DieselTech
Enlightened
Hey all. I'm looking for a new every day light, so I wanted to get a few opinions on what to consider.
Right now, I carry a Surefire E2D. I love it. The light output rocks, it's practically indestructible, but the short runtime and high battery cost is getting a bit old. If I'm spending a lot of time working under a truck, I may have to replace the batteries two or three times in an 8 hour day.
The number one quality of a light is it has to be rock solid. I try to take great care of my stuff, but my job has a tendency to put me in the gravel on the side of the interstate working under a semi. My lights get dropped out of my pockets under things, smacked against things, knocked over- I even dropped my old E2E off the top of a semi trailer once and didnt notice until we were finished and had pulled the trailer away, running over the light in the process. Thankfully, the light survived (the trailer was empty for service) with the exception of the bulb. Apperantly a 20-ish foot drop onto cement can kill a Surefire bulb. Who knew?
I've been looking at the Surefire A2. I like the fact that it has the LEDs and the 50 lumen bulb. However, all of my 'good' lights are Surefires. I love the brand, but I dont want to limit myself and miss out on a great light from another company in the process. I also wouldnt mind finding an A2 style light that ran on AA batteries.
Aside from being built like a tank, the light needs to be roughly E2D sized, somewhere in the 4 to 6 inch range so that I can carry it in a pocket or on a belt without too much interference.
Since I'm looking at a multi- level light, I dont know how to define my throw and spill needs. Uner a truck or in an engine bay, I may only be two or three feet from the area I need to illuminate, but I may need to light up the entire side of the engine to find a leak. On the flip side, it's also nice to be able to use the light to designate a specific truck/ trailer/ object on the other side of the lot for the yard drivers to bring in for service.
I dont mind using the 123 batteries, but I would need a 17-20 hour runtime for the light to be practical. As such, I'm also looking for lights that can run on AA batteries, but I think a rechargable light might actually be best for my situation.
There are a lot of very knowledgable people here, so I'm sure y'all will help steer me in the right direction. Thanks!
Right now, I carry a Surefire E2D. I love it. The light output rocks, it's practically indestructible, but the short runtime and high battery cost is getting a bit old. If I'm spending a lot of time working under a truck, I may have to replace the batteries two or three times in an 8 hour day.
The number one quality of a light is it has to be rock solid. I try to take great care of my stuff, but my job has a tendency to put me in the gravel on the side of the interstate working under a semi. My lights get dropped out of my pockets under things, smacked against things, knocked over- I even dropped my old E2E off the top of a semi trailer once and didnt notice until we were finished and had pulled the trailer away, running over the light in the process. Thankfully, the light survived (the trailer was empty for service) with the exception of the bulb. Apperantly a 20-ish foot drop onto cement can kill a Surefire bulb. Who knew?
I've been looking at the Surefire A2. I like the fact that it has the LEDs and the 50 lumen bulb. However, all of my 'good' lights are Surefires. I love the brand, but I dont want to limit myself and miss out on a great light from another company in the process. I also wouldnt mind finding an A2 style light that ran on AA batteries.
Aside from being built like a tank, the light needs to be roughly E2D sized, somewhere in the 4 to 6 inch range so that I can carry it in a pocket or on a belt without too much interference.
Since I'm looking at a multi- level light, I dont know how to define my throw and spill needs. Uner a truck or in an engine bay, I may only be two or three feet from the area I need to illuminate, but I may need to light up the entire side of the engine to find a leak. On the flip side, it's also nice to be able to use the light to designate a specific truck/ trailer/ object on the other side of the lot for the yard drivers to bring in for service.
I dont mind using the 123 batteries, but I would need a 17-20 hour runtime for the light to be practical. As such, I'm also looking for lights that can run on AA batteries, but I think a rechargable light might actually be best for my situation.
There are a lot of very knowledgable people here, so I'm sure y'all will help steer me in the right direction. Thanks!