My dad wants his first nice flashlight for his birthday. Please recommend one:
I think he's mostly going to use it to show off, and maybe read side street signs while driving once in awhile. It needs to have a more useful 30-70 lumen setting too.
More than anything, He really likes my Streamlight ProTac 2L, because the bezel is not much bigger than the diameter of a cr123 battery. I am looking for something like that but with more throw. Does anyone make a small diameter light with a really long reflector or an aspheric lens or something? I've gathered that XML might be the brightest but will definitely not be a a focused beam.
Ideally, it would also be somewhat simple to use... Keep pushing the button for different modes or something. Definitely not something he has to program.
1) How would you prefer to purchase the light?
____I will be mail-ordering or buying online, so this doesn't matter.
2) Budget: An easy question, but you may change your mind after answering the rest!
____Less than $100.
3) Format:
____I want a flashlight.
4) Flashlight-specific format/size:
____Every day carry small (2-4 inches).
____Every day carry medium (4-7 inches).
5) Emitter/Light source:
____LED (known for efficiency, longevity, and compactness)
6) Manufacturer:
____I want to buy a light from a traditional mass producing manufacturer that is ready to go out of the box.
7) What battery type do you want to use?
____I intend to use lithium primary batteries (CR123, CR2, Energizer Advanced/Ultimate Lithium AA/AAA)
8) How much genuine out the front (OTF) light do you want/need? Sometimes you can have too much light (trying to read up close up with a 100 lumen light is impossible).
____I want to illuminate my entire backyard or a campsite (150-300 lumens).
____I want to illuminate an entire field, the neighbor's front yard several houses down, impress my friends and neighbors, etc. (300-700 lumens).
9) Throw vs. Flood: At what distance will you be most likely to use this light? Select all that apply.
__IF THIS IS EVEN POSSIBLE OUT OF A 1" LENSE__150+ yards (I want maximum throw possible)
10) Runtime: Not over-inflated manufacturer runtime claims, but usable brightness measured from first activation to 50% with new batteries (Measured on maximum output).
____90-120 minutes (Runtime is moderately important, but still not critical)
11) Durability/Usage: Generally the old phrase "you get what you pay for" is very accurate for flashlights.
____Very Important (Camping, Backpacking, Car Glove-box).
12) Switch Type and location (choose all that apply):
____I want a body mounted switch (near the head, like on a Maglite).
____I want a tail mounted switch (found on the majority of today's high end lights).
13) User Interface (UI) and mode selection. Select all that apply.
____I want multiple light levels. (Some lights have 5-16 light levels.)
14)Material/Finish/Coating
____Anodized Aluminum – either type II or III (Hard Anodized) (Aluminum, specifically HA, is the most common material/finish for today's flashlights).
Thanks for reading, and thanks for any advise.
I think he's mostly going to use it to show off, and maybe read side street signs while driving once in awhile. It needs to have a more useful 30-70 lumen setting too.
More than anything, He really likes my Streamlight ProTac 2L, because the bezel is not much bigger than the diameter of a cr123 battery. I am looking for something like that but with more throw. Does anyone make a small diameter light with a really long reflector or an aspheric lens or something? I've gathered that XML might be the brightest but will definitely not be a a focused beam.
Ideally, it would also be somewhat simple to use... Keep pushing the button for different modes or something. Definitely not something he has to program.
1) How would you prefer to purchase the light?
____I will be mail-ordering or buying online, so this doesn't matter.
2) Budget: An easy question, but you may change your mind after answering the rest!
____Less than $100.
3) Format:
____I want a flashlight.
4) Flashlight-specific format/size:
____Every day carry small (2-4 inches).
____Every day carry medium (4-7 inches).
5) Emitter/Light source:
____LED (known for efficiency, longevity, and compactness)
6) Manufacturer:
____I want to buy a light from a traditional mass producing manufacturer that is ready to go out of the box.
7) What battery type do you want to use?
____I intend to use lithium primary batteries (CR123, CR2, Energizer Advanced/Ultimate Lithium AA/AAA)
8) How much genuine out the front (OTF) light do you want/need? Sometimes you can have too much light (trying to read up close up with a 100 lumen light is impossible).
____I want to illuminate my entire backyard or a campsite (150-300 lumens).
____I want to illuminate an entire field, the neighbor's front yard several houses down, impress my friends and neighbors, etc. (300-700 lumens).
9) Throw vs. Flood: At what distance will you be most likely to use this light? Select all that apply.
__IF THIS IS EVEN POSSIBLE OUT OF A 1" LENSE__150+ yards (I want maximum throw possible)
10) Runtime: Not over-inflated manufacturer runtime claims, but usable brightness measured from first activation to 50% with new batteries (Measured on maximum output).
____90-120 minutes (Runtime is moderately important, but still not critical)
11) Durability/Usage: Generally the old phrase "you get what you pay for" is very accurate for flashlights.
____Very Important (Camping, Backpacking, Car Glove-box).
12) Switch Type and location (choose all that apply):
____I want a body mounted switch (near the head, like on a Maglite).
____I want a tail mounted switch (found on the majority of today's high end lights).
13) User Interface (UI) and mode selection. Select all that apply.
____I want multiple light levels. (Some lights have 5-16 light levels.)
14)Material/Finish/Coating
____Anodized Aluminum – either type II or III (Hard Anodized) (Aluminum, specifically HA, is the most common material/finish for today's flashlights).
Thanks for reading, and thanks for any advise.
