Need inspection flashlight for $75

[avengingllama]

Hey all, I just posted in the new member forum and figured I would come in here to ask your thoughts on a flashlight. Here is my story, I am in Aviation Maintenance school right now and need a decent flashlight. Problem is, I need to keep it to about $75 due to a baby on the way. I will be using it in tight areas and need a fairly long throw (up to 100 ft probably). I would love to be able to get a tac light that I can also mount on my AR-15 so I don't have to buy a 2nd light for a while. From what I can tell, this http://www.nitecore.com/productDetail.aspx?id=88 should be able to pull double duty, but since you folks are the experts I wanted to ask your opinion. If you know of a better light for about the same money, please feel free to bring it to my attention. Also feel free to ask any questions that you think may be relevant to my choice, as I don't know what I don't know ;) Thanks in advance for any insight you can offer and have a great day!

Llama

P.S.- The other one I am considering is the Protac HL, but I figure that you guys all know that one so I probably odn't need to post specs or link....lol

 

[skyfire]

im an A&P. and investing in a good flashlight will be worth it. i work the evening shift, and a flashlight is my most used tool. i wouldnt be able to do my job without it.
its also why i always carry at least 2 lights while on the job.

ive used maglites, olights, 4sevens, jetbeams and such at work and all have failed, or developed problems.
for the last few years ive been using P60 hosts. these lights have been very reliable, but like everything else, are not failproof. I like using P60 lights because if there was a problem, it can easily be serviced and fixed. P60 lights are very modular, and there are lots of different parts and configurations.

surefire 6P, C2, 9P, C3, Z3 are examples of lights that use the "p60" drop-in. surefires cannot readily accept 18650 li-ion sized cells, and must be bored out, which adds to the cost.
Malkoff also makes similar lights, but malkoff hosts are best used with malkoff drop-ins. and malkoff drop-ins are some of the best.
solarforce p60 hosts are rip-offs of surefires. quality is not as good, but its a fraction of the price.
when i use the word "host" its a incompletely light. usually all that is needed is a drop-in, which consist of the LED, electronics, and optics.

what i would recommend is either a malkoff turnkey, which is a complete malkoff light consisting of MD2 host + M61 dropin, and high/low ring(optional, but recommended).
the other option would be a solarforce host, with a malkoff drop-in, or a EDC+ XM-L or XM-L2 3-mode drop-in. this set-up would run you about $15 for the host, and $40 for the EDC+ drop-in. leaving you with extra money to get some 18650s and a charger.

also, i would recommend paying a little more for higher quality batteries. ive been using AW brand li-ions for years without any problems. ive tried lower budget li-ion cells and half of them would fail within weeks, or even days.

 

[avengingllama]

Thanks for the info and suggestions, I had not even considered building one myself =) Which is odd, as much as I like to tinker with stuff, you would think I would have tried to create something....lol