Do you carry a backup light or spare batteries?

[AlphaZen]

I have to argue that a keychain fauxton should not be considered as a valid backup light. It has no weather protection, 2 minute runtime, and generally insufficient to provide illumination for any period of time.

I agree. Maybe it could be considered an auxillary light, but not a true backup.

 

[Tomcat!]

My normal EDC is a Fenix P1D CE Q5 that always lives on my keychain and an L1D CE that always lives in my backpack which always lives on me (well outdoors that is). I don't carry spare cells for these because they back each other up . My coat pocket light is 'mission specific' so it varies and may have at least two 123 primaries or some mix of rechargeables and therefore has to have one set of spare cells.

 

[Illum]

I agree. Maybe it could be considered an auxillary light, but not a true backup.

thats a good term actually, although I have seen driving people use their auxillary lights as their main headlights😗

 

[Wiggle]

If I'm just doing jeans and shirt it'll usually be my Quark AA-T (/w 14500) and possibly one spare L91 in my pocket. If I have my jacket I'll also add another backup cell (another 14500 this time) and my Solarforce L2 /w LF R2 on 18650.

 

[Swedpat]

My main EDC setup: apart from keychain Fenix LOD I have either TK10 or Malkoff MD2. And an extra set of Titanium Innovation double pack.

Regards, Patric

 

[aim54x]

If I am out and about (bushwalking etc) I will have my Defender 260 with a spare 18650 as well as my Solitaire (soon to be replaced) on my keys.

 

[Chauncey Gardner]

I keep a spare cr123 in my jackets & have the fauxton's clipped to zipper pulls. On me is lately been just one of the little EOS tied to a pocket knife. Both together weigh less than the NDI or P2D alone (two favorite edc's).

So up to three if wearing a jacket. But who really counts the pinch lights?

But they have come in handy a number of times and I am just now replacing all the batteries after a couple years. the uv versions are good for scorpions around here too (and checking hotel bedding when travelling😎).

All the cars have spare cr123 lights (Dmini's) and primary batteries too. Plus whatever goodies are in the bob bag in each car...

Some of the stuff some flashaholics haul around on a regular basis would give me scoliosislovecpf, but I can relate to the pocket toy addicts pretty well. Pocket knives were my only serious (typical addictive denial) weakness before discovering this joint.

 

[NonSenCe]

keychain fauxton 2 minute runtime..

ummm.. dont know what kind of weak fauxtons you have had but my fauxtons run for lot longer time than 2 minutes.. since i read this reply of yours i turned one that i had on my jacket pocket on and its been running since.. now.. hmm.. 58 minutes. its dimmer but it still is useful bright. (and it has been used already so it wasnt with full batteries) edit: 3 hours later it was still bright enough to burn my retina when aimed to my eye at arms length.. big bright green burn mark in my eye.. hah. then i had to turn it off as i went to sleep..

otherwise i am almost in same page with you.. they are more of a toy than true flashlight.

but hey.. they cost what 40c? i for one cant argue their good value.

also it is not a bad thing it dims as it goes. you will get some output even if it runs down.. most of my edc lights are regulated so when their battery is empty im in dark.

as backup when everything else fails.. you are happy to have ANY light.. be it a gitd trinket or tritium or just a lowly cheap fauxton.

 

[Benson]

Having a backup light allows for two different styles of light to be used.

The best way to carry a spare cell is in a spare light.😀

QFT!

I got a holster with a S&W Galaxy that has a pocket on the side for 2 spare CR123s (of course, I don't use 123s), and just recently got a light that fits it nicely, with an 18650 in the side pocket (too tight with the Galaxy). So that cell gets carried separately, as do any 14670, 14500, and AA/AAA spares, but I still carry more 18650 flashlights than I could reasonably need as true backups (in case my main light dies), so that I have enough cells to keep even the bright one going for quite a while, and so that I have other options.

I've never seen one light that could throw like my WF-008, flood like my Download MC-E, blink in any color like my First Alert 10-color (3xAAA modded to 18650) and have a red laser, white LEDs, and UV LEDs like my DX 3-in-1 (3xAAA modded again, and serves mainly as a battery carrier), but with three lights, I've got any of those options available in a half-minute for as long as any battery has juice left, and I have them available in seconds in most cases. (It's not uncommon to swap a spare into the MC-E, but the rest rarely see 20% usage a day.)

 

[crocodilo]

In addition to main main light (rotates daily) I have a Mako on my keyring, specifically for backup duty. It was designed for that role, and in my opinion it excels at it.
When going away from the house for more than one day, I'll carry spares batts, since my EDC lights are all 123 fed.

 

[andyw513]

I always keep both, usually 2 18650's in the Ultrafire plastic carrying case, and another light in the same pocket.

 

[MWClint]

i work nights, so i just bring a small portable charger with me.
based off Sabrewolf's circuit, it's powered by 4AA or usb.

 

[souptree]

Couldn't he have just walked up or down the escalator to get off of it? 😛

(An elevator, on the other hand, now that would pose some difficulty...)

Maybe the guy on the escalator was in a wheelchair..... I bet he wished he had a light to play with while he waited for a rescue.... :nana:

Man, I love these kinds of riddles. Huh? Spare batteries? lovecpf :wave:

 

[Frank E]

I don't really make a point of carrying a torch most of the time. I've a wee keyfob light in case I'm late, the street lighting fails, the garden path light fails, the doorlight fails and the neighbour's light fails and I can't see the lock.

I have a couple in each of my toolboxes, a Wolf R/A ATEX (incan) and a headlight (LED) but I don't open a toolbox often.
If I'm away the weekend, working a party I'll take a headtorch and I'll have the medical penlight in my response kit. If it's an outdoor party I'll only take cheap ones because there are some pretty scummy people in attendance who are only there to rob things.

I'll take a couple of headtorches with rechargeables in, spare alkalines and a solar charger if I'm working a festival . The solar charger is more for the mobile telephone.

I usually take spare batteries if I'm away the weekend and definitely if I'm away for a week, usually with a charger too.

The thing about taking spare batteries to work is they get lost in the bottom of my case risking shorting. I haven't found decent spares holders on the UK market which are robust enough.

 

[emac]

Typically I carry just my surefire E2DL and my E1B but if I am out at camp or hiking for 5+ mile I carry my G3L-FYL in the V85 holster with 3 spare batteries and the E1B in a pocket. Yes I am a surefire addict ha-ha.

 

[carrot]

The thing about taking spare batteries to work is they get lost in the bottom of my case risking shorting. I haven't found decent spares holders on the UK market which are robust enough.

ToolsAviation PowerPax. Sold by Lighthound, Battery Station, County Comm, and countless others.

 

[Frank E]

ToolsAviation PowerPax. Sold by Lighthound, Battery Station, County Comm, and countless others.

I saw those. It's a bit hefty. I only need to swap out a 9V once a week, a couple of AAs once a week, 3 AAAs once eevry couple of weeks and 2 Ds once in a blue moon.

I got a decent 4x 9V carrier with the iPower us batteries. a 2 batery version of that, a 4 x AAA, a 4 x AA and a 2 x D would do, I'd rather just not carry them all at the same time.

Oh I looked at the rest of the Powerpax site and thay have 4 battery units.

Oh, and they can be dispensed with one hand:thumbsup:

Now to find a uk distributor.

 

[325addict]

regarding lights: one is none, two is one. Mostly two incans, otherwise one incan and one LED. Sometimes two incans and one LED.
I always carry a small Fenix AAA-LED-light.
Extra batteries are not always on me, but when camping etc of course I will carry spare batts. AND a charger that will take any power it encounters: 12V car battery, or 110 or 230V AC. That means... a modified, el-cheapo Trustfire TR-001 :twothumbs
(modified to exactly give 4.200V)

Timmo.

 

[signal 13]

Besides my key-chain light (LD01), I always carry one "main" EDC light with extra batteries. Usually in a cargo pocket, like such:

Pretty cool setup... Is that the Maxpedition 2 pistol mag holder?

 

[Roger Sully]

I had a few minutes to spare at work and got to thinking about this thread so I went thru my jacket and my laptop bag......Do I really need all this crap!?