Totally green in this matter. Every-day use rechargable flashlight?

[Auror]

Hi everybody. I'm so glad I've found this forum - exactly what I was looking for.

I need to buy a quality flashlight for my dad, who's moving out from the city and moving into a house in the country.
I know nothing about flashlights really. All I know is that he needs a rechargeable one that's going to last.

I've came across this website: http://www.opticsplanet.net/flashlight-besandtop.html and while browsing it I decided I need something like Streamlight's LiteBox or Volcano. Big battery, long lasting, sturdy. My dad is no fireman so I'm wondering if Streamlight is a good choice for home use. He'll use outside in the forest and around the house.

I wouldn't like to spend more than $200, but if something is really worth it I can throw in a couple of extra bucks.

One more thing - I'm going to buy in the US but gonna use it in Europe so I need the flashlight to be 230V compatible! I can see that some flashlights are only 110V compatible ... right?

Thank you very much in advance and sorry if this is not the right section of the forum.

 

[VidPro]

Everything has some caveat, here is some of the issues:

the lightbox uses a lead acid gell cell. gell cells, dont like to be deep discharged, they weigh 2-4X as much as some of the newer tech battery stuff , and FULLY discharged each use they will last about 25 uses , with proper cutoff and use to say 20%(left) discharge, mabey 50 rounds.

IF you keep it topped off , like an emergency light, or like a computer UPS does then gell cells arent bad, but ignore it for a year, and when you need it it wont work. if you use it constantally it wont last long.

replacement costs of gell cells is VERY cheap, so its not a cost issue.

so i wouldnt recommend that untill i knew exactally how the person would use this light. if they feed the horse for 5 minutes a day, then top it off every 2 days (or something like that) the battery will last a good 2 years.

Every DAY use? ni cads or nimhy, they would Love everyday use.

 

[VidPro]

so you want a portable spot light?
its outdoors, so incadescent will have better color, halogen bulbs are "efficient" and long lasting. LEDs would be hugely more battery efficient, but dont light up trees and nature as well. a HID light is often very bluish, and is also 3x more battery efficient.
Should it be able to focus? so you have both a spot light AND a flood light for everything else?
does it need to sit down, and aim at stuff? rotating head, working on cars, working on the house, stuff like that.
does it need to be lantern style or would a normal long tube flashlight still work?

we know its gotta be rechargable.
Drop in charging? or user connected? because there are wall mount type, that you just "put the light away" and it charges on its stand or wall mount.
we know it has to be durable, does this include a glass front that can break?
how many LBS would he lug around?

if the charger was powered with these new "switching" type power sources, it would work in 220v with just adaption (it will list both voltages).
every charger can use a Converter with a 120-220v type european converter, fairly easily, so some power supplys for charging wont need conversion, just a plug adapter thing.

 

[PegAir]

[-snip-]

 

[Auror]

spot light and flood light would be a very nice touch.
Here's how's this going to work. Dad wants an emergency flashlight in case there's a power shortage in the area. I'm sure he's going to play around with it for the first two weeks and then use it more rarely (let's say once every 3-4 days). He won't take a very good care about batteries that's for sure.
It won't need a rotating head nor work on cars. He won't be using it for repairs - not a head light.
Walking from the house to to closest market in the night time once in a while, moving around the house while there's a power shortage in the area. That's it. I guess the flashlight will be used for an hour or two once a week or even once every two weeks. I see the expression "every day use" was wrong for my dads usage
Weight doesn't matter that much. Battery shouldn't be in backpack
Drop in charging would be the most comfortable I guess, but is not 100% necessary. He could hook it up to a cable or smth.
I'd like to pay extra for nonbraking front glass.

One charge operating time is not as important (he doesn't need a non-stop 9 hour emergency light) as the general betteries lifespan. I'm comming back to Europe and it might be hard to get (or unreasonable expensive) a substitute battery for a specific flashlight.

 

[VidPro]

so for those uses the color is not as important.
then in emergency you want a long running light, mabey with at least 2 levels, and some decent battery juice for runtime.

see the reason i asked all that, is because this new wizz bang LED stuff with its great efficiency means we dont have to lug around 8LBS of battery to get the SAME runtime and output of things that used 6volt lantern batteries. and the led itself last longer, and doesnt pop when you drop the light with it on.

there are some very potent LED lights, that will light up a whole street for 6 hours on 2 D cells. and if you get a light with something like 2-3 NI-Mhy D cells, and at least 3watts of led, you can walk anywhere in the dark, spot stuff about 50 mabey 70 feet away, and use it in your house as emergency. but the color compared to the high consuming incadescent (old style) is not great at all.

with a led light you can see everything you need to see, its just not kodachrome artisitic color. its hard to explain, and it only shows up most in nature, in civilisation it makes little difference.

 

[Taepo]

Maybe the new Pelican 7060 or Inova T4 ???

 

[Auror]

Totally don't mind the color of the light! It doesn't need to be 'artistic' or life-like. Decent runtime in case of emergency, long battery lifespan in general (can I hope for at least 2 years without getting a new acu for it?), charging station, non-braking front glass and point- & spread-light options would be nice. Can I get a substitute acu/battery with the purchase of such a flashlight?

specific brands & models would be very appreciated.

Oh yeah and <$250.

 

[VidPro]

hmm, some examples, not recomendations, using the manufacture you already picked
http://www.flashlightreviews.com/reviews/streamlight_stinger.htm

handy sized light, NiCad, drop in charger, powerfull incadescent 1 hour runtime.
$100, spare bulb . adjustable focus.

now if your ME going to the store, it would be out of power half way back from my walk. and if the power goes off, then your in the dark in 1 hour too.

but for 100$ , you still have $100 for a long running emergency led light


http://www.flashlightreviews.com/reviews/streamlight_propoly_3c.htm

a luxeon 1w 3c light, that will run for 6 hours, about 1/2 as bright, non focusable, plastic.


Dang, i cant find a fat 3 cree light that uses big batteries, at that review site, i guess an hour is enough for a review
i know there are Pro makers here who can do that, and rechargable.


Note NI-Cads are being Phased out in Europe, as replaced by higher capacity ni-mhy and use of li-ion. that could be important and i forgot about it. i dont know if its a Banned item yet, just not sold there anymore.

 

[VidPro]

i was trying to find something like THIS
http://www.cpfmarketplace.com/mp/showthread.php?t=158345
that would compare to a bright incadescent, and has some battery in it still so it has better than a 20 min runtime.

SSC P4 LEDs , the new wizz bang led type that is the latest tech, potentially could use rechargable cells.

leave it to the makers here .

here we go
http://elektrolumens.com/QuadStar-Phazer/QuadStar-Phazer.html
finally a led that would have as much light (but not as much spot) as a bigger spot light, and still have battery, and is actually a competed product.
Seoul leds, reflectors, could use rechargables, will blow away above streamlight incadescent in total light , but run for 2 hours too, no levels no focus

 

[VidPro]

honerable mention, and because there are users here who like it, and like to make it much brighter with crasy modifications.
this sucker would blow away a handheld heavy spotlight, weigh a lot less, but not run as long as a handheld spotlight could.

http://www.flashlightreviews.com/reviews/maglite_magcharger.htm
the mag charger. halogen, omnipotent output, focusable, classic mag style, drop in charging, cheap, 1.5 hours runtime before its completly useless. ususal nasty mag beam , and donut holes on wide.
other improved battery packs are made for this by modders, that would extend the runtime by a lot.

 

[mikekoz]

I have the Inova T4 and I think it is a great light! There is a new version of it out that is even brighter. This light is bright and built like a tank. I believe you can get it for around $100.00 and it will operate overseas with adapters. I also just bought an Energizer 3W LED light from Walmart for just under 50.00. The power supply/charger will take 220v. It is bright and has a nice white beam. It is not built quite as nice as the Inova, but still a nice light. Hope this helps!

Mike

 

[enLIGHTenment]

I need to buy a quality flashlight for my dad, who's moving out from the city and moving into a house in the country.

Can you give us more information?

How long does the light need to run between charges?

How frequently will it be used?

Will it be used to illuminate objects that are far away, close up, or both?

Is weight an issue?


I do not recommend using a rechargeable light as an emergency power outage light. Rechargeable lights do not have the runtime necessary for a long blackout. The longest running rechargeable lights will run for a few hours at most. For emergency use, get every person in the household an Inova X5 or new-generation (Cree LED based) Surefire and 16+ batteries. This is enough to give light for literally weeks if necessary.

The niche for rechargeable lights is for routine use of no more than an hour or two. Anything more than that requires looking at other options.

 

[Auror]

I think that 2 hours of light is enough. It's going to be used once, twice a week probably.
It's going to be used both inside the house and outside on the country road.

Emergency light as in a flashlight which will let my parents start the emergency power unit that runs on gas (sorry, don't know the name for that in english).
It's a priority for my dad not to buy new batteries every couple of weeks.

I was ready to pull the trigger on the Inova T4 with international plugs and an extra battery: http://www.gad-zooks.com/inova-t4-int.html

Do you suggest smth else?

PS. Rechargeablness (?) is a priority.

 

[VidPro]

"do not recommend using a rechargeable light as an emergency power outage light. Rechargeable lights do not have the runtime necessary for a long blackout. The longest running rechargeable lights will run for a few hours at most. "

i think this statement should be qualified, the consumer stuff that is out there , might work like that

but most all my rechargables will run for 6 hours plus, plus TriStars that will run for 60 hours on low with D li-ions, and headlamps that will run for , well for what seems like forever. a Cold cathode lantern that will put out 1W and run for 6 hours on 1/2w that weighs 5oz.
the technology and ability totally exists, and it adds about 3$ total to the costs to put in levels.
the only problem my rechargables have ever had, is the power is never out long enough :huh:
i can survive a week of blackout without even using the solar or crank charger, and without anybody knowing the lights are out

course the OP didnt say MOD, and did say less than $250 so a primadonna light with LEVELS and rechargable, and focusable like some of the stuff sold here . any good light using a NFLEX or a BFLEX or a UFLEX would easily do that because of totally adjustable levels. and that might be a search one could use to find the elusive things. because those curcuits will also drive a lot of LED juice.

also the Huge advantage of Direct drive, and its ever dwindling output , that can go on forever, but is completly ignored because its not regulated. EVEN if its at least as bright for almost as long, and take forever to die completly. stuff like that might not be bright when the battery is not any longer being charged, but in an emergency it doesnt quit either.
it just doesnt make pretty reviews.
with DD my single AA light will do an hour at 3W, dwindling down to running for the next 2 days, weighs 3oz with battery.

 

[Long John]

do not recommend using a rechargeable light as an emergency power outage light. Rechargeable lights do not have the runtime necessary for a long blackout. The longest running rechargeable lights will run for a few hours at most.

That's not correct in principle.

It exists a lot of Custom-lights, i.e. Mag-builds with lots of capacity cells and low brightness levels which lasts for days unless for weeks.
Also 1xLIR18650 with Flupic-board, lowest brightness level about 200 hours.

Best regards

____
Tom

 

[KeeperSD]

Why not have the best of both worlds and buy a light that can take both rechargeables and primaries?

Something like the Wolf Eyes Defender II, pretty much covers all your requirements, has low and high stage, great for emergencies and if the power stays out for extended periods can be used on primaries. Only down side is that the battery has to be removed from the body for charging, not sure if you mentioned that as an issue already.

 

[VidPro]

Why not have the best of both worlds and buy a light that can take both rechargeables and primaries?

Something like the Wolf Eyes Defender II, pretty much covers all your requirements, has low and high stage, great for emergencies and if the power stays out for extended periods can be used on primaries. Only down side is that the battery has to be removed from the body for charging, not sure if you mentioned that as an issue already.

i concurr, with the newest tech led, and the best rechargable technology using a protected 18650. its handy, great 2hr runtime with bright output. priced ok , no focus, but using reflectors it would have both spot and spill, could run up to 50 hours on low. if its the 2 level, it wont overwelm anybody with UI (user interfaces).
Dad would be all tecked out :twothumbs

all he would have to do, is learn how to charge his new toy, and stay a bit safe with it.

http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=165790

 

[Auror]

maybe that's a dumb question but where do i find the new Wolf Eyes Defender II? Froogle doesn't give me anything!

 

[VidPro]

maybe that's a dumb question but where do i find the new Wolf Eyes Defender II? Froogle doesn't give me anything!

http://www.quarterflash.com.au/wolf...mart&page=shop.browse&category_id=4&Itemid=26

an australian site, but i still dont see it, mabey its a special modification?