richardcpf
Flashlight Enthusiast
- Joined
- May 23, 2008
- Messages
- 1,281
Mini Flashlight for the Marine Corps
- Thread starter cherryboy
- Start date
Help Support Candle Power Flashlight Forum
Do you have something against carrying a pair of spare batteries and having to change them when the first pair dies? :shrug:
Dances with Flashlight
Flashlight Enthusiast
SEMPER FI!
Biker Bear
Enlightened
Well, that's disgusting, if true.
If one happened to bring something related to one's ancestry, would one get pelted with vile ethnic/racial slurs?
:thumbsdow
LightGrunt0311
Newly Enlightened
- Joined
- Feb 21, 2008
- Messages
- 37
Finding a flashlight for usage in the service should be the least of your worries right now.
You need to get your *** on my yellow foot prints and earn my Eagle, Globe, and Anchor before you think about anything else.
If I were you, I would focus on being in shape such as 3 mile runtime, pull ups, and crunches.
If you are fortunate enough to make it through my Corps., you will get plenty of advice and training once you get to your unit.
During ITB, I used a 2AA Maglite LED w/red lens and now I use SF G2 LED w/red filter in the fleet. I have a hard heart for CR123s because they can withstand conditions and still retain its charge.
Semper fi.
Lightgrunt0311 a.k.a. USMC 0311
P.S: You will be issued a moon beam a.k.a. 2D green .mil angle light. Don't forget to change the batteries on it every 2 days if you stand post on firewatch or write letters after lights out.
You need to get your *** on my yellow foot prints and earn my Eagle, Globe, and Anchor before you think about anything else.
If I were you, I would focus on being in shape such as 3 mile runtime, pull ups, and crunches.
If you are fortunate enough to make it through my Corps., you will get plenty of advice and training once you get to your unit.
During ITB, I used a 2AA Maglite LED w/red lens and now I use SF G2 LED w/red filter in the fleet. I have a hard heart for CR123s because they can withstand conditions and still retain its charge.
Semper fi.
Lightgrunt0311 a.k.a. USMC 0311
P.S: You will be issued a moon beam a.k.a. 2D green .mil angle light. Don't forget to change the batteries on it every 2 days if you stand post on firewatch or write letters after lights out.
Last edited:
mossyoak
Flashlight Enthusiast
yup, they break you down. they arent to concerned with being politically correct.
nzgunnie
Enlightened
Also bear in mind that as an aircraft maintainer you wont be able to use your own flashlight on the flightline due to tool control. If you need a light you'll tag it out from the tool board to allow it to be tracked. Can't be losing personal tools around aircraft...
sabre7
Enlightened
- Joined
- Dec 21, 2007
- Messages
- 559
Another good topic to discuss with the DI when you get off the bus-- :shakehead seriously, don't even think of bringing a flashlight to boot camp or discussing anything with the DIs.
I guess I missed it in your original post, that you are just signing up, and have not yet been to Boot camp...
First, my condolences...
Second, my thanks for volunteering, serving, and striving to be among the best and toughest in the world. Do your best,don't give up, and never, never buck your DIs, or have an "attitude"...it will only get you slayed in the pit. May the sand flies have mercy on you..
Third, don't worry about flashlight, knives, "tactical" gear at this point. Don't bring anything with you, as it will all be taken away on the first day.
But....after you get your Eagle,Globe and Anchor....THEN, perhaps someone that loves you will reward you with a nice knife, flashlight, or something grand, as you will have truly earned it!
I bought my first son an EMERSON CQC-7 and had it engraved with his name and the USMC eagle,globe and anchor. My second son, plans to go to USMC OCS next summer, and when he finishes will also get something he wants as a reward for getting through it all. He hopes to be a Helicopter
pilot, so perhaps your paths will cross.
First, my condolences...
Second, my thanks for volunteering, serving, and striving to be among the best and toughest in the world. Do your best,don't give up, and never, never buck your DIs, or have an "attitude"...it will only get you slayed in the pit. May the sand flies have mercy on you..
Third, don't worry about flashlight, knives, "tactical" gear at this point. Don't bring anything with you, as it will all be taken away on the first day.
But....after you get your Eagle,Globe and Anchor....THEN, perhaps someone that loves you will reward you with a nice knife, flashlight, or something grand, as you will have truly earned it!
I bought my first son an EMERSON CQC-7 and had it engraved with his name and the USMC eagle,globe and anchor. My second son, plans to go to USMC OCS next summer, and when he finishes will also get something he wants as a reward for getting through it all. He hopes to be a Helicopter
pilot, so perhaps your paths will cross.
wykeite
Newly Enlightened
Good luck with your chosen career. Heed the good advice from this forum and find out why you'll be a "Leatherneck" and a Royal Marine is a "Bootneck".
Serve with pride, knowing others appreciate your service.
Serve with pride, knowing others appreciate your service.
gilly
Enlightened
Listen to the sound advice of the Marines who posted above - bring nothing extraneous to Parris Island or San Diego...
Aviation Maintenance Marines are highly trained and in great demand - I doubt you will find yourself patrolling...
Just to put a thought in your mind for later, AFTER Boot Camp:
The light I used the most during two tours in Iraq flying AH-1Ws was a Petzl headlamp. A must-have for anyone on the pitch black flightline!
Good luck Cherry...
Semper Fi
Aviation Maintenance Marines are highly trained and in great demand - I doubt you will find yourself patrolling...
Just to put a thought in your mind for later, AFTER Boot Camp:
The light I used the most during two tours in Iraq flying AH-1Ws was a Petzl headlamp. A must-have for anyone on the pitch black flightline!
Good luck Cherry...
Semper Fi
I want to thank you all for responding to my question. The reason I am asking now prior to enlisting is that it is summer break right now and I have free time to do research on gear. The Marine Corps is an underfunded military branch (no insult). From asking Marines about their experience in the Corps, they have told me that the Marine Corps buys things from the lowest bidder (again, no insult) and that they had to buy their own gear to supplement what they have. Half of the time, the gear they bought saved their lives.
Yes, I'll have to have experience in the Marine Corps in order to have the authority to... well... I can't find the words I was looking for. However, I will have to juggle college at the same time as being in the Marine Corps (there are college classes on bases). I would explain more about the free college, but the PM would be too long. So doing the research now when I have free time is beneficial before working and going to school at the same time.
Based upon the helpful input from people that replied to my thread, I spent yesterday combing the web based upon the flashlight models/companies they typed down. That's when I discovered a new type of battery. The 18650 lithium ion battery.
I was looking at a flashlight that had an output of... 230 lumens? Anyway it could be powered by 2AA batteries or 1 18650 battery. Then, I saw that when the flashlight is powered by the AA batteries, the run time would be 1.2 hours. I looked at the 18650 run time, and the run time was 3 hours. I was amazed and wondered... what is this 18650 battery?
I did lots of research and I was amazed that it was a miniature lithium ion battery. Prior to learning this, I thought lithium ion batteries were in laptops and cellphones. Well now that I've asked this question, I learned something new that a few people would know except for us, flashaholics. I believe that AW (a company or a person in this forum) creates the best protected batteries with the highest mAh.
Well now I've abandoned the AA battery in favor of the 18650 battery thanks to everybody's input in this thread.
I am interested in two flashlights based upon my research.
http://www.eagletac.com/flashlights/m2c4.html
http://www.first-light-usa.com/tomahawkmain.php
I have a question though. With the Eagletac flashlight, it runs on 2 18650 batteries. With my 30 minutes of research on this battery, I thought that these batteries shouldn't be run in conjunction with another?
The First Light USA Tomahawk answers my need of a tactical flashlight that has blue, white, and red lighting. Shame that it runs on CR123 batteries, the 18650 battery is rechargeable so its more economically sound. Is there another flashlight that you know that is similar to the Tomahawk but runs on 18650 batteries... maybe in the custom mod marketplace in this forum?
I'm not going to buy these flashlights now (high school student with no job) but this information is vital for me to make an informed purchase that might save my life (whatever situation I might be placed in).
I would learn more about circuitry and flashlight modding, but I've been doing research for hours daily that I just want to push my chair back and knock my head on the table.
I guess I'm a binge drinker for flashlights, where I might do 2 hours of research on flashlight modding and technology once a week (get the joke?).
Well, there was a reply to a thread of mine from greenLED which said
"
cherryboy. I guess I'll be the voice of dissent: although I understand your reasons for wanting to mod such a light, I think your money is probably better spent buying another light. Modding is not cheaper than buying a kick-a stock light these days.
My (fading) 0.02 lumens.
[FONT="]__________________"
[/FONT] [FONT="]I'll take that wisdom into account, because my money would be better spent... saving money for a car.[/FONT]
[FONT="]Well, after reading this hellishly long PM, don't you want to lean your head back and sigh in exhaustion?
Thank you all for reading this, and thank you all for helping me to learn more about flashlight technology.[/FONT]
Yes, I'll have to have experience in the Marine Corps in order to have the authority to... well... I can't find the words I was looking for. However, I will have to juggle college at the same time as being in the Marine Corps (there are college classes on bases). I would explain more about the free college, but the PM would be too long. So doing the research now when I have free time is beneficial before working and going to school at the same time.
Based upon the helpful input from people that replied to my thread, I spent yesterday combing the web based upon the flashlight models/companies they typed down. That's when I discovered a new type of battery. The 18650 lithium ion battery.
I was looking at a flashlight that had an output of... 230 lumens? Anyway it could be powered by 2AA batteries or 1 18650 battery. Then, I saw that when the flashlight is powered by the AA batteries, the run time would be 1.2 hours. I looked at the 18650 run time, and the run time was 3 hours. I was amazed and wondered... what is this 18650 battery?
I did lots of research and I was amazed that it was a miniature lithium ion battery. Prior to learning this, I thought lithium ion batteries were in laptops and cellphones. Well now that I've asked this question, I learned something new that a few people would know except for us, flashaholics. I believe that AW (a company or a person in this forum) creates the best protected batteries with the highest mAh.
Well now I've abandoned the AA battery in favor of the 18650 battery thanks to everybody's input in this thread.
I am interested in two flashlights based upon my research.
http://www.eagletac.com/flashlights/m2c4.html
http://www.first-light-usa.com/tomahawkmain.php
I have a question though. With the Eagletac flashlight, it runs on 2 18650 batteries. With my 30 minutes of research on this battery, I thought that these batteries shouldn't be run in conjunction with another?
The First Light USA Tomahawk answers my need of a tactical flashlight that has blue, white, and red lighting. Shame that it runs on CR123 batteries, the 18650 battery is rechargeable so its more economically sound. Is there another flashlight that you know that is similar to the Tomahawk but runs on 18650 batteries... maybe in the custom mod marketplace in this forum?
I'm not going to buy these flashlights now (high school student with no job) but this information is vital for me to make an informed purchase that might save my life (whatever situation I might be placed in).
I would learn more about circuitry and flashlight modding, but I've been doing research for hours daily that I just want to push my chair back and knock my head on the table.
I guess I'm a binge drinker for flashlights, where I might do 2 hours of research on flashlight modding and technology once a week (get the joke?).
Well, there was a reply to a thread of mine from greenLED which said
"
My (fading) 0.02 lumens.
[FONT="]__________________"
[/FONT] [FONT="]I'll take that wisdom into account, because my money would be better spent... saving money for a car.[/FONT]
[FONT="]Well, after reading this hellishly long PM, don't you want to lean your head back and sigh in exhaustion?
Thank you all for reading this, and thank you all for helping me to learn more about flashlight technology.[/FONT]
nzgunnie
Enlightened
18650 is a laptop battery, kind of.
An 18650 is an individual cell of the type used to construct laptop batteries. Originally these were unprotected because once assembles the protection circuitry was part of the battery pack.
You are correct that AW makes what are considered the best protected 18650s, thy also come with a button top (like a 'normal' battery). The original 18650s had recessed tops and bottoms and required a little magnet placed on the top of each cell to bridge the gap between cells.
One thing to consider is brighter is not necessarily better, and also that you don't want a light that can only be run on an 18650. If you are somewhere you can't charge it, the ability to use CR123s as well may prove a great advantage.
An 18650 is an individual cell of the type used to construct laptop batteries. Originally these were unprotected because once assembles the protection circuitry was part of the battery pack.
You are correct that AW makes what are considered the best protected 18650s, thy also come with a button top (like a 'normal' battery). The original 18650s had recessed tops and bottoms and required a little magnet placed on the top of each cell to bridge the gap between cells.
One thing to consider is brighter is not necessarily better, and also that you don't want a light that can only be run on an 18650. If you are somewhere you can't charge it, the ability to use CR123s as well may prove a great advantage.
Cherry, I'm going to assume that Marine Corps Boot is a helluva lot nastier than Army REMF Basic.
With that in mind, I'm going to recommend two basic flashlights that would have made life a lot less annoying for me:
1. Fenix E01. A general all-purpose, short-range light that will come in handy for writing letters home and anything else you may do in your rack after lights out. The low price and absurd run time are excellent selling points.
2. Gerber Infinity in red. At some point, you will be pulling fire watch and you'll need to explore a bay, trying to find and wake up replacements. A red light is a lot less disturbing to your sleeping fellows and won't screw with your night vision. There aren't too many readily available, single-cell LEDs in red, so the Gerber is your best bet.
Both of these are small, easily portable and may slip through your gear toss. The Fulton Angleheads (we were not required to buy, but highly encouraged to buy) were so much garbage. Look at the bulb sideways and it exploded. Half my DSs were sporting Inova microlights for our field exercises.
The Marines are under-funded - it's a point of pride. "We do more with less" sort of mentality. Wait until you finish Boot before you go off the deep end, investing in your own gear. Especially stuff that may very well disappear while in Boot.
Good luck.
-Trevor
Edit: For grammar
With that in mind, I'm going to recommend two basic flashlights that would have made life a lot less annoying for me:
1. Fenix E01. A general all-purpose, short-range light that will come in handy for writing letters home and anything else you may do in your rack after lights out. The low price and absurd run time are excellent selling points.
2. Gerber Infinity in red. At some point, you will be pulling fire watch and you'll need to explore a bay, trying to find and wake up replacements. A red light is a lot less disturbing to your sleeping fellows and won't screw with your night vision. There aren't too many readily available, single-cell LEDs in red, so the Gerber is your best bet.
Both of these are small, easily portable and may slip through your gear toss. The Fulton Angleheads (we were not required to buy, but highly encouraged to buy) were so much garbage. Look at the bulb sideways and it exploded. Half my DSs were sporting Inova microlights for our field exercises.
The Marines are under-funded - it's a point of pride. "We do more with less" sort of mentality. Wait until you finish Boot before you go off the deep end, investing in your own gear. Especially stuff that may very well disappear while in Boot.
Good luck.
-Trevor
Edit: For grammar
LukeA
Flashlight Enthusiast
Take NOTHING to boot camp that isn't issued. If one of your DIs catches you with anything non-issued, chances are you'll spend the night refilling everyone in your barracks' footlockers from the huge pile the DI will dump the contents into.
sabre7
Enlightened
- Joined
- Dec 21, 2007
- Messages
- 559
LED flashlights are a technology that is constantly evolving and advancing. There will be much better and more advanced choices available for you when you get out of training and school.
sabre7
Enlightened
- Joined
- Dec 21, 2007
- Messages
- 559
Despite my previous post, it sounds like you are bound and determined to get a LED flashlight now, and I think everyone on this forum understands.
Good, reasonably priced mini flashlights for you to consider include: Maratac AAA, iTP EOS AAA, Fenix E01, or Photon Freedom Micro.
Good, reasonably priced mini flashlights for you to consider include: Maratac AAA, iTP EOS AAA, Fenix E01, or Photon Freedom Micro.
