Rechargeable LED Flashlights That Charge In A Mount

[JAS]

I am just curious if the general consensus here is to disregard rechargeable flashlights that charge in a mount? I have been a cop for 30 years and I have seen an enormous improvement over the years in flashlights. I have certainly noticed posts here at CPF time and time again about the best lights for cops and I find it interesting that so many members seem to disregard lights that charge in a mount. Now I will be the first to admit that there are some great lights out there that don't charge in a cradle. And I fully understand that rechargeable batteries can be removed and used in flashlights, but I think many people are missing the point about the convenience and necessity of a charging cradle mounted in a vehicle. Granted, I don't work overnights anymore, but I do still work in the car the majority of my time and from my perspective, many fellow coppers in my area would think it is unusual for another officer to have a flashlight in which the batteries have to be removed to recharge. Maybe I am "old school", but I just think having the ability to charge the light in the car is huge. Again, that is not to say that having other non-rechargeable lights is a bad thing. I can think of an incident near me very recently in which there was a lost mother and step-son in a very large park. Not all that long into the incident, one of the details come out from people actively participating in the search was:

-rechargeable flashlights were dying,

-Motorola portable radio batteries were dying,

-Nextel/cell phone batteries were dying

As an aside, I have generally been an advocate of having spare rechargeable battery packs in the vehicle for radios, phones, and flashlights. For example, I carry both a VHF and UHF portable transceiver in my unmarked car. Each radio has a second battery pack. Usually each radio has a battery attached to it and I have a spare battery pack nearby.

Anyway, that sort of brings me back full circle, however. I think one option that may be very worthwhile is a light that charges in a mount AND can use off the shelf batteries. Although I happen to have a Pelican 7060, as well as other lights, I know that the Pelican 8060 uses a rechargeable battery stick and can use off the shelf C cells. Does anybody know of any other lights that recharge in a cradle AND can use off the shelf batteries?

(Ironically, although this isn't flashlight related in any way, the non-removeable battery is one of my concerns about the Apple iPhone. I think it is a neat device, but I don't own one. I have a friend who used an iPhone for a long time, but finally switched to an Android device. He said that it really would be nice to be able to have the user swap out batteries, when necessary.)

 

[wantsusa]

of course some of us with a certain brand of vehicles...wouldn't do as great with the usual 12v battery charger plug in to the vehicles lighter...as that turns off when the vehicle is not turned on...and I think in some cases can then discharge the flashlight battery...thus if forgotten on a vacation could essentially kill the flashlight rechargeable battery for good...especially some of us who only take 10 mile or so trips back and forth..not quite enough to keep the flashlight batteries charged properly.

For people who drive a lot and have american vehicles I think it works well though :twothumbsor ya probably would need to attach it directly to the battery and make sure it is unplugged if you go on a longer vacation (since alarm + that...might kill your car battery

 

[MattK]

I don't believe it's that they're 'generally disregarded here,' but rather a result of the fact that in-mount rechargeable lights are so rarely at the peak of the technology with regards to output, UI/features, etc, so they tend to garner little attention here.

Further, Streamlight, one of the leading Mfrs of in-mount charged lights was very late to the LED 'game,' which left the way open for Inova and Pelican, and while both of them make an excellent product I don't think either presents a compelling choice for the buyer looking for peak performance and cutting edge technology.

5.11 might have had a chance of making the 'cutting edge' argument with their supercapitor light but it was/is too big/bulky and simply has limited upper end performance.

The enthuiast marketfor rechargeables has standardized on the 18650 li-ion battery - which is conveniently about the size of 2 x CR123A's. It might not be as convenient as in cradle charging but it allows flexibility, there's a commonality/cross compatability to chargers/batteries and multiple lights and you don't need a new battery/charger standard for every light.

 

[ama230]

5.11 might have had a chance of making the 'cutting edge' argument with their supercapitor light but it was/is too big/bulky and simply has limited upper end performance.

Their new light is absolutely awesome and has the new cree xp series emitters. Also you get a package where:

1) Never have to replace the power storage device(s)

2) Charges faster than any other device out there.

3) Lasts longer than an hour now as mine lasts an hour and a half and has the option to run longer with the ramp function.

4) Floats and super durable

5) Has a tailcap switch and head switch.

6) Comes with a home and car charger(standard)

7) Magnetic cradle so the light snaps appropriately in place.

8) Ahead of its time as not everybody needs a ford excursion to get a job done these days.

9) There is not waiting period as this thing charges in 90sec or less and is ready to go for and hour and a half plus with the ramp option.

10) Last flashlight you will ever need.

11) Same size as a streamlight stinger or 2c maglite(with a smaller head of course)

11) Need I say more?

Matt is right with the original pc3.400 but with the new pc3.300, this notion does not apply anymore.

 

[victory]

Truth be told, most people here have no clue what a LEO needs in a flashlight. Sure, something like a Streamlight Strion or some of the pelican offerings might not be cutting edge by forum standards, but it's all the light a cop would need and i see a lot of cops using them. The 5.11 L4L could be a game changer as the technology matures and shrinks. Frankly if i was using a light like a polystinger regularly, I'd consider one of the current models

 

[JAS]

Thank you for the replies.

Back to the other part of the post, does anybody know of any other lights that recharge in a cradle AND can use off the shelf batteries? I know the Pelican 8060 will and I am just wondering what other lights have this design feature.

 

[MattK]

I cannot think of another light that has that feature.

Most of the lights frequently discussed here can use a rechargeable 18650 OR primary 18650's but they don't charge in-device typically.

 

[Chadder]

I believe Mag is coming out with a light that charges in craddle and will use c-cell batteries as back up. ML125 or ML150 I was asking about them in a thread in the Gen section. There is not much info on them yet.

 

[JAS]

.....Truth be told, most people here have no clue what a LEO needs in a flashlight.....

Victory, you have reminded me of something I have noticed with regards to things we use in law enforcement. I have realized that whatever item we use, hobbyists in that area know better than we do what is best for us.

For example, I was formerly more of a gun fanatic than I am now. I still like them, but I don't go to gun shows and subscribe to magazines any longer. Anyway, in uniform or plain clothes, some people like to talk about guns with us. They may ask or recognize that I have a Glock Model 22 (.40 S&W caliber). Some will be quick to point out that I really ought to have a Colt, Smith & Wesson, Beretta, etc. Even the caliber is all wrong. (You really MUST have a .45 ACP, etc.)

I am an amateur radio operator as another hobby. It is the same deal with cops, radios, and some radio buffs. They will say, "Gee, is that a Motorola XTS5000?" I will acknowledge there question and they will point out that I really Harris, Thales-Racal, or Motorola APX7000 multi-band portable.

I am not as much of a car enthusiast as say, for example, my brother in law is. He and other car people see my ride and tell me that my unmarked Chevrolet Impala is NOT the car to have. They quickly point out why I have to have a sport utility vehicle, etc.

When I was on Water Patrol, some boat enthusiasts would recognize the 23 foot Regal and point out that we simply must have a Boston Whaler for our work.

Snowmobiles and ATVs, same thing, the works into that hobby knew better than we did about what is right for.

I have even had computer guys look at the Panasonic Toughbook CF-29 and tell me that there are much better ruggedized laptop computers available.

I have had a few GPSs over the years and I am somewhat knowledgeable of those. It is even the same with those. I happen to really like Garmin personally, but some GPS folks tell me that I have to have Tom Tom or Magellan!

Although I have never been a K-9 handler, I'll think we have had deputies tell us that our selection of German Shepherd is all wrong. We really should have imported a Belgian Malinois!

I do enjoy those conversations because police work is sort of a "jack of all trades, master of none" job in the first place. I am no expert in guns, cars, computers, etc., but I do know a little bit about all of them!

 

[Mr. C]

Cradle charging just might be "old school" but the concept still works best for me. Maybe it's a carry-over from my first SL-20 and its charging sleeve design (1986?), but all of my work flashlights since have used a charging cradle.

I purchased the 7060, and was disappointed with the battery life, as well as only 2 blinks for warning and then darkness....

When the 8060 came out, I retired the 7060 to home use. The 8060 light is amazing, seems to (almost) never need charging, and is plenty bright. There are 4 using them in my office alone now. I should get a subsidy! The only issue with this light is dropping it. It shows each drop in the housing, although it continues to work fine. I have had mine since October. I do not carry the charging cradle in the car due to the impressive run time.

I then found the Strion LED for belt carry, also a cradle-charger. Same story with it, though. I do not carry the cradle in the car due to its amazing run time.

The 5.11 charging sleeve seems awkward; (only one in the office). It was immediately broken by the partner in the passenger seat.

 

[Oztorchfreak]

I think the case for an LED torch that can be charged in a mount or by a plug connection is quite valid. I just posted a thread on CPF regarding the screw threads on my Olight M30 Triton wearing out in less than a year of use.

The tailcap and body screw threads on the Olight M30 Triton are not anodised and removing the tailcap for normal recharging of the batteries has taken its toll on my torch.

I am asking my dealer in Sydney Australia for a replacement torch under the 24 months warranty it states in my User Manual.

When you pay nearly $200 AUS for a torch you expect a little bit better than this. Otherwise it has been a great torch.

I will be making sure that I check for anodised threads on future purchases.

Of all things this was the last thing that I thought would cause my torch to be unreliable and therefore now unusable.

The thread is below. :shakehead

http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=290911

 

[CarpentryHero]

That Pelican 8060 can run C cells too? Wow wish I knew that before I bought my 7060.

 

[ama230]

I also forgot to add foe the 5.11 light pc3.300.

On low(40lumen) it runs for 8 hours using three cree xp-e q5's.

It weighs less the same as a maglite aa with batteries in but its the same size as a streamlight strion or stinger. The ramp function option is the way to go as you can have the 200lumen on tap with a single click but if you hold it in it will ramp both ways and its has strobe with two clicks.

This thing feels like a fisher price toy as its sooo light and is definitely the best flashlight i own.

Also think of it this way, you will never have to buy batteries again as the leds will give out before then as they are rated at 50,000 cycles vs the best li-poly which is 1500 to 2000 cycles. Also they don't wear out as a battery will degrade around a 1000 cycles and the light for life uses ultracaps that just use carbon to hold the electrons vs using a chemical reaction to store energy.

Every serviceman should own one as a primary light. It wont hurt anybody but the gun will. It will also cling to your hood as it has a magnet on its head too and its anti roll as the head is hexagonal. Then you never have to fiddle with it and it comes with a very neat dock as it snaps in and pulls directly out, it literally pulls itself together and no fancy contact fiddling. This does not have the large and bulky slide in cradle that the larger light has its a contoured sit in, as you just sit it on top and it attracts itself to the charger, all you hear is SNAP and then the light blinks for 90 seconds. You could jump your car and still would remain in place due to the crazy strong magnets. It also takes less than 90 seconds depending on how long you have used it.

It really does last an hour and 30 min and then ramps down to 40 lumens for an additional hour. But will last eight hours on 40 lumens which is crazy for an ultracap, got to give props to the xp-e for being so efficient with a very flawless beam.

For 150 bucks shipped at La police gear its worth every penny knowing that i do not have to unscrew or service it in any way and its too light to break when dropped. Comes with ac and dc charger/charging cradle too!

I just dislike batteries as they sometimes take too long to charge when you need them and for 90sec or less, i can surely wait. Also it doesn't effect life of the power storage device when left charging indefinitely, which is another plus. Its really ahead of its time. I was skeptical but now i have seen the light!lovecpf

 

[bkumanski]

IMO, the 5.11 light is junk... as stated above, it feels like a Fisher Price toy. Hardly a light to inspire feelings of "durable" and "light for life". You have to hold the button for high, and really, the lumens are abysmal for three leds. It is much larger than a stinger (unless you refer to the new smaller one) but that one is even less impressive. The larger one is 2 1/2 D mag size, too big for the output if you ask me.

I hear the complaint of wanting a cradle charger for a duty light, it really can get annoying having to open the light up every day. If Streamlight/Pelican could just switch to a better led and keep the body, UIs and charger the same, we would have a winner. All they would need is a high binned XPG or an SST50 (not driven too hard) and we would be all over them. A Stinger HP LED with an SST50 would be phenomenal. Maybe I can see if Nailbender can mod me up one...