what was the first led flashlight you owned?

AlienBug

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Apr 28, 2020
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Connecticut
Inova X1 maybe 12 years ago. I feel like it could have been my only flashlight all this time. I've bought others with more features, longer runtime, more lumens, harder anodizing, etc. But none have been any better at being a flashlight than the Inova.
 

gadget_lover

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Oct 7, 2003
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7,148
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Near Silicon Valley (too near)
My first LED flashlight was a "pilot's emergency light". It was sold as a light that would not interfere with the pilot's night vision. It was a simple design. A red LED was powered by a watch battery. The LED's leads were the only wiring, and the on / off switch was a simple wedge that pushed the wire against the battery.

My first WHITE led was a Nichia 3 mm LED in a Maglight 1 AAA Solitaire. I modded the solitaire to take a 12 volt battery from an automobile remote and a resistor to drop the current to the LED's safe voltage. This was in the late 1990s. The LED was $6 each for a high powered 20 milliamp unit. :) I still have that flashlight and it still has the original mod in it.

Daniel
 

wjv

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Aug 1, 2012
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Tekna

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Beam shot - White wall - ~5 feet away
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Trout River

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May 3, 2020
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The first one I ever bought was a 4D Maglite. That was about 28 years ago. I thought to myself that there has to be something brighter than this. Little did I know what was coming....I don't even think dial up internet was around then. 😆
 

Garythegunnut

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Jun 23, 2007
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Offer 20 years ago, I plugged a green 5mm led from American Science and Surplus into a streamlight stinger. I propped it up on the medicine cabinet and left it running. I was amazed that I could read a newspaper across the bathroom a week of continuous running, then 10 days, 2 weeks!! This was back when stingers were fairly new. I remember telling my wife it was a game changer. Obviously other people were working on it. I may have also invented the single point rifle sling back in 1993, but again I didn't do anything with it. LOL
 

Pellidon

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Sep 19, 2002
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39.42N 86.42 W
CMG Reactor, the 2 x AA under driven cat pee green Luxeon emmiters. Followed by the CMG (now Gerber) Infinity 1 x AA 5mm LED. Then one of the early Arc AAA's.
 

Msf

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Jul 14, 2016
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262
Location
Virginia
Streamlight Sidewinder Military Model With white, red, blue, and infrared light. At the time, I preferred my issue Surefire incandescent. My preference for LEDs began when I purchased a Fenix LD01. So much brightness and runtime from such a small light. Wish I still had it, but loaned it out to a relative who promptly lost it.
 

Dr Evil

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Jul 8, 2010
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Dalzell, South Carolina
Probably one of those cheap button cell lights that could attach to almost anything with the included clip. Once Surefire came out with their own P60 LED modules, I started using that.
 

chip100t

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Apr 1, 2021
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310
Mine was the "tesco £10 light" as recommended by a great many people on a cycling forum. It was about 100 lm and ran on two c cells. Before that I had upgraded my old beat up 6 D cell maglite with an 800 lm triple led drop in I paid a small fortune for.

I actually dumped the whole maglite including leds in the trash before joining this forum as the tail cap had become fused to the body and even with a vice and large plumbers grips could shift it.

I regret doing that now.
 

knucklegary

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
Feb 11, 2017
Messages
4,196
Location
NorCal, Central Coast
Mine was the "tesco £10 light" as recommended by a great many people on a cycling forum. It was about 100 lm and ran on two c cells. Before that I had upgraded my old beat up 6 D cell maglite with an 800 lm triple led drop in I paid a small fortune for.

I actually dumped the whole maglite including leds in the trash before joining this forum as the tail cap had become fused to the body and even with a vice and large plumbers grips could shift it.

I regret doing that now.
For future reference; Low heat using butane torch immediately follow with cold water quench will break loose fused tailcaps. Works for stubborn nuts & bolts as well
 
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