Help me pick out a general purpose flashlight

[nick__45]

i picked up the L2D using the coupon someone here given to me. my wife made the purchase on the web and thinks it's from batteryjunction.com. the coupon did save some nice pennies for batteries.

my earlier statement regarding incan has to do more with battery run-in disadvantage in addition to very fast burn out rate that was a major issue with surefire light. i believe some of the bright light from surefire has 30 hrs bulb lifespan. with the click-on-click-off usage, 30 hrs is long time, but i hate to think that the light will let me down if i am out camping. and the 60 min run-time is no excause. a newer surefire g2l has 12 hrs run-time and a almost lifetime bulb while manage to be brighter. i was going to go with that until folks here recommended l2d. i can't wait for it to get here. 175 lumens on turbo mode does make an badass sos signal.

 

[Gunner12]

Was the coupon "CPF8"?

If yes, then it was probably from Fenix Store.

I hope you like the light!

 

[Russianesq]

Welcome to CandlePowerForums !

:welcome:

 

[nick__45]

does anyone has any experience regarding:

Trade Craft™K2 LED Flashlight. with Lanyard, 2 pk. Super-bright LEDs boost battery life. and never need replacing. Batteries. included. SKU 658537 $29.99 ... 2 flashlight for $30 140 lumens


i saw at at bj and almost bought it but never heard of tradecraft brand before and didn't want to be suckered into a junk light like my the flood light and led lights i bought from advance auto part. this k2 led light claims 140 lumens, which is very bright but i can't verify these number unless it is from a reputable company.

i also saw a leatherman flashlight from costco for $28 that has high lumens rating but can't really tell if it is good. it think it has 120 lumens and also use AAA.

I want to update the information on these two battery from BJ's. I ended up buying them shortly after the quoted post and had been using them on and off. They use AAA batteries, which I was not sure if they would be as powerful as CR123 but I know they are much cheaper and readily available. I would have preferred AA since they are the same price and AA would be packing more capacity.

I put in batteries that were laying around, these are relatively new but had been used in other electronic devices around the house. Believe it or not, these two flashlights are still very bright; one is noticeably brighter than the other after my two days supporting the PVA National Bass Fishing Tournament to support paralyzed veterans. I volunteered for the event and had to be there 4 in the morning to direct traffic and guided the trucks and their trailers into appropriated parking space. The park rangers didn't turn the parking lot lights on because they didn't show up until 1000 hr so I used my one of the BJ's flashlights and it worked great. It was much brighter than other traffic controllers' 4D Maglite and it didn't run out of battery. Since it was so bright, it was used past 0800 hr because the truckers could see a super bright glob 200 yards away and know to head toward me for parking. That saved my voice box as I didn't have to scream at them to come toward my direction. Once it was dark and the boats were loaded up, the flashlight came back to action to guide the truckers from the loading docks back to the appropriated parking spaces. This process was repeated again the next day and the light is still very bright but dimmer than the one that didn't get used.

I am very impressed with the lights. For fifteen dollars apiece it is very well made using rather expensive aluminum instead of cheap plastic. The design is great and the lanyard loop is of the right length as I ended up tying it to my belt loop from 0200 to 0400 while prepping the continential breakfasts as well as packing lunch and water for the boat captains and his disabled veteran fishing partner.

Even the dim flashlight is still far brighter than my 4D Maglite. It also has great throw as I can shine the trees in very far distance and people can spot me much easier. The only flashlight I have that has greater throw (I am assuming this means range) is the cheap 4D flashlight I bought as a package from Costco 5 years ago. The package came with 4 flashlights as well as batteries for them. It takes 4 D batteries but stacks them in pair instead of column like Maglite. I find this setup very easy for camping. I do still like my Maglite but am seriously considering adding a LED unit to it. Since I am new with flashlights, I don't know if I should do the conversion with my 4D or the 2AA Maglite. Honestly, it seems like a better idea to just get a complete new Maglite in LED as the conversion unit costs almost as much as the whole unit.

 

[lrp]

I would have really liked for someone to have told me years ago when I first became interested in nice lights "check out the HDS (RA) lights!!! It would have saved me some serious cash, lol!!

 

[Wyeast]

Nick -

This'll be a chaotic mishmash, I apologize...

... I'm curious to know if you're still unhappy with your experiences w/ rechargable AA's. I use Eneloop/Duraloop batteries on many of my lights, and I've been nothing but pleased with their performance. Most AA-based lights aren't as powerful as CR123's, but it's virtually free runtime compared to lithium. (yes, you can get rechargable cells for other formats, but it's not quite as convenient vs being able to drop into a Quickie Mart in an emergency)

I would recommend against converting your 4D and/or getting a MinimagLED. For the money, you can do better in a more convenient package. Granted, if you just want to squeeze more life out of the 4D you can. But for the same price you can get something just as bright in a much more convenient size.

For your wife as an emergency carry, my experience has been as far as non-flashaholics are concerned, simple is better. A simple 1-mode light like a Fenix E20 will do just fine for 90% of the instances you need one.

If you prefer the Brick & Mortar route, an Inova Bolt 2AA is one of my favorites. Older tech, so it's not as bright, but it's enough light (still competitive w/ a Maglite 2/3D), and tough as bricks. I have a Coleman Max 2AA that's been reliable so far, but the touchy switch is something I'd advise against for something kept in the bottom of a purse where it might come on accidentally. A twistie that can lock-out will be much more reliable.

You asked before about the Lowes Task Force 2C. The combination of price/size/throw is unbeatable. There are a few lights that outthrow it, but they are generally larger and/or significantly more expensive. It's a little larger than a Minimag AA (a touch taller and of course wider), and kinda heavy w/ alkaline batts, so it's not really a good EDC. (I have EDC'd one, but it took a Macguyver'd cellphone holster) As a desk/glovebox light, it is excellent, however.

Hope that helps, and hope you're enjoying your foray into the world of Flashaholism! lovecpf

 

[nick__45]

I haven't used the Enolopee enough to be able to tell you the positive but there is no negative so far. However, I advice against Energizer and Duracell as their batteries can't hold charge and their chargers takes forever to charge and often fail to stop charging when the batteries are full. The batteries from Duracell and Energizer also leak. The Enelope package comes in only AAA and AA but has C and D adapter. I think that is a great idea to keep cost down on both end. I haven't seen the benefit of C and D batteries yet since most lights using AAA and AA tends to get the same run time from the same bulb as the C and D flashlights. It may be the flashlights using AAA and AA are better designed as most of them don't come in C and D. Maglite is the only name I know of that use C and D and they are very late to the LED party and that is plain sad for a company that has at least one flashlight in every American home. I guess they got lazy.

 

[nick__45]

I stopped by Gander Mountain the other night and can't figure out why the cheapest Surefire is still $40 and it is not even LED. The rating is 60 lumen, which means it is bright enough for most application; however, its run time is less than an hour on 2 CR123A battery according to my friend who uses his to direct gate traffic at the club. He switched to LED as soon as he could and is actually using a same light as my BJ's $15 version, which is extremely well built. I think I am going to pick up another pair and keep it next to the spare tire in each car.

On a side note, I just picked up Dale Earnhardt Sr. and Jr. lighters from FSO (For Smoker Only.) They look like zippo lighters but are actually butane. Jr. lighter is still that number 8 I like so I figure I get it for kick. I am probably going to get a reasonably priced flashlight off DealExtreme in either AA or CR123A. I really can't make up my mind on whether I want pure power from the 400+ lumen flashlight or do I want one that has multiple modes that yield run time in the 100s of hrs. Fenix seems to make nice lights and I probably will stay away from tacticool Surefire, Streamlight, and the likes. I personally think they are way over rated and cater to people who don't have to pay for the lights themselves (cops, military, etc) and the folks who must have what the "experts/professionals" use.

 

[Wyeast]

The "Duraloops" are the "pre-charged" Duracell batts with the white ring around the +. They are Eneloops just rebranded as Duracells, so they are basically identical.

As for their "regular" rechargables, the best thing you can do for them is get a good charger - one that charges each cell individually. That'll help you identify which cells are duds and help keep them on a more even charge level when you throw them into the light.

I use Eneloops + the C adapters in my Task Force 2C's. However, the shape of the spring at the + end doesn't work on AA's, so I had to shim the batts with a slug (I'm actually using nickels taped to the end of the C adapter) to make contact. Others have had decent results bending the spring with pliers. So far it seems to work ok - just make sure the slug doesn't make contact w/ the body or you'll short it out.

 

[hyperloop]

I am probably going to get a reasonably priced flashlight off DealExtreme in either AA or CR123A. I really can't make up my mind on whether I want pure power from the 400+ lumen flashlight or do I want one that has multiple modes that yield run time in the 100s of hrs. Fenix seems to make nice lights and I probably will stay away from tacticool Surefire, Streamlight, and the likes. I personally think they are way over rated and cater to people who don't have to pay for the lights themselves (cops, military, etc) and the folks who must have what the "experts/professionals" use.

I have bought a lot of lights from DX over the 2 plus years i have been in this hobby, my Ultrafire WF-500 has just been sent back within a week of receiving it as it somehow just died.

My two Ultrafire stainless steel C3 5 mode lights (using 1xAA) are okay but one is noticably more intense in the hotspot than the other. I'm not saying don't buy from DX, im just saying that it can be a bit of a lottery with the products you get, i have received defective items before (dead cells, chargers that didnt work) but their customer service respondend promptly and i received replacements for the cells and charger.

Shiningbeam has great lights reasonably priced, I got a Romisen RC-N3 II Q5 for under $30 shipped to Singapore. It can run in either 1xCR123/RCR123 mode or 2xAA mode so you have the option of choosing the configuration. Its VERY bright in 1xCR123 mode especially on an RCR123, runtime on mine is slightly over 45 minutes continuous use. In 2xAA mode, it's got 2 levels of output, high and low.

I am using mine in RCR123 mode but carry the extension tube and 4xEneloops with me in my work bag in case i need more runtime, i also have some RCR123s with me.

I have no regrets at all purchasing this light.