Best lights for close, far and mid distances?

Hello,

The only light I own right now is a tiny little penlight, but I've used Maglites in the past (3 D's, I think), and they've gone pretty far. I don't need to amass a whole collection of flashlights, but I'd like to get at least two and possibly three. I don't have any real brand knowledge or preferences.

For the first, I'd like a beam that goes forever. It doesn't have to be wide, just provide light from as far away as possible.

Next, I'd like a very wide beam. It doesn't have to go far, just light up a good sized room with a very wide beam.

Finally, I'd like an in-between one. Good wide coverage, but good penetrating power as well.

I know nothing about flashlights, but I want to buy good ones from the beginning so I don't waste my time and money on crap I'll want to replace later. What models would you recommend, and what price ranges would I be looking at?

Thanks a lot for any help or suggestions you can provide.

Chris

Well you could pretty much cover most of what you want to do with a Surefire A2.

Long running low light option that is all flood. The White LEDs will light up a small room easily.

Bright middle throw/middle spill normal light option.

As for super throw I guess the Mag Charger works pretty well here.

Some more information would be helpful in making some recomendations. Where in the world are you? (what stores to recommend)...how much are you willing to spend, need re-chargeable batteries, need normal (AA, AAA, D, C) or exotic Li batteries (resonable priced IF you order via internet)?

Welcome to the CPF! :twothumbs

get this ledbeam for $24.95 shipped price:


http://www.ledbeam.com/

reveiw here:

http://www.flashlightreviews.com/reviews/ledbeam_3c.htm

Also the Streamlight Propolymer luxeon 3c or 4aa is really good deal for the money. Check them out on flashlight reveiws as well.

I'm in Canada (Winnipeg, Manitoba), so I have S.I.R. and Army Surplus. I'd prefer to support local retailers, but I'm comfortable buying online as well. I trust my ability to evaluate an overabundance of information online more than I trust my ability to know when a salesperson is steering me wrong.

I don't anticipate using the lights enough to require rechargeables, and I'd prefer to stick with non-rechargeables anyway. I work in a camera store so I can get good pricing on CR2's, 123's, 2CR5's and other common Lithium batteries, but I don't mind using D's, C's or AA's either. I don't want any proprietary batteries, please.

I'm not sure yet how much I'm willing to spend, as that really depends on how much I need to spend. I've seen enough people walk into the camera store and ask for a great pro digital camera for under $400 CAN, and that ain't gonna happen. I realize that quality is relative, and that a $400 camera is entry-level to me, but probably more advanced than they'd ever need. Similarly, I planned on spending ~$500 for a halfway decent mountain bike but wound up dropping $1100 when I found how much certain features cost, so I'm a horrible initial judge of pricing.

I'm hoping to see suggestions for ranges of models. Something like, the absolute best is Model X for $$$$$. You can start off with Model Y for $ and probably be satisfied, but for an extra $$ it's worth getting a Model Z instead for $$$.

I appreciate any and all info. I'm a total newbie here, so anything I learn is one thing more than I already know.

Thank you,

Chris

Just to clarify, as a rough guideline, I'm expecting to spend anywhere from $50-$150 per light, though I can go higher if the quality justifies it. I have no idea what a decent light costs.

Chris

I think for my general all-purpose light it might be nice to have a zoom feature, where I could adjust it from a focused, intense beam to a more diffused wide-angle. I seem to remember the Maglite doing that.

Anyway, I'll shut up now.

Chris

You may want to check out the Flashlight Recommendation Checklist - it's a good was to frame your needs/wants, although it looks like you've got a pretty good idea already.

<post edited to fix the link>

Amadeus93 said:

You may want to check out the Flashlight Recommendation Checklist

Click to expand...

That comes up as a dead link.

Chris

chrisbrogden said:

I think for my general all-purpose light it might be nice to have a zoom feature, where I could adjust it from a focused, intense beam to a more diffused wide-angle. I seem to remember the Maglite doing that.


Chris

Click to expand...

Personally (and I think many other CPF'ers share this opinion)- the maglite "focusing" feature is more of a gimmick than anything. Adjusting it for a wide angle beam causes a big fat hole in the center, meaning that you'll probably just leave your maglite focused anyway.

Having a set pre-focused light with multiple power levels to select from is a much better option, IMHO.

I am tellin ya. The LedBeam and SL PP lux are probably the best spots out there for the money right now.


If you want a personal light look at the CPF special for $90.

If you want a small light get the fenix L1P for $43. it take 1 AA cell.

If you're not planning to use the long throw flashlight very much then I recommend the Streamlight TL-3 Incandescent. It only lasts one hour on three CR123A cells but it put's out 175 lumens, and is about $48 at Amazon.com. I'm not sure what shipping costs are to Canada but it's free in the CONUS. Tough, focusable and small for it's power, I think it's a great flashlight.

chrisbrogden said:

Hello,

The only light I own right now is a tiny little penlight, but I've used Maglites in the past (3 D's, I think), and they've gone pretty far. I don't need to amass a whole collection of flashlights, but I'd like to get at least two and possibly three. I don't have any real brand knowledge or preferences.

For the first, I'd like a beam that goes forever. It doesn't have to be wide, just provide light from as far away as possible.

Click to expand...

a tightly focused beam that goes on "forever"?, how about a green laser pointer, can't get much tighter focused than that, nonexistent spill though
seriousy though, the best value "thrower" is one of those crappy rechargable Sealed Lead Acid (SLA) battery powered "1 million" candlepower spotlights, all throw

Next, I'd like a very wide beam. It doesn't have to go far, just light up a good sized room with a very wide beam.

Click to expand...

Inova X5 5 LED light, powered by 2 CR123a batteries, runtime of 10 hours, can use 123's that other lights think are "dead", nice floody beam, nearly indestructible light (make sure the pair of 123's are either new or come from the same light, do *not* mix n' match Lithium batteries)

Finally, I'd like an in-between one. Good wide coverage, but good penetrating power as well.

Click to expand...

for an incandescent light, try the SureFire G2 Nitrolon, nice, balanced beam, usable throw and nice flood, very balanced light pattern

for LED, Streamlight Pro Polymer 4AA Luxeon, Fenix L1P, Dorcy's line of "1 watt" Luxeon lights, Inova X0, plenty of LED choices here

I know nothing about flashlights, but I want to buy good ones from the beginning so I don't waste my time and money on crap I'll want to replace later. What models would you recommend, and what price ranges would I be looking at?

Thanks a lot for any help or suggestions you can provide.

Chris

Click to expand...

check out the Flashlightreviews and LEDMuseum websites, also check my "if you could start over" thread for an idea of what each of us thinks constitutes a good light

As CSLINGER mentioned above, why not check out the SureFire Aviator, or the SF.9P—the latter has a price of around $75.00 and you can upgrade it from there by getting a turbohead. Just a suggestion.

Hope you find what you're looking for and Enjoy!

Sorry about that, Chris - I don't know how I messed that link up. Here is the (properly working) link: Flashlight Recommendation Checklist

I think most 5w LED lights are tops for close to mid-range use.

As stated before, one of the longest throwing stock incandescent lights is the Streamlight TL-3. It's about $59, although sometimes on sale for $45:

http://www.flashlightreviews.com/reviews/streamlight_tactical.htm
http://www.brightguy.com/detail_int.php?Sku=STR88103

The two longest throwing stock LED lights are the LEDBeam, only $25 with free US shipping, and the Striker VG-1:

http://www.ledbeam.com/
http://www.flashlightreviews.com/reviews/ledbeam_3c.htm
http://www.flashlightreviews.com/reviews/ledlogic_strikervg.htm

In LED lights, a broad beam powerful light is the Surefire L4. About $160 list, sometimes available for less:

http://www.flashlightreviews.com/reviews/surefire_l4.htm

A less expensive broad beamed LED light is the Nuwai TM-301X-5:

http://www.flashlightreviews.com/reviews/nuwai_tm301x5.htm

Personlly I think variable output or multiple level output is very important and useful. It greatly extends battery life and avoids shocking your eyes when you don't need full power.

If you don't mind spending some money, two of the best are the HDS EDC U60 (about $180) and the Surefire U2 ($270 list, available some places around $230). They're both good for close to medium range:

http://www.flashlightreviews.com/reviews/hds_edcu60xr.htm
http://www.flashlightreviews.com/reviews/surefire_u2.htm

Here are a few that might do the trick

For Very Long Distances:
Mag-charger - has a rechargable battery and can be upgraded to give even more light.
Ultrastinger - rechargable
Tigerlight - rechargable
Vector Spotlight (rechargable)

Long distance:
Not as far as the ones above although this statement may not be 100% correct as I have never done any side by side comparisons with these light

Streamlight TL-3 (CR123)
Streamlight Stinger (Rechargable)
Streamlight Strion (Recharable)
Pelican M6 Incandescent (CR123)

Mid distances:
Streamlight Propolymer 4aa Luxeon (AA)
Fenix L1 or L1P (1AA) - not for very far, but still goes far enough

Close up:
Xnova 8led 1aa light for 6 bucks from lighthound
Basically any 1 - 12 led light


To get more information on all of these including prices lights check out www.flashlightreviews.com

As well, I know you work in a camera store, but $1 CR123 is a great price. You can get these from www.batterystation.com or www.lighthound.com

Greg

I think a great light for you would be the CPF Limited Edition Multi-Level Light that is offered in the Group Buys and Passaround part of this forum. It is a 4W led light with variable brightness, so you can use just as much light as you need. This light will throw well and suit your needs from up close to pretty far away. It uses 2 cr123s or 1 18650 Li-ion rechargeable and will arrive at your door for just $66.
Since you can choose the brightness you need batteries can last very long as the brightest settings are often not needed.

This way you will also sponsor this forum and get an engraved and numbered light.

Sverre

Yes I would have to say the Streamlight Propolymer 4AA LED is also worth a look and for the price. . .