please help, I hate all my flashlights

[Darkness]

The MagLite site is having a sale right now, I assume for Labor Day

Hard to pass up that first one with the 50 cent savings! I'll check them out

 

[bykfixer]

I'm going to suggest something a little different from what others have

I would suggest a MagLite 2 C-cell and then add the 18650 adapter/battery

The ML25LT is under 7" in length, basically being a Maxi Mini-Mag 2AA flashlight

The ML50L is the next step above and just a little longer

My favorite is the ML50LX

The MagLite site is having a sale right now, I assume for Labor Day

I had considered suggesting the maxi-mini mag but did not since it starts on high with no option to change that.

 

[RWT1405]

Yes, ONE of the 3 lights I showed you was only $0.50 off, however, the other 2 have decent discounts on them and, I believe, free shipping

You mentioned "I'm in search of a daily use light for walking the dog, seeing into the yard/woods/fields behind the house, along with some camping and traveling. I want one that can fit in my pocket, and if I need to get a second larger/brighter one I'd consider that. I live in the suburbs, but the yard is about 100' deep with 30-40' feet of woods and we back to a 5 acre field."

In my most humble opinion, a MagLite is not only a great flashlight for the use you describe, it's THE Classic flashlight for what you described, and in all honesty, for use at distance, will be far better than almost ANY small pocket flashlight

For my dog walking flashlight, I use one of my 3 C-cell ML50LX, but that adds a bit more length, which I like

 

[RWT1405]

I had considered suggesting the maxi-mini mag but did not since it starts on high with no option to change that.

Agreed

I thought about it, but then decided that MagLite STILL met his criteria better than any other flashlight I could think of, or had been suggested, and if he were to "step-up" to one of the ML50 versions, it really is easy to get to the setting you want (I know you realize, but I'm not sure the OP does)

For the price, I don't think there is a better choice, for his stated criteria

 

[gurdygurds]

The 2C Mag ML50L is a great light. I ran mine on 2xAA Eneloops in adapters.

 

[RWT1405]

The 2C Mag ML50L is a great light. I ran mine on 2xAA Eneloops in adapters.

Yep, so many options with it!

I've been running mine on a 21700 (with adapter of course)

But can run them on C-cells (alkaline and rechargeable)

AA's (alkaline, rechargeable, and Lithium)

18650

21700

Hard to find a better multi-battery flashlight.

 

[Dave D]

Check out the Sofirn C8L, if you buy it then make sure to buy it with the 21700 battery.

It will switch on the last brightness you used via the tail switch, the head switch alters the mode. A double tap of the tail switch goes straight to turbo mode of 3100 lumens and with throw it for over 500m.

The modes are ECO 8 lumens, LOW 100 lumens, MID 500 lumens, HIGH 1300 Lumens and TURBO of 3100 lumens.

It's just over 6 inches in length.

 

[Monocrom]

Another vote for Streamlight's Protac series, especially the 1L-1AA model.

 

[Darkness]

You should look at a Hank light, a top pick would be a D1. It runs an Anduril 2 system which is very programmable = make the light fit your needs. Even "stock" it has a short cut to low, several "strobe" modes + a short cut to turbo. YOU pick the LED; W1 or 2 for throw, 519a dedomed for flood & a choice of smooth/orange peel reflectors for throw or flood. It runs on an 18650 so run time are pretty good at reasonable outputs. I have 6 of them, ordered with different setups for different needs. The SST-20 4K w/95cri + an orange peel reflector makes a pretty strong setup for an EDC/walk the dog light. Anduril DOES take a bit of time to get right but when you do it is the light YOU wanted. My EDC D1 is a SST-20 OP that has 2 levels for ramping about 50L & 400L, a short cut to a 5ishL low + dbl click to 1000L high. My programed on is 50, hold 1click bumps it to 400; a press/hold from off starts me at about 5 & a dbl click from off gets me 1000; 3 clicks from off get a strobe of your choice.

D1 link

I do love all the customizations of this one, but that's also a bit overwhelming when I don't know what half the terms mean!

What's a Hank light? Is that a brand or a classification?

In the quoted post 3_gun suggests a SST-20 4K, but I don't see an option for an orange peel
On the same base light kitrobaskin says 5700K 519A dedomed, or 719A 5000K
someone else mentioned W1 or W2

problem is I don't know what most of that means. I get the difference between 4k, 5k, etc., but I don't know the difference between SST vs 519 or 719 or SFT, W1.... or even what that's indicating.

Also don't know if I would want dedomed or not, or what that is.

I've been reading through flashlight terminology, but that's only taking me so far. I didn't know the rabbit hole I was falling into when I posted, I figured it's a flashlight, how many choices could there be? The customization on that light is fantastic, but I might as well be ordering it in a foreign language. A bit more help please?

 

[cerbie]

Thanks.
- a dedicated mode ramp seems nice, but apparently not common
- I don't think I care between forward and reverse, unless I'm missing something

The main advantage with a forward clicky, with multiple modes and no memory, is that you don't have to fully click to go through modes, from off. FI, let's assume you have 3, low->med->high, and no memory, you can half-press, release, then full-press to get a full on at medium. Or, half-press half-press for momentary medium. If keeping it on and cycling modes, it's not much different, and for that some people even prefer the reverse clicky. From off, the forward clicky is easier to commit levels to muscle memory with.

 

[Darkness]

FI, let's assume you have 3, low->med->high, and no memory, you can half-press, release, then full-press to get a full on at medium.

That is perfect and exactly what I wanted, and maybe even more.

Now I just need to decipher the rest of the terminology so I can order one, or just pick one that seems reasonable because let's be honest, it won't be the last.

 

[importculture]

I'm in search of a daily use light for walking the dog, seeing into the yard/woods/fields behind the house, along with some camping and traveling. I want one that can fit in my pocket, and if I need to get a second larger/brighter one I'd consider that. I live in the suburbs, but the yard is about 100' deep with 30-40' feet of woods and we back to a 5 acre field.

The options remaining are "checked". Explanation of 8,9,12,13 at bottom because those are the reasons why I'm here.
1) How would you prefer to purchase the light?
Online or near NC

2) Budget: An easy question, but you may change your mind after answering the rest!
Ideally up to $25, but up to $50 is ok if it really does a good job

3) Format:
I want a flashlight (hand held/self contained).

4) Size:
TINY - Every day carry (2-4 inches).
SMALL - Every day carry (4-7 inches).

5) Emitter/Light source:
Probably LED, but don't really care

6) Manufacturer:
Ready to go out of the box, or with some software configurations, I don't want to solder anything.
Not interested in a custom build or anything like that.

7) What power source do you want to use?
I don't know/I need more information on power sources. I'm guessing normal batteries or rechargeable?

7a) If you have selected a rechargeable option
____I want a light that has a recharging adapter (your typical "wall wart")
____A typical usb-c adapter?

8) How much genuine out the front (OTF) light do you want/need?
____I want to navigate a dark room or read a map (1-10 lumens).
____I want an indoor "blackout" light (15-50 lumens)
____I want to confidently walk around an unlit/unpaved rural area (60-150 lumens).
____I want to illuminate my entire backyard or a campsite (150-300 lumens).
____I want to illuminate an entire field, the neighbor's front yard several houses down, impress my friends and neighbors, etc. (300-700 lumens).

9) Flood vs Throw: Flood covers an area, Throw reaches out to a distance.
____Wide Flood: I want a defined flood area for semi-close tasks like after-dark campsite tasks or working on a car.
____Narrow Flood: I want a sharply defined flood area that will project some distance for tasks like trail walking.
____Wide Throw: I want a beam with a noticeable hot-center for distance throw and a significant amount of "side-spill". Good for rough trail hiking, search and rescue, and general distance work.
____Narrow Throw: I want a beam with a very tight "hot center" and minimal "side-spill". Good for distance viewing, fog, and looking through dense undergrowth.

9a) Distance: How far away will you typically need to see with this light (check all that apply)
____5-20 yards/meters (check out a noise in the backyard)
____30-50 yards/meters (I have a big backyard)
____50-150 yards/meters (I live in a very rural area/farm with wide open spaces)

10) Runtime: Not over-inflated manufacturer runtime claims, but usable brightness measured from first activation to 50% with new batteries (Measured on maximum continuous output).
____90-120 minutes (Runtime is moderately important, but still not critical)

11) Durability/Usage: Generally the old phrase "you get what you pay for" is very accurate for flashlights.
____Slightly Important (Walks around the neighborhood).
____Very Important (Camping, Backpacking, Car Glove-box).

12) Switch Size, Type, and location (choose all that apply):
____Any size switch will do.
____I want a forward clicky (Helpful for momentary activation and signaling).
____I want a reverse clicky (For use with multi-mode/level lights).
____I want a momentary switch (Predominantly for use with signaling and short bursts of momentary light only).
____I want a twisty switch (Tighten the head/tailcap to activate, and the light will stay on until the head/tailcap is loosened).
____I want a body mounted switch (near the head, like on a Maglite).
____I want a tail mounted switch (found on the majority of today's high end lights).
____I don't know what some of these are!
____Other, please specify - see notes at end

13) User Interface (UI) and mode selection. Select all that apply.
____I want 2 light levels. (Brighter/short runtime and Dimmer/long runtime.)
____I want multiple light levels. (Some lights have 5-16 light levels.)
____I want a programmable light.
____I want a selector ring.
____I want a strobe mode. (Oscillating pattern to confuse/blind aka "Police Mode")
____I want SOS mode. (blinks in ...---... emergency pattern)
____I want a beacon mode. (Regular flashes at full power to show location.)
____I don't care.

14)Material/Finish/Coating
____I don't care.

15) Water resistance
Enough to safely use in the rain. I'm not taking it swimming.

16) Storage conditions
____In house (temperature/climate controlled environment), but with some periods in the car / camp when traveling

17) Special Needs/extras: Is there anything else you want or need that hasn't been mentioned? Select any/all below.
A red option would be bonus

Explanation of my real needs for 8,9,12,13 and why I'm here:
The one I use most often always turns on bright but I generally need low power and I hate it. The previous one that I donated had to cycle all the levels to turn off, and that was even worse. The little one I have is ok, but it won't even light up the other side of the yard so it's useless on a walk.

Here's what I need:

- Turn on to low power. I will often walk at night just by moonlight, so it really doesn't need much. It's just so I can see 2' in front of me and to not scare people who don't see me coming.
- Turn back off without ever getting brighter so I can preserve some of my night vision
- Reasonably easy access to something bright enough to see what's making noise up ahead. (75 yards maybe?)
- Option for some kind of strobe that I don't have to see every day but is there when needed. Either to warn oncoming cars that I'm in the road or to signal for help.

I especially hate having a light that always turns on bright, but it's also annoying to cycle through levels I don't want to get to ones I do. I'm more likely to turn the light on and off a lot than I am to keep it on, so if I'm out where I need a bright light I want it bright, but if I'm just looking at where I'm stepping then I want it dim.

I set out in search of a light with dual controls, one that turned the thing on and off, and another to set the mode. I thought that would be an easy task, but I failed to find anything better than what I had. That was 2 years ago, and I still hate my flashlights.

Hands down Weben L1. Has duo lights and can run either or both at the same time. Running both allows you to light up your dogs path as well as the ground in front of you. Flood beam is nearly unparalleled. Uses my favorite jeweled lens originally found on Fenix lights. Gives a nice wide spot and spill covers a full 180 degrees. The L1 covers nearly all of your parameters along with a few you didn't ask for. Where it falls short is there's no low low or moonlight mode. It also uses a 21700 so no easily found AA or eneloops. Lastly it's objectively uguly and may be a bit large. Check reviews to make sure they meet your needs. Take care.

 

[Athecal]

Not sure if you ever settled on a light but recently became aware that convoy makes AA 2AA AAA and 2AAA lights that are pretty much the same size as my protacs I love so much. But they also can use the lithium ion cells of equivalent size which makes them capable of being 800lm lights instead of just 250lm or so.