SureFire V Maglite

So, Maglite say there the best toughest etc... So do sure fire, the price tag, Absolutly amazing whoppingly HUGE ! All i want is A VERY bright light as cheap as i can get but still good, the mag 6D has a 20,000 Candle power beam, whats that like compared to the 140 Lumen surefire 9nx ? Is it worth that much more [£120 surefire or £30 mag]?

you should check out the princeton tec surge. you can get them for about 25 dollars online and spare bulbs are about 5 bucks a piece. this is the only incandescent I use. I have a 3cell mag but the surge puts out a much nicer and brighter beam of light. I don't know if a 6cell mag would be brighter. there were some pics posted a while back and the surge looks about equal to some of the smaller surefire lights. you couldnt even buy 2 surefire bulbs for the cost of the surge.

Ive looked at the surge, and Ot seems sorta 'plasticky' and cheap feeling unlike a Mag or surefire. So, whats the brightest beam for under £40 - about $70??? Im new to all of this you see!

well im sure someone else could make better suggestions. maybe its still to early in the morning for everyone. you might like the e2 from surefire. it sells for different prices under 70 depending on the finish you want. run time is 75 minutes. I have been thinking about buying this light myself. are you going to just have it sit around for backup or will you be using it a lot? spare bulbs are 12 bucks and the lithium 123 batteries can be costly. if you want something cheap and reasonably bright just get a 3cell mag or bigger. ive dropped my surge several times on hard floor and the bulb didnt even go out. princeton tec lights feel cheap but they are quite durable. maybe someone else knows of a good metal light for 70$?

Hmm I'll consider the Surge after what you said about its toughness, I would be using it quite a bit and like you say the lithiums are expensive [Ive just had a look ], I need a workhourse of a torch ! What do you think of 'stream light' ? They've got a 75,000 candle power torch size of a 4c mag at $70 odd, I seen it at brightguy... Looks ok!

http://ledmuseum.home.att.net/surge.htm
here is the start of craigs review on the surge. I couldn't agree more when he says the weakest link is usually the bulb in incandesent lights. I would order a spare bulb for any light I buy. thats why I like the surge, its cheap up front, cheap batteries and bulbs. Since led's are around I would never rely on any incandesent as my main backup. use the forum search and check out any other lights your interested in.

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by I wana be a catapillar:
Ive looked at the surge, and Ot seems sorta 'plasticky' and cheap feeling

unlike a Mag or surefire. So, whats the brightest beam for under £40 - about $70???

Im new to all of this you see!<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Did you actually touch and hold the Surge? While it is made of some kind of plastic, it is nicely made, and lightweight. It DOES have a precision feel to it, and is waterproof to 500 feet.

The first time I turned on the Surge I was blown away! It was like a flood of light in front of me, instead of a very narrow "pencil" beam of light. Also the beam is very bright and there are no lines or shadows.

I have two Surge's. After purchasing the first one, I had to have a second one.

Like you, however, I am looking for a "heavier" light, like the Mag 3-D, in the same price range.

An ideal "heavier" light would be the Surge beam in a mag-lite body.

There is something about a sense of security or protection when holding a mag-lite that the Surge does not duplicate (It's like a heavy pipe in your hand!)

Now, if money is no object, check out the rechargable Streamlight SL-20x or SL-35x. I will probably eventually buy an SL-20x and possibly put in an SL-35x bulb.

Good luck!

is that light from brightguy the ultrastinger your talking about?

Yup its the ultra stinger.. What you think?

PLUS its rechargable, cant get cheaper running than that!

I've been considering getting a Surge for a while now and I'm just curious, how long can you run one on a set of 8AA's? I know it's still cheaper to replace 8AA's than a couple of Lithiums but it's still a little pricey so how much bang for the buck could a person expect out of a Surge? Also, if anyone happens to know off hand, what is the bulb's lifespan? Thanks in advance.

I grew up with a neighbor whose dad was in Plastics (the wave of the future - early in the Plastic game)- I can remember all of the talk about how amazing plastic could be, and, well, here we are! I can assure you that a high quality plastic is as durable (or more so in some ways) than various metals. The Surge uses a great plastic made by GE -> XENOY. You can get specs from GE on how amazing plastics are, you can also check out Lexan (many lenses), which is also GE.

and absoultely - the bulb is the weakest link.... The best thing about the Surge (if you use it for camping etc) is that the unit itself becomes storage for extra batteries - if your GPS AA's fail - pull out 4 from you Surge!!!!!

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by funk:
The best thing about the Surge (if you use it for camping etc) is that the unit itself becomes storage for extra batteries - if your GPS AA's fail - pull out 4 from you Surge!!!!!<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
Funk,

Good thought! I've never thought of this.

Alan

If you get the UlraStinger, be sure to get the 12VDC charger, as the AC charger that come with it will not work on UK wall current. Your 240 AC will cook that 110 AC charger pretty quick.

Have you tried www.nightsearcher.com ? It is a UK based company that makes rechargeable Xenon flashlights. The woman I emailed there said that their products were Streamlight equivilant. I am thinking of ordering one for myself, and another for a friend of mine who lives in Kent. I will also have to go with a 12VDC from them, as the AC charger won't work here.

I have no self control

I just ordered one of their small Titanium rechargeable flashlights (that Maxabeam I`m saving for will have to wait just a little bit longer ), hope it`s a good one. If it is I may try the larger sizes too. No idea when it`ll get here, but if they`re any good it should be in the next day or so. For what they charged me for shipping, I kind of expect it to turn up this afternoon!

I`ll let you know what it`s like, and whether you could rig up a way to charge it over there. I expect if the voltage and current given out by the transformer is a commonly avaliable value (eg, 6v) that you could pick up an equivalent 110v-input one over there in Radio Shack or someplace.

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by SCOTT THE BADGER:
If you get the UlraStinger, be sure to get the 12VDC charger, as the AC charger that come with it will not work on UK wall current. Your 240 AC will cook that 110 AC charger pretty quick.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Simply get a AC Step-up Transformer (some call it AC converter). I have been using their chargers (slow charger for UltraStinger and Quick Charger for regular Stinger) with a transformer in Hong Kong (240v) for quite sometimes without problem.

Alan

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by I wana be a catapillar:
...All i want is A VERY bright light as cheap as i can get but stil... <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Caterpillar,

Your quest can be made easier if you think about your specific requirements.

It's hard to know what to get if you haven't clearly defined what you want. The more specific you are, the more we'll be able to help you, so maybe this is a good time to ask yourself some of these questions:

1) What, exactly will I be using the light for?

2) How often will I use it? (Daily, several times a day, occasionally, every few days? etc.)

3) How long do I want it to be able to run on a single charge?

4) Will I be using it a lot in cold weather?

5) Should it be fully waterproof, or merely able to function in rain or snow?

6) Are size, weight, shape, appearance factors? Which are the most important? How important?

If you can answer these questions, and perhaps some others we will be able to guide you with some degree of assurance and accuracy

Two more points:

Since cost is an issue you can try an approach that people often use when shopping for the best speakers for a high fidelity audio or home theater system. Find the speakers that sound the very best to you regardless of cost. Once you've found them, use them as a model to match speakers in your price range. You will most likely find something reasonably close for a fraction of the price.

Realize that the only flashlight that is all things to all people is one that doesn't exist and probably never will. That's a reason why all or most Flashaholics own several flashlights. While it's true that our obsessive fascination with lights is a key motivation, it's also true that we own different lights for diverse purposes.

Last but not least is the critical importance of redundancy or back-up for EDC (Every Day Carry). This is something that has been stressed repeatedly by Kogatana and others in the security field.

You really don't want to be in a situation where the light you need is the one you left at home!

Best of luck,
Brightnorm


.

Alan,
Remember, the woman is trying to sell me one, so a certain amount of hyperbole is to be expected. On my duty belt, I used to have a Stinger XT in a ASP collapsable baton holder, when I got a Stinger holster with a flap, I put my SureFire M3 in the ASP carrier. The Stinger has since been replaced with a 8NX. So as you can guess, I only want the Night Searcher as a toy. The friend in Kent is an Englishwoman I met last spring. Alas, after our relationship took off, her company transferred her back to the UK. I want her to have a very powerful flashlight for her car, and another for her purse, for walking to the car after work. She is a slender, blonde, ex Playboy Bunny, so, to a certain segment of society, she has TARGET written all over her. I am going to send her either an E2, or a Scorpion for her purse, and was thinking about one of the Night Searchers for her car. Would it be better to send a PolyStinger, with a 12VDC charger? I guess I'll have to wait for Chris M's review. I wonder if OC spray is legal in the UK?

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by SCOTT THE BADGER:
Alan,
Remember, the woman is trying to sell me one, so a certain amount of hyperbole is to be expected. On my duty belt, I used to have a Stinger XT in a ASP collapsable baton holder, when I got a Stinger holster with a flap, I put my SureFire M3 in the ASP carrier. The Stinger has since been replaced with a 8NX. So as you can guess, I only want the Night Searcher as a toy. The friend in Kent is an Englishwoman I met last spring. Alas, after our relationship took off, her company transferred her back to the UK. I want her to have a very powerful flashlight for her car, and another for her purse, for walking to the car after work. She is a slender, blonde, ex Playboy Bunny, so, to a certain segment of society, she has TARGET written all over her. I am going to send her either an E2, or a Scorpion for her purse, and was thinking about one of the Night Searchers for her car. Would it be better to send a PolyStinger, with a 12VDC charger? I guess I'll have to wait for Chris M's review. I wonder if OC spray is legal in the UK?<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Hmm... I think many people will bite. I replaced my 9AN with Stinger XT (still using 9AN holster). My girlfriend doesn't even want it because it's too heavy. Instead, she took my M3 because it looks cute and like a grenade:-( Yes, she already has an E2 and Scorpion. She got the Scorpion because Tom Hank uses it in Cast Away. She is also a flashaholic.

Regarding Night Searcher, I've seen its Panther and it looks very solid. I love its built-in dual (low/high) bulb configuration. I almost get it until I was told it use SLA battery.

For your hot lady friend, I think she might really needs an OC spray

Alan