Hey everyone,
My next door neighbor's house caught fire a couple of days ago (thankfully, nobody was hurt) and the fire fighters told me to climb into my attic and keep an eye out for any embers that may have drifted in through the vents. Well, I found out that the cheap-o LED lights I bought in a 4 pack at Home Depot weren't even strong enough to throw a beam through my whole attic (and I'm in a small house). I knew they were weak, but didn't realize they were *that* weak.
So, I need a real flashlight...and, after reading reviews around here and at flashlightreviews.com, I'm pretty confused and have even less of an idea of what I want than I did before. I was originally thinking that I'd get a Maglite but then I remembered how awesome a friend's Surefire was so I started looking for reviews. I'm hoping that I can get some recommendations from you knowledgable folk. I found the questionairre here and thought that if I answered some of the questions, maybe you guys could guide me.
First off, I'm in the US and can buy online. And I can probably talk my wife into a budget of $40-50 but probably not more than that (I can already hear her saying "What the hell do you need a $100 flashlight for!?"
)
Size-wise, 4-6" would be good so that I could put it in my pocket when I take my dog for a walk. But I could probably do a ~10" light if it would suit my needs better. The large size is appealing as I could use it as a weapon if need-be. But compact is also appealing, so I'm a bit torn there. And I'd definitely like a metal case.
Rechargable batteries are intriguing but I don't think a necessity. I'm ok with spending extra money on CR123 or lithium AA batteries if it increases the light brightness, quality, and battery life. The light's not going to get a whole lot of use - just mostly while walking my dog and random around-the-house or camping use.
I'm not sure what kind of beam I'd like. I've never really had a "good" flashlight per-se so I'm not sure what the different beams are like. I saw the pictures in the various reviews, and it's really hard to get a gauge of what the light is really like by them. It seems like a narrow beam would be best so that the light can pierce into bushes while I'm taking my dog for a walk. But a wider beam sounds good so that I can see where I'm going and don't step in a hole.
And, finally, I have no idea what bulb type I want. The lights I have now are multiple-LED ones. They're just a cheap Husky (Home Depot's house brand) light with 6 small LEDs in the head and a reflector and they work in a pinch but they're so weak that they get drowned out by 7pm twilight. I also have a ~10" Brinkman with 4 large LEDs in the head that works ok, but not great. Plus the light seems very blue-ish rather than a white color. So my experience with LED lights leaves me disliking them a little bit.
Thanks!
My next door neighbor's house caught fire a couple of days ago (thankfully, nobody was hurt) and the fire fighters told me to climb into my attic and keep an eye out for any embers that may have drifted in through the vents. Well, I found out that the cheap-o LED lights I bought in a 4 pack at Home Depot weren't even strong enough to throw a beam through my whole attic (and I'm in a small house). I knew they were weak, but didn't realize they were *that* weak.
So, I need a real flashlight...and, after reading reviews around here and at flashlightreviews.com, I'm pretty confused and have even less of an idea of what I want than I did before. I was originally thinking that I'd get a Maglite but then I remembered how awesome a friend's Surefire was so I started looking for reviews. I'm hoping that I can get some recommendations from you knowledgable folk. I found the questionairre here and thought that if I answered some of the questions, maybe you guys could guide me.
First off, I'm in the US and can buy online. And I can probably talk my wife into a budget of $40-50 but probably not more than that (I can already hear her saying "What the hell do you need a $100 flashlight for!?"
)Size-wise, 4-6" would be good so that I could put it in my pocket when I take my dog for a walk. But I could probably do a ~10" light if it would suit my needs better. The large size is appealing as I could use it as a weapon if need-be. But compact is also appealing, so I'm a bit torn there. And I'd definitely like a metal case.
Rechargable batteries are intriguing but I don't think a necessity. I'm ok with spending extra money on CR123 or lithium AA batteries if it increases the light brightness, quality, and battery life. The light's not going to get a whole lot of use - just mostly while walking my dog and random around-the-house or camping use.
I'm not sure what kind of beam I'd like. I've never really had a "good" flashlight per-se so I'm not sure what the different beams are like. I saw the pictures in the various reviews, and it's really hard to get a gauge of what the light is really like by them. It seems like a narrow beam would be best so that the light can pierce into bushes while I'm taking my dog for a walk. But a wider beam sounds good so that I can see where I'm going and don't step in a hole.
And, finally, I have no idea what bulb type I want. The lights I have now are multiple-LED ones. They're just a cheap Husky (Home Depot's house brand) light with 6 small LEDs in the head and a reflector and they work in a pinch but they're so weak that they get drowned out by 7pm twilight. I also have a ~10" Brinkman with 4 large LEDs in the head that works ok, but not great. Plus the light seems very blue-ish rather than a white color. So my experience with LED lights leaves me disliking them a little bit.
Thanks!
