Would you use a modern flashlight in a reasonably rough job or not? CONCRETE BELOW!!!

[Oztorchfreak]

Re: Would you use a fairly pricey LED flashlight in a rough job or not? CONCRETE BELO

I have been using my DEFT-X thrower a lot lately and carry a Zebralight SC600 MKII in my back pocket for a bit of flood ability.

I often think I would have a heart attack if somehow I dropped the DEFT-X costing around $600 to buy.

I can easily replace my Olight SC52VN if it was damaged in a fall as that is what I use if I don't take the DEFT-X as my primary light.



CHEERS

 

[earthman]

Sq

I'm an aircraft mechanic working 100% nights outside in the elements. Back in the days of Maglites I would go through one every 3-4 months. They would sometimes get damaged from drops, but mostly the rubber switch cover would not seal well enough, or go missing all together. Hydraulic fluid (Skydrol) would make it's way into the switch and eventually eat away everything.

I have been using my Fenix lights (TK41 & 45) and a Solarforce L2T (with a cheap Manafont XML dropin) without issues for about two years now. The L2T is on my belt and with me 100% of the time. It easily sees the most use and abuse and has not missed a beat. I even set up my coworker with a Solarforce host and dropin. His hasn't missed a beat either, even after driving over it with a 1 ton dually by accident!

IMO, modern lights are far superior to crappy old Maglites in every way and are built to be used!

For those of you who work with both hands on something most of the time, wouldn't You be better off with an head torch of some kind?
I do own more hand helds than head torches myself but when it comes to working on vehicles you cant beat a good head torch in my opinion.

 

[blah9]

Re: Would you use a fairly pricey LED flashlight in a rough job or not? CONCRETE BELO

Yes, headlamps have changed my life! They make so many tasks so much easier to perform, and you often don't have the problem of figuring out where you put one you're intermittently using because it can just stay on your head!

 

[eff]

LOL

I disagree about a big light not having to hold up to that much of a beating...as, at least in search and rescue work, etc...when it IS used, it IS under harsh conditions.

When you DO drop a big light, its own mass and momentum cause much more force to be proportionally inflicted. So if you drop your AAA edc, say 3' to concrtete, weighing mere ounces at most, it doesn't land that hard...force = mass times acceleration and all that.

If you drop a Fenix TK70 3' to concrete, weighing a few pounds...it hits HARD....and the potential for damage is greatly multiplied.

I dropped a Thrunite TN30 on Monday, I was climbing around in a building that had been whacked by Sandy down at the shore, and dropped the darn thing about 5' onto concrete. It was off when it fell, and I was worried when I picked it up and hit the switch, half expecting it to not light/work. Well, it worked, and had a scratch, it hit on the edge of the bezel, bounced and rolled a ways...but nothing to get excited about. I was relieved the lens was OK. IE: It held up well. It was its FIRST drop, as I JUST got it a day or so before that.

I've dropped the TK70, SR90 and others, and they held up fine. None of them had to survive more than ~ 5-6' onto anything hard though...that height down though, or higher than that, but onto ground or the water....ow, yeah.

The smaller ones HAVE survived longer falls, but, I EXPECT them to, as, again, the same fall just is not as hard for a lighter light.

Thanks TEEJ. I was a bit worried I might break my TK70 if I accidentally dropped it on hard concrete. Now I know it can withstand a bit of abuse

 

[Kaban]

I ran into this problem as well. Some of my lights are north of $500 and using them in a harsh environment would be insane to me (well, owning one is insane also but lets get past that part

What I have done to some of my "user" lights is I "wrapped" them.

I detail cars for a living. We have one guy that comes out to install "clear bras" on cars which is a clear protective film that applies to the front end to prevent chips and scratches to paint. Another guy does "vinyl wraps" which is an alternative to getting a different paintjob, although the primary purpose of vinyl is to change color, it is another product that protects paint.

I've experimented with these products and wrapped a few of my lights in both clear bra (Xpel Ultimate and SunTek) and 3M 1080 vinyl.

The end result is amazing. I know it may not be for everyone, but I can honestly use any of my lights without the fear of nicking them or scratching them. I've thrown and dropped my lights several times and there is absolutely zero damage to the anodizing. Best part is, the film is easily removable and leaves no sticky residue behind.

 

[CarpentryHero]

With anything if you actually use your lights, life happens. There are still incredibly tuff lights on the market and although I didn't intentionally put my Eagletac p20c2 through in the laundry I was quite happy to see it came out working fine.

surefires have life time no hassle warranties, use one of those at work and the rest of your collection stays safe problem solved

 

[CarpentryHero]

If you wear ball caps like me, and want both a headlamp and a flashlight, buy a light that is a bezel up clip style flashlight. You can clip it to your brim for hands free

 

[adnj]

About 4 years ago, I dropped a just onto the market Sunway that cost about $90 into a cement mixer. As the concrete was poured, it came out. It was still on. I rinsed it off with water and other than a few scratches, it's still working almost daily. Once that concrete cures and you drop it, you are guaranteed some rough edges.

 

[Oztorchfreak]

My Zebralight SC52 L2 and SC600 MK2 and the older versions have been through the wash so many times that I have lost count and both still work well.

I should check my pockets more especially when the SC52 series is so tiny.

I still would not like to accidentally drop one of my bigger babies like the TK75, K50V2, SR52VN, TN31mb, DEFT-X or my Lambda biggie etc.

I think that is where the new Red Maglite 3rd Generation 4 x D cell 625 lumen series that I have is good as they are pretty bright now, user configurable and a bit rugged.

If it is dropped then it is only about $50 to replace it.



CHEERS

 

[Bucur]

There seems to be a somewhat inverse relation between the "modernity" of an object and its physical robustness. Delicate electronic circuitry may be playing an essential role in this inverse relation, as well as other sophisticated materials that are involved. An old fashioned razor and an electric shaver, for instance, are in different leagues in terms of being dropped on the floor. So are many objects that we use in daily life.

Flashlights are no different. There is a pay-off for many times longer runtime at awesome brightness levels. If the ability to withstand a fall on concrete is vital for the task at hand, a primitive flashlight can be preferred, provided that its consequent shortcomings are accepted in advance. After all, one can't have his cake and eat it too.

Personally, I no longer own any flashlight that doesn't fall into the "modern" category. However, the way I handle my flashlights has changed a lot through the years. I almost spoon-feed them now. I almost wrap them in cotton wool. I use them for any job, rough or not, but I do my best for not dropping them on the floor, let alone on concrete floor. Just like my electric shaver, or my laptop, or my cell phone, etc...

 

[Danielsan]

just because we flashaholics handle them with care doesnt mean they can be "used" every day. If you drop your flashlight often i would use a more simple LED Flashlight with mechanical switch and without LED indicator, USB ports, electronical buttons etc.. those lights have many cables soldered inside and they may become loose when dropping. A Flashlight like the Thrunite T10S is really tough or one of the armyteks

 

[Str8stroke]

TheFraz has some cool videos on his QTC lights.
Here is a link to a older thread. Look down at the 4th video. If you hold one of these you will be a believer. lol

http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb...C-flashlight-from-scratch-(non-battery-crush)

 

[Oztorchfreak]

I would probably use one of my Olight M30, Olight Warrior or the Olight S20-L2 Baton lights for working in tough environments as they are reasonably cheap to replace.

My TK75 etc is too precious for me to lose to a concrete floor.

I suppose I am more of a collector than a serious user of fine lights.



CHEERS

 

[MidnightDistortions]

I probably wouldn't use any light that's over $50 in a working environment. I got an AA Maglite that i use when fixing my car anytime i needed a light. It's got some scratches and a few chips on the front of the light but it works as good as new. I've had to replace a bulb once but otherwise it works fine. The same for the AAA Maglite i have, that flashlight has some abuse including some alkaline leakage and the tailcap has a broken piece that holds the spring, but i managed to get that working. I got some other lights here and there and it's only that i treat the newer ones with care and while i try not to drop the others sometimes it happens no matter what.

Any flashlight that can handle abuse are the best ones to use at work, but i'd strap a lanyard on one so it wouldn't fall on hard surfaces. I however question the need to buy a flashlight that you'll never use, but ideally you want the right flashlight for the right job. It wouldn't make much sense to take a flashlight you want to keep nice in an environment where it'll get abuse.

 

[Warp]

I couldn't tell you how many times my keychain light has been dropped onto concrete, tile, asphalt, down a flight a stairs, thrown to somebody/missed/SMACK into concrete, etc. It's been on my keychain, and thus with me almost every time I leave the house, since I bought it new...geez I don't even know when...probably 6 years ago. I'm pretty sure I got it right after they came out which was 2008 (or earlier?)

It still works perfectly.

 

[H-Man]

I have one shelf queen, this term is a euphemism for 'broken', turns out that K2 emitters don't like it when you run 5 amps through them.

I'll use any light I have anywhere I need it and replace it if it breaks.

 

[Warp]

I didn't know shelf queens were really a thing. I mean...we're talking about tools. Tools that become outdated moderately quickly. They aren't like a gun or knife that could still be as good as anything decades from now

 

[H-Man]

I didn't know shelf queens were really a thing. I mean...we're talking about tools. Tools that become outdated moderately quickly. They aren't like a gun or knife that could still be as good as anything decades from now

For me they aren't. The light is a shelf queen because does not work anymore, the switch is not waterproof, and the emitter would be a right pain to swap out, so I keep it as a trophy since I can't bring myself to throw it out.


EDIT: Got over it, put it in the aluminum recycling bin.

 

[TEEJ]

I probably wouldn't use any light that's over $50 in a working environment.

Its almost the opposite for me. If the light HAS TO WORK, no matter what, I don't want some cheap POS light that's going to break, and get me killed/injured.

So, sure any light CAN be broken, but, I won't count on a light for work until its proven itself....and, I have an idea as to its limitations.

I have had plenty of < $50 lights that I've tried, and, some actually were fine...the key chain sized ones mostly can be pretty tough for example....but, as I got to the P60+ sizes, the < $50 lights get too delicate to count on for work, and/or didn't have the performance to justify a place in my rotation, etc.

I suppose the work environment itself might dictate your philosophy on this issue. If the light ITSELF is a mission critical part of your job, you might prioritize its survivability, and, that might cost money to get where it needs to be. If the light is an accessory, where if it fails, nothing bad happens, and you simply grab another one...sure, disposable lights, etc, start to make more sense.

I don't EDC anything I could not drop onto concrete or at least pavement. Even the DEFTX survived.


Modern lights, if they take advantage of the advances, are TOUGHER than the old school lights I used to have.

An LED with potted electronics and beefy wires and deep thread overlaps, etc, is all but bullet proof. The old incan versions bulb's would burst typically, etc.

 

[LAtraffic]

I bought myself a nitecore P10, primarily for instant strobe button and size. I dropped it on halloween and chipped the anodizing. I was pretty butt hurt, and left in a cab last night (super butt hurt) But in the time I had it my GF said she wanted one for her dad whom works in construction. Long story short, I don't think Nitecore will stand up to inevitable abuse. Im getting him a Malkoff. It should be noted I am also an idiot. :duh2: