Cold weather flashlight

[frep]

Hi all,

First post and hopefully not too dumb of a question. I tried searching for past threads and didn't notice anything. I'm looking for a flashlight I can just throw in the car as a backup light. I live in Minnesota and I noticed the other day that the cheapo I had thrown in my car earlier this year was semi corroded already and wasn't functioning right. My question is if I got a better flashlight would it be alright leaving it in my car through the winter? Should I just get in the habit of bringing it in the house at night? For reference I was thinking of getting the Fenix TK20, if anybody has other suggestions that would be great too. Thanks.

 

[SuReFiReRs]

Hmm, well the SF G2L would be a cheap way to go on that.

 

[wingnut86]

:welcome:

It sounds like your batteries leaked.

I have a TK20 that rides along in my truck. It's bright, has good throw, and a nice tint. But that's all I have found it to be good for, a light that never gets used. Infact, when I need a light in the truck, I reach for the 6d Mag that is mounted behind the seat, and the Fenix goes untouched...

If you plan to keep it in the car, it should be stored with Energizer Lithiums.

For this purpose though, I would recommend either the Surefire G2L or the Streamlight Polytac LED. They both run off of cr123a, and are made from a polymer material. These wont be so cold to the touch as would an aluminum light.

The G2L would be user upgradeable so newer LEDs and/or incans could be swapped in at any time. On average, the G2L is around $65, and the Polytac LED is about $50, but each can be had for less if you look hard enough.

Cheers.

 

[Flying Turtle]

Welcome to CPF, frep. Any flashlight will handle the cold better if you use lithium batteries, and they won't leak. If you use regular alkalines it will work better if warmed up and check those batts for leakage regularly.

Geoff

 

[Cosmo7809]

I would go with the Surefire G2. Drop a decent LED in there and your good to go!

For about 60 bucks you can have a very good emergency light setup.

I once left a 6P in the garage overnight(in the winter) and the next day when I went to go get it I literally could not even touch it!

The G2's nitrolon's body will not hold cold and is fine to touch with bare hands.

Good luck with your search!

 

[damn_hammer]

Echoing what others said, having Lithium batteries in the light is most important thing as they provide good cold weather performance, do not leak, and have vastly superior storage life.

All of my cars have at least one of the newer 2xAA multi-mode Mini Maglites with Energizer Lithium AA batteries in them and think this is a near perfect combination for the glove box, or trunk of a vehicle.

For a more powerful light go with the Surefire G2L, which has a Nitrolon (plastic) handle, is available in multiple colors (tan, black, yellow, etc ...), and multiple aftermarket choices for brighter light, or same brightness as stock with extended run times. The G2L is single stage, i.e. one output level in stock form.

 

[Cataract]

Looks like the TK40 can survive very well, check this out:
http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=233856

The test was done using eneloops, but regular lithiums should do just fine.

I'm guessing a TK20 would survive pretty much the same torture, as I have both and would trust my life with these.

 

[frep]

Thanks for the comments all. The Surefire G2L looks pretty nice. I've never really looked into the cr123a battery models, since you can find AA's almost anywhere if needed.

 

[parnass]

Consider the USA-made Inova X2. Power it using 2 Energizer AA lithium batteries. You can buy both at Target.

 

[maskman]

Hi frep,

First of all, welcome to CPF. Secondly, I'm sure those that are recommending various flashlights to you are just trying to be helpful. The truth of the matter is that just about any flashlight will function as intended in cold weather. What happened to your previous flashlight was not its fault in all probability. The batteries and how they were handled caused the leak which ruined your flashlight. You can just about guarantee this will never happen to you or your flashlight again if you will do three things. Click the link I am attaching, read it and adhear to what the article says and leaking batteries will be a thing of the past for you. http://knol.google.com/k/everything-you-need-to-know-about-primary-battery-leakage#

Good luck in your search for a high quality flashlight, but you need not search for a cold weather version.

Thanks for the comments all. The Surefire G2L looks pretty nice. I've never really looked into the cr123a battery models, since you can find AA's almost anywhere if needed.

 

[frep]

Thanks for the link Maskman.

It's good to know I didn't have a flashlight problem I had a battery problem
I had just assumed the corrosion was like a bad seal on the flashlight and from the cold and condensation it just caused the battery problem. I never realized there was that much difference between battery types.

 

[angelofwar]

lithium + nitrolon=perfect cold weather light (Streamlight poly-tac or G2L)

 

[toobusywinning]

hi, im new and this is accully the same question i have. I carry a 4-sevens Quark Tactical 123 square... its a fantastic light, but it doesn't really like temps below 32F or 0C... i will look at the SF though might get one of those...

 

[angelofwar]

hi, im new and this is accully the same question i have. I carry a 4-sevens Quark Tactical 123 square... its a fantastic light, but it doesn't really like temps below 32F or 0C... i will look at the SF though might get one of those...

Welcome TBW! ANother added bonus of a nitrolon bodied light in the cold, is that's it's not NEARLY as cold as an aluminum. What makes aluminum a good heat conductor, also makes it get cold really fast...and stay cold. If you're spending alot of time in the cold, then check out a Surefire G2L/G3L (or a variant of one of them). Again, welcome to CPF!