uffstuffson
Newly Enlightened
I am new to the realm of quality flashlights. I own 2 Inova X03's (one has been beatup pretty bad) an Inova Bolt, a streamlight strion led and a streamlight survivor light. The 2 streamlights are Dept issued from my fire dept. I have only had the strion for about a week but it has impressed me very much. I have been comparing flashlights all day and this site seams to be FULL on knowledgable people.
A little background on myself. I am a full time electrician, a part time firefighter and a reserve police officer. So I need something VERY durable along with extremely versatile. I have been looking at a few flashlights and have noticed the lumen ratings are all over the place. I am extremely happy with my strion led but it's fire dept issue so if i break it on my own time I buy it with my own money and still don't own one.
So I guess I'll tell you what I am kind of looking for. Excuse me if I use terminology wrong, I'll do my best. Like I said I'm new to this. I would like something that I can easily hang from my belt, clip to a tool belt, or clip to my thigh pockets of my BDU pants while on duty. Preferably nothing longer than 6.5" at most 7". I need something with great throw for outside searches but also a decent amount of spill to the sides for use indoors. I want something that will take rechargeable batteries because I have spent a fortune on cr123's for my X03's and Bolt (which is another issue I will need help with selecting.) I would like the flashlight to have a memory so I don't have to cycle through all of the settings to turn it off. I will probably just keep it on the highest setting. It would also be preferable that it have a strobe but at this point it's not a deal breaker if it doesn't. I'd like to not spend more than about $150 but if I fall in love with something a little more it won't break the bank to splurge. Basically I want a hand held flashlight that puts out a TON of light in all directions and also throws it as far as possible. Here are some flashlights that I've found on my own:
-Olight M21 Warrior
-EagleTac T20C2 - SMO or OP?
-Fenix TK11 R5
-Fenix TK12 R5
-SureFire E2D LED Defender
-Olight M30 Triton (avoiding this one due to length but light output specs have saved it from being scratched off the list just yet)
If you can think of any lights that I've left off this list that are equal to or better and compareable in size please tell me. If you think any of the lights or brands of light I've listed are junk PLEEEASE tell me! Are any of these brands just flat out better than the others so maybe I can scratch a light of 2 off the list right off the bat?
Now, back to batteries. What is the difference between an 18650 and a 17670? What is the best battery to put in a LED flashlight, 18650, CR123, 17670? What are the best rechargeable batteries and chargers available in the best battery #. Where do I get those batteries?
Thanks for everyone's help! I hope to be less ignorant on the issue soon and maybe I will be able to help out some newbies in the future!
Brent
A little background on myself. I am a full time electrician, a part time firefighter and a reserve police officer. So I need something VERY durable along with extremely versatile. I have been looking at a few flashlights and have noticed the lumen ratings are all over the place. I am extremely happy with my strion led but it's fire dept issue so if i break it on my own time I buy it with my own money and still don't own one.
So I guess I'll tell you what I am kind of looking for. Excuse me if I use terminology wrong, I'll do my best. Like I said I'm new to this. I would like something that I can easily hang from my belt, clip to a tool belt, or clip to my thigh pockets of my BDU pants while on duty. Preferably nothing longer than 6.5" at most 7". I need something with great throw for outside searches but also a decent amount of spill to the sides for use indoors. I want something that will take rechargeable batteries because I have spent a fortune on cr123's for my X03's and Bolt (which is another issue I will need help with selecting.) I would like the flashlight to have a memory so I don't have to cycle through all of the settings to turn it off. I will probably just keep it on the highest setting. It would also be preferable that it have a strobe but at this point it's not a deal breaker if it doesn't. I'd like to not spend more than about $150 but if I fall in love with something a little more it won't break the bank to splurge. Basically I want a hand held flashlight that puts out a TON of light in all directions and also throws it as far as possible. Here are some flashlights that I've found on my own:
-Olight M21 Warrior
-EagleTac T20C2 - SMO or OP?
-Fenix TK11 R5
-Fenix TK12 R5
-SureFire E2D LED Defender
-Olight M30 Triton (avoiding this one due to length but light output specs have saved it from being scratched off the list just yet)
If you can think of any lights that I've left off this list that are equal to or better and compareable in size please tell me. If you think any of the lights or brands of light I've listed are junk PLEEEASE tell me! Are any of these brands just flat out better than the others so maybe I can scratch a light of 2 off the list right off the bat?
Now, back to batteries. What is the difference between an 18650 and a 17670? What is the best battery to put in a LED flashlight, 18650, CR123, 17670? What are the best rechargeable batteries and chargers available in the best battery #. Where do I get those batteries?
Thanks for everyone's help! I hope to be less ignorant on the issue soon and maybe I will be able to help out some newbies in the future!
Brent