New member: need good flashlight for a friend

[Mortil]

So. ive got a Ultrafire WF-500 thats i put a SSC P7 reflector and light in to it. now my girls sister wants a flashlight thats the same brightness but a bit smaller and easier to bring with her all the time in her work cloth/belt (shes a cop)

what light would you go to ? not a too expensive one as i was thinking of giving her this one as a christmas gift .

would love some help .

 

[LEDninja]

:welcome:
NEVER give a 2*18650 light to a non-flashaholic until they know how to handle the batteries safely.
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Exploding 123A Batteries? (same thing can happen to 2*18650)
http://www.flashlightreviews.com/features/123burst.htm
Using Li-ion cells in LED flashlights safely
http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=235164

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To go smaller you can try 1*18650 P7 or MCE but runtime is terrible.

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Can she put up with a slightly less bright light?
The XP-G puts out 50% of the light of a P7 but to the human eye is only 70% as bright.
My recommendation in decreasing cost is:
Quark AA² Turbo $75.00
Quark AA² Tactical, R5 Edition $59.00
Quark MiNi AA² $43.00 (problem with this one is HIGH is the 3rd mode)
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Eagletac also make a bunch of high output 2AA lights but I am not too familiar with them.
Have a look here then google for the price.
2xAA Round-up Review
http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=214890
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Note I am staying away from the lithium battery versions.

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A cop's life depends on the reliability of the equipment he or she carries. I do not trust stuff from DX/ebay that far.

 

[Chevy-SS]

I've got a bunch of smallish 'tactical' lights:

For small size, with great power, it's tough to beat the Quark 123*2 Tactical XP-G R5. That is the light that I EDC all the time.

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[joe1512]

I'd recommend an itp A6 Polestar. It uses 6xAAs and a side-switch. It is fatter than yours but not nearly as long (about 8 inches) and fits nicely in the hand. Comes with holster and lanyard.

Using AA batteries is HUGE cuz giving someone a light with dangerous specialty batteries is idiocy to be blunt. With 6xAAs, it will put out about as much light as yours, except in a better form factor for her.

Runtime will be decent (less than yours tho) and with 3 brightness levels and its ability to memorize the last used mode, you can effectively use it as a 1-mode light.

It is 72 bucks shipped from goinggear with ggcpf10 coupon code. Expensive, but I think its a better option than a 2xAA light that will be dimmer and have less runtime.
I figure if you are giving away a light, give a really good one. I gave my father-in-law and dad these lights (and cousin) and they love them.


I recommend giving a 4pack and 2pack with 4slot/2slot chargers of Eneloop AAs from amazon. Its 30 bucks for both packs but lets her charge ALL 6 batteries at once which I think is very important for a frequent user like she will be. Though she might need or be able to use a car-charger that does AAs of some kind.

 

[LEDninja]

I mentioned the ITP A6 once, the OP bought it and got a dud. One reason I hesitate this time.
There were problems with the battery holder and switch in the early units, both fixed in current shipments from the factory. I still worry about what is still lying around on some dealer shelves.
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If you do get the A6 the plastic box for '30 Q-tips travel pack' holds 6 batteries. You will have to line the bottom with a thin strip of foam to stop the batteries from rattling. Good to hold a backup set.

 

[sol-leks]

2 thoughts:

The MG PLI Rocket SST-50

A p60 host with a linger special