surefire's and batteries direct from Surefire. This prevents the possibility of fakes and I have never had any issues with tints, etc. when doing this.

Both of these two lights have lifetime warranties.

 

[xxo]

The 2AA Energizer Task light seems like it would fit your requirements very well. We had a thread on this light not too long ago:


https://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?461883-Energizer-Hardcase-300-Lumen-2AA


For AA batteries Energizer L91 Ultimate Lithiums are great for emergencies, they cost more than alkalines and are not rechargeable but they have a 20 year self life, more power than other AA's and they don't leak – great for long term storage.


For more frequent use Eneloops or Eneloop rebrands are the way to go. Unlike ordinary NiMH which self discharge after a few months of storage, Eneloops hold their charge for a year or more.


Costco is currently selling Energizer rebranded Eneloops in a kit with a good smart charger and adapters that enable AA cells to work in C and D cell devices.


https://costcocouple.com/energizer-rechargeable-battery-kit/


While the Energizer Task light is fine for around the house/yard, it doesn't have a very long beam distance if you need to see something further away. When comparing lights, forget lumen numbers, the number to look at is the beam distance in Meters. This will give you an idea of how much range the light has, although for practical purpose the FL1 ANSI number they give in Meters is roughly effective about to that many feet (if the FL1 beam distance is, for example 300 M, you can figure it will be good to about 300 feet). A fantastic budget light for distance is the Maglite ML25, these are C cell lights, but it is better to run then on AA's like the ones in the battery kit I mentioned above. The latest 192 lumen version of the ML25 has both a high and a low mode that is great for around the house.

 

[bykfixer]

Welcome to the site LA.

To me a flashlight is like a car at night. Turn on lights to see, need more turn on the brights. Same with a flashlight. Starts on low, if you need more light turn it to high. Trouble is not all that many start out on low. And how much low is enough to start with? About 20 lumens is great for a whole lot uses. 15-20 lumens were plenty for years and years. Afterall that's all we had back then.

If you want to buy one from a store I'd reccomend buying a triple a minimag at your local home depot and use energizer ultimate lithium batteries for it. About 100 lumens and throws light forward very well. Also WalMart sells them. Good for general use.

For power outs I'd say buy a Maglite ML 50 or 300 and some Rayovac batteries. My experience with those is they tend to not leak like the other brands and cost less. The ML 50 and 300 are seriously bright flashlights with a side button. But you click three times to get eco mode and they become table lamps when tail stood for up to couple hundred hours.

If you don't mind online shopping check out Pelican 2350 and 2360 double a powered lights. Tail button and can easily be programmed to start on a very useable low, then go to bright beam. Again fuel those with energizer ultimate lithiums.

I buy Energizer lights at places like CVS and Food Lion for $5-8 and find they are fine for general uses here and there.

 

[Lumen83]

For flashlights that I leave in case of emergency in a bug out bag, car, ATV, snowmobile, etc., they're all surefire g2X with CR123A batteries. Extremely reliable and relatively inexpensive for the quality. I have one in my snowmobile on the original set of batteries that has sat there outside in the sled for 4 seasons worth of weather for 5 years now. I think for the type of light you are going to leave in bug out bags and vehicles in case of emergency, the batteries are just as important as the light. I would never trust a AA in these situations.

 

[LeanBurn]

So a Fenix E12 with Nimh AA or Energizer lithium AA can't be trusted?

In Canada CR123 batteries are both scarce and spendy. All of my lights are AA driven or AAA driven.

 

[thermal guy]

Energizer lithium AA are some fantastic cells. Don't worry about them going bad or being effected by cold or heat.No matter how long you store them in your bag.

 

[Sos24]

If I understand your intended use, it seems like you are wanting these lights for more emergency than everyday use.

Although rechargeable have the advantage of not leaking like the possibility of regular alkaline batteries, there is the downside of needing a charger unless built in charging.

I would also say for the type of emergencies you are considering, I would go for a kit of a few flashlights more than just one light, especially in the bugout bag.

In the kit, I would have:
- one primary light that you really like that is consistent for house, car and bug out bag. This would be your most powerful and versatile flashlight. I would probably get a AA flashlight with a few brightness levels. You want a bright high for walking around and outdoor visibility, but also nice low that provides a long run time when you don't need a lot of light. A strobe might also be nice for drawing attention if required. If you were going to do rechargeable then this would be the one. This would also be the flashlight to stock up on batteries for. There are many options out there. Some brands to look at are Fenix, EagTac, Thrunite, Zebralite, Klarus, Lumitop. There are also many other brands, including those mentioned above.

- a single AAA flashlight - This will be the back-up to the primary. Many of these have a high of over 80 lumens, which provides sufficient light for many tasks. Most also have a low that will give a decent run time. This light could easily be used as a keychain or neck light that you always have with you. The good thing about AAAs is that they are usually easy to scrounge. Many remote controls use multiple AAA batteries so you may have several on hand without realizing. At a minimum I would have one for carrying with you, home and bug out bag. My favorites here are the Lumitop EDC01 or Fenix E05.
- The last is 9v flashlight. This is the last ditch better than nothing light. These are usually in the form of a cheap lens head that just snaps onto the 9v battery. I mention this because in emergencies, 9v batteries are usually still able to be found after all the other batteries are out of stock. These are not high quality lights, but will give you something when you have nothing else. Pak-Lite is the popular brand name but cheaper ones can be found online. Below is a picture.

Something that you may want to add that is not a flashlight, is a head strap that has an elastic loop for attaching a flashlight to use as a headlamp. This gives a hands-free option without buying a separate headlamp.

 

[Stefano]

In my bug out bags I have Armytek ELF C2 Headlamps (18650 battery and Micro-USB charging) and small Fenix E01 / E05 with Energizer lithium batteries.
In the bags also a small Xtar MC1 ANT Usb_charger with a 12 V car adapter, also a small solar panel.
In everyday backpacks there are flashlights and headlights with 18650 batteries (Fenix, Zebralight, Armytek)
In the car I hid an old Fenix E11 with AA Eneloop batteries under the seat (I have alkaline spare batteries in the rear hood)

 

[LGT]

Many good suggestions here. If you do go with a AA light, buy some rechargeable enloop batteries. Alkaline batteries can leak a corrosive acid that can disable any light you have. But keep some alkaline AA on hand should recharging not be available.

 

[stuart]

What kind of battery is best? Rechargeable or non-rechargeable?

If you use a light a lot in your everyday life then rechargeable is the way to go. A decent charger can be had for around $15 bucks. Most folks here are probably aware of their batteries state of charge and probably voltmeter their batteries on a fairly regular basis. If this doesn't appeal to you, then primaries (non rechargeable) are probably the way to go. Lots of good info on batteries here. Primaries CR123's will last about 10 years in storage.

How many lumens does someone need to look around the yard or walk down a road at night?

Subjective, but not many. My opinion: Bathroom at night, reading map in the car, walking on a wooded path=5 Lumens.
Setting up a tent, changing a tire, looking behind your dryer=20 to 100 lumens.
Working in attic, under house, working outside, lighting up your yard, working in shed, and 99% of everything else you need to do 200 lumens.
Remember, you need 4 times the lumens to make the output look twice as bright. Home defence: subjective here as well, but 200 sufficient for illuminating whatever is in your home. Your not going to blind a mountain lion with 200 but you will be able to see him.

Do you really need a flashlight that adjusts from a wide to narrow beam?

I say no. Just get something that has a good beam to begin with. Sometimes quality/reliability is sacrificed for features in lower end lights.

Do you need a flashlight that has a low, medium and high setting?

No, and maybe. Single output simple. Multi modes, depending on how they work, can be tiresome and confusing. Some folks like cycling through modes, others don't. For me, a 2 stage is perfect provided it has either a twist head for high/low (like Malkoff ) or Surefire's gas pedal (where you lightly press for low and press harder for high) . I've used a bunch of 3 stage lights in the past but always come back to the simplicity of the 2 stage lights mentioned above or even a single mode light.

Easy to use.

I'm with you on that one, which is why tend to avoid 3 stage(or more) lights.

You didn't mention budget so I'll throw these out there:

Do everything you'll ever need to do light: Malkoff MD2 M61NL with a tricap and a high low switch. Nice tint, easy on the eyes, simple to use, runs on 2 CR123's or a single rechargeable. Low output about 5 lumens for (50-100hrs?) High output 200 lumens for about 5 hours. Could substitute the M61NL for a longer running M61NLL and get about 10 hours on high.

The more outdoor oriented version of the above would be a malkoff hound dog 18650 N. More ouput and throw than the above, but more cumbersome/heavy, and only about an hour on high. The 30 lumen low is so well done that you would rarely need the high (meaniing the beam is throwy, but has a lot of spill as well.

A single stage solution could be any number of Malkoff's dropins on a wide variety of host. Just pick your desired runtime, your desired tint (cool, neutral, or warm) and select your body.

Surefire G2x or 6PX pro, (same lights, plastic vs metal body) not a bad option either, has a 2 stage high low tailcap activated switch. Not my favorite but not too bad. Tint not something I'd want to live with for a long power outage. (cool tint) Cheap and no options, just buy the light and done, so its appealing in that regard.

Full disclosure, I'm very partial to Malkoff, surefire, and neutral or warms tints.

One final one is the Malkoff 16650 Neutral. 3 stage, low runs 30 hours at 20 lumens. The low is more outdoor oriented, too bright for some indoor task. Small, light, possibly the perfect flashlight except that I don't like 3 stages as I'm always inadvertently switching modes.

Another option would be the discontinued Surefire 6P with a Malkoff dropin of your choice. As simple as it gets.

With all of that said, nowadays you can buy those AA powered LED candles ($1 to $50 depending on quality) to cover most of your indoor power outage needs. Or a cheap $15 100watt inverter and run a 60watt equivalent LED light bulb (draw about 8 watts) in your house lamps using a U1 size gel cell battery. (lawn mower size) Battery runs about $80 bucks.
Lots of options nowadays.

 

[Poppy]

May I suggest that you read through the power outage thread? Many have contributed thoughts to it.
https://www.candlepowerforums.com/v...mens-How-many-batteries-(for-lights-and-more)

The lights that work for me, may not work for you. It depends upon your mind-set.

Generally speaking I prefer 18650 LiIon rechargeable batteries over the other formats. Each is equivalent to about 3 and a half AAs in capacity. Output and run-time are inversely proportional, meaning, the higher the output, the shorter the time it will run. The decrease in run-time is not a straight line graph, but geometric. With good quality highly efficient LEDs, you may get about 900 lumens for an hour, or 60 lumens for about 30 hours with a single 18650 battery.

I like 18650s in that they are rechargeable, won't leak, work in hot or cold climates, and last for 10 years or more. When there is an increased possibility of an outage, I'll top off a bunch of them, maybe 8. That's most likely overkill, but what the heck.

I like rechargeables so that I know that I am always starting out with a fresh battery. The only alkaline battery I like is the D cell.
At less than one amp drain, a D cell has similar capacity to a 3000 mAh 18650 battery. I did a review of an inexpensive 3D cell Ozark Trail lantern (Walmart brand)

As expected in an un-regulated alkaline based lantern, the lumens drop off somewhat rapidly initially, but the three Ds surprised me at how well they held up in the long run.

Initially the lantern pulled 700 ma high, and 390 ma low. ~210 lumens, and 130 lumens.
At the end of the first hour it was down to about 175 lumens
And at the end of the fifth hour it was just above 120 lumens.
For the seventh through seventeenth hours it was between 100 and 110 lumens.
Hours 18-28 it was between 80-95 lumens.
Hours 29-40 were between 70-80 lumens.
Hours 40-55 were between 40-63 Lumens
It appears that the advertised run-times for this lantern are accurate.

I estimate that it will run for another 70 hours down to 1 Lumen.

Honestly I was very surprised at how long a set of three D cells lasted.


I imagine that the Siege, UST, and Rayovac lanterns will perform similarly on high.
Start out at about 200-250 emitter lumens, and within an hour or so drop down to 150-175 lumens or less. This is due to the fact that alkaline batteries drop in output drastically initially, and then begin a more gradual taper.

Comments:
In the Power outage thread, we pretty much agreed that MOST people will be happy with 100 ceiling bounced lumens, we didn't cover lanterns much. This lantern, and I am sure the others will deliver between 70 and 110 lumens after the first six for 30 hours or more. IMO to maximize comfort, it would be good to have TWO of these lanterns so that even 30 hours into an outage, the combined output of two lanterns would still be over 140 lumens. Very... comfortable.

I keep a dozen or so D cells but store them outside the lanterns I have.

In my car a have a few lights.
One is a rayovac 2AA virtually indestructable. I keep it powered with rechargeable Duracell NiMH batteries, and I keep a 4 pack of lithium primaries in the glove box. As mentioned the primaries are not rechargeable, are a little more expensive than alkalines but are good for 10 years. They also handle heat and cold well.

I keep a couple/few 2 AAA penlights near my ashtray. I consider them throw away/ give away lights. AAA cells have too little capacity to be of much use for too long, IMO. I do have a single cell AAA light on my spare keychain but only as a back up light.

Again, in my car I also have a traffic safety wand, and two Convoy S2+ 18650 lights. I installed always hot USB outlets in the car and have a USB charger for either the 2 AA cells or 18650 cells. Of course I keep charging cables for android and Apple devices/phones. I am not concerned with running the car battery down. The alternator has the capacity to replace any current lost in a matter of minutes.

One would be concerned with obtaining food and water, well before any concern about lighting.

 

[maglite mike]

I recommend the maglite ml300 line up. in particular the 4 D Cell which will run on eco mode for 14 days straight. or the 1st generation manglite 3 D Cell LED. this is a single mode that will run for approx 80 hours on a set of 3 D cell. like all Maglites, they are made in California, USA, durable, easy to use and relatively inexpensive.