I need some for around the house and one for the car. Looking for one that are really bright, though I'm not sure if my knowledge of brightness levels has been based upon factual information (eg. I bought a cheap CREE T6 UltraFire torch with 5 modes but it stopped working in the first ten minutes; it says it was rated for 1300 lumens but I'm not sure if that is accurate). I need one or two for the car and another one or two for the house. I don't need them to be miniature but I prefer smaller flashlights, not too much longer than my hand grip at most. Two I want to be bright torch-like flashlights (6-7 inches would be optimal) and 2 to be smaller flashlights (around 4 inches), one super bright and one for reading. For the questionnaire I'll use X to mark general options and numbers to specify if I'd at least like a certain number to meet multiple specifications. The bigger (6-7 inch) torch flashlights will be trending towards the brighter/longer/duration options. 1) How would you prefer to purchase the light? ____I would like to purchase the light from a brick and mortar store. I am located in ______________. __X__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 $25. __X__Less than $50. __X__Less than $100. __X__Less than $150. ____Less than $300. ____I have no limit. ____I’m flexible, tell me what you got. ____Other, please specify ________ 3) Format: __X__I want a flashlight. ____I want a headlamp. ____I want a lantern. ____I want a dive light. ____I want a portable spotlight. 4) Flashlight-specific format/size: ____Keychain size. __2__Every day carry small (2-4 inches). >>>>>>>>> ((around 4 inches would be nice)) __2__Every day carry medium (4-7 inches). >>>>>>>>>>> (( 6-7 inches is fine )) ____Holster carry. ____Big enough to need its own travel caseJ. ____I don’t care. ____I don’t know. ____N/A 5) Emitter/Light source: __X__LED (known for efficiency, longevity, and compactness) ____Incandescent (known for superior color rendition) ____HID (known for max output, but often at the expense of size) ____I don't know. 6) Manufacturer: __X__I want to buy a light from a traditional mass producing manufacturer that is ready to go out of the box. __?__I would consider getting a light that is pieced together (for example a “host” or flashlight body from one manufacturer, and a “drop-in” emitter from another source). Under the right circumstances, this path can provide more options to the consumer to meet specific needs, and can often be easily upgradeable as technology improves. >>>>>> (( I wasn't aware of this. As long as it's not complicated and does not require soldering or anything like that, this could be an option )) 7) What battery type do you want to use? ____I intend to use alkaline batteries (AAA, AA, C, D) (disclaimer, while it does not preclude all choices, these are not recommended for many of today’s most powerful lights) ____I intend to use rechargeable nickel chemistry (NiCad, NiMH, NiZn) ____I intend to use lithium primary batteries (CR123, CR2, Energizer Advanced/Ultimate Lithium AA/AAA) __X__I intend to use rechargeable lithium (li-ion) chemistry. Feel free to specify a size if you know which size you want (14500, RCR123/16340, 17500, 17670, 18650, etc.) >>>>> (( I have some 18650 Sanyo batteries on the way from fasttech so I'd rather have flashlights that could make use of them )) ____I want a light with an integrated rechargeable battery. (Note: these choices may be very limited unless you are looking at spotlights) 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 navigate a dark room or read a map (0-10 lumens). __1__I want to walk around an unlit rural area (50-150 lumens). >>>>>>>> (50 lumens or so would be nice) ____I want to illuminate my entire backyard or a campsite (150-300 lumens). __1__I want to illuminate an entire field, the neighbor's front yard several houses down, impress my friends and neighbors, etc. (300-700 lumens). __2__I want ridiculous amounts of lumens (800+ lumens). 9) Throw vs. Flood: At what distance will you be most likely to use this light? Select all that apply. ____Less than 1 yard/meter (reading, other close work) __1__Less than 5 yards/meters (looking for something inside a dark shed/garage/basement) ____5-20 yards/meters (check out a noise in the backyard) ____30-50 yards/meters (I have a big backyard) __1__50-150 yards/meters (I live in a very rural area/farm with wide open spaces) __2__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). ____Up to 30 minutes (I want the brightest [and potentially smallest] light for brief periods) ____30-60 minutes (I have plenty of batteries just ready to be changed) __2_90-120 minutes (Runtime is moderately important, but still not critical) __2__3 hours + (I critically need this light to run on max for extended periods in between battery changes/charges). 11) Durability/Usage: Generally the old phrase “you get what you pay for” is very accurate for flashlights. ____Not Important (A “night-stand” light). ____Slightly Important (Walks around the neighborhood). __4__Very Important (Camping, Backpacking, Car Glove-box). ____Critical (Police, Fire, Search & Rescue, Caving, Survival). ____I don't care. ____I don’t know. 12) Switch Type and location (choose all that apply): __X__I want a forward clicky (Helpful for momentary activation and signaling). __X__I want a reverse clicky (For use with multi-mode/level lights). ____I want a momentary switch (Predominantly for use with signaling and short bursts of momentary light only). ____I want a twisty switch (Tighten the head/tailcap to activate, and the light will stay on until the head/tailcap is loosened). ____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). ____I don't care. ____I don’t know. ____Other, please specify____________________. 13) User Interface (UI) and mode selection. Select all that apply. ____A simple on-off with only one output level is fine for me. __X__I want 2 light levels. (Brighter/short runtime and Dimmer/long runtime.) __X__I want multiple light levels. (Some lights have 5-16 light levels.) ____I want a programmable light. ____I want a selector ring. ____I want a strobe mode. (Blinks to show location.) ____I want SOS mode. ____I want a beacon mode. ____I don’t care. __X__I don’t know. 14)Material/Finish/Coating ____Plastic/composite body (this may limit your choices significantly). __X__Anodized Aluminum – either type II or III (Hard Anodized) (Aluminum, specifically HA, is the most common material/finish for today’s flashlights). ____Stainless steel (durable, but much heavier than aluminum) __X__Titanium (durable and nearly as lightweight as aluminum, but can be moderately to significantly more expensive). ____I don’t care. ____I don’t know. ____Other, please specify____________. 15) Special Needs/extras: Is there anything else you want or need that hasn't been mentioned? Select any below. __1__Red filter (for preserving night vision). >>>>>>> (( would be nice to have one )) ____Other filter colors (Amber, Green, Blue, _________). ____Dedicated R/G/B secondary LEDs. ____“Hybrid” light (bright incandescent combined with long running LEDs) ____Pocket/belt clip ____Holster ____Wrist/Neck Lanyard ____Crenulated bezel ____Non-sparking Intrinsically Safe (IS) for use in explosive environments EDIT: sorry, not sure why but I just noticed my post was squished together without proper formatting and rendered it painful to read. Hopefully its fixed now. EDIT 2: Not sure what is going on but it won't keep the post formatted properly.
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