The Right Tool for the Right Job

[awyeah]

What are the situations that you encounter - routine or otherwise - and what are your flashlight requirements? It's important to choose the right tool for the right job.

I'll start. I walk the dog at night. I live on a street with no sidewalks or street lights. I prefer a light with decent throw but enough spill/flood for good context. For that job, I usually use a P60 host with a Nailbender XM-L2 drop-in.

 

[ozzy1990]

Industrial electrician, use it almost every day. Used it today when I was in the basement of a steel mill. Used it last week when working under a raised floor.
H600mk2

 

[awyeah]

So what are the characteristics of that light that make it right for the job?

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk

 

[ozzy1990]

So what are the characteristics of that light that make it right for the job?

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk

need a headlamp with enough lumens to light up an area where everything is black (walls, floors, machines)

 

[Razzle]

TK75 for walking the dogs at night. Streets here are also rural and unlit. Normally on medium power, but I will crank it up to high or turbo when one of the high speed drivers (this is a residential area, 25 mph) comes barreling around the corner (aimed just ahead, on the ground, not AT the driver).....seems to get their attention more so than the 10 lumen light I was carrying. Also nice to light up the surrounding fields same time.

ZL52 will be used for general EDC, but will also be carried as a lightweight light in my scrubs pocket at work at night, to check on patients and such, without having to crank on the overhead lights at 2am. That is IF I can perfect the UI, I don't want to hit 'em with 500 lumens at 2am!

 

[thedoc007]

I do truck inspections at work, trying to find overlooked packages or paperwork. Use mostly the Fenix PD32UE, or the Eagletac G25C2 Mk II with diffuser, or the C20C. All of them provide more than enough brightness, and all are somewhat floody, which is more useful for close quarters work. They are also small enough to be easily carried all day without any issue. I bought an extra Trustfire WF-501b single mode 500 lumen model as a loaner light, for anyone else who needs one.

For night hikes, my favorite combo is TM11vn/K40vn, or TM26/TK75vn. Either one of these combinations gives me very good throw, very good flood, enough runtime to be out for a week if necessary, and a backup in case one light should ever fail. Yes, it is overkill, but why not? Even with both, it is only a few extra pounds...has never bothered me.

 

[jimboutilier]

My most common use is general EDC
- Tiny or Small, slim and lightweight (<4.5" long, <1" diameter, <2oz) so I can always have it with me
- Sturdy aluminum or titanium construction for durability
- Deep pocket carry clip so it's unobtrusive, less likely to loose, yet quickly accessible
- Lanyard attachment point to allow neck carry/hands free use
- At least four or five brightness levels (moonlight <1lm, low <10lm, med <100lm, high >100lm and Turbo >200lm) for a wide range of uses and distances
- Capable of 200+ lumens and 2000+ lux (500/5000 preferred) for emergency/tactical use
- A user interface that allows you to turn on to max or min and cycle through brightness levels with the on/off switch so you don't have to shift grip and know what light level it will turn on to. I love the current Foursevens Quark Pro interface, the EagleTac D25 series interface and the old Fenix interface
- Prefer a rear clicky and/or a magnetic ring as I find them quick and intuitive
- Takes any flavor of a common cell so you can find more if you need them. So alkaline/NiMh/L91/14500 AAs or CR123/RCR123/16340

Some examples include the Foursevens Quark Pro series, the EagleTac D25 Clicky series, and magnetic ring lights like the Sunwayman V11R or JetBeam RRT-01 or Niteye Eye10 or Eye15.

While i do have smaller or larger lights for specific purposes, this is the sweet spot of lights I use everyday.

 

[Littlelantern]

I just bought one spark sd6 neutral white headlamp.Very satisfied with the performance of it ,the floody beam that really help when working indoor in a dimly lighted environment.The selected mid mode provides enough power with the aw 18650.not to forget the pocket clip and the magnetic screw in accessories it comes along,really helpful when you don't want to wear it on your head and can clip it on your waist belt or stick it on your work bench .

 

[880arm]

Industrial Safety Specialist here. Most of the time when I use my lights at work, it's not in complete darkness (although some would argue I'm in the dark ALL the time). Usually I'm in a fairly well lit area trying to look in, under, or behind something else so I find that lights oriented toward throw suit me the best as they can put the light where I need it without bouncing as much back into my eyes like some floodier lights would.

As a result, I tend to favor lights with optics with the SureFire EB1 and EB2 being the ones I carry most often. Every now and then, if I'm feeling nostalgic, I will even break out the E1B, L1, or LX2 LumaMax :D

 

[Pellidon]

Computer and lab gear technician. Mostly I need a small AA or AAA light that is not eye blistering bright. Sometimes a headlamp is handy. Or handlessly. Currently I EDC an Eagletac D25A clicky so I have the best of both worlds (regular or bright).

 

[reppans]

Ultralight camper/traveler/prepper type - I can use my lights 5 hrs continuously at night, so it's all about runtime, low mode spacing/efficiency, versatility and minimalism for me. I choose the 1xAA/14500 over the CR123/18650 format since the ability to share cells/chargers with my other camping gadgets, buy cells anywhere, and scavenge common household cells, effectively means I have infinite runtime over the much more proprietary CR123/18650 format. In a pinch, with piece of McGyver tinfoil, I also have the options of running AAAs, 9Vs, CR123s, 18650s, etc, in/with my 1xAA. Only one light in my 1xAA/sub-lumen collection can do all this (and a bunch more) - a Quark (Pro/XML for me).

 

[meuge]

Doc here. Use a Preon 2 on a daily basis. The moonlight mode perfect for looking at pupils, medium is great for mouths, high if I need to scan skin. Probably use the light dozens of times daily, and get tons of comments. Most positive comments stop when people find out it's more than $10. Interestingly, I have spotted many of those people with the same light months later.