The chance of EDC failure requiring backup lights

[more_vampires]

I've been running through lights like a madman these past 3 years since I got back into the addiction. Pred Pro 2.5 Warm White is still a top ten favorite for me.

Also, I'm paranoid about letting a lion get too low so I top them up much more frequently than Eneloops. Unprotected lions in a multi cell light, I watch like a hawk. I've got to. Just treat them with respect, should be fine.

Interested in the Armytek Predator series? Might check this thread, then:
http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb...iew-RUNTIME&highlight=armytek+advanced+manual

I thought I scratched mine once on another flashlight. The finish from the other light smeared onto the Armytek and then it wiped off!

 

[WalkIntoTheLight]

The Zebralights i was checking on amazon sound really good, you could get up to 3 months on them but the lumen level might be too low, but seems to be adjustable to get a bit more.

Yes, the Zebralight has 3 moonlight modes, which is nice. The very lowest is really too dim to be of much use. I use the brightest moonlight mode most of the time, though the middle is useful too if it's really dark. I don't think you'll actually get 2-3 months runtime as Zebralight claims, based on my measurements of the current draw, but it will last a few weeks.

I also have a couple of 4sevens Quarks, which have somewhat brighter moonlight modes (more useful IMO), and will last a month on 2xAA batteries. You can also run them on a single AA, which makes them a more pocketable size.

I have a couple of other brands with moonlight as well, but I don't use them much in that mode. There's lots of choice out there.

 

[Stream]

One time in a power outage, I spent so much time picking out which light to use that the outage ended.

:laughing: That is just priceless! You should put that in your siggy.

 

[cland72]

I have three examples to share.

One time, the power went out at work. One of my operators was very (extremely) afraid of the dark and was becoming agitated; demanding that her husband picker her up straight away. I gave her one of my backup generic "Cree" single AA flashlights. She clutched it and held it close to her heart, shining it in her own face. This calmed her down till the building's power was restored.
<snip>

Good lord, I shudder at the thought of how this woman would fare in a REAL emergency situation.

 

[more_vampires]

Well after all, the position of the flashlight he's describing is the traditional way to tell campfire ghost stories!

Seriously though, abject fear can be quite debilitating. If a $5 Sipik 68 fixes it, then that's the cheapest prescription you can get!

Scared of the dark? Try Preparation CPF! Now available in Moonlight, Low, Medium, High and Turbo strength!

 

[JerryM]

In MANY years of hunting, fishing, camping, and just living, I have never had a flashlight fail when I needed it. I have experienced checking a light and finding leaking batteries that either ruined it or put it out of action until cleaned. Maybe I have been lucky. I do carry a couple of lights when we travel. I have a AAA pocket light, my wife has one, and I generally carry a 6 V lantern if traveling by car, or a 3C Maglite.
Otherwise I don't feel the need to burden myself with extra flashlights and batteries. For a long camping trip I would carry one spare small light and maybe a reload of batteries.

Jerry

 

[reppans]

The Zebralights i was checking on amazon sound really good, you could get up to 3 months on them but the lumen level might be too low, but seems to be adjustable to get a bit more. Thanks for the suggestions. You probably won't even need to recharge your batteries for more than several months on Eneloops. Li-ions may depend since i like to keep them around 40-80% charged. THe Armytek sounds like a good first Li-ion built flashlight to get, the features are pretty awesome.

Careful with ZL specs, especially in the sub-lumen category. My SC52 came in last in terms of lumen-hours efficiency in a side-by-side moonlight output/runtime test against Malkoff, Peak, Quarks and D25As. The ZL specs did claim the best efficiency though.... By a factor of 2-3x .

 

[MidnightDistortions]

Yes, the Zebralight has 3 moonlight modes, which is nice. The very lowest is really too dim to be of much use. I use the brightest moonlight mode most of the time, though the middle is useful too if it's really dark. I don't think you'll actually get 2-3 months runtime as Zebralight claims, based on my measurements of the current draw, but it will last a few weeks.

I also have a couple of 4sevens Quarks, which have somewhat brighter moonlight modes (more useful IMO), and will last a month on 2xAA batteries. You can also run them on a single AA, which makes them a more pocketable size.

I have a couple of other brands with moonlight as well, but I don't use them much in that mode. There's lots of choice out there.

Ah well i guess it was too good to be true, but seeing the lumen level it wouldn't surprising. Chances are though i'll have plenty of extra batteries to extend the usage past a few weeks if necessary. I do carry some Duraloops handy too which will extend the run times a bit further in emergencies, plus im getting a few solar NiMH chargers. The GoalZero charger i got only charges 4 batteries at a time but it's got an 100+ hour LED light too, it's fairly decent but of course since the charger only works with 4 batteries i'm depleting all four within 100 hours.

Careful with ZL specs, especially in the sub-lumen category. My SC52 came in last in terms of lumen-hours efficiency in a side-by-side moonlight output/runtime test against Malkoff, Peak, Quarks and D25As. The ZL specs did claim the best efficiency though.... By a factor of 2-3x .

I'm guessing your advising me pretty much what WalkIntoTheLight has already mentioned that the ZL lowest lumen is unusable and the higher levels are more 2-3 weeks right?

 

[5S8Zh5]

Careful with ZL specs, especially in the sub-lumen category. My SC52 came in last in terms of lumen-hours efficiency in a side-by-side moonlight output/runtime test against Malkoff, Peak, Quarks and D25As. The ZL specs did claim the best efficiency though.... By a factor of 2-3x .

Wow. I did not know that. Thanks.

 

[reppans]

..I'm guessing your advising me pretty much what WalkIntoTheLight has already mentioned that the ZL lowest lumen is unusable and the higher levels are more 2-3 weeks right?

Yeah sort of - WITL was addressing runtime exaggeration (with which I agree), while I was addressing output/efficiency exaggeration. My ZL's "0.34" mode actually meters at 0.07 lumens in my lightbox so while it actually ran the longest - compared to the other 0.2-0.5 lm (accurately spec'd) crowd - it got slaughtered on lm-hrs efficiency (lumens x hrs). Put another way, the ZL ran 50% longer than the Quark, but was <25% the output. When you get into the low lows, as output drops, efficiency in lm-hrs decreases as the driver consumes more energy than the LED.

The ZL's "0.06" mode measures 0.01 lms for me, and that's as low as my meter goes... in all fairness, I think the "0.01" mode was only intended to be a locator beacon. Everyone has a different preferences and mine is for the "brighter" moonlight modes which I can use as general purpose low modes. "Fireflies" <0.10 lms are less useful to me, except for when waking from sleep, so I personally use ZL's "3" mode instead (which meters 1.5 lms btw ). The other M - H specs are closer to reality, but are still much more "liberal" than the crowd I mentioned above... you need an "adjustment factor" to compare a ZL to them.

 

[thedoc007]

I posted just a few days ago about my one failure...a repairable switch issue.

Today, I finally had a REAL failure. It was in my backup light, which I use every so often just for kicks. An Ultrafire light I don't really care about, and frequently loan out to someone else. The LED seems to have been fried...it went to VERY cold tint, almost entirely blue, and then out completely. The LED is now brown around the edges. Actually kind of cool, I had no idea it might fail in that particular manner. This might be the sign I was waiting for, though. Up until now I have actually had positive experiences with Ultrafire lights (NEVER *****Fire cells). Now I might switch to using my much higher quality Convoy backups.

 

[jorn]

Bring spare money, and a aaa keychain light. When on vacation, 2$ is one and 1 is zero If pepole ask me if i have packed for a trip, i usually say i only need my wallet and a toothbrush

 

[P_A_S_1]

.......
My question to you all is; how often has your main EDC fail on you?

Carried a light on my person for 20+ years, leo, working nights. Only had one light fail on me in all that time, at the worst possible moment too. It happens, albeit not often.

 

[300WSM]

I read with interest the subject of this thread and decided to take inventory for myself. What I found was surprising. First I carry a small DQG single AAA cell flashlight in my shirt pocket pen holder. This is a custom made leather carrier that I use to carry two Starrett steel rules for my job as well as a Gel pen or two to sign documents. I find that this little flashlight rests perfectly there and is very handy when needed. I carry a second DQG in my Altoid mini survival kit in the right hand leg pocket of my BDU civilian pants. I carry a Convoy S2 in my Maxpedition Pocket Organizer in the left hand leg pocket. This also contains other tools (mini pry bar, Leatherman Juice CS4, 16GB stick) that I use daily for my work. I also noticed that I still have my trusty Streamlight NANO on my key ring. I did not realize that I daily carry four flashlights with me. This does not include the lights in my vehicle BOB and the center console storage of my car. Well, I guess I am prepared! :thumbsup:

 

[FrogmanM]

My McGizmo torches have held up pretty decently over here. There are plenty of stores that offer AA/AAA/CR123. I'd like to expand on an earlier suggestion on a backup pen: when flying into Hawaii one will need a writing instrument to fill out the in-flight agricultural declaration form.

Enjoy your stay! :wave:

-Mayo

 

[ForrestChump]

I've been thinking about this thread a little too much.......
I don't really care for the 2 is 1 philosophy......:duck: Not that having a backup is bad, I have one, but where do we draw the line? Im mean really? Right now I have 1 light and am waiting for a second in the mail. How many more lights can one possibly need? I have this mental experiment Im playing with. Im trying to fit my ENTIRE life into a backpack, all my possessions anything I might need. Go back 2,000 years from now. People traveled around in sandals and robes and crossed more land than any modern through hiker could even comprehend. Those dudes would laugh all the way down the Appalachian trail with a candle and flip flops.... And they managed to accomplish things worth mentioning 2,000 years later! How bout all those cave paintings way way way down? The Catacombs? The Pyramids? Heck theres holes all over the earth that we find stuff deep down in some mile long crack....No evidence of LED lights, but people were just hanging out down there 5,000 years ago..... Theres even places of ancient civilizations that the air is so thin they need to wear oxygen masks to get to.... Crazy!

In the SAS Survival guide there is this pyramid of survival that I think is worth the price of the book alone: 1) Will to live > 2) Knowledge > 3) Gear..... Notice which 2 are first? I wonder if in modern times we have traded the 1st to accumulate the 3rd and just plain forgot the 2nd?


I don't know, just trying to add a little flavor and twist to the thread....

 

[thedoc007]

No one is seriously arguing that a flashlight is the most important thing in a survival situation, but most of us are not using them for survival, but for convenience. This is a lighting forum, what do you expect? That said, if it was just about the lights, people wouldn't keep coming back to CPF. It is much more than just the gear...I know I have learned a ton by reading here.

In my opinion, that kind of philosophizing should be in another thread. Not really appropriate here.

 

[cland72]

I look at it this way: if my primary light went down, it would be in the worst possible scenario (battery died when I need it). I think most of us here would be better served by spare batteries than spare lights because most of us buy quality lights that aren't prone to failure. That being said, I always have a spare light nearby, usually in the vehicle I'm driving at the time.


Sent from my iPad using Candlepowerforums

 

[tandem]

Never had a light die but I generally buy pretty beefy lights.

When travelling, especially if by air, we generally leave the li-ion lights at home and take two or three 1xAA powered lights. I feel we are less likely to be hassled at airport security if carrying NiMH cells in a case than big fat 18650's... but that said I've carried Li-ion cells too and not been hassled.

Taking just one chemistry means just one charger, and if our vacation rental has anything missing it's generally going to be spare cells for the remotes so we've got that covered too. ;-0

 

[MidnightDistortions]

I've been thinking about this thread a little too much.......
I don't really care for the 2 is 1 philosophy......:duck: Not that having a backup is bad, I have one, but where do we draw the line? Im mean really? Right now I have 1 light and am waiting for a second in the mail. How many more lights can one possibly need? I have this mental experiment Im playing with. Im trying to fit my ENTIRE life into a backpack, all my possessions anything I might need. Go back 2,000 years from now. People traveled around in sandals and robes and crossed more land than any modern through hiker could even comprehend. Those dudes would laugh all the way down the Appalachian trail with a candle and flip flops.... And they managed to accomplish things worth mentioning 2,000 years later! How bout all those cave paintings way way way down? The Catacombs? The Pyramids? Heck theres holes all over the earth that we find stuff deep down in some mile long crack....No evidence of LED lights, but people were just hanging out down there 5,000 years ago..... Theres even places of ancient civilizations that the air is so thin they need to wear oxygen masks to get to.... Crazy!

In the SAS Survival guide there is this pyramid of survival that I think is worth the price of the book alone: 1) Will to live > 2) Knowledge > 3) Gear..... Notice which 2 are first? I wonder if in modern times we have traded the 1st to accumulate the 3rd and just plain forgot the 2nd?


I don't know, just trying to add a little flavor and twist to the thread....

No one is seriously arguing that a flashlight is the most important thing in a survival situation, but most of us are not using them for survival, but for convenience. This is a lighting forum, what do you expect? That said, if it was just about the lights, people wouldn't keep coming back to CPF. It is much more than just the gear...I know I have learned a ton by reading here.

In my opinion, that kind of philosophizing should be in another thread. Not really appropriate here.

There's no doubt that people 2000 years ago could get through the night and in dark places using a candles and fire torches. They'd most likely have no idea what it is we are holding, with some of the more high end lights they might think we stole the sun from the sky LOL. I've bought 5 lights within the past year but a couple of them are different form factors. D cell, AA cell, AAA cell. In fact i need a LEDLenser AAA light. I need to get at least one Li-Ion light to make the battery form factor complete. The reason i do this? It's just so maybe during impending doom i might run across some batteries that would actually work in the device without resorting to MacGyvering it. I probably wouldn't carry all the lights i have with me but they would all at least fit in my car if i decided to drive around.. or if the world ended and only took a few lights with me at least i have given someone a chance at having some light if they broke into my apartment looking for supplies. Even today, i keep all my cheap plastic lights that still have the incandescent bulb in them, if someone needed one i'd let them use it and if they really needed one, didn't have one i'd let them keep it. I keep all my lights together too so i'm not looking around for that one i stuffed in a drawer or somewhere buried in my car.

Possibly a good reason why to carry a couple of lights, but with the extreme weather changes in my area i think leaving it in the house (instead of the car) would keep the light from failing. I'd prefer to carry a little powerful light with adjustable brightness and know it's in working condition or not as i check the batteries and turn it on to make sure it runs on the daily basis.