Welcome to CPF, jzahra.
You've mentioned some LED lights, and from what you say a LED light may be most likely to suit you, so I'm going to move your thread into the LED section.
You will also find good and objective advice about lights in the Review section, where selfbuilt, UnknownVT and others have reviewed and compared the most popular ones. I recommend those threads to you.
Thanks, DM51! I will look around there.
Also, in case anyone else wanders into this thread, I figured I would fill out a recommendation checklist, which I saw some people asking for in other recommendation threads!
Thanks, this is a really cool site!
Short Essay Question: What do you intend to use this light for?
Everyday work in dark areas, as well as illuminating large areas as distances of 50-100 ft. The light should be most useful in a stage environment. Also, as I mentioned in my opening post, the smoother the light, the better!
0) What Region/Country/State will the light be purchased in?
_X__I will be mail-ordering or buying online, so this doesn't matter.
_X__I am in North America. More precisely I am in
Central Connecticut.
____I am in South America. More precisely I am in _______________.
____I am in Europe. More precisely I am in _______________.
____I am in the Middle East. More precisely I am in _______________.
____I am in Africa. More precisely I am in _______________.
____I am in Asia, Japan or Micronesia. More precisely I am in _______________.
____I am in Australia. More precisely I am in _______________.
I planned to buy online, but if I can find a good light at a local retailer for a similar price and don't have to wait, I'm all about that!
1) Price Range: An easy question, but you may change your mind after answering the rest!
____I only want to pay $1-10.
____I can spend $15-30.
_X__I could spend $40-60.
_X__I am willing to spend $80-$120.
____I have no limit!
Let's say $120 max including rechargeable batteries, charger, and holster.
2) Format:
_X__I want a flashlight.
____I want a headlamp.
____I want a lantern.
____I want a portable spotlight.
3) Length:
____I don't care.
____1-2 inches. (Keychain sized)
_X__2-4 inches. (Pocket carry)
_X__4-9 inches. (Holster carry)
Long 'n skinny will go in my pocket (like my mini-mag), short and thick will go into a holster probably.
4) Width:
_X__I don't care.
____I prefer a long narrow light.
____I prefer a short wide light.
5) What batteries do you want to use? Alkaline batteries are easier to find and less expensive but don't pack as much stored energy and are don't work well in cold temperatures. Lithium batteries have long shelf life (10+ years, great for stored emergency lights) and are not as affected by cold but must be kept dry and are more expensive. Rechargeable start expensive, but if used frequently pay off quickly.
____I want common Alkaline batteries. (AA, AAA, C, D)
____I want lithium batteries. (coin cells, CR123, AAA, AA...)
_X__I want a rechargeable system. (an investment, but best for everyday use)
6) How much light do you want? Sometimes you can have too much light (trying to read up close up with a 100 lumen light is impossible).
_X__I want to read a map, or find a light switch, in a dark room. (5-10 lumens)
____I want to walk around a generally paved area. (15-20 lumens)
____I want to walk unpaved trails. (40 lumens)
_X__I want to do Caving or Search & Rescue operations. (60+ lumens)
_X__I want to light an entire campground or dazzle an intruder. (100+ lumens)
I'm thinking 100+ but I'm not sure... think really dark stage during focusing operations.
7) Throw vs Flood: Which do you prefer, lights that flood an area with a wide beam, or lights that "throw" with a tightly focused beam? Place an "X" on the line below.
Throw (distance)------------X---------|----------------------Flood/close-up
8) Runtime: Not over-inflated manufacturer runtime claims (like some LED lights). but usable brightness measured from first activation to 50% with new batteries.
____20 min. (I want the brightest light for brief periods)
____60-240 min. (1-2 hours)
_X__240-360 min. (4-6 hours)
_X__360+ min. (More than 6 hours)
Low setting should allow more than 6 hours. On the higher setting, 4-6 hours would be great, but I know that may not be possible, but under 2 would not be enough, so I'll say 2-6.
9) Durability: 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.)
_X__Very Important (Camping, Backpacking, Car Glove-box.)
____Critical (Police, Fire, Search & Rescue, Self-defense, Survival.)
This light will likely get dropped.
8) Switch Type:
_X__I don't care.
____I want a sliding switch. (Stays on until slid back.)
____I want a "clickie" switch. (Stays on until pressed again.)
____I want a momentary switch. (Only stays on while held down.)
9) Switch Location:
____I don't care.
_X__I want a push or sliding switch on the body near the head.
_X__I want a push switch on the back end of the body.
____I want a rotating head switch.
____I want a rotating end-cap switch.
____I want a remote control.
Something that doesn't require two hands.
10) Operational Modes: Check all that apply.
___A simple on-off 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 strobe mode. (blinks to show location.)
___I want a tactical strobe. (Flashes rapidly to disorient an opponent.)
11) Is it important whether the body is metal or plastic/composite?
____I don't care.
_X__I want a metal-bodied light.
____I want a plastic/composite light.
12) Special Needs: Is there anything else you want or need that hasn't been mentioned? Circle any below or write in your own comment(s).
____Red (night vision preserving) filter
_X__Other filter colors (Amber, Green,
Blue, _________)
____Waterproof – how deep: _____________
_X__Non-reflective/dark finish (stealthy/hard to find)
____Polished silver or brightly colored finish (for easy locating)
____Corrosion resistant or hard-anodized finish
_X__"Hybrid" light (bright incandescent combined with long running LEDs)
____Built-in second (or spare) lamp or filament
_X__Belt/Jacket clip
_X__Holster
____Wrist/Neck Lanyard
____Kobuton/self defense features
____Non-sparking Intrinsically Safe (IS) for use in explosive environments
All of the above are "wants" and not "needs". When prepping for a show, the brighter, the better; however, during the show in the booth (etc.), as dim as you can go, the better, so usually we gel all of our lights blue. Also, we don't need the light to be attracting any unwanted attention! A hybrid light would be really cool... when it needs to be bright, it really needs to be bright, but 90% of the usage will be low light/long runtime. And finally, I'm not picky on how I attach it to myself, as long as something is there. The ability to do both would be a plus.
