Off to Walmart to buy a Maglight ?

[lxhunter]

I had been looking for a reliable LED light for me and my son - the kid is in Afghanistan.

I looked at two popular +$100 +$200 CR123 LED's thinking that their claims of reliability were worth something.

Apparently not.

After reading the many posts here (thanks all you guys) about these two I concluded that neither have any Quality Control - reports of D.O.A. Can't blame that on user abuse. And multiple reports of other failures.

I can see that this QC problem is part of a broader issue. These two lack business integrity - both make new product release announcement dates which slip by a year or more.

One of these companies makes the claim : "It very well could mean the difference between life and death." I didn't know they meant my death.

Is there anyone that makes a reliable LED CR123?

Perhaps keep it simple - one with just one power level with less to go wrong.

I have been around a long time - never had a Maglight from Walmart D.O.A. In fact never had a cheapo light from Walmart D.O.A.

 

[lightinsky]

Yea it's called Surefire meaning your sure to get fire out the front to luminate the night. Have you tried Surefire their stuff always has worked for me.

 

[tango44]

Fenix TK 10 OR TK11, Fenix TK series around $80 reliable and won´t cost you a fortune!

 

[M@elstrom]

That's a very generalizes blanket statement regarding CR123a lights, you don't even mention those which you're avoiding (due to your research) in favour of a stock Maglight? :thinking:

Surefire make highly reputable CR123a (form factor) lights as do Streamlight, the only experience I've had with a Wolf Eyes product has been completely satisfactory & the Jetbeam Jet-III M I now carry at work has been 100% reliable so theres 4 product lines worth looking into just for starters :thumbsup:

If CR123s are more difficult to source in combat zones than say more widely accepted types (like AAs for example) & battery flexibility is a consideration then by all means look at any of the new generation LED Maglite offerings (user variable output) from all accounts they are great value, however if your trying to purchase a better light for you son than the current issue 2D Angleheads stay away from the incandescent Maglights as the slight improvement would hardly warrant the effort IMHO


BTW :welcome:

 

[tab665]

lets not forget the quarks, 10 year warranty. you can go ahead and get 3 or 4 for the same price of a surfire.

 

[lightinsky]

Great suggestions from all who responded. Fenix makes great stuff as do Surefire. Do some research and you will see people in CPF know what they are talking about. A surefire 6P incan + after market drop in will put you out about $80 around the same ball park of some Fenix lights. No disrespect but M@g they are not the high end light when compared to others.

 

[Mjolnir]

You might want to check out Malkoff Devices. Gene Malkoff (the owner) has many different LED "drop-ins" that go inside his MD2 host (basically a flashlight body with no LED). They are made in America, and should be very reliable, and are cheaper than Surefire lights with similar output and efficiency.

 

[Search]

This thread is could go south very, very quickly. Not your fault lxhunter, but a SureFire vs All war usually erupts.

I'm curious though as to which brands you have tried. Being as you mentioned the lights you tried were 200+ range, this leads me to believe one brand you have bought was SureFire.

I'm interested in which lights they were so we could get a better idea of what you've experienced.

Before going into who is better than who I would like to note that Maglites do have their share of QC issues. They are reliable no doubt, but I could find many other brands with the same problem.

I would like to point out, depending on your sons MOS, carrying a large light like a Mag and spare C or D cell batteries could be a problem. Humping the mountains is no easy task with basic gear, not to mention a large light and extra batteries.

My vote goes to SureFire however. I've purchased over 10 through the years and not one has quit on me. A single-mode E2DL is my duty light and has seen some abuse.

We all speak from experience so everyone's view is going to be different. Sometimes however, you just have to accept some lights ship faulty, while the replacement might last forever.

 

[Niconical]

I don't think putting a brand new and untested (Quark) flashlight in a critical situation is a very good idea.
I'd suggest something that has been around for at least a year or 2 (or longer), tried, tested and true.

 

[Hitthespot]

I have purchased, Fenix, Olight, Surefire, Nitecore, Streamlight, Inova, and LED Lenser lights in the last 18 months. I would use anyone of the above with complete confidence. Unfortunately I cannot say the same about Maglites or cheapo plastic lights. I have had more of them fail than all other lights combined. Bulbs and switches especially. Send your son a Fenix TK-11 or a Surefire LX2 and you and your son will have no worries!

Bill

 

[sabre7]

For some reason, threads about Maglights always devolve into discussions between those who love them and those who hate them, it is probably inevitable this one will share their fate. Perhaps further research would be better than posting a thread seeking opinions about brand preferences.

 

[lxhunter]

Guys, thanks for all you help - I am off to look at the makes mentioned.

 

[Crenshaw]

all im going to say is that i like my new quark very much,and think its excellent for all round usage. Also, i highly recommend it. and its not exactly UNtested

check them out at www.4sevens.com

Crenshaw

 

[lxhunter]

PS

I should have also said I deliberately did not mention the names of the two companies.

I have no interest in bashing anyone - I am sure they both have many happy and supportive customers.

I am not interested in brand preferences per se - many other factors involved in personal choices and likes. And, I respect those personal choices.

I am just looking for a simple reliable light.

And you guys helped me with many good recommendations

Thanks for your help and time responding.

 

[nbp]

Maglites are tough, no doubt. Their main fault is just outdated guts. If you mod them up, your son could have something pretty good.

I think that you should look at Henry's lights, whether HDS, Novatac, or Ra.

These are commonly regarded as super tough lights that will survive anywhere your skull can, and can be programmed to be as simple or complex as the user likes.

 

[Search]

PS

I should have also said I deliberately did not mention the names of the two companies.

I have no interest in bashing anyone - I am sure they both have many happy and supportive customers.

I am not interested in brand preferences per se - many other factors involved in personal choices and likes. And, I respect those personal choices.

I am just looking for a simple reliable light.

And you guys helped me with many good recommendations

Thanks for your help and time responding.

Knowing who you have had problems with and which models they were will only help. If people troll the thread it's 100% their fault and what you did is completely fine.

The Quark lights probably are good lights. However they have been around for a VERY short time. Unless your son is a SOF soldier and is fixing to do some field testing this is not wise.

It doesn't matter if the light hasn't broke yet, it hasn't been around long enough to even know it's true strength and most importantly, it's weaknesses.

Buy a brand that has been around for a while. One that the forums aren't flooded with threads about how they broke. At the same time, stray away from the ones that are barely mentioned.

If it's going into a combat situation, nice disappears. I couldn't care less how many people like the company. Trusting your life with a tool that people barely know is absurd. If this is arguable, I pray I don't work along side that person at night

 

[lxhunter]

PPS

I just finished re-reading a helpful post - I think it must be from someone in the Armed Forces.

We are from Toronto, Canada and my kid is a Major now in Afghanistan. I could repeat some of his stories -but that would be imprudent. But, let me just particularly thank all the American Apache pilots he has called up on his radio.

The light for him will just be a backup to all the kit he already has on his M4. I should have explaimed more. But, I did not want to talk too much about what he and his crew carry or their tactics - never know who is looking - call me paranoid. It's about all I can do for him, and better than just sitting around worrying about an unexpected knock on the door.

 

[lolzertank]

Maglites are very well built mechanically, though still not the same level as Surefire. Rewind 20 years and they would be nearly unbeatable. Yet technology has moved on, and Maglite isn't keeping up.

Maglites are tough, no doubt. Their main fault is just outdated guts. If you mod them up, your son could have something pretty good.

I don't think bringing a modded light is the best idea for a soldier. There's really no way to be sure it will work when you need it to.

 

[rmteo]

Nothing (including flashlights) is 100% reliable. For every brand (and/or model) that someone claims that they have not had a problem with, you can also find someone who has had issues and/or failures with it. For example, you have never experienced any problems with your MAG's but if you look around here, you will find many instances to the contrary.

Here is how I would approach situations such as this. Firstly, make 3 determinations.

1. What features are most important to you (or your son) to accomplish his mission. Things such as brightness (output), run-time, muti-mode, availability of power sources, etc.
2. Your size/weight budget.
3. Your price budget.

Make a list of lights that meet point #1 - this is very important as a light that works for ME may not necessarily be the one that works for YOU. This list can come from the many recommendations you will receive here as well as from your own research.

Now take your size/weight budget and divide it by 2. Eliminate all the lights from the initial list that do not meet this criteria.

Then do the same with your price budget (divide it by 2). Again eliminate those from the list that do meet this criteria.

From your final list pick the one that appeals most to you (whether is price, availability, looks, whatever). Then buy 2 lights of your final choice. This way you will have a working backup light at all time should the main/primary one fail. Also, the backup light can/will serve as a spare battery carrier.

Also, it does not matter how good the customer service is - if your light fails in the field, you need a backup immediately and not have to ship the item back to manufacturer and/or wait 2 weeks for a replacement/part to show up. Remember failures are not the only way to lose a light. You can literally lose it (stolen, dropped in a ravine/gully, misplaced, etc.) and in such instances even the most reliable light is a moot point.

 

[tbenedict]

He might like to have a Fenix E01 as a back up as well. Cheap, durable, long run time.