Can you recommend a torch ?

I have been looking for a decent light for a while, just to use when walking the dogs round the block. It needs to be bright as cars come round very fast and I like to feel like they can see me. I currently have a Duracell Voyager, a good light across fields but not bright enough and a rechargeable light from B&Q that is 100000 candles type and works very well but after 12 months when it is recharged it only lasts for about 8 mins then dies out.

My budget is not huge and there are so many to choose from that I don't want to buy one and find it isn't suitable for the job.

I would prefer one I can change the batterys so the same problem doesn't occur. It needs to be able to run for at least half an hour.

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Sounds like you are looking for a rechargeable.
Do you prefer LED or incandescent?

I would think that a Minimag 3AA LED might be a good choice. I believe you can use rechargeables. This would give plenty of runtime, and the Minimag is not only very bright, but also affordable. It has an excellent floody beam which is great for night walks.
You would need some rechargeable batteries and a charger. You could simply throw in some fresh batteries before each walk.

Welcome to the forum.

The sad truth (or happy truth) about CPF is that you will not get a simple answer to your question. You will get a huge number of suggestions. If you want a rechargeable (good idea) daily user, I'd suggest a light that can be recharged in place, rather than having to pull out the batteries and fill up a recharger. A MagCharger is a great light that can be upgraded to much greater brightness and runtime later. It's going to be close to $100, although I see them on Ebay for lots less. It's the size of a 3D and easy to recharge in its own cradle.

You might also consider a TigerLight, with or without the pepper spray. It is very bright and has multiple bulb options. Easy to recharge in its own cradle. It will probably run more than $100.

LEDs are nice because you get more runtime per lumen and the bulbs last longer. I don't know of any LED lights with a built-in charger. Streamlight makes a lot of rechargeable lights you may like, although the cost starts to go up. I think the LED Streamlight 3AA or 4AA would be better than a Minimag.

Surefire is a top-flight maker, but the price starts to go up quickly. I like the L4 (probably $100 plus) because it's small and bright (close to 100 lumens). The U2 (probably about $200) is even better. Just a bit bigger, but has multiple brightness settings up to about 100 lumens. The lower levels will make your cells last longer.

FYI: candlepower or lux refers to the brightness of the hottest part of the beam. Lumens refers to the total output. Good throwers tend to be higher on candlepower or lux. But a good flood light with a lower lux can actually put out a lot more light.

What is your budget? How long of run time do you need? Do you can if the batteries are AA, C, D, 123 or other. If you don't mind a light that runs on 123 batteries, I'd recommend the Surefire G2 for $35. It takes two 123 batteries but those can be found online for $1. It has a 1 hour run time, is bright and water proof. Also, for a good LED light, the Streamlight Pro Polymer Luxeon takes 4 AA batteries, is water proof, has about a 4-6 hour run time, can be run on lithium AA's and has a very good throw for an LED light. You can get those from around $30.

Thanks for the replies so far, much appreciated.

It is a bit of a minefield picking the right one(s).

What is the bulb life like on the minimag and is the light output in the gives of a nice amount of light or turns night into day. I realise it wont be the latter but just an idea.

My budget is, well as little as possible I guess. One I can upgrade sounds ideal.

Streamlight Pro Polymer Luxeon - what is the light from this like ?

One idea I had was to buy a Mag lite and upgrade that. I understand you can buy adapters to use AA batteries in them. Where can you get these from and which mag would be the best size to get ?

Five mega makes a 9AA-3D battery carriage that shoots out I think 13.5 volts and would only be used with a seriously high powered lamp. You can actually cut down the mag reflector cam and add a hotlips heatsink a cree LED and run it off 3 Nimh D cells using a voltage regulator which will give you very good runtime with stable light output no dimming. And to top that you could expect some pretty good runtime with a cree xlamp.

Thanks for the replies so far, much appreciated.

It is a bit of a minefield picking the right one(s).

What is the bulb life like on the minimag and is the light output in the gives of a nice amount of light or turns night into day. I realise it wont be the latter but just an idea.

***The minimag LED "bulb" is a Luxeon III LED, and it is highly unlikely that it would fail in your lifetime. That is the beauty of LED's.

My budget is, well as little as possible I guess. One I can upgrade sounds ideal.

***If you already have a Minimag, or even a 2D/3D Mag, there are a bunch of "drop-ins" which could fill your needs. Everled, Terralux, Badboy, Madmax, etc. Some are pricey, some less so. Most of them perform extremely well.

Streamlight Pro Polymer Luxeon - what is the light from this like ?

***It is a very bright 4AA light. It has a bright defined central spot, with a wide spill. It throws very well, and has excellent runtime. It is noted to be a very tough light as well.

One idea I had was to buy a Mag lite and upgrade that. I understand you can buy adapters to use AA batteries in them. Where can you get these from and which mag would be the best size to get ?

***I am not sure I understand your intent. Are you saying you would buy a Mag 2D, and run it from AA batteries? That would be an odd way to go, based upon your above requirements.

IMO, you should further define your needs, starting with the absolute maximum you are willing to pay for a good light setup.

1. How much maximum are you willing to spend?
2. Incandescent or LED?
3. How much light do you need?
4. Beam type? (Flood, spot, etc)
5. What form-factor do you like? Metal? Plastic? Do you want it to fit into a pocket?
6. What type of switch do you prefer?
7. Alkaline, lithium, or rechargeable?
7a. if rechargeable, do you want "charge in place", where you drop the light into a cradle, or do you prefer to use batteries you charge, and place them into the light?
8. Does it need to be waterproof/resistant?

From there, we can assist in finding a great light!

I recommended the Mag 3AA based upon your attempt to balance brightness, budget, and ability to use rechargeables.

The Minimag 3AA is about $20. It will use alkalines, lithiums or rechargeables. This makes it very flexible.
Runtime is quite good. On alkies it goes nearly 3 hours to the 50% mark. NiMh should run a long time as well, and have flatter discharge.
It is long, but still can ride in a back pocket.
Mags are tough, reliable, and somewhat water resistant.
The beam is mostly a broad flood, with some of the beam weighted to center. It is a very nice walking light.

A set of 4 rechargeable batteries and a charger can run as little as $15.
For $35, you are set.

The 4aa Streamlight pro poly luxeon is a great light with a lot of throw.It can run on Alkalines,rechargables or lithium primary's.The c battery type has a longer run time.Brightness,runtime,ruggedness its hard to beat.A very bright set up would be a build your own from a maglite(Incan),do a search for a ROP and a mag35,those two will run fo 30 miniutes,but without rechargables it will get expensive.

If you're walking dogs, would it be advantageous to have your hands free to hold leads? If so, might you consider a headlamp. The onslaught of LED has made headlamps smaller, lighter and not so silly looking, so you might want to consider that.

I think the Streamlight 4AA Propolymer Luxeon is a good choice. I just recently bought one, throw is pretty good and spill is nice. I use it with rechargable NiMHs. The Minimag LED is a good idea too. It is up to you.

Check out this post by a fellow CPFer:

https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/99785

The strange combination of Dog+Flashaholism.