Newbie Looking for Help and Opinions

Hi everyone i'm new here but yall can tell that already

I am a Firefighter and a Pest Control Tech when i'm off duty.
I am looking for a ideas on lights to use for both fields

My main carry light in my gear is my Streamlight Survivor cliped to my bunker coat.a Garrett on my helmet and i also carry a Mag Light Mini AA in my bunker pants for a backup

in my box for pest control i carry a 2 D mag light and a AA Mini Mag on my belt i have a maglight 3 D cell and a AA Mini Mag for my inspections and seeing in attics and crawl spaces

i am looking for something bright and cost effective that i can afford on a Civil Servent Salery which as many of you know isn't a hell of a lot

Any recomendations would be great

Thanks
Dan

Hello Dan

Welcome at cpf

Which type of batteries do you prefer? It exists a lot of nice lights, specially here at cpf, please tell us a little more of your wishes.

Take a look here:
Flashlight Reviews and LED Modifications

Do you are happy with your lights? (Brightness, Runtime)

Best regards

______
Tom

Yeah, let us know specifically what you are looking for. Are your current lights bright enough for your needs? Do you want brighter or longer run time than you have now? Do you want smaller size than Mag D-cells or is that size OK? Do you like and/or need the focusability of the Maglites?

There are many upgrades for your AA and D cell maglights. Some incandescant, some LED. The incan mods are often for more brightness at sacrificed run time. The LEDs are often less bright but will run a lot longer. Some LED mods are just as bright and still run longer, some are brighter than stock bulbs, but will be expensive and harder to do. There are several good drop-in LED modules that directly replace the D-cell bulb for less than ~$30. I just got a used EverLED (reviewed on Flashlightreviews.com) that is just as bright as stock with a whiter beam, still focuses, and will stay brighter far longer. Something like that will pay for itself in batteries if you use it a lot.

There are a few easy options for the MiniMag 2AA, and many, like the Ministar TLE-5 are brighter and longer running for ~$25. There are again many more expensive brighter options as well, that require a simple reversible mod.

Look at Flashlightreviews.com like Long John said. There is a section devoted to LED modifications with many for Maglites. I'm sure you will have more specific questions after reading some things there. Enjoy.

And of course, welcome to CPF.

Welcome to CPF Dan :wave:.

I'm a volunteer firefighter and have replaced our issued lights with my own led versions recommended here. I'm drawn to the more expensive Surefire lights like the U2. This is a great 6 level light that you can use to work close or turn on high to reach out and check for extension. I also have a traffic cone for it which I used last week to direct traffic around a downed powerline. Start on high at dusk for visability and you can turn it down as it gets darker to conserve batteries. Of course you mentioned affordable, and the U2 will set you back a couple of hundred dollars. I mention it only because it is common for people to start out here with budget solutions only to end up with a top of the line light down the road and regretting all the other lights purchased in between.

In terms of quality and value, I have seen the Streamlight Propolymer 4AA light recommended over and over. It is available in both Xenon and LED versions I believe. Surefire also has a less expensive light the G2 Nitrolon which I think would also be a good choice. I'm sure you will get many more good recommendations here. Glad you found us.

Thanks yall for the welcome I admit i found this site by accident whal looking at lights on a google search i'm glad i did though.

On my fire dept lights i have no complaints i upgraded the Survivor from original bulb to the black tip one for better light they have a led verson but i wasn't impressed with it.


Run time doesn't matter to me asmuch as the ability to see whats infront of me.

I prefer more brightness overall. I use them most in spaces where there is little to no light where everyones problems start

As for battries for the AA and D cells we are issued Duracell Industrial Alkalines that are bought in bulk.

I was thinking about going with rechargeables like i have for my digital camera however i always forget to charge them.

If i don't have to replace what i have with more higher priced lights then i'd love upgrades to make them brighter and better on batteries.

Thanks for the help sofar

Dan

Dan...Welcome to CPF!

I'm an officer on a volunteer FD and have worked full-time as a paramedic for the last 14 years so I know a little something about lighting needs on the streets.

The SL Survivor is a very durable light and has a proven record on the fire grounds. My dept. carries these as well. As a "coat" light this one should continue to serve you just fine.

Upgrade your helmet light - Streamlight ProPoly Xenon or Pelican Sabre or Stealth light. The reason I recommend Xenon is I find the beam has better "smoke-cutter" properties than LED. The bright white beam of LEDs seems to create a glare off of smoke, at least to my eyes anyway.

Back-up light in turnout gear - the light I keep in my turnout pants pocket usually gets more use than any other light I have on me when I'm on fire calls and it's nothing fancy....a Streamlight Syclops...the rotating head really comes in handy at times.

Most of the lights that I recommended above take the common AA battery.

As far as the Mags for your side job, there are numerous upgrades and mods for these so you won't have to invest in too many new lights...

Greetings and Welcome!

Like Synergy suggested in regards to the Streamlights and Pelicans. :thumbsup: Also for the Maglites, maybe you can try one of the drop-in LEDs available here.

www.LED-Replacements.com

There's also the SureFire G2 Nitrolon that's what's called "entry level" high powered incandescent flashlight. But these use two (2) CR123 lithium batteries, but it does put out a lot of light for the size comparing to the Maglites.

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

I just bought a surfire G2 from a local dealer a few hours ago for 25.00 its nice and bright

thanks for the advice sofar


Dan

The Surefire G2 is one of my favorite lights! Even after buying "better" lights I still use my G2 from time to time. You can get cheap batteries for it from Amondotech.com (I got my latest battery order today, 30 batteries shipped for $36, two days after I made the purchase).

I'd recommend you look at the Elektrolumens lights, many of which are bright and take common batteries.

A great start is, of course, the Surefire G2. New they usually go for about $34.

You can also pick up a very similer Brinkman Maxfire LX at Target for $17.

I recommend www.batterystation.com/cpf.htm . Fast shipping, quality battery and CPF members get them for $1/ea.

You can get a lot of pretty good and very affordable lights at target. Most of the Inovas seem pretty popular.

As much as I love the G2, and yes I own one myself, I can't recommend it for firefighting use. The last thing you would want happening is for those 123's to start venting in a potentially explosive atmosphere. That's why most of the lights I recommended are intrinsically safe.

But for general use ( I keep mine in the glove compartment of my truck) and to use on your side job, the G2 is tops for the price! :rock:

But be forewarned, by buying the G2 you've taken the first step towards developing a potentially expensive habit!

Enjoy the G2!

Synergy said:

But be forewarned, by buying the G2 you've taken the first step towards developing a potentially expensive habit!

Click to expand...

No kidding!

Greetings, All.

I purchased a G2 a few days ago. I'm smitten! My first "enthusiast"-level torch.

I have a Mini Maglite at work that I keep on hand for the occasional need to get under someone's desk to connect computer cables, and that seemed to be sufficient.

I've used the Mini a couple of times this week, and I now realize how lame it is! It's either this tiny, hot spot or a dim circle with an enormous black hole in the middle devoid of all photonic activity. I want my G2 at work! But, alas, I bought it for my bedside table.

The "bug" is already taking hold. Currently catching my eye: the U2 and 9P.

Sigh.

The G2 is only going to be used for pest work.
I also just ordered a Poly Stinger yellow and black from the same dealer it was a rechargeable light that was recomended to me by him.

I bought extra surfire batteries for the G2 for 5 bucks for 6 of them seemed like a decent deal since Radio Shack wants 3 bucks a pack for singles

I am going to keep in mind the recomended link for future buys

Thanks
Dan

Squid27WFD3 said:

I bought extra surfire batteries for the G2 for 5 bucks for 6 of them seemed like a decent deal since Radio Shack wants 3 bucks a pack for singles

Click to expand...

That's not bad. Surefire sells them for $1.75/ea. Not long ago they were $1.25/ea. Best bet for CR123, in my opinion, is http://www.batterystation.com/cpf.htm