Flashlight for a College student

Hey guys,

This is my first post, so yea!

I am going to be going to college and would like a flashlight that is bright, has pretty good battery life, and maybe be able to blind an assalient.

I have a maglight 3d, but its too big and not THAT bright for the size of the flashlight. I also have a mini mag 2AA, but its not bright enough. I am really looking for something that will illuminate the sky. I am looking for something to say, i have a sicker more brighter flashlight than you. I am looking for a flashlight that can be used as an everyday light, plus the added benefit of somewhat of a self defense light.

I am looking at the Inova T2 or T5. But, 123 batteries may be expensive over the long run for the T5. WOuld the T2 do the job?

I looked at the Twin task Streamlight but they dont seem to be really bright. The brands that I have been looking at are INova, Streamlight, and surefire...but surefire is surely expensive. Maybe wolfeyes.

So, if anyone can give me any advice, I would be grateful.

Thanks for putting up with this long post.

Greetings and Welcome!

For bright and a decent long runtime, maybe you can check out the Streamlight 4AA ProPolymer Luxeon. Very nice and recommended much around here. But in regards to the "blind an assailant" sort of thing. . .:thinking:

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

The blinding assailant stuff is marketing hype, don't count on it working.

You don't say how large a light you're willing to deal with. If you just want monstrous cheap brightness and don't care about size, try one of the Thor spotlights. Maybe more practical is a MC60, which is a Magcharger where you replace the bulb with a WA 01160. That's the same size as a 3D Mag, so if you don't blind the assailant, you can bonk him with it. IMO starting with a Magcharger makes more sense than starting with a standard Mag and upgrading all the internal parts to handle the heat better and run on rechargeables.

Next step smaller would be a Tigerlight, with various bulb and battery pack options. This is also a rechargeable light. There is a version with built-in pepper spray, again good for self-defense.

There are some further options, depending.

Get the $20 two lithium powered thingy at Wal-Mart. That thing is BRIGHT for the size and price.

rydude07 said:

Hey guys,

This is my first post, so yea!

I am going to be going to college and would like a flashlight that is bright, has pretty good battery life, and maybe be able to blind an assalient.

I have a maglight 3d, but its too big and not THAT bright for the size of the flashlight. I also have a mini mag 2AA, but its not bright enough. I am really looking for something that will illuminate the sky. I am looking for something to say, i have a sicker more brighter flashlight than you. I am looking for a flashlight that can be used as an everyday light, plus the added benefit of somewhat of a self defense light.

I am looking at the Inova T2 or T5. But, 123 batteries may be expensive over the long run for the T5. WOuld the T2 do the job?

I looked at the Twin task Streamlight but they dont seem to be really bright. The brands that I have been looking at are INova, Streamlight, and surefire...but surefire is surely expensive. Maybe wolfeyes.

So, if anyone can give me any advice, I would be grateful.

Thanks for putting up with this long post.

Click to expand...

Heh, I'm in the same situation as you.. only the forum has already eaten a good sized portion of my wallet. There are plenty of good lights out there that will easily meet or exceed your needs.

The idea of using a light for self defense, as you'll probably find out if you stay longer, is really hyped up by manufacturers; so it's best not to think of a light as something to turn to for defense.

As for lights, you could try to pour a bit of cash into your 3D maglite to create what is known as a Mag85 (use the forum's search function to find out more), which outputs a good 800 lumens, and is rechargeable. If you're looking for something smaller, consider the Streamlight Propolymer Luxeon 4AA; great as a beater light, costs about $30, and runs fine off of rechargeable AA's. Also another light to consider is the Streamlight TL-3; intended to run off of 3 CR123's, most people on the forum use Rechargeable Lithium Ion's with it (protected 17500), and it works great, runs for about an hour. The TL-3 itself costs nder $50 on amazon.com, and the batteries and charger can be found for sale in the following thread: https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/97268&page=1&pp=30

Handlobraesing said:

Get the $20 two lithium powered thingy at Wal-Mart. That thing is BRIGHT for the size and price.

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The light Handlo mentions is another great light, which can be found at Target and Walmart, the Brinkman Maxfire LX. Great light, costs $17 last time I checked at Target, and puts out the same amount of light manufacturers often claim to be "blinding" (60 lumens). Downside is that it runs on those expensive Lithium CR123's.

Welcome to CPF!
Or a Fenix L1P.
Or a SF A2.
Or a Pila GL3 (that's what I have in my pack right now)
Get yourself a minimag with a sammie.

Check the CPF Specials thread (Dealer's corner) for $1 123's and other goodies.

Hey, rydude07, welcome to CPF!

I'll suggest to you the Surefire A2 Aviator. It's above your percieved budget now, but it's the perfect light.. and also my favorite, which tells you where my biases lie. You'll have enough light for whatever "tactical" usage you want it for (hopefully not your only self-defense measure). And it's low mode is plenty for walking around at night. I find that even with regular usage, I replace the CR123 batteries (available from Amondotech and Batterystation for $1 each) only about once a month. If you ask me, there's no better light than the A2 for every-day usage and "tactical" self-defense-- but if I left it at that, someone would swing by and say you shouldn't use a light for self-defense, rather, relying on a pistol or in the very least CS spray and a knife, which you very well shouldn't. The overwhelming blinding effect is best achieved with surprise and an attacker (victim?) with night-adapted vision.

Inova makes fantastic lights, but you'll find their lumen ratings to be a bit... exaggerated. What they call an 85 lumen light is more likely to be around 40-50 lumens. Surefire on the other hand, tends to underrate their light's lumen ratings, but since they make "tactical" lights, runtime is usually considered less important, but they are bright! Of course, what this means is, you'll be hard-pressed to find both brightness and runtime in a small package.

If you should go the Surefire path, I'd recommend you purchase through OpticsHQ.com -- using the CPF discounts outlined in "greenLED's CPF Specials" thread, you can get an A2 for about $150, and any other Surefire for something like 20% off.

By the way, you don't need anything more powerful than a Surefire E1e to make your point about having a more powerful flashlight than the commonly used "toys" used by the unenlightened.

Wow...I am amazed at the number of replies within such a short period of time. I LOVE CPF. Anyway, I have narrowed down to the Inova T2 (which they say is 40 lumens... and a 5 hours battery life seems good to me), the 4AA propolymer(which also seems good too), maybe the PILA, and maybe surefire...actually I have not really narrowed it down. I appreciate all your help. I am looking for a light thats not too big, something definately smaller than a 3d maglight. I'll look around and see what is a mag85.

Yeah, I have considered and now just need a bright light, not necessary for one to blind an assailent. I have very litttle worries of being assailed by an attacker. The A2 surefire definately looks nice..a bit pricey. How is the G2 nitrolon or the Z2 or E1e. I know the battery life is not that good tho.

Any more opinions welcomed...and thanks again! I guess its hard to find a bright light with good battery life.

A Mag85 is a modified 3D Maglite. Powernoodle sums it up very nicely in the thread What is a Mag85?.

If you're just looking for a bright light for everyday use, I would highly recommend the Fenix L1P, at an excellent price of $35 from Fenix-store.com. It's small and uses 1 AA battery, but don't be fooled -- it's truly a pocket rocket. Not only does it have serious "wow" factor, but it's a fantastic performer on NiMH rechargeables, and it was CPF's light of the year in 2005. I've had mine for three or four months now, and the type III (hard anodize) finish has held up nicely even though I don't bother babying it. Only wear is a slight silver sliver on the bezel, where I've dropped it multiple times. Though I've replaced it with my A2 Aviator for everyday use, the Fenix L1P is a terrific light at a low price.

If you want to venture into the world of lithiums and xenons fairly cheaply, I'd point you in the direction of the $35 Surefire G2 Nitrolon, which is as good as any of Surefire's 2-cell tactical flashlights. Again, it'll happily wolf down cheap $1 CR123's from Amondotech or BatteryStation. If you'd be satisfied with a less proven, but "just as good" light output, the Brinkmann Maxfire LX, $16 at Target, is a good value. However, the G2 is smaller, and IMHO, better looking. You'll get about an hour's worth of brilliant light from a pair of lithiums.

rydude07 said:

Wow...I am amazed at the number of replies within such a short period of time. I LOVE CPF. Anyway, I have narrowed down to the Inova T2 (which they say is 40 lumens... and a 5 hours battery life seems good to me), the 4AA propolymer(which also seems good too), maybe the PILA, and maybe surefire...actually I have not really narrowed it down. I appreciate all your help. I am looking for a light thats not too big, something definately smaller than a 3d maglight. I'll look around and see what is a mag85.

Yeah, I have considered and now just need a bright light, not necessary for one to blind an assailent. I have very litttle worries of being assailed by an attacker. The A2 surefire definately looks nice..a bit pricey. How is the G2 nitrolon or the Z2 or E1e. I know the battery life is not that good tho.

Any more opinions welcomed...and thanks again! I guess its hard to find a bright light with good battery life.

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By the way, Inova often inflates their lumen ratings on lights; the T2 actually outputs 24.596 lumens according to the scale of flashlightreviews.com (great site), while the Streamlight Propolymer Luxeon outputs about 33 on that same scale.

Another light I completely forgot to mention (thankfully someone else did) was the Fenix L1P; you'll love the light, it's smaller than the T2, brighter, and best of all, it runs off of AA Batteries, and works great with rechargeable NiMH AA's as well. Also cheaper. :rock:

On sale for $37:

http://www.lighthound.com/sales/fenix_l1p.htm

Go with the easy to feed Streamlight ProPoly Luxeon 4AA.

Chuck

How about a Surefire G2 with an LED drop-in for longer runtimes?

If you go Lithium how about the Brinkman Maxfire, tough to beat for $17. I don't have one (yet) but have read a lot about them and played with them at target. Good reviews at most of the sites and cheap enough.

I like the Maxfire LX for the price/output ratio. Have one with a G&P 3W drop in, picking up additional runtime at slight reduction in output.

Also have a bunch of Fenixes, pretty decent output and they work real well off NiMH. If you already have a bunch of AA rechargeables, the L1P or L2P may be the way to go, no additional costs for power. I'd go with the L2P, better regulation.

From the CPF Wiki: Flashlight Check List


It really helps narrowing your choices, oh and welcome to CPF.

-LT

Handlobraesing said:

Get the $20 two lithium powered thingy at Wal-Mart. That thing is BRIGHT for the size and price.

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+1 on this. The light in question is the Brinkmann Maxfire LX. This is a fantastic light, and when the bulb eventually burns out, you can choose to replace it with either the Brinkmann bulb, or with a P60 unit. I have one of these, though it's been bumped out of the way to make room for my Surefire 6P. It's not exactly the best for runtime, though, as it yields only about an hour of usable light.

Id go with the Surefire E1L or E2L. Bright, small, and great battery life.
One word of caution. You might want to go something cheap that you wont regret as much having stolen. I say this because dorms are a snatch and grab operation. Things disapears in dorms all the time. Get a light you can hide easily or carry with you easily a lot of the time if your going to spend a lot.

Thanks again for all your replies. I am not too worry about it being stolen, as I will carry the flashlight with me everywhere, in my backpack. The surefires look real nice, eventhough they are expesive. i may take a look into the Brinkmann. Also the Fenix does look nice, but the reviews said it has about 1 hour battery life?

I think then I will rule out Inova T series eventhough the flashlightreviews.com did giive them 5 stars and said nothing about having less lumens..but I trust you guys.

Thanks again for all your replies and opinions. I will have some deciding to do,any more comments are welcomed

nc987 said:

One word of caution. You might want to go something cheap that you wont regret as much having stolen. I say this because dorms are a snatch and grab operation. Things disapears in dorms all the time. Get a light you can hide easily or carry with you easily a lot of the time if your going to spend a lot.

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That's it, you've made me paranoid... every one of my lights that I love is going to be on my person from now on.

Hey get the 'minimag hotwire kit from AuroraLite. For under $50 you can turn your minimag into a blazing bright light.
https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/104127
Sam