So What Type Of Lights Do It For You?

I have found that the lights I like and use the most are single CR123 cell lights, preferably with varible levels of light.

I don't need retina scorching power as much as some useful light that is easy to keep around. My personal rules of life include the following.

Everybody should have on their person at all times
A good blade.
A set of basic tools (Leatherman, Gerber, SAK etc.)
A way to make fire
A way to make light (Small EDC lights.)

I currently have the following and I love them all.

1 HDS EDC Ultimate 42 (Probably my favortite light period)
1 HDS EDC Basic 60LE (My EDC light)
2 Surefire L1s Current Gen (With F04 beam shapers these are marvelous all around lights that will throw or flood as needed.)
1 Surefire L1 old version (Spectacular little light)
1 Surefire E1L (Another light that gets lots of carry time)
1 Inova T1 (Great looking and a great feel in the hand)

Now I have multi cell lights too and I love my Surefire A2s but there is something about those itty bitty single cell lights that will all blow away your average 2 D Mag Lite, much less anything in their size range. I especially love the multi level lights. I find that I can get away with low indoors for many many tasks and as such those single batteries last forever. I use a Surefire L1 or the HDS to read just about every night and the batteries just don't quit.

I remember being a kid and thinking that it would be cool to have a light that would run for as long as you could possibly need it that was easy to carry. I kind of thought it was science fiction but these varible output lights are amazing. A single Surefire L1 with a couple extra batteries could provide you useable light for an incredibly long time.

I just purchased an E1L for a buddy of mine for Christmas as he works for the Army Corps Of Engineers and frequently works on boats. I imagine he could use a light for checking engine compartments etc. I figure the E1L should do him well as it is tough as nails, waterproof for all intents and purposes short of using it as a dive light and he will never have to worry about the bulb. I sent him 10 extra batteries so my guess is he will be all set for a very long time.

Anyway that is my "nitch" I guess.

I am bored at work, and just felt like posting.

Take care,
Chris

I've only just started, so I'm not really sure what I like most. In compiling a list of lights that I'm interested in getting (over time) it seems I'm leaning towards small pocketable lights as well. I'd never give up my carrying my SF G2 for an LED light, because I like the advantages of incandescent, but most of the lights I want to get seem to be LED-based. (Currently saving money for: Arc-AAA, A2, U60XRGT, L1, Eternalight ErgoXRay, Z2 or G2z)

edit: I don't mean to seem like an arse, but you mispelled 'niche.' Thought you might like to know.
edit: fixed mispellings of 'incandescent'

Happy Holidays cslinger!

Pick a favorite?! Hmmm, my mood changes day to day. In fact I spend more time choosing my EDCs than I do for picking a shirt for work. And I have to dress nice for work.

I tend to gravitate toward your train of thought. I like small pocketable lights with decent runtimes. Arc AAAr4/E1e/E2O etc. But my "current" favorites are 3 (CR123) cell lights. Mostly because my winter coats will accomodate them. I also got a bigger backpack for my day to day stuff.

I also gravitate towards incans, with LEDs a very close second.

kelmo

Small and bright appeal most to me. Currently, I EDC either an ORB RAW or JIL DD. These supplement my keychain lights which are an ARC AAA and a Photon. I live and work in an urban area. On those occasions when I venture beyond my normal urban environment I carry an appropriate light or lights on me -- always have more than a couple in the car and at my office.

I seem to prefer 2xCR123A based lights with variable output which are biased just a bit more towards throw vs flood. However I'm planning on an EDC60 after I recover from Christmas so we'll see how that goes.

Out of my entire collection the most used lights are (in order from most used to least)

-Inova T4 (nightly neighborhood walks)
-Dorcy Super 1 Watt 1xCR123A (current EDC, I wish it had variable levels)
-Night-Ops Gladius (Camping and backpacking light)
-Princeton Tec EOS headlamp (Camping and backpacking light)

post deleted - i put this in the wrong thread.

I prefer the small single cell lights. These provide plenty of light for my needs.

I've always been fond of full size lights, like the MC, TL or SL-20X. My current fave is the SL-60, a 20X modded by js to throw a beautiful artifact free beam using a WA1160 and Carley LOP reflector.

I like EDC type lights as well. Can't wait for my pocket style FF3.

I also like small fluorescents. Even though it's inexpensive, I like the Osram Mini Dulux/Radio Shack lights for reading. 2+ hours of around 80 lumens of smooth flood light from 2 nimh AAs.

I have Li IONs in my U60 and SF U2 which adds a lot to their convenience..

Lights used most often:
Ultimate 60
SF U2
Gladius
Lightwave 3xAA for flood

Definitely prefer single AAA or AA size. And, as I've stated before, a multi-level small light would be perfect.

Geoff

carrot said:

..........I'd never give up my carrying my SF G2 for an LED light, because I like the advantages of incandescant................

edit: I don't mean to seem like an arse, but you mispelled 'niche.' Thought you might like to know.

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Not trying to start an argument, I am just curious. What do you see as advantages of incandescent over LED?

P.S. You mispelled incandescent, just thought you might like to know.

It seems to me that usually incandescent has a better throw. Just in general. That and incandescents don't have the blue tint, which sometimes gets annoying in LEDs (yep, I know they have LEDs with warmer tints but not so many LED flashlights have them)

Spokes, wasn't sure how to spell incandescent, but too lazy to look. Thanks.

I'd have to say small single celled. Doesn't really matter if they're 123's or AA's, since I'd pick the battery/LED/bulb combination depending upon my needs.

Recently I've become fond of the 2-stage mechanisms.

The small form-factor of the single battery in LEDs is what I tend to EDC with me. The 3[M]iniMag + McLux.III.PD + SF.M2 and occasionally the SureFire M3 since the colder months have now arrived and heavier clothing makes this easier.

CSLINGER asked the question: ". . .What Type of Lights Do It For You?" I was thinking what got me into where I am at now. As a kid, like most of us here, were fascinated with anything that lit up. When all I knew was Maglites, I thought these are the best since candles were invented bar-none. Then reading about the right kind of illumination tools for a particular task from those Petersen Publishing magazines peaked my interest. So I purchased my first SureFire from a very unlikely mail-order catalog source—FRONTGATE.

When the SF.6P [very first REAL torch!] arrived and I turned it on. . .WHOA! ! ! I was hooked and couldn't get enough. . .Had to read up on more of these and at that time there were none being sold at the local "sporting" and/or "firearms" dealer/retailer.

So you could say that the SureFire flashlights are the 'type of lights that have done it' for me. Approaching 20 years—for me—with these light. . .

I'm just curious cslinger - I can see the need for a light, there's a leatherman in my brief case but a way of making fire? Mind you i don't smoke but I can't think that I have ever been in a situation where I neede to make a fire (apart from under my boss's chair...)

I like small single cell lights, like the L1P.
I also carry a Leatherman (Juice XE6) and a blade (Victorinox Solo Alox)
I have a firesteel but i never carry it around

I hold the utmost regards for the single cell surefires that I own, I EDC 2 Surefire E1e's for casual, work, and even had them with me at formal events. One of the E1e's is modded with an Alphe CR2 body and makes a nice front pocket carry light. I think my Surefire L1 is the best house light going, it is an older version, and on low it is great for navigating the house without hurting the eyes or disturbing others, and on high it is bright enough to get most jobs done. Trust me I always have my A2, 6P, or 3C handy and in close range for when I need more light. Just a comment, I don't smoke either but you would be surprised at how often you use a Zippo when you carry one. Its just a comfort to always have a light, knife, and a lighter with you at all times.

Chuck

I usualy carry UV lights....their the best,at least for me!

cslinger said:

I remember being a kid and thinking that it would be cool to have a light that would run for as long as you could possibly need it that was easy to carry. I kind of thought it was science fiction but these varible output lights are amazing. A single Surefire L1 with a couple extra batteries could provide you useable light for an incredibly long time.

Click to expand...

Exactly. Whether you need a candle for an evening or a few evenings at that, or a searing blast of 100+ lumens, variable power lights fill every concievable mission within their power levels. Glad to see you found yours in the HDS lights. I have a B60, and it is a very nice light. An unbelievable 300 hours on lowest, and a BLAST on full power.

Same reason why I bought the Surefire U2 without thinking - and it had better be sent EMS! I wanted it YESTERDAY! I know not all agree with me, but I'm a sucker for LuxV lights. There ARE days where you need the 50-foot shield of light in front of you especially when you find yourself on a deserted path that you THOUGHT was deserted - and most certainly IS NOT. Perfection is a variable power U2 with 10 levels - I'd like 7-10 to reach into the 1K lumen power class.

It's been over a year since I made that decision to marry the U2 and it has never left my pocket. The HDS B60 and the KL1 occasionally switch places in my other pocket - NO real flashaholic is caught with only ONE light

I like well made, well thought out, heavy duty lights. They don't have to be expensive but they should feel good in my hand.

I use one celled lights 50 times more than I use multi-celled lights both at home and away. I agree with those who like muti-level lights for all the same reasons. I rarely leave the house without my HDS EDC 60. Since I like dim lights for most of my tasks I also carry an old CMG Infinity in blue/green so I don't have to cycle through levels to get dim.

What turns me on now would be something like an old CMG Infinity reworked to take an LED with a wavelength of ~505 nm when it's driven to about half the output of my stock blue/green CMG Infinity. I seem to always be looking for dimmer lights.

My dream light would be something as small and heavy duty as an Infinity with a blue/green LED that had infinately variable output like the Rigel Mil-Starlight mini. That would be very handy for me. (Gimmie two!)