What's your car EDC?

[wvdavidr]

I keep a Fenix P2D (an older 1x123 with max. 180 lumens). It fits in the center console with minimum space and has plenty of power for occasional use.

 

[Sukram]

My EDC is Armytek Predator. It's multifunctional light. Duration is 1h 20min at 670 lumens and 155 hours! at 6 lumens. And effective range is 437 yards. I'm impressed

 

[N8N]

This topic is actually why I found CPF. I have an E92 BMW 335i and it has a place in the glovebox for a little pen sized flashlight, which was a dealer option but didn't come with the car. By the time I got the car the flashlight was discontinued from the dealer so I started searching for a suitable substitute, and of course me being me I wanted the best that I could get for the money I determined that the BMW branded flashlight was a relabeled LED Lenser P2; armed with that info I ended up with a Fenix LD01.

And since I've found this auspicious site, I've also bought two 6Ps, a Malkoff drop in, a Fenix TK41, and while I was at REI picking up the LD01 I also bought myself an E11 that I carry in my pocket. And spend lots of money on Eneloops. Thanks guys.

 

[Ishango]

As a follow-up of my previous post in this thread, I decided to add my Olight T10 to my car emergency pack (it holds all safety items like safety vests, emergency triangle, first aid kit, etc). That would be the first thing to grab after an incident occurs (assuming it is safe to reach of course). I am planning to create a BOB in the near future which keeps similar items, but until then it has its' place there.

 

[Ishango]

This topic is actually why I found CPF. I have an E92 BMW 335i and it has a place in the glovebox for a little pen sized flashlight, which was a dealer option but didn't come with the car. By the time I got the car the flashlight was discontinued from the dealer so I started searching for a suitable substitute, and of course me being me I wanted the best that I could get for the money I determined that the BMW branded flashlight was a relabeled LED Lenser P2; armed with that info I ended up with a Fenix LD01.

And since I've found this auspicious site, I've also bought two 6Ps, a Malkoff drop in, a Fenix TK41, and while I was at REI picking up the LD01 I also bought myself an E11 that I carry in my pocket. And spend lots of money on Eneloops. Thanks guys.

You're welcome :wave: Seems like you could use yet another flashlight

 

[N8N]

You're welcome :wave: Seems like you could use yet another flashlight

Hah... I didn't mention the 4D LED Mag that I've had for years (bought when it was new and cool,) and the several Task Force flashlights that I already had. And a really vintage thing that I found in the glovebox of an old Studebaker and kept when I sold the car because it was cool.

I have to say that the E11 was one of the best purchases I've made; it was kind of an impulse buy but I've used the snot out of that little thing. So handy to have a real flashlight in your pocket, I couldn't have imagined such a thing 30 years ago! Last week I was covering for a friend at his auto repair shop, since I knew I would be there and probably end up working on cars even though I was really there to run the front, I took the 6P with the Malkoff 219 as well (I have the SF leather holster) and sure enough I ended up using that quite a bit. Forgot to mention that the 6P with the Malkoff also has a tailcap for a Malkoff MD2 on it so I can turn it on one handed. However if I had to pick one and only one I would keep the E11 because I can hold it in my teeth and have both hands free to work. Who needs a drop light? (and they're always broken/greasy/the magnet will never hold it where you need it to see what you're doing anyway)

 

[fresh eddie fresh]

Phew! Lots of good points here and some of us must look like mobile Christmas trees! Joking aside, thanks to CPF I am thinking more carefully about function than ever before. The SRT 7 lives in the glove compartment 'cause its my brightest for reading house numbers in winter and I feel the coloured LEDs might come in handy. I've got a Olight on my key ring and SC52 in my work bag. We have to have hazard triangles and hi viz vests for European driving, but I notice our police have started using bright blue flashing LEDs atop small traffic cones. Very effective in the dark and rain. AFAIK you can't get road flares here but they sound like an important safety aid if you break down or need to warn other drivers about a hazard. I think the RAC LEDs might be a useful alternative and sensible addition to my car emergency kit. As someone mentioned, you've only got to come across an accident once to see the need for this sort of hazard lighting. We have a surprising number of people killed when their cars are hit from behind, even though they are on the 'hard shoulder' or breakdown lane.

I live in Massachusetts... people drive in the breakdown lane here. I am surprised more people are not killed when they get flat tires and whatnot.

If you use a light to read house numbers, you might want to try something with a TIR lens. It will project light in a very tight beam so you will have a bright spot without having to light up the entire front of the building/house.

 

[wjv]

Fenix E11 + a 10 pack of batteries.

And I always have my Fenix LD10 in my pocket.

 

[wjv]

IMO, that defeats the purpose of carrying a flashlight in your car. What if you break down with a car battery or electrical problem, and you have no lights to look around for the batteries and flashlight and get them installed?

Unlikely scenario.

My E11 is in the trunk, in the get-home-bag, at the very top of the bag. The light and a box of batteries are in a zip-lock baggy. Plus I always have a flashlight in my pocket. . Having the batteries outside of the light also allows you to examine them regularly to make sure that they are not leaking.

 

[BigBluefish]

Changed a bit over the years, but currently, an EagleTac P100C2 Neutral with two spare pairs of matched cells, and an E1e Cree single level, with FM04 beam diffuser, and 4 spare cells.

I need to see if I can stick a 17670 in the ET, and maybe pick up a new old stock 3/45 lumen E1e.

That, or switch over both car lights to 2 AA lights, one 2xAA with some throw and one Xeno E03 to use L91 cells instead of primary CR123a cells. But, that's just really an excuse to get more lights.

 

[mhpreston]

I usually receive car-adapters with my chargers, but don't see the practicality with them. If my 18650 is needing a full recharge, that can take 6 to 7 hours. And if I'm stopping for gas, food, etc. I am terminating the current to the charger and that seems like it could improperly charge a battery.

I'll usually try to top up my 18650's before a trip.

Good point - my logic was a bit foggy on IC charging anyway, Perhaps another spare batt instead

 

[mhpreston]

This topic is actually why I found CPF. I have an E92 BMW 335i and it has a place in the glovebox for a little pen sized flashlight, which was a dealer option but didn't come with the car. By the time I got the car the flashlight was discontinued from the dealer so I started searching for a suitable substitute, and of course me being me I wanted the best that I could get for the money I determined that the BMW branded flashlight was a relabeled LED Lenser P2.

Noo! I'm on my 3rd Beemer and I always assumed it was a slightly badly designed pen holder. I think I even asked one of the sales guys once. :-(

 

[StriderSMF]

klarus xt11 and fenix eo5 and lod both on my keychain that i can seperate from house keys to car keys always have light on me.

 

[mhpreston]

Good point - I have a older Lensor MT7 with the focusing beam that might actually fit the bill better. Time to start an EDC rotation...

What would be a good TIR EDC?

 

[Norm]

What would be a good TIR EDC?

Your question is beyond the scope of this thread. Please ask your question here Recommend Me a Light For... - Norm

 

[N8N]

I usually receive car-adapters with my chargers, but don't see the practicality with them. If my 18650 is needing a full recharge, that can take 6 to 7 hours. And if I'm stopping for gas, food, etc. I am terminating the current to the charger and that seems like it could improperly charge a battery.

I'll usually try to top up my 18650's before a trip.

If your cig lighter is always hot it's not a problem... battery charger probably doesn't draw enough current to drain the car battery any significant amount. Seems to be common in newer cars to have it turn off with the key however. My Jeep has one of each, one switched and one not.

 

[N8N]

Noo! I'm on my 3rd Beemer and I always assumed it was a slightly badly designed pen holder. I think I even asked one of the sales guys once. :-(

You really should have been over on E90post ages ago then... there's a thread that's been going for years called "things you didn't know about your E9x" or something like that. I learned some stuff myself and I'm one of those guys that actually reads the owner's manual.

 

[Poppy]

I've also started carrying a Nitecore I2 charger, batts and a cheapie digital multimeter in the boot. Figured I could charge on the move on longer trips. Does anyone else bother? Is in-car charging a bit unwise?

I charge my cell phone while in the car, more often than I do at home. Personally I wouldn't hesitate to charge batteries for my lights in my car.

I usually receive car-adapters with my chargers, but don't see the practicality with them. If my 18650 is needing a full recharge, that can take 6 to 7 hours. And if I'm stopping for gas, food, etc. I am terminating the current to the charger and that seems like it could improperly charge a battery.

I'll usually try to top up my 18650's before a trip.

Honestly, I won't buy a charger unless it will run on a car-adapter.
I don't store all of my 18650s fully charged, and in the event of a sudden power failure, I may need them. Without power I wouldn't be able to top them off, without powering up the generator. However, my car is always nearby, and I can do six 18650s at a time, and six NiMH at the same time.

If your cig lighter is always hot it's not a problem... battery charger probably doesn't draw enough current to drain the car battery any significant amount. Seems to be common in newer cars to have it turn off with the key however. My Jeep has one of each, one switched and one not.

For those who may be concerned about running the car battery down to recharge 18650 batteries, I did some calculations in another thread. http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/...=1#post4255094

I estimate that the average car alternator has a 940 watt hours/hour extra capacity, beyond what it takes to run the engine itself. That relates to 15.77 watt hours/ per minute.
I estimate that six 18650 batteries have a capacity of 70 watt hours.
Therefore the average alternator, can replace the energy, taken from the car battery to charge six 18650s, in about 5 minutes.

 

[mhpreston]

Thanks Poppy - interesting link and comments. Out of interest, is there any benefit in keeping spare batts under full charge? My original idea for in car charging was to keep them topped up. Perhaps this isn't such a good idea?

 

[Poppy]

Thanks Poppy - interesting link and comments. Out of interest, is there any benefit in keeping spare batts under full charge? My original idea for in car charging was to keep them topped up. Perhaps this isn't such a good idea?

As I understand it, there are four things that degrade a battery's ability to hold a charge:
1. time ( as they age, they have less capacity lol... don't we all?)
2. temperature (hotter temps cause them to degrade)
3. average percent of charge (if kept fully charged, they degrade faster, however if they are stored discharged, they are not immediately usable)
4. charge cycles. (there is a limit to the number of times it can be recharged. (note: partial charges count only as a partial recharge cycle))

Here's a thread that may go into greater depth, and with-in it there is a link to batteryUniversity with charts that people refer to.

http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb...18650-maintenance&highlight=18650+maintenance