Flashlight for Granddad CR123

Heading up to help celebrate my Grandfather's 90th Birthday. He lives by him self and still drives, takes care of the gardens, etc. I need a simple light that lighthound would carrys....fenix is out...just want a simple clickie....on or off. CR123's would be fine(I will supply him) or double AA's. Also pocketable for around the house. So what should I be looking at?

Amilite T5 is possible although it is low-high-off
I have a couple new P1-CE but not sure about the lack of a switch.....

I don't give people 123-based lights. Sooner or later they'll run out, they look foreign, etc. (even if you supply them with them).

Why not a Fenix? I gave my mom an L1T a while back, and she absolutely loves it. I never thought she'd EDC a light, but she doesn't leave the house without it.

I second the AA Fenix idea. There are excellent deals on non-digital Fenixes right now.

An Arc AAA may be a good choice. Considering its size, it is likely that it will actually be used and carried, whereas a larger light (even AA/CR123a) may end up left in a cupboard after a week or so. Easy to find batteries, rock solid construction and a very useful output (moreso with the new DS LED), even if it isn't extremely bright.

Regards,
Tempest

EDIT - having posted that, I realise lighthound doesn't carry the Arc range any more, so that may not be a very helpful suggestion.

Just a tip: old people often have weak hands, soreness and reduced mobility in joints etc. 90 is pretty old, and your grandfather may have a bit of arthritis. He certainly won't be as strong as he once was.

Make sure the light is very simple and easy to switch on and off, not stiff or requiring any strength to operate. What is easy to you could be quite difficult or even impossible for him.

A simple, uncomplicated UI would be a good idea too.

The Fenix L2T V2.0 would be good. Simple, AA powered, and forward clickie.

Do you want something with more knurling?

How about a Pentagon Molle? Lighthound carries these and are great task lights.

SR.GRINGO said:

Heading up to help celebrate my Grandfather's 90th Birthday. He lives by him self and still drives, takes care of the gardens, etc. I need a simple light that lighthound would carrys....fenix is out...just want a simple clickie....on or off. CR123's would be fine(I will supply him) or double AA's. Also pocketable for around the house. So what should I be looking at?

Click to expand...

My dad is 86, lives alone, still drives, still gets out and does yardwork, etc. Sounds a lot like your grandfather. I know my dad has lost strength and dexterity as he's aged. If I was getting my dad a light right now, I would put the SF G2L high on the list. The tailcap twistie has a very smooth, light action, and it's easy to grab. As for pocketable, well, everyone's definition seems to vary. I would not want a G2L in the front pocket of my jeans. But older guys often wear looser-fitting clothing. Or, maybe pocketable in a vest or coat pocket would suffice. Keep in mind, there is definitely such a thing as too small for aging, maybe arthritic hands. I think the G2L has sufficient output to please aging eyes, too.

Edit: oh yeah, it just occured to me - my dad is a Navy man. He would also appreciate the LEO/Military heritage of the SF. There's a nice paragraph that talks about this on the back of the package.

DM51 said:

Just a tip: old people often have weak hands, soreness and reduced mobility in joints etc. 90 is pretty old, and your grandfather may have a bit of arthritis. He certainly won't be as strong as he once was.

Make sure the light is very simple and easy to switch on and off, not stiff or requiring any strength to operate. What is easy to you could be quite difficult or even impossible for him.

A simple, uncomplicated UI would be a good idea too.

Click to expand...

This is what I am looking for.....

As far as CR123's I will give him 15 to start and we will go from there.

soffiler said:

My dad is 86, lives alone, still drives, still gets out and does yardwork, etc. Sounds a lot like your grandfather. I know my dad has lost strength and dexterity as he's aged. If I was getting my dad a light right now, I would put the SF G2L high on the list. The tailcap twistie has a very smooth, light action, and it's easy to grab. As for pocketable, well, everyone's definition seems to vary. I would not want a G2L in the front pocket of my jeans. But older guys often wear looser-fitting clothing. Or, maybe pocketable in a vest or coat pocket would suffice. Keep in mind, there is definitely such a thing as too small for aging, maybe arthritic hands. I think the G2L has sufficient output to please aging eyes, too.

Edit: oh yeah, it just occured to me - my dad is a Navy man. He would also appreciate the LEO/Military heritage of the SF. There's a nice paragraph that talks about this on the back of the package.

Click to expand...

This sounds like my Grandfather although he is skinny he wears the old school Levis....pretty tight. One level, and easy to turn on, or off is key. Also want good light output, along with good run time.

I have elderly parents, and here's what has worked well for them over the years: Princeton Tec Surge, Princeton Tec Rage, and Underwater Kinetics 2AAA penlight.

My basic criteria (YRMV):

1) Easy on-off is possibly the most important...including "soft"accessible switches, and/or easy to grip and turn. I loosened the screw on the Surge switch to make it super easy on-off. I also removed the o-rings from the Rage and UK 2AAA penlight for the same reason.

2) Not completely round so that if the light is set down on a table or counter, it won't roll off somewhere...possibly leading to a fall (and hip fracture!) when trying to retrieve the light.

3) Size and weight: Not too large, yet not too small. Fairly light in weight. Almost think of it in terms of what would be easy for young kids to use.

4) Non-metallic: Just not as cold to the touch, and less likely to scratch and dent other "stuff."

5) Bright colors: Easy(ier) to see and/or locate.

NOTE: Battery changes are an issue...which is why I make it my job to check and change the batteries when I'm visiting. That's also why I make sure they have more than one back-up light.

The PT Rage is just about the ideal light--small enough to be pocketable, very bright, the side-by-side battery compartment is easy to grip/hold, the slightly larger head is likewise easy to grip and turn on-off (with o-ring removed), etc. There's also the LED version, but I personally prefer the incandescent.

SR.GRINGO said:

This sounds like my Grandfather although he is skinny he wears the old school Levis....pretty tight. One level, and easy to turn on, or off is key. Also want good light output, along with good run time.

Click to expand...

Surefire G2L is one level, very easy to turn on/off (in my humble opinion) with its smooth, light tailcap twistie. Light output is about 80 lumens for about 3.5 hours if you get the newer model with the aluminum bezel. (the older model with plastic bezel has a bit less output and a bit more runtime... not really enough to worry about all that much). It uses OP reflector for a fairly large hotspot and smooth transition to spill. It is a classic high-quality Surefire beam. And you get a "moon mode" that lasts for many additional hours.

Lumapower Lm33 is a great light. It has two levels but very easy to operate.
It is a cr123 based light.

Flashfan just described the Streamlight ProPolys, which is what I was going to suggest.

I've spent the last few years as primary caregiver/handler for my mom and fatherinlaw. Mom died at 82 and f-i-l at 91 (six months ago).

Keep things simple and basic with as little gadgetry as possible. As mom's strength declined, she had difficulty with the SL tailswitch but she learned to hold the light and push the switch against a solid object to turn off and on.

BTW - we found the bright flood of the SL PP 7led, to be the by far the best.

soffiler said:

Surefire G2L is one level, very easy to turn on/off (in my humble opinion) with its smooth, light tailcap twistie. Light output is about 80 lumens for about 3.5 hours if you get the newer model with the aluminum bezel. (the older model with plastic bezel has a bit less output and a bit more runtime... not really enough to worry about all that much). It uses OP reflector for a fairly large hotspot and smooth transition to spill. It is a classic high-quality Surefire beam. And you get a "moon mode" that lasts for many additional hours.

Click to expand...

Well I almost ordered a Amilite T5 last night but decided to sleep on it.....my favorite edc....was going to bed and noticed it was hard to see.......that got me thinking about what Flashfan mentioned with the Yellow. So I am about to order the Surefire G2L in the bright YELLOW It also looks like it will be easy to hold on too. As far as the streamlight goes not sure if I can find the model mentioned by BigIron.

SR.GRINGO said:

Well I almost ordered a Amilite T5 last night but decided to sleep on it.....my favorite edc....was going to bed and noticed it was hard to see.......that got me thinking about what Flashfan mentioned with the Yellow. So I am about to order the Surefire G2L in the bright YELLOW It also looks like it will be easy to hold on too. As far as the streamlight goes not sure if I can find the model mentioned by BigIron.

Click to expand...

:thumbsup:

I thought Flashfan's five points were very good and very comprehensive, and I'm glad you realized the G2L comes in yellow. All five points are covered. If you end up with the plastic-bezel G2L, it has protrusions that provide anti-roll, and if you end up with aluminum-bezel GL2, it has an external hex.

Another thought that occurred to me in regards to this decision you're making... older guys often have a lot more "Buy American" sentiment than average. The Surefire fits that bill too. I think Granddad is going to be VERY pleased with this gift!

Now, the only thing left for you is to make sure you are ready, willing, and able to keep him supplied with CR123A's. If his usage is just "checking stuff out" I think he'll probably get weeks and weeks out of a set of cells.

blademan said:

Lumapower Lm33 is a great light. It has two levels but very easy to operate.
It is a cr123 based light.

Click to expand...

I agree I gave one to my Mom for her birthday along with AW cells, and a nano charger. It is very much like the Amilite for half the price.