your lights that have NEVER failed?

[carrot]

My Surefire A2, Fenix E0, and L1P have never failed me. All others I have not used extensively enough or have at one point failed.

 

[Diesel_Bomber]

A whole mess of 3D Mags has stood me in good stead for 15 plus years now, not a single failure aside from bulbs. Once I switched to LED even that failure point went away. My SL PP Lux AA has also not had a single failure in the two years I've had it. From what I've read the switches on the SL PP Lux AA fail first. My usage habit is to turn the light on and leave it on for hours at a time instead of a flash here and there. Perhaps I'm not running up the click cycles like others do?

I never had good luck with Minimags before I found DeOxit. I'd buy it new and a few months later the light would flicker and dim and I'd have to bang it to get it to turn on. Not good.

:buddies:

 

[turbodog]

Mag 2d (22 years old and only 1 blown bulb)

UK 4aa eled, twist switch not the clicky

Streamlight stinger

Mag 4d (19 years old and no blown bulbs)

Fire~fly rev 1

Various minimags, no problems beyond bulbs

Streamlight twintask 1L and 2L


MOST PROBLEMATIC:

Surefire L4 (switch, then a cracked emitter)
Surefire E2E (switch)
Surefire A2 (2 switches)
Surefire U2 (3 switches)

Notice a trend yet?

 

[jayhackett03]

Fenix L1P
Fenix L2P

my surefire G2 just quits working when its 123's are dead.

 

[woodrow]

All my surefires (not counting bulb breakage) 6p,9p,9n,m3,e2,g2z All my inovas; x5, xo2, t4,t5(until I beat on it with a hammer and screwdriver for half an hour trying to get the trios optic out of it) Now that I think of it, Flashlights are pretty tough, even the cheaper ones.

The only lights I have fail were a Heliotek ultra survival light...the magnetic switch failed within 2 days and a sl twin task 2L...the leds would strobe like a disco ball until all three died in a few days.

 

[ringzero]

MOST PROBLEMATIC:

Surefire L4 (switch, then a cracked emitter)
Surefire E2E (switch)
Surefire A2 (2 switches)
Surefire U2 (3 switches)

Notice a trend yet?

Yeah, I do notice a trend.

Working from your sample of lights, I'd go with a Mag or a Streamlight when I need a reliable light.

I'd avoid Surefire lights with pushbutton switches - at least the L4, E2E, A2, and U2. Supposedly, the reliability of Surefire tactical lights - those with momentary-only buttons and twisty tailcap switches - is much better.

Maybe Surefire should just give up and pay Mag a license fee for Mag's switch design. They don't seem to be able to produce a decent pushbutton switch on their own.

 

[Robocop]

Looking at this light that was given to me by Peak it has no writing other than Peak LED Solutions Law Enforcement Special.....I sent my opinions to Peak after weeks of use however never saw them actually put this light into their line. By looking at the light closer I can see why they do make such a nice light. I had forgotten about the light until I started thinking about if I owned any Peaks and remembered this light.

The entire head unit is very solid with what looks like gold contacts and very nice potting of some sort. It is very clean design and just "looks" bullet proof in my opinion. The contact point has a single H stamped into it and not sure what that means....I am guessing high power version. The bexel has an octagon shaped ring with the lanyard attatchment on that ring for a set up that puts the lanyard closer to the front of the light....in use it is actually very nice and I remember this was one of my favorite features when I sent my review to Peak.

Maybe I will look into more of their lights if they are all this good quality. I checked their web site however notice nothing at all different than the last time I looked at it almost a year past it seems. Do they still have the sales they once did around here? I remember that Peak was very popular and honestly lately I have not even read anything about them....regardless I did enjoy the few I had and still have the limited edition that was given to me after my beta testing. For it to still work after being buried in my duty bag for over a year says something in itself for Peak....very nice light.

 

[ScumNL]

Inova T1 i have it for like 2 years, my recent lights arent used mutch:O

 

[sniper]

1- 20+y.o. 3 cell Maglite. Replaced batteries, bulbs, lens.
1 12+y.o. MiniMaglight . Replaced batteries, bulbs, lens after my son took it exploring an old mine. Still rattling around in the wife's purse. OOPS, did convert it to SMJLED, and put a Kroll on it.

I did buy her a little Inova, which she likes better.

Lessee, I do have a Duracell Durabeam, a little rectangular 2AA thing from the '70s, which was sort of dim, and funny with its rectangular reflector, but I dropped one of Lighthound's PR based smjleds in. Some improvement! Boy, do I like that light now. Bright center spot and loads of side spill, white color, and Yada, Yada, Yada.

It is a Fine and Pleasant Madness!

 

[HOEX]

Never failed:
1 - 3C Cell Maglight since 1994
2 - AAA Solitare
1 - 6P SureFire (One month old)

Falied once:
1 - L4 SureFire (One month old), Tail Cap problem. Replacement Tail Cap works fine.

 

[Nereus]

I have used mag 2AA over ten years now. It has taken very much punishment, for example I carried it as EDC during one-year military service. Of course bulbs blew all the time but if that is not included that light has never failed me.

-N

 

[orionlion82]

My Green plastic Dollar Store Clamshell Squeeze light.

its just a clear/green plastic clamshell, a Red LED (Partial insulation over one wire) straddling a button battery on a two cent keychain. it is an excersize in Zen, and so simple and small it would be hard to see a failure or breakage, since its about the size of a quarter. it is flat, less than 1/4" thick and shaped like a lemon on a decent keychain.

allways with my keys, on a lanyard ALLWAYS looped around my beltloop, if im NOT naked, i ALLWAYS have it no matter what.

saved me SO many times, and probably the cheapest light you could buy. .

(test them in the store before you buy - this is a dollar store...)

and yes, its served me for about a year and cost a dollar. total.

a whole freaking dollar.

yes a white 5mm from radio shack and a new battery might do me better, but this thing has alot left in it yet...

no other light has given such excellent value for the money.
everyone should have one like this on their keys.

 

[mossyoak]

ok for maglights there is nothing to go wrong. its a battery tube if you dont count bulbs and batteries. how does that sound impressive? "i had that minimag and the body didnt lose the ability to conduct electricity. amazing"

 

[shao.fu.tzer]

1. HDS EDC U60
2. Streamlight TLR-1
3. Fenix L2P head on L1P body
4. Mini Mag light (though it sucks!)
5. ARC-AAA-P (newer model)

Shao

 

[Robocop]

TorboDog how do you mostly use your lights to keep the bulbs intact for such a long time?....I am curious if you most often have them on for short periods of time or do you run them longer....also is there any difference in the bulbs offered 20 years ago VS the ones of today?....those are some truly amazing figures on those Mags you have.

 

[sniper]

ok for maglights there is nothing to go wrong. its a battery tube if you dont count bulbs and batteries. how does that sound impressive? "i had that minimag and the body didnt lose the ability to conduct electricity. amazing"

And it didn't go wrong! That is the point of the question, I think.

Oh, yes, there is this Eveready 3 D WORKHORSE, too. Cast plastic, Works the first time, every time, too. Gotta be at least from the '80s

 

[mossyoak]

but the bulbs blow alot so how reliable is that? unless of course you have several bulbs at all times. i have blown two minimag bulbs back to back in a few seconds, leaving me with nothing but a battery holder. thats not good. at all. i just wouldnt depend on a mag product i guess.

 

[Ironhog81]

Maflite 3D, Magcharger over 20 years with a lot on the street for Police work.
P1,LOPSE fairly new but perfect.
Nuwai 032, Surefire M951, and Lumapower D-Mini, M1 not yet either.

problem children:
Several Chinese lights, both LED's and incandescant. Mini-mag

 

[search_and_rescue]

I was 20 years old and riding a Specialized Hard Rock mountain bike with a Duracell 2AA incandescent flashlight (halogen bulb) taped to the fork.... when the 1994 Northridge Earthquake struck with a vengeance.

After the horrible gut-wrenching shaking died down, the electricity was totally out. Buildings had collapsed. I remembered my Duracell 2AA flashlight... and went straight to it. As I touched the contacts together and held my breath... the Duracell 2AA flashlight I had taped to the fork of my Specialized Hard Rock mountain bike did NOT fail! I could see the glass and rubble that was strewn everywhere.

To this day my Duracell 2AA with its original halogen bulb has not failed once. It's like the flashlight that won't die.

Duracell... Surefire... Inova... Streamlight... Energizer...Maglite...Pelican... These are all innovative manufacturers that have served us over the years. Thank you.

:candle:

 

[Burgess]

Powerful story, Search_and_Rescue.

Glad that you managed OK during that difficult time.


Thank you for sharing this. Would like to hear more, if you wouldn't mind.

(probably best if you started another thread, however)