Recommend camping/self defense light for under $70

Hey i'm new to this whole flashlight thing. I want an LED light that's less then 6 inches, has good battery life (like 10hrs or more) , is bright enough to mess with someone's night vision and is less then $70. The light would be used on camping trips and for sitting next to my handgun in my quick access bedside safe. Also i guess around the house if the power went out or something My buddy has a surefire G2 LED and suggested that to me....seems pretty good but just thought i'd check with you knowledgable folks and see which other lights to consider given my needs and pricepoint.

Welcome!
Sounds like you've got things under control, go with the G2 LED, it is a great light, guarenteed by a great company!

Lucky Strike said:

Hey i'm new to this whole flashlight thing. I want an LED light that's less then 6 inches, has good battery life (like 10hrs or more) , is bright enough to mess with someone's night vision and is less then $70. The light would be used on camping trips and for sitting next to my handgun in my quick access bedside safe. Also i guess around the house if the power went out or something My buddy has a surefire G2 LED and suggested that to me....seems pretty good but just thought i'd check with you knowledgable folks and see which other lights to consider given my needs and pricepoint.

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Fenix P3D Q5, Its 4.5 inch long and have 6 mode, under $70 bucks Plus 5% discount.

You could also get a 6P with a more powerful LED drop-in, as in 120+ lumen instead of 80 lumen but then you also loose runtime.

If you can accept reverse clickes, then you would also get more suggestions.

If you want to use AAs, the Fenix L2T V2.0 is also a good light to use. So is the Dereelight CL1H 2 mode on 18650 rechargeable batteries(can also run on 2 CR123 batteries, at less runtime). Low for when you don't need light and high for when you do need light. Both use a twist to change from high to low.

And how about a cheaper AA light as a back up, like the MXDL RC-G2. Lower quality then the above lights but should be enough for a backup/loaner light.

:welcome:

Can't go wrong with the G2L.

You might consider the Fenix L2T. Practical interface - click on/off and twist bezel for low or hi. Low is very adequate for camping, etc with a long runtime and hi is plenty bright for shooting stuff. Also uses AA batteries, which is a big plus, at least to me. May be a few $$ less than the G2. For your purpose I'd consider skipping the multimode whizbangs. Just additional levels to wade through to get to where you need to be and I don't think there's any real practical purpose for the strobe or SOS stuff.

And welcome to CPF. You couldn't have picked a better subject for a first post.

cmichael said:

Fenix P3D Q5, Its 4.5 inch long and have 6 mode, under $70 bucks Plus 5% discount.

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Agree! but also look into for $66 Approx. w/o shipping http://www.lummi.co.uk/orbraw.php

Isn't the Raw meant more as a key-chain/jewelry light? It's has short runtime and is small. It will not fit for the poster's task.

Also, to get close to the 10 hr mark with a G2, won't it take a few sets of batteries?

The problem is with the request - you can get a great, high-powered light, but it won't run particularly long or be particularly cheap. And a high-speed, self-defense light probably won't see a lot of use around the house because you'll blow through batteries pretty quickly for a limited return on operating life.

The good news - any relatively bright light will mess with an aggressor's night vision, although effectiveness will vary in accordance with the situation.

You can look for some great LED lights with multiple power settings - which allows one tool to be scaled to fit the situation as needed. However, I don't like complicated when a response needs to be fast and done right the first time - like self-defense. It would really suck if I needed my light to be on "high" and I left it on "really low" the night before. Just a personal quirk.

The Surefire is, as always a great choice - the only drawback is the CR123 battery. For those of us who live and breath gadgets and gizmos, we buy CR123s all the time, but otherwise it can be an unusual battery to put hands on in a pinch.

The Inova "Bolt" series is a nice compromise in my opinion - the 3.8 watt Inova Bolt has a nice feel without a hefty price tag, runs on 2 AA batteries and produces a respectable beam. It uses either a momentary flash tailcap "clicky" or a constant on by twisting the tail cap. I carry one as my intermediate working light. The Inova website has more specs if you're interested.

-Medina

a bit over your budget but i would suggest a surefire e2l.

a P1D ce from fenix-store might do the trick to, but its a twisty and that might not be so good in the one-in-a-million chance situation that requires a gun.

If the original poster is considering using a firearm in conjunction with the light, that changes the entire recommendation list.

Spend the money, invest in a good Surefire - hell, I'd even go for the upgraded emitter.

It's one thing, imho, to improvise a light with a weapon - needs must when the Devil drives. But using a weapon changes the situation so much, I'd rather hedge my bets to a specific-use tool.

-Medina

How about Wolf-eyes sniper http://www.pts-flashlights.com/products/product.aspx?pid=1-99-103-113-6314, it's small and build like a tank, contact Mike@pts http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/member.php?u=10538, I think the price for CPF member should less than $70.

Could try a Dereelight CL1H 2-stage, about 150 lumens out the front on HI, and over 20 hours of run time on low (with 18650). Takes a single 18650 battery, or 2 CR123's, or 2 RCR123's.

You can go with a SMO reflector for more throw, or OP for cleaner beam. For a bit over $70 you can get the 3-stage Q4 module for even more output, probably in the 180 lumen range (out the front), but runtime is around 12 hours on low.

http://www.cpfmarketplace.com/mp/showthread.php?t=169692

Hard to argue against the Ray-O-Vac 4W:
https://www.candlepowerforums.com/posts/2132742

Except for the slightly larger size (almost 10 inches), it is rugged, powerful, has great runtime on C batteries, and costs $25! You could get a couple for your budget and have some serious light!
:naughty:

That said, you also should consider the new Loews Task Force:
https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/175576

It's just over 6 inches and may have a 6hr+ runtime with lithium rechargeable batteries.

WadeF said:

Could try a Dereelight CL1H 2-stage, about 150 lumens out the front on HI, and over 20 hours of run time on low (with 18650). Takes a single 18650 battery, or 2 CR123's, or 2 RCR123's.

You can go with a SMO reflector for more throw, or OP for cleaner beam. For a bit over $70 you can get the 3-stage Q4 module for even more output, probably in the 180 lumen range (out the front), but runtime is around 12 hours on low.

http://www.cpfmarketplace.com/mp/showthread.php?t=169692

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+1

applevision said:

Hard to argue against the Ray-O-Vac 4W:
https://www.candlepowerforums.com/posts/2132742

It is rugged, powerful, has great runtime on C batteries, and costs $25! You could get a couple for your budget and have a seriously night light!
:naughty:

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"I want an LED light that's less then 6 inches"

Thanks for the suggestions....i'm taking the advice of keeping weapons tools specific so i'll likely be getting a Surefire G3 or something for dedicated usage in HD situations....won't leave my gunsafe unless it's being used for defense or occasional battery changes. That still leaves me with a need for a camping/general use around the house light. I'm checking out some of the suggestions given but hopefully i could be given some more with the added conditions of: no longer going to be used for HD and uses AA batteries. I don't have a lot of digital toys so the idea of buying a bunch of those funky batteries makes me want something that can run on good quality rechargable AA's Thanks!