Good lights for normal people?

[UpChUcK]

I have some nice lights like the Tiablo A9 (real), JetBeam CLEv2, Surefire 6PL and G2L, but I often shop Target , Walmart, Meijers, Lowes and Home Depot for the cheaper stuff. Heck, you can get the Surefire 6PL and G2L from Lowes. I'd suggest that you recommend the Surefires if they wanted a light in that class. But there are a great many lights for "normal" like the Lowes Task Force 2C Cree. You can get Coleman Maxx LED Lights from Walmart and they come in various battery configurations like 3AAA, 2AA, 2x123 and 2xCR2. From Target, suggest the River Rock 2C and Inovas. I have the Inova X03, X5 and X1 and they are still great lights. Also, you can suggest the Energizer 3W and 1W, the Rayovac Sportsman Extreme series; I have the Nuwai made 3W. Then there are the MagLites. The MagLEDs sre decent lights that will last forever although not as bright as a "Proper" light they are bright enough and have great runtimes.

I have all the lights I mentioned above and they are the lights I let me kids, my family members and my friends borrow. I keep the good ones for myself :twothumbs .

 

[metlarules]

I like my Inova Bolt 2AA good runtime decent brightness. May not be as bright as some of the big flamethrowers and custom lights here, it's certainly bright enough and has a really quality feel to it.

I also like the Inova bolt 2aa. As a matter of fact I like most of the Inova line. You won't find a better built light for the price.

 

[gottawearshades]

Some good advice here. Thanks.

If you recommend a chainstore flashlight, they'll be in the checkout lane, see one with a similar name and buy a piece of crap. You can't give people the fever by recommendations. The first thing is to give people the 47 cent fauxtons. Most people will have a reaction and you can tell if anyone is really interested. I always have at least ten in my glovebox.

When it's right there on your keychain, it gets squeezed.

I've converted a few friends, but most people could care less.

What you say makes sense, PCP. I have actuallu given away several fauxtons. They can be a good gateway drug, and it's a good way to start evangelizing.

I guess maybe what I should do is buy a few of these lights recommended above and freely lend them out.

 

[Lee1959]

Inova Bolts, MagLEDs, RR Target lights, all make excellant choices. I love Inova X and T series lights but unless you buy batteres online, they are too expensive.

 

[gottawearshades]

So, to get started on a list safe bets:

Most anything by Inova (I know they're honest about brightness and runtime)

Most anything by Rayovac Sportsman Extreme (Cree and Rebel emitters, and they are all regulated?)

Task Force Cree

Colman (Anything by them would be a safe bet?)

River Rock (Anything by them would be a safe bet?)

Mag Lights (are any of their LEDs regulated?)

 

[qwertyydude]

Inova is honest about brightness except for the bolt line, why don't they state lumens on this line?

 

[StarHalo]

Mag Lights (are any of their LEDs regulated?)

An LED Maglite might still be the easiest gateway light; Anyone who uses one should be sufficiently impressed by its build and performance to then come to the next logical conclusion, "Well this is better than a regular Maglite, so what is better than this?"

And the LED Maglite packaging says it's regulated, but the testing doesn't bear it out. You could always gift a Mag with a Terralux drop-in..

 

[Juggernaut]

So, to get started on a list safe bets:

Most anything by Inova (I know they're honest about brightness and runtime)

Most anything by Rayovac Sportsman Extreme (Cree and Rebel emitters, and they are all regulated?)

Task Force Cree

Colman (Anything by them would be a safe bet?)

River Rock (Anything by them would be a safe bet?)

Mag Lights (are any of their LEDs regulated?)

RayOvac's / Mag's are not regulated, Taskforce's are "not perfectly regulated for the whole runtime of 6 hours, but you get a pretty much flat discharge for the first 2-2.5 hours, than it drops off like an Mag incan for the next 4 or so hours.

 

[asdalton]

The Mag D cell modules are regulated. The AA LED versions are not, or are very poorly so.

http://www.flashlightreviews.com/reviews/maglite_mag-led.htm

http://www.flashlightreviews.com/reviews/maglite_minimagled.htm

http://www.flashlightreviews.com/reviews/maglite_minimagled3aa.htm

 

[Hooked on Fenix]

At Walmart, any Coleman Cree XR-E light except the 2 CR2 light (batteries are too expensive). This includes the 2AA and 3AAA flashlights, the 3AAA headlight, and the 4D, 8D, and rechargeable lanterns. The Duracell Daylight flashlights should also be good buys.
At Target, you have the Brinkman Scrolling Cree flashlight and another that looks like it has a remote control on it. There is also the 2C Riverrock Nightfire light, and the Riverrock 2 123A Cree headlight. There are Energizer Cree and Rebel flashlights (the 3 watt ones usually). Some of the Energizer 1 watt l.e.d. headlights have been updated with Rebel l.e.d.s.
At Fry's Electronics, you have the Inova T series lights (Make sure they are the MP versions. Some stores are still selling the old stock that use three times the battery power.)
At Lowes, you have the Surefire G2L and 6PL.
At Costco, there is the 2 pack of Dorcy K2 lights (1 takes 3AAA and 1 takes 6 AAA).
At Sam's Club, you can get the Sam's Elements (3AAA each and use new K2 l.e.d.s)
At REI, you can get one of the Princeton Tec Amp lights, a 45 lumen PT Quad headlight, a 50 lumen PT EOS headlight, an 80 lumen PT Apex headlight, Petzl Tikka headlights, or Surefire flashlights. Sports Authority and Sports Chalet may also carry these lights. Sports Authority also carries a three Cree XR-E spotlight for $60 (as bright and big as a million candlepower spotlight).
All of these lights mentioned have high efficiency l.e.d.s. Almost all are very high quality (I wouldn't trust the Brinkmans or Riverrocks as much as the rest). These lights all use one or more of these l.e.d.s: Cree XR-E, SSC P4, TFFC K2, Luxeon Rebel, Nichia GS.

 

[kwalker]

Check DealExtreme and look at the "Handy Cree" for $11.50
http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.13974

and the "Peoples Cree" $9.88
http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.13442

They both take 3x AAA batteries which are good for 'normal people' and have excellent performance for the money.

 

[Marduke]

Please don't perpetuate the 3xAAA junk light plague. If people stop buying them, manufactures will spend the extra 20 cents to build regulated lights using sensible power sources.

They have the worst cost and performance "value" of just about any light out there.

 

[csshih]

your title of the thread "Good lights for normal people?" make us sounds abnormal :nana:

but people are normally abnormal, if someone were normal, that would be abnormal.

-my favorite phrase -

 

[Art Vandelay]

Give them one of your old lights, if you really want them to try a good light. How many lights can you carry anyway?

 

[sabre7]

For decades the C or D cell Maglite remains the highest quality and most reliable flashlight available in the US for the price.

 

[Art Vandelay]

For decades the C or D cell Maglite remains the highest quality and most reliable flashlight available in the US for the price.

It's not a bad start. It makes a good host for mods if a more powerful light is wanted later. Maybe they will discover FiveMega, or build a Mag85 from scratch.

 

[gottawearshades]

Good information. This makes a good start.

Thanks, folks.

 

[Wattnot]

Of course, I'm not sure I'd recommend 123A cell lights for "normal" people.

Big + 1 on this. I've given away at least 3 CR123 lights and to my knowledge all 3 are sitting collecting dust after the set of included CR123's died. These are even net saavy people who know how to shop online but flashlights just don't mean any more to them than a screwdriver does. I recommend AA lights to friends now. They know who to come to if they ever get serious.

I've found most people can handle nimhs's and a charger (thanks to digital cameras and bundle packs of chargers and batteries in Sam's Club and Wal-Mart ) but when it comes to CR123's, you might have well given them a portable CAT scanner that runs on nuclear power.

your title of the thread "Good lights for normal people?" make us sounds abnormal :nana:

LOL, lightfet, we are abnormal! We are just as abnormal as the women who have more than 10 pairs of shoes!! I'm here less than a year and have a ridiculous amount of flashlights already and still sniff around new ones all of the time!! What's worse is that when I think about thinning the herd and selling a few, I choke on which ones have to go and end up putting it off!

 

[Stainz]

It may not be PC, but try large local sporting goods and gunstores - not chains. They will likely carry Surefire - and offer unadvertised discount prices - sometimes referred to as 'LEO' prices. No, you don't have to be a LEO, in most cases. They will likely have discounted CR123s, too. I've been in a couple of stores from here to the cost, and found the 6PL for <$70 several places, and the cells from 2/$5 down to the S-F suggested 12/$21. One store specialized in knives!

Stainz

 

[Juggernaut]

you might have well given them a portable CAT scanner that runs on nuclear power.

Sign me up for one of those!