Newbie Seeks Answers....

Hello all,

This is my first post. I am looking for a good flashlight to take night fishing on the boat and find my way around the campground when we are done. I am tired of cheap, junky lights. It is time to get a good one. I have a few questions though. I am considering the Surge, Scorpion, and Stinger.

1. Which one of these is the brightest?
2. Does the Surge have an adjustable beam? Would the beam be effective at lighting a man at say 150 feet? Keep in mind that I do not want to light the whole hillside, I like a tight beam.
3. Will both of the Streamlights adjust to a tighter spot than the Surge?

That is about all I can think of right now. If anyone has any other suggestions I would like to hear them. I do own a 2D mag lite, is the beam on the Surge bigger than the mag lite when the mag is adjusted to the tight spot?

Please excuse if these questions seem dumb. I want to get a good light on the first try and not regret the purchase.

Thanks.

Nala

Nala...

Welcome aboard.

I don't own a Surge so I won't comment. However, I do own both the Scorpion and Stinger. The Stinger is one of my favorite lights. It is bright, has a good throw, rechargeable, and tough. If you are going to be camping you might want to consider a light that is not rechargeable and uses regular batteries. You might also want to consider a waterproof light for fishing.

The Scorpion is a great light as well. Extremely bright(gives my Surefire M2 with P60 a run for its money for 1/4 the price), small, and durable. However, I think other lights might suit you better for your needs.

Check my post about the Streamlight 3C. I just bought one...very tight beam with great throw, waterproof too.

Good luck and welcome to the board.

You might also consider the Brinkmann Legend LX.....it puts out 5+ watts of light that would be more than sufficient for what you need.....however the batteries can be expensive (123 lithiums @ $6+ EACH in stores and it requires two) and it lasts 1 hour on a set of batteries....you can get them cheaper online though for about $2.15/each including shipping...the SURGE from what I hear is stronger than the legend lx with 7.5 watts and uses regular AA size batteries (8) and lasts for 3+ hours. I don't have one so I can't make any other comments on it....I know it is more expensive than the legend lx but for the longer run time, greater light output, and cheaper batteries it might be the way to go.

You might want two (only 2!!)lights. A LED light (Infinity, Arc AAA, Attitude Etc.) for close work. And a longer throw light for spotting. I like my Scorpion but I don't think it has as tight a spot as a Maglight. The UK 2L is waterproof and the 123 batts are not bad if you carry backups so you don't have to buy them on the road. Also if you only use the 123 light when you need a bright light the batteries last a long time. Check out Brock's page and search on the forum and you will have lots of info.

Welcome to CPF!

I suggest you get a Surge.

I suggest you get one that's brightly coloured so you can find it faster in the dark. Put a Glowring and an ArcAAA in the Lanyard too.

Al

The Surge is impressive! It will light up the side of the house next door (150ft away) bright enough that you can see the colors of the brick! It's not that big...only about a half an inch longer than a MiniMag and about as big as a "D" cell. Also good to 500ft of water.

Also,the yellow one almost glows in the dark it's so bright (the color od the case that is!)

Nala,
I agree that the Surge is an impressive light.
However, if you want a tighter beam, I suggest you look at the UK SL4. It is quite compact with a tight, smooth, penetrating beam (with adequate peripheral light). It is a 4 C-cell (in a side by side configuration)dive light.
To tell the truth, I always thought it looked a little clumsy in pictures, but it handles quite well and will fit in a back pocket if need be. Run time is listed at 4-5 hrs.
Good luck with your choice,
Greg

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by gb6491:
Nala,
I agree that the Surge is an impressive light.
However, if you want a tighter beam, I suggest you look at the UK SL4. It is quite compact with a tight, smooth, penetrating beam (with adequate peripheral light). It is a 4 C-cell (in a side by side configuration)dive light.
To tell the truth, I always thought it looked a little clumsy in pictures, but it handles quite well and will fit in a back pocket if need be. Run time is listed at 4-5 hrs.
Good luck with your choice,
Greg<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Nala,

Welcome to our unique group of happy obsessives!

I second Greg's choice of the UKE SL-4 for the reasons he mentioned, especially in terms of your long-throw requirement.

I also think the Surge is a truly fine light, but I'm not sure if it will throw as far and as bright as the SL4. I would comparison test them for you, but such tests are difficult and impractical where I live.

Please bear in mind that the manufacturer's runtime figures of 4-5 hours for the SL-4 are a bit optimistic. Based on my experience 3 hours is a more realistic figure.

Brightnorm

My vote would be for the Surge over the SL-4. I own & like both. However, I think the Surge pulls "double-duty" better as an area light & a long throw light than the SL-4. The Surge casts a fairly "long" beam (but not as good as the SL-4), but the SL-4 is by no means a good area light. TX