Looking for my B.O.B flashlight

[Preparedmanwins]

Okay I know there have been lots of posts about this but I searched through many and didn't find anything that stood out. So if anyone could recommend me something from my list (probably not as particular as I think it is) I would greatly appreciate it.

Price range - flexible (this is for my survival, doesnt come with a price tag, but if I had to....less than $250)
I want a flashlight, and most preferably tactical with capabilities of being a SD light as well.
Size- not as much of an issue but I dont want some big clunky light, or a teeny tiny guy either.
I want it to be LED. Efficiency is what I'm looking for on this one so if I am wrong choosing LED then I am open to suggestions.
I am not opposed to having a pieced together light, Although I dont want to buy multiple lights just so I can drop in one part here one part there.
For the battery I am very open to suggestions. Here's my mindset on this: I am looking for an apocalypse flashlight so to speak, something where I wont be available to just go to my room, and charge my eneloops up. I am looking for the longest lasting setup over a long period of time kind of thing. Even taking into account of having backups. Because with any battery system that I do choose, I will have to have backups of course. So I am looking for the longest lasting battery source over a period of time, without being able to recharge (unless they have some solar battery charger out there.) And it does have a weight limit, I understand if I filled my whole bag with AA batteries that would last a long *** time, but I'm talking minimally here, weight is everything for the B.O.B. bag.
As far as OTF light I am very open to this, I have great eyesight so navigating in the dark with little light isnt a problem, but if I need to signal to somebody or be able to strobe someone for self defense, I want it to get the job done well.
The throw vs. flood is also up for grabs. Being able to focus the light would be a nice option but definitely not required.
Runtime goes back to the battery situation. I would want the longest runtime possible without having to sacrifice too much as far as options.
Switch type and location is preferably reverse clicky. That way if I do use it for a self defense light I can change modes without having to worry about losing my grip.
One light level would be okay, two would be preferable (having the option for lower lumens a "battery saving" option if you will), it MUST have strobe, SOS is optional.
I want durability on this thing. I dont want to have to worry about dropping it at all, ever. It has to be reliable.
Pocket clip or Lanyard hole for Paracord wouldnt be a bad option, but definitely not a factor, just a bonus.

I welcome any and all criticism because I am no expert when it comes to lights. I am a barback and have experience with some Redline flashlights, but thats as good as it gets for me. So I welcome any and all opinions and options. Thank you!!!!

 

[JCD]

Switch type and location is preferably reverse clicky. That way if I do use it for a self defense light I can change modes without having to worry about losing my grip.

Are you sure you understand the difference between a reverse clicky and a forward clicky? It has nothing to do with switch location.

Imagine a click type ball point pen. The clicky switch would be considered a forward clicky. The ballpoint is retracted by default. Engaging the "switch" extends the ballpoint and you can write. The ballpoint doesn't retract until the switch is reclicked and released. As long as the switch is depressed, the ballpoint is extended. A flashlight with a forward clicky switch works the same way, anytime the ballpoint is extended, the light would be on.

A reverse clicky is the opposite. The light is on by default. Engaging the switch turns the light off. The light doesn't come on again until the switch is clicked again and released. From off or on, as long as the switch is depressed, the light is off.

As far as lights for a bail out bag, I would recommend getting one for each of about three battery types/sizes, since you have no idea what you'll be able to access. One would be AA. For another one of them, I would want to have available LiFePO4 rechargeable cells and a compatible solar charger (which should also charge your AA Eneloops). Those cells can take a lot of abuse and still work well, will withstand a large number of charging cycles, and the light would almost certainly also be compatible with CR123A primary cells, which have a very high energy density, allowing for a brighter light in a small package. CR123A cells may or may not be more readily available than AA, depending on which post apocalyptic battery availability theory turns out to be correct. (We really won't know until after the zombies actually attack.)

 

[ledmitter_nli]

Okay I know there have been lots of posts about this but I searched through many and didn't find anything that stood out. So if anyone could recommend me something from my list (probably not as particular as I think it is) I would greatly appreciate it.

Hey dood. You'll want to check out this thread! :D There's a lot of first class thinking going on in there about what's ideal for a survival BOB SHTF situation. My thoughts here
http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb...e-Merge-Horror-Which-flashlight-would-you-EDC

The entire thread is a fun read :D

 

[Preparedmanwins]

JCD, thank you for informing me of that. Your right I don't want a reverse clicky. Forward clicky most definitely.

 

[Preparedmanwins]

Cool thank you for that thread ledmitter. I like your post, it reminded me I need to get a couple headlamps for my pack. I also see from the thread that I am going to need a couple different flashlights to be able to fill my needs. Most of the thread was about their collection of different lights, I am building one single pack. In my situation if poop ever hit the fan, I am hitting the hills and definitely not staying bunkered at home. So having a stockpile of many different kinds would not suit my situation. The main question I have now is, would I be better off getting a pieced together light vs. company made? A lot of the terminology surpasses me. I would like to look up a few of the options for building but I am more so just confused as to where to go to look it up and what I should be looking for once I am there.

 

[ledmitter_nli]

Cool thank you for that thread ledmitter. I like your post, it reminded me I need to get a couple headlamps for my pack. I also see from the thread that I am going to need a couple different flashlights to be able to fill my needs. Most of the thread was about their collection of different lights, I am building one single pack. In my situation if poop ever hit the fan, I am hitting the hills and definitely not staying bunkered at home. So having a stockpile of many different kinds would not suit my situation. The main question I have now is, would I be better off getting a pieced together light vs. company made? A lot of the terminology surpasses me. I would like to look up a few of the options for building but I am more so just confused as to where to go to look it up and what I should be looking for once I am there.

Does the phrase "two is one, one is none!" :D Get more than one light for backup. As a matter of preference I like a custom because I can tailor it to near anal retentive wanton specifications. I know what I'm piecing together.

For you, I'd opt for something a bit more off the shelf that uses readily available batteries in a SHTF situation. NiteCore has a 2X AA flashlight offering. You can also pickup Sanyo rechargeble Enloops and a 4X AA solar charger from Amazon to keep you going near indefinitely. (I use PowerFilm with 6 panels)

EA2

• Maximum Output: 280 lumens
• Powered by 2xAA (NiMH, Alkaline, L91) – Note: 2x14500 is banned
• Output/runtime (2xNiMH AA): Turbo 280lm - Hi 200lm / 2hr – Mid 60lm / 8hr – Lo 15lm / 30hr – Micro 3 lm/150hr

http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb...EA2)-Round-up-Review-RUNTIMES-BEAMSHOTS-VIDEO

Also check ZebraLight's 1X AA offerings. They have great run times. I like the H51's. Can convert it to a headlamp or clip it to your belt or shoulder strap. Remember you don't necessarily need high lumens in a bug out situation. Look for efficiency and compactness.

There are other brands, hang out, you'll get suggestions from others soon. :D

 

[reppans]

As far as OTF light I am very open to this, I have great eyesight so navigating in the dark with little light isnt a problem,...

Letting your eyes night-adapt is the best free flashlight turbocharger and battery extender imaginable. I personally like versatile 1xAA lights that has all, or some combination of:

- efficient sub-lumen and single digit low modes which will give you 200+ hrs per AA with plenty of light to read by, and perform simple camping tasks.
- a broad voltage range of 0.9v-4.2v giving you the option to run any battery chemistry from Alks to Li-ion rechargeables, including 3V CRAA (CR123 equiv), and with a AAA>AA adaptor (or $ bill & tinfoil) allow you to also run AAAs and 9Vs (6xAAAAs)... ie, scavenge any household battery.
- Lego-able parts - use a 2xAA body as a spare batt container and then on the light for 3V power/ 300 lumen highs, and extended runtime. Bring two of the same lights for parts redundancy in the unlikely case both should fail.
- lantern diffuser and headlamp accessories, and skip the single purpose stuff. I personally EDC a wallet-able DIY lantern diffuser & neckband for 80% of the functionality and so have my full camp lighting kit (lantern, headlamp, flashlight) on my person 24/7.

Do you have other emergency/camping/portable electronics? If so, and they're AA-based, you'll find standardizing around Eneloops and solar chargers a great way to go for minimizing gear. But having the ability to generate light from ~1 volt efficiently, opens up a ton of battery scavenging options too.

(I'm sure someone will suggest the tritium fob idea.... for me it doesn't come close to a nice 0.3 lumen moonlight mode... YMMV)

 

[MatthewSB]

Price range - flexible (this is for my survival, doesnt come with a price tag, but if I had to....less than $250)

Awesome, you can afford to do it "right" instead of "cheap".

As another said, 'two is one and one is none', so get two lights. I've bought and tested a bunch of nice lights lately, and the two that are my "go to lights" are the Surefire EB1 Tactical for pocket carry, and the P2X Fury for a hand held light. The compliment one another really well. You can buy the EB1T for $154 and the P2X for $108, so it's real close to your limit, and you'd have top shelf stuff.

The P2X Fury is a dual mode light (15 lumen low mode for 47 hours, 500 lumen high mode) that is hand sized. This is a very floody light, and even the low mode lights up a large area. It is the best compromise between flood and throw I've ever used. I set mine up with a lanyard and lanyard ring from a 6P and it works awesome.

The EB1T is a two mode light (5 lumen low mode for 35 hours, 200 lumen high mode for an hour) with a tailcap that can be twisted for constant on, pushed a little for low mode, or pushed hard for high mode. It's nice because both modes are instantly selectable. It's also a smaller 1 cell pocketlight with a clip that allows it to be carried bezel up or down. I carry this one daily, and as a backup to my Fury.

As far as lights for a bail out bag, I would recommend getting one for each of about three battery types/sizes, since you have no idea what you'll be able to access.

I will respectfully disagree with this.

There are few truly durable and reliable options for AA and AAA lights. Also, CR123a lights are capable of much better runtime and output.

With modern LED lights you will use low mode 95% of the time. The lights above get 20+ hours of low mode per battery. If you have 4 spare batteries that gives you 100+ hours of runtime. At 2 hours per night, and counting the batteries in the lights as well as the spares, you have a couple months of light.

As far as recharging systems, the weight and space would be better replaced with more disposable batteries.

 

[JLocke]

X2 on the fury. Fantastic light.

 

[Preparedmanwins]

thank you guys for all the suggestions I've learned a ton about flashlights already

 

[bluemax_1]

Thanks to this thread for pointing me to the Zombie Apocalypse Flashlight thread which introduced me to the Pak-Lite. Gonna get a couple of those for myself and some friends who NEVER have a working flashlight.

BTW, as far as BOB/ZA flashlights go, I always preferred lights that can take AA batteries like my Quark QPA-G2 loaded with a 14500 (but able to use AA's if needed), or my ZL SC80, but as of late, I've been had a slight change of heart when I realized that there are more and more lights out these days with micro-USB recharging ports. My GoalZero Nomad 27 solar panel has a built-in USB port and can simultaneously charge something connected to the 12V port, as well as the USB port. As opposed to scavenging for and stockpiling AA batteries as necessary, I can get by carrying one spare 18650 and use sunlight to directly charge the 18650 in the light.


Max