What are your "Beater" lights?

I have a few lights I EDC that I don't mind abusing and can live without (albeit with a lot of grief) if lost. They are my Arc AAA, E2O, and HDS B42 XRGT. They pretty much are with me everywhere I go, especially when traveling.

I do rotate my EDC but have a dedicated "travel team."

Do you have a primary go to/to go list?

My only beater light is my Nuwai TM-313X which I've modified with a QV1J Lux1 running DD off a 14500. Very nice beam, defined hot spot, and good throw. I use it when working on my cars and it gets dropped on the concrete floor and what not. All my other lights, I use often, but take pretty good care of also. For travel, it depends on where I'm going and what I'll be doing. I don't have a dedicated travel team aside from my Gerber IU (in case I need light for 6 days straight) and 12 LED UV light. If I'm going camping or anywhere with lots of trees and forest, I bring my TL-2 and TL-3 xenons for throw, lighting up the area, and good color and depth rendition, along with a couple of LED lights for backups. Otherwise, I just bring a couple of my LED lights.

kelmo said:

Do you have a primary go to/to go list?

Click to expand...

HDS B42 (with *long* runtime, dating back to the times when there was no XR), Peak Matterhorn 1AAA, Surefire E1L. I *always* carry the Peak, and when I leave the house also the HDS. The Surefire is more of a specialist light that I use when I need the throw.

Hans

a modded QIII

mini mag, and I really don't mind losing it either.:thumbsdow .Everything else is precious lol

What are my beater lights? All of 'em. No shelf queens for this boy! :nana:

Specifically, SL PP Lux AA's, various LED modded Mags and Minimags, Surefire G2's, and Photon knockoffs. Notice they're all cheap? Yep, that's for a reason.


:buddies:

Defintely: Lupine Wilma as Headlamp with mounted micro-LiIon-accu

I wouldn't want to lose it but if I need to pick up a light to do something, I'll usually pick up an Elektrolumens XM-3 (now on sale, blah..blah). It just FEELS so heavy and thick, it seems like it could take a beating. There's a Costco 2AA 1W Lux next to it in case I want to pick up a light to give to someone ELSE to do something with.

If I need more throw, there's the Dorcy Super 1W 3D cell I got at the Target closeout. I measured it at something close to 5000 cd (hard to read my little analog meter in all that glare) on fresh batteries...

My beater light is a stock Fenix L1P.
Since I am "the guy that has a $130 keychain light" most people expect something rather interesting when they borrow a light. The L1P is good for most people's use and if it gets lost/destroyed I am not out a lot. Heck, I would get the L1T to replace it.
The Peaks, Arcs and Mods... those don't get lent out.

I don't alternate carry lights {or knives either}. When I find something I like, I stick with it. My EDC's of late are my Aleph 1 and a Fenix P1 on my belt. Orb Raw on my key ring. I use the same lights all the time, for general use {beaters} and when in the field and need a light more than the ones I carry, it is usually my SF 10X.

Edit: Most all of my lights get muddy and dirty from time to time. That's what they're for. I'm a big believer in "if I own it, I use it". No shelf or safe queens for me. That's not to say I don't properly care for the them, but they are going to get used.

My Pila GL3, followed by a couple of minimags.
I now have a Gladius with lots of character marks that may take over duty...

I'm not really very rough on any of them. Probably the closest thing to beaters would be the RR 2AAA, Dorcy Metal Gear, and the UK eLED 4AA.

Geoff

- 3D Mag w/a 1 watt Sears LED PR bulb
- Minimag w/a 1 watt Terralux bulb
- Dorcy 1AAA LED

My beaters: 6P, stock QIII, Pelican M6 LED

I try and keep all my lights in the condition they were when I got them (ie. close to new), but necessity dictates that somewhere/somehow they're going to accumulate some "Character Marks".

My SL-20X-LED has a few marks on it that are "sentimental" to me and I think it makes it look meaner when it's got some scratches and wear on it. That's usually my everyday duty light because I find it so versatile yet durable and reliable, it's been hard for me to choose something else for general on-duty use.

Otherwise my Surefire 6P is my tank/beater, use it almost everywhere and it holds up to almost anything I can throw at it, and still looks good.

I find the L1P to be a great "beater" light, and the RR 2aaa for a "I just don't care" light.

When I need a beater light with a little more guts I go for one of the 3D Mags with DB-3W. The 3D and larger lights can qualify as a "beater" in two ways.

Daily use of late have been L4 with 2-stage, Lionheart/cub, Peli M6 LED, Arc AAA w/ N-tail, and E2d w/Strion but none of those get lent.

My beaters are lenders: SL Jr. Lux, PT Sport Flare w/ SMJled, Arc AAA, Mag 3C w/ dropin and G2 w/ BOG 3W dropin.

daloosh

I'd have to go with my Inova X1 as a beater light. Plain looking, and inexpensive to replace if it should come to harm.

Almost all of them. Aside fom the spares I have just a couple that I don't use. They aren't expensive -- I just bought them because I really liked the look/feel of them and now they're not made anymore.

I have full coverage sheaths for almost every one of my lights so they stay in pretty good shape. Wearing sheaths is just second nature to me. I've worn them so long that I walk with a limp without one.

Loaners are a different story. I have a few loaners that I would never use that I just keep around for power failures so I have something to give neighbors close enough to me to accidently burn me out if all they have is candles for emergency lighting. I have some incans that the Red Cross gives out just for that purpose -- they run on 2xAA, 2xC or 2xD, whatever they have.

I don't own any light that I don't use for fear of dropping or losing- they all get dropped and scuffed and scratched- they are all beater lights.... My most expensive flashlight is a Nuwai luxV- so I don't own anything really snazy to worry about- but even if I did- I think I would probably get the same good use out of it...

on the top of my list for the lights that become the go-to beater lights:
Ultrafire G120 body with 2x17670>P91
LEDBEAMS: have a few of em around
multi-LED china specials: even try to get the 100LED light into service once and awhile.