Whats the most durable light?

[waddup]

If you were to go on an outdoor trip, for several weeks, where your light would probably get wet regularly, be dropped several times, but it was essential that it continued to work,

im guessing potted electronics and lots of epoxy but

what light would you take?

whats the toughest light you know of?

 

[Owen]

Longbow Micra
Arc AAA
CMG Ultra-G

I keep these "outdated" lights for that very reason, btw.

 

[berry580]

pretty much any 'popular' light on CPF will satisfy your needs.

I'd be more interested to see out of something like.... Surefire, Nitecore, Jetbeam, Fenix, Olight, etc etc etc........ which one is the least durable. lol

So to answer your question, get any light from the brands mentioned above and you'd be fine.

 

[smokelaw1]

Ra Twisty. I'm pretty sure it is the most abuse-proof light out there right now. If it was available a little brighter I would still own at least one. I regret letting one leave my hands. Sometimes you don't need the brightest, the strobiest, the shiniest...you need the one that will work. Period.

 

[Yucca Patrol]

Ra Twisty.

+1 My two Ra Twistys are easily the most durable and bombproof lights I own.

Don't let the lumen number cloud your judgement on these. Smooth even beam and rock solid construction put these above and beyond the brighter Chinese stuff.

And if you MUST have brighter but still want bombproof, bring along one of your Chinese lights for that purpose and know that your Ra Twisty will always work if the other one doesn't.

 

[Illum]

Durability depends on how you use them
Any light, if operated sporadically and spends 90% of its days sitting on the shelf, is durable no matter how brittle the construction design is.

Now if you like to climb rock faces but has a tency to drop things alot, no matter what light you decide to choose I guarantee it won't be "durable" and "long lasting" after your next trip to yosemite

 

[sabre7]

Ra Twisty. I'm pretty sure it is the most abuse-proof light out there right now. If it was available a little brighter I would still own at least one. I regret letting one leave my hands. Sometimes you don't need the brightest, the strobiest, the shiniest...you need the one that will work. Period.

Not sure how much abuse someone would want to inflict on a $100 flashlight, but for less than 1/4 the price Gerber Infinity Ultra, Fenix E01, and Photon Freedoms are pretty tough.

 

[smokelaw1]

Not sure how much abuse someone would want to inflict on a $100 flashlight, but for less than 1/4 the price Gerber Infinity Ultra, Fenix E01, and Photon Freedoms are pretty tough.

If I was, as the OP states, (and have gone on) going on an outdoor trip for SEVERAL WEEKS, where the light would be dropped and wet, but still NEEDS TO WORK, then most people I know would rather spend $100 and be a little poorer but have a working light for their whole trip than have $80 in their pocket and be sitting in the dark, unable to deal with shelter or food because of lack of light, getting wet and cold saying "Whew...glad I went the cheap route."

 

[f22shift]

i was just going to post a thread sort of similar to this.
i was going to say is the AAA form factor the most reliable flashlight. even more specifically the twisty AAA.

it's super light. think f=ma and it'll never break dropped from any height.
construction is simple with no button to fail or wear out or leak.
minimal entry points for water to intrude.

i guess the 1aa twisty which is sort of getting hot right now would be the next most reliable form factor sacrificing weight with more superior runtime/brightness.
but as leds are getting more efficient, the aaa is not horrible at all with runtime and brightness.

 

[John_Galt]

Definitely a Ra Twisty.

Speaking of which... i really hope Henry keeps the low output, and can get about two hours out of a single CR123, especially now that we're starting to see the more efficient bins of the XP-G become available. Two hours at max output would be great! And I would definitely buy one.

 

[Hitthespot]

This is actually a good question. I have Nitecore, Jetbeam, Fenix, and Inova, Olights, and Surefires. But if I really needed a light that I had to depend on no matter what, and while I feel all of the above are really good, If I really had to choose, I would take my E2DL with me.

Interesting in the end Surefire wins.

Bill

 

[uplite]

The most durable light is TWO lights. Even two $20 lights are better than one $100 light.

You can also prevent dropping your light. Use a wrist strap. Or a headlamp. :thumbsup:

-Jeff

 

[Christoph]

If you were to go on an outdoor trip, for several weeks, where your light would probably get wet regularly, be dropped several times, but it was essential that it continued to work,...

I would bring my HDS B 42( in addition to several others) I have seen several that have been through H*** and back and are still operational.However I would do my best to see that I didn't drop it specially if it was off and dark.
Chris

 

[OutGunned321]

the twisty AAA.

it's super light. think f=ma and it'll never break dropped from any height.
construction is simple with no button to fail or wear out or leak.
minimal entry points for water to intrude.

Strong words, yet very good points. I hadn't thought about the OP's question in terms of a form factor instead of a specific model like that. Thank you for the insight. I now have a reason to buy another flashlight.

 

[gswitter]

pretty much any 'popular' light on CPF will satisfy your needs.

I couldn't disagree more.

Very few people on this board have done any durability testing of their lights. Myself included. So popularity in this case is at best meaningless, and likely misleading.

 

[f22shift]

Strong words, yet very good points. I hadn't thought about the OP's question in terms of a form factor instead of a specific model like that. Thank you for the insight. I now have a reason to buy another flashlight.

good catch. i'm such an idiot.

i guess in reality, no flashlight will be 100% durable in all situations. probably why it's a good reason to do the backup.

 

[kramer5150]

Fenix TK-20 + Lithium primaries or eneloops
SF-G2 (Lexan window double O-ring at tailcap) + Malkoff M60L + SF Primaries
Fenix E01 + Lithium primaries or eneloops

 

[mightysparrow]

+1 Ra Twisty; and
Peak lights with twisty switches

 

[gswitter]

I'd most likely grab a Surefire (reputation and personal experience) or a Ra Twisty (perceived durability), but would also consider a Barbolight (perceived durability again, but also confidence in its water resistance).

 

[CaNo]

Ra Twisty is the strongest, most durable light... in existence today.