All I wanted was a little flashlight: Holy cow!

I was about to scan the net for a flash light and I stumbled on this forum. I'm amazed. How could I ever have considered myself even remotely qualified to buy a flashlight?

Okay, I basically want something bright and small. LED's sound like a good idea...it'd be nice not to have to worry about bulbs. Plus, LEDs are neat. I plan on using something like RadioShack rechargable batteries (AA would be best) and I should be able to fit it in my mouth (under the hood, two hands are better than one). I'm hoping to spend about $20. Any advice?

I'm checking out the SureFire web site right now (seems broken), that seems to be mentioned around here a lot. Any other leads? Someone's avatar around here is this little silver flashlight with 5 LEDs up front...looked cool.

That silver flashlight you saw was the Inova X5-T I believe, goes for around $35. If you want something hands free, and pretty bright try a Streamlight Clipmate it has a headband, runs on 3 AAAs, has 3 LEDs and a lanyard. It sells for around $15 and you can purchase it from www.brightguy.com

and finally Welcome aboard!

You will never be the same since you have entered our secret society where light is abundant, batteries are supercharged and you have flashlights that lasts over 11 years before changing the
'emitter' /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif

Welcome to CPF!

I hope you enjoy your time here.

If this thread is going to be about LED lights then please email me [email protected] and I'll move it to the LED section of CPF.

This way we can focus our efforts towards helping you out.

Best regards,

Al

Re: All I wanted was a little flashlight: Holy cow

I'm almost hooked. I just can't spend $100+ on a digitally regulated A2 or whatever.

Indeed it is the Inova X5T. That'd be perfect if it used regular-sized batteries. I've got a recharger, and it would make sense to use it. Also, the cheapest one I've found was about $40...I'll probably never have to buy another, but...it's just hard for me to justify.

Re: All I wanted was a little flashlight: Holy cow

Inova X5 = $40
12 SureFire batteries = $15

How often are you using this light? It will last a few months on one set of batteries.

[ QUOTE ]
...Okay, I basically want something bright and small. LED's sound like a good idea...it'd be nice not to have to worry about bulbs. Plus, LEDs are neat. I plan on using something like RadioShack rechargable batteries (AA would be best) and I should be able to fit it in my mouth (under the hood, two hands are better than one). I'm hoping to spend about $20. Any advice?

[/ QUOTE ]

You may be asking for too much, even regardless of price. I think you should first be more specific about how much throw you're expecting to need. If you're expecting at least a reasonable amount of throw, you should consider only Luxeon lights, and not the ones with the little 5mm LEDs. If you want to use AA batteries, this leaves the CMG Reactor, or one of the Minimag type Luxeon mods you can find on this forum.

Tremelune,
If you are interested in the A2, you might find the Xenergy
3in1 an attractive(price wise), capable alternative. It is discussed here: http://www.candlepowerforums.com/ubbthreads/showflat.php?Cat=&Board=UBB1&Number=183161&page=0&view=expanded&sb=5&o=31&fpart=.
Regards,
Greg

Re: All I wanted was a little flashlight: Holy cow

<font color="orange"> welcome to the board!!! </font>

the cmg infinity sounds like what your looking for.

uses aa battery
quite small.


but if you don't mind using a aaa battery, the <font color="red"> arc aaa </font> is <font color="green"> perfect </font> . it is the <font color="blue"> perfect </font> keychain light. the most durable light on the planet.

[ QUOTE ]
I was about to scan the net for a flash light and I stumbled on this forum. I'm amazed. How could I ever have considered myself even remotely qualified to buy a flashlight?

[/ QUOTE ]

Frankly, I have no idea how regular folks buy flashlights. Perhaps the flashlight section should be strictly limited to geeks who spend tens if not hundreds of hours each month on candlepowerforums /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

[ QUOTE ]

Okay, I basically want something bright and small. LED's sound like a good idea...it'd be nice not to have to worry about bulbs. Plus, LEDs are neat. I plan on using something like RadioShack rechargable batteries (AA would be best) and I should be able to fit it in my mouth (under the hood, two hands are better than one). I'm hoping to spend about $20. Any advice?

[/ QUOTE ]

One bit of advice: you want hands-free operation, ever consider a headlamp? There are lightweight, inexpensive headlamps out there. I assume they run well on rechargeables, but don't know for sure. For some reason I never considered headlamps and was never interested in them, but after this winter's round of blackouts, I picked one up for myself and now I wonder how I ever lived without it. Drooling on a Maglite held between your teeth is just not the best option!

I have this headlamp: http://www.princetontec.com/outdoor_aurora.html It's very lightweight, has multiple power settings, and can be adjusted so that it's pointing where my eyes are looking. There are many LED and incandescent headlamp options, all of which will work better for heads-free operation than the mouth-light-and-drool solution.

If you decide to go the headlight route, here's a couple URLs to poke around on, and you can ask the experts here for more opinions:

http://www.princetontec.com/outdoor.html
www.streamlight.com (check Septor and Trident)

Joe

Yep, my avatar is an Inova X5T. It's one of my favourite LED flashlights. It uses 2 3volt Lithium batteries.



Surefires are awesome too. I have a E1e and it's great, but now I have to get the KL1 to convert it to an LED. The only drawback is that once you get 1 Surefire, you'll want to get more and they can be expensive. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

If you're on a tight budget and want a good LED flashlight, I highly recommend the Princeton Tec Attitude. It runs on 4 AAA batteries and uses 3 LED's. It's priced under $20.00US.




Of course, you MUST get an /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/bowdown.gifArc AAA/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/bowdown.gif
It rocks! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/buttrock.gif

I very much second the advice for the PT Aurora headlamp (my daughter has one...and really likes it) or the PT Attitude. I've purchased a lot of lights here while on the forum and of all of them (ARC AAA, CMG Infinity & Ultra, PT Surge, etc.) my absolute favorite is the Attitude. If you are going to clench the light in your teeth, the Attitude will be WAY more comfortable (and compact) than most metal flashlights. You can get them for about $16 at TTS.

You might consider ordering a PT Rage at the same time ($9 at TTS). It is the same body as the PT Attitude and is REALLY BRIGHT. The light heads are interchangeable. The Attitude makes a great "task light" while the Rage will light up an area very well for such a little light!

If you are going to run it routinely (I use mine several times a week), I highly recommend NiMH AAAs. If don't already have a charger, get one that will independently charge 1 to 4 batteries (like the RayOvac PS4 or the new Maha 401).

The batteries, charger and Attitude (or Aurora) will all last a very, very long time and provide years of flashlight satisfaction at a very low cost over time!

Brightguy is having a sale on the Aurora's. It also comes with a free Princeton Tec Pulsar. I misplaced my Aurora a few months ago and it came in handy when I needed to use 2 hands.

I was looking at the Aurora, and it doesn't look like the angle is adjustable. I only use headlamps at work, and it is useless to me if I can't adjust the angle.
Also, when using a headlamp, and working with your hands, it doesn't need to be very bright. The farthest you need the light to be, is arms length. That's why I have to get an LED headlamp. I like the Septor.
Also, what is the cheapest Arc AAA? Aren't they around $30? That's pricey for a keyring light.

Re: All I wanted was a little flashlight: Holy cow

I don't have anywhere near as many lights as most on this forum, but of the one's I have, I think the best "general purpose LED light" has to be the Streamlight 4AA LED Propolymer. It's well made, quite bright, uses easy to find and cheap AA's, runs a long time on a set of batteries, and doesn't cost all that much (around $24). You can find one at The BrightGuy: http://www.brightguy.com/detail_int.tpl?&sku=STR68201 The Streamlight is probably my favorite LED light. However, the LED light that I use the most has to be my CMG Infinity. I have one of the original models (not the newer Infinity Ultra model) with a green LED. This is my "get up and go to the bathroom in the middle of the night light". It won't necessarily wow you with it's brightness, but you don't want bright after you've been asleep for a few hours. Tough as nails, uses a single AA battery, and lasts forever. The newer Ultra model is much better liked by many people here because it's basically the same bullet proof light, except brighter. I will finally be ordering one of these pretty soon. The BrightGuy has both models http://www.brightguy.com/detail_int.tpl?cart=1046144024448151&sku=CMGINFW and http://www.brightguy.com/detail_int.tpl?cart=1046144024448151&sku=CMGULTWB , but they're a little bit cheaper at Texas Tactical Supply http://www1.ecxmall.com/stores/texastacticalsupply/Detail.bok?searchpath=d8346805f3930e7860a0&category=Led+Lights&start=1&total=12&no=18 T.T.S. also carries the Ultra model, but I think they're sold out at the moment and they remove the link from their website when this happens. Just check back every few days.

[ QUOTE ]
Also, what is the cheapest Arc AAA? Aren't they around $30? That's pricey for a keyring light.

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You just won't understand until you have one. I wear the ARC or a somewhat bigger Infinity Ultra around my neck on paracord. I can't stand to be without one!

The ARC may make you think of a M*g Sol!ta!re but they only look somewhat alike. The ARC turns on without the flickering of the M*g. And it puts out a SO much better light!

I also add a rec for the PT Attitude. A lot of light for it's size.

Re: All I wanted was a little flashlight: Holy cow

Also - I forgot this in my last post - check out The LED Museum website http://ledmuseum.home.att.net/ledleft.htm What a great resource that one is. That is the site I stumbled onto when I was just searching the net for a new flashlight, same as you. It's run by a great guy named Craig who also posts here. He has reviewed a giant list of LED flashlights. It was from that website that I found out about CandlePowerForums. Soon you'll be bouncing over to other websites you see mentioned on CPF. I too was just looking for a simple little flashlight. Now my daily ritual includes checking in on CPF, Craig's site, and several others. Good luck. You'll probably get hooked just like everybody else here!

Re: All I wanted was a little flashlight: Holy cow

You guys are insane. I hang around some pretty hard-core car and computer forums, and this place is on par. Remarkable.

I've got some digesting to do. Part of the reason I was kind of vague was because I wanted to hear some of the solutions the knowledgable would come with. I think I may end up with three friggin' lights when all this is done--tiny sucker for my neck, a headlamp for ease, and a cigar-sized guy just to check stuff out around the house.

The last thing I need is a new place to put money! Oh well, I'm here, it's all I can do but not get hooked...Thanks for the info, I'll check out a bunch of these out tomorrow.

Re: All I wanted was a little flashlight: Holy cow

[ QUOTE ]
...I think I may end up with three friggin' lights when all this is done--tiny sucker for my neck, a headlamp for ease, and a cigar-sized guy just to check stuff out around the house...

[/ QUOTE ]

I think you're learning. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif You DO in fact need more than one light. I also use the three light system:

1) Keychain-sized light for emergency backup, and for when you don't have your other flashlights with you (Arc AAA is excellent for this).

2) Headlamp. This is a must for me, and what I have on most of the time. If you just want one for car repair or taking walks, as mentioned above, the Princeton Tec Aurora is perfect for this.

3) Long throw light for when you really need to see something far off in the distance. Luxeon LEDs can be used, but getting one small enough to fit in a pocket is still a challenge for us. Check out the LED mod forum for progress on this.

Re: All I wanted was a little flashlight: Holy cow

The perfect 3 or as I will tag it as the perfect trio would be this for the average buyer and not the hard-core junkies /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif, Tigerlight 8" for max light, Surefire E2E for EDC, ARC for small task light.

For the professional who wants a bit more and has a padded VISA card, Surefire M6, SF A2 for EDC, and again the ARC for pocket light.

For the Hard Core , The McCulloch 550 HID, SF M6, M3/KL2