Dorcy or Brinkman

I need some help in picking out a Flashlight again. I read Flashlight reviews etc and am not sure what the heck I am doing!

Out of these 3 lights which is brighter, better throw and all around better.

Dorcy 1watt
Dorcy Metal Gear
Brinkman Maxfire LX

The Brinkman LX at Wal-Mart has 2 different style packages for the same light. Did they improve or change the light hence the new package?

Well to make it a little more complex, which Dorcy 1 watt are you referring to? There are a couple of different versions.

And since you don't seem to be sure, let me throw a couple more into the mix just to make it more confusing . Actually just a couple more to consider. If you like having momentary on before the switch clicks on, you might also want to take a look at the Brinkmann 1W and 3W at Target ($19.99, 29.99 respectively,) they both look like the Maxfire LX though broader in girth to accommodate the 3 AA batteries.

QMT2 said:

I need some help in picking out a Flashlight again. I read Flashlight reviews etc and am not sure what the heck I am doing!

Out of these 3 lights which is brighter, better throw and all around better.

Dorcy 1watt
Dorcy Metal Gear
Brinkman Maxfire LX

The Brinkman LX at Wal-Mart has 2 different style packages for the same light. Did they improve or change the light hence the new package?

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I dont know about "better" but the maxfire LX basically draws the same characteristics as the Surefire G2...at a much lower cost, from what hear P60 and P61 LAs can fit in the LX...
Review [THANK YOU DOUG!] http://www.flashlightreviews.com/reviews/brinkmann_maxfirelx.htm

Compare it to this: [G2]: http://www.flashlightreviews.com/reviews/surefire_g2.htm

If your referring to the Super 1 watt, its all around best for EDC, and an internal boost circuit drives the 1 watter from 1 cr123A for more than 2 hours...so thats good run time for you
Review [THANK YOU DOUG!] http://www.flashlightreviews.com/reviews/dorcy_super1w.htm

Enjoy!

Regards.

I just bought the Brinkmann 3AAA 1W tonight. The brightness and throw is very similar to my first Dorcy Metal Gear. The spill on the Brinkmann is much cleaner than the ringy Metal Gear, but the Brinkmann hotspot has an ugly yellow center. I wish I could combine the best of both. The Brinkmann is lighter (nylon resin with metal interior sleeve), shorter, has rubber grips and the forward-momentary clickie. It has no clip or lanyard hole. The switch is perhaps too easy to operate. A flat surface can't latch the switch but it can light it momentarily. It won't tail-stand while the Metal Gear will just barely.
The Brinkmann has a very slightly crenalated bezel and a glass window.
I don't have either version of the Dorcy Super 1 Watt, although I looked at both of them tonight. The 3AAA with side-clickie is longer and larger and will tail-stand easily. The 1CR123a version is much smaller and I believe has a reverse clickie.
If less weight or having a non-metallic exterior is important I think the Brinkmann is worth the $20. I don't know if they all have the yellow hotspot center. That's the only complaint I can find with mine.

QMT2,
I have a Super 1 Watt and a Brinkman Maxfire (and others) in my work truck.
I bought a Brinkman Maxfire, liked it and showed it to one of my son-in-laws who delivers pizzas part time. Bought him one. Asked my legally blind mother if she could see better with a white LED (Streamlight) or the Maxfire. She said "I want this one". The Brinkman. You can't say no to your 84 year old Mom. Then I bought two more, one for me and one for my son. FYI, they're $3 less at Target.
The Super 1 Watt is real good for something close like writing out an invoice or looking at a street directory, so I like them both. HTH.
Ken

Well Thanks for the replies. It seems like these 2 lights are not very good? I had a Dorcy Spyder and it seemed fairly good at first. Do these 2 compare to the Spyder? What I am looking for is a fairly cheap light that has good throw and when I turn it on I want people to say WOW and be on that hands and knees saying you are the Flashlight Master!:rock:

the brinkmann maxfire and the dorcy spyder are pretty similar. both are 6V xenon flashlights. if you want strictly brightness and wow factor i don't think you will find anything brighter than maxfire for under 20 bucks. i have one for late night bike rides and it serves me very well in that application.

Dorcy super 1 watt 3AAA or CR123?

Something to consider is the batteries. Do you want run free lumens with rechargeables?
The brinkman Max is a 2xCR123 is a xenon, which probably won't handle rechargables.

The Dorcys can take recharagbles. In fact, the Dorcy CR123 is brighter on rechageables.

Check reviews here:

http://www.flashlightreviews.com/reviews_index/reviews_by_mfgrs.htm

Out of those three lights, the Brinkmann maxfire is the brightest and has the most throw. The Dorcy 1W (it's the 123a one, right?) is the most convient to carry around. I actually prefer the Brinkmann 3W LED to those three. It's almost as bright as the Brinkmann maxfire, brighter than the dorcy 1W or the Metal Gear, and I can use rechargeables in it (3AAA). You can always pop lithiums into it and get a bit more brightness. Hmm... If you want something kind of cheap that has some "wow" factor, how about the Fenix P1? For the size and money, that's really bright.

I had found a dorcy super 1 watt 2-AA that i bought for my Dad. The led and reflector are held together in a unit which is the exact same as the one found in the 123a version. It has a twist on / push momentary switch, and kicks out much more light than the metal gear, at least my metal gear, and a good bit more light than an Inova aa light that i bought at target while on vacation.

I have the 123a version and the brinkman maxfire, and between the two, the dorcy gets alot more use. THe brinkman is rubberized and does not slide in and out of my pocket very well, and it is a little too bright for most things when inside.

My son had a Dorcy metal gear. It was the 3aaa version. It was bright with decent runtime. However, 3 months after he got it, it started flaking out. It would not turn on, he'd bang it and it would come on. Seemed he wore out the tail switch some how. Anyhow, I took it apart and broke the led so I ended up throwing it away. Just wanted to warn you about the durability of it.

This is probably a dumb question, but if the light started to fail, why didn't you just send it into Dorcy for a Warranty replacement rather than taking it apart? I guess it's too late now, since consumer intiated damage/abuse isn't covered under any warranty.

boostmiser said:

My son had a Dorcy metal gear. It was the 3aaa version. It was bright with decent runtime. However, 3 months after he got it, it started flaking out. It would not turn on, he'd bang it and it would come on. Seemed he wore out the tail switch some how. Anyhow, I took it apart and broke the led so I ended up throwing it away. Just wanted to warn you about the durability of it.

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Brighteyez said:

This is probably a dumb question, but if the light started to fail, why didn't you just send it into Dorcy for a Warranty replacement rather than taking it apart? I guess it's too late now, since consumer intiated damage/abuse isn't covered under any warranty.

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Thought I might be able to fix it. I ended up damaging the led in the process (cracked it). The light was only $10 so no big deal. It would cost half that to ship it to Dorcy.

The Dorcy Metal Gear cost a little more at our Wal*Marts ($18.86), but I probably would have just taken it back to the store if it was inside of their 3 month return window.

boostmiser said:

Thought I might be able to fix it. I ended up damaging the led in the process (cracked it). The light was only $10 so no big deal. It would cost half that to ship it to Dorcy.

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I have not heard bad things about either brand really. For the most part they are cheap and provide a decent product for the money. As long as you look at Flashlight Reviews and do not pick one that has had a real bad rating, either will do you just fine. And if you pick them up at Walmart or one of the chain stores, you can always return them if it gets broken.