I need a camping/general purpose flashlight

I'll start by stating that my ideal flashlight would have the following characteristics.

1) Uses cheap easy to replace batteries (AA prefered).

2) Simple and elegant design. I'm not a fan of complicated and flashy (pun intended) settings. A low/high or low/med/high setting would be nice. The low setting would be for things such as reading a book in my tent or reading a map in the truck.

3) Durable and long battery life.

My ideal camping/general use flashlight may not exist but I'm sure that there are some that come awfully close with a compromise here or there.

As an example, I took a hard look at the Fenix L2D.
Pros: Decent price, Uses AA batteries, long run time, has a low and high setting.
Cons: Too many additional settings. I might find this kind of annoying after a while.

I liked some of the Surefire flashlights but right now the 123A battery is a deal breaker. It would be nice if they had AA battery models.

I'm open to the possibility that I may just have to buy two flashlights. One with a good low setting for reading and long battery life and another with a good medium to high setting.

I discovered this website a week ago and I've been reading it nearly every day since. It's very informative and entertaining. And I hope you guys have some suggestions for me.

Lumapower LM31

I find a headlamp indispensable for backpacking. My standard for years has been the Petzl Tikka+, although there are a lot of choices these days. The Tikka+ is bright enough for hiking on its high or even medium setting, doing chores around camp on medium, and fine for reading on medium or low. Run time is very long on the low setting, and something like 5 hours on high with NiMH AAA cells. I also carry a small, bright light like the Fenix P1D CE or Lumapower D-Mini for those few occasions where I want to look out over the meadow or lake at night. That light is chosen for throw and small size and weight; it doesn't need much run time for the purpose. Allowing yourself two lights gives you a lot more flexibility, and you'll get closer to optimum for each type of use.

If you really want to stick to a single light, consider one of the brighter headlamps. For a single hand-held flashlight meeting your requirements, the Fenix L2D is hard to beat. The user interface is cleverly designed so the extra modes don't get in the way.

c_c

For reading, almost all handheld flashlights except the McLux Mule series are terrible, because the beam is too uneven. It's not a matter of being too bright, if you think about how bright typical office lighting is. It's all about beam uniformity. The McLux's are way more expensive than most newcomers here want to think about. I have two so far and I think they are worth it and I'm lusting after a third, but it takes a while to build your flashaholism up to that level.

I suggest the Zebralight H50. It is a handsfree light (headlamp), runs on one AA with three levels (lo/med/hi), is very battery efficient, and has an excellent wide even beam, probably the best reading light you'll find. Its drawback is that it doesn't have much throw: it lights a wide area, not a concentrated spot. Turning it on in a dark room is more like flipping on the light switch than using a flashlight. Despite this, I think it is good for most typical camping purposes since in my experience camping mostly calls for close-range lighting. However, if you buy this light, you will probably want a second light for when you do need throw. For the second light, I suggest the MTE 1-stage AA light from DX (cheap, simple, and bright).

You will want to run both these lights on L92 lithiums or on NiMH rechargeables, since alkaline AA's are no good at high power drains. You can use alkalines in a pinch but the MTE's performance and the H50's at high power will suffer badly. The H50 will work ok in low and medium power on an alkaline.

CRESCENDOPOWER said:

Lumapower LM31

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I have the Lumapower LM31.....its awesome for a simple 1AA, 2 mode light.... for simple tasks it's perfect......but I suggest having one bright, super light with you on standby when camping.....:naughty:

If you buy an expensive light you'll really be upset when its misplaced
like after the return from a campout as a lot of stuff is.
A cheaper light will cause less grief.
Why not get the famous Rayovac 1AA headlamp -$18 at Walmart ?
Carry it in a shirt pocket and forget its there - very light weight.
Perfect reading headlamp in bed - smooth beam with diffusor.

For camping you need a backup. Not much fun to have your only light go out just before pitching your tent.

Zebralight H50 + Proton Pro II seems like a good combo for camping; headlamp for working around camp, thrower for walking and red light if you want to avoid disturbing people/animals or need your night vision.

If you're backpacking any distance and want to minimize weight, a Fenix L0D + Photon Microlight II
would work. Lots of backpackers get by with just 2 microlights.

I'll second a headlamp as camp chores are so much easier with your hands free. A modded EOS is one of the best in class at the moment. Although the Rayovac and Zebralight are both good, but have their limitations.

However, I don't think anybody mentioned the Fenix L2T v2 RB80. This is the version using the Rebel LED, it has been hard to come by and may have been discontinued. It only has two modes. It is not as bright on high as the cree but runs a fair bit longer. I don't think you would notice the brightness difference in practical usage. The Rebel has a better beam pattern and warmer tint as well.

I'm not sure where you can find one. Best bet would be to put a WTB on the CPF marketplace forums.

The Fenix L2D-CE(link is to the Rebel 100 version) can be pretty easy to use. You can use it as a two mode light. Loosen for low, tighten for high. Click is always on or off. 8% off coupon at Fenix Store is "CPF8".

The Lumapower LM31 is also a good choice. I think the coupon at Batteryjunction is "cpf2006".

If you can find a Fenix L1T V2.0 or L2T V2.0(make sure it is the Rebel 80 version), it would probably be the perfect light for this situation.

A headlamp would also be a good addition.

:welcome:

J-dog said:

I'll start by stating that my ideal flashlight would have the following characteristics.

1) Uses cheap easy to replace batteries (AA prefered).

2) Simple and elegant design. I'm not a fan of complicated and flashy (pun intended) settings. A low/high or low/med/high setting would be nice. The low setting would be for things such as reading a book in my tent or reading a map in the truck.

3) Durable and long battery life.

My ideal camping/general use flashlight may not exist but I'm sure that there are some that come awfully close with a compromise here or there.

As an example, I took a hard look at the Fenix L2D.
Pros: Decent price, Uses AA batteries, long run time, has a low and high setting.
Cons: Too many additional settings. I might find this kind of annoying after a while.....

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trust me, you won't be disappointed with that light. if you think the additional modes are to much for you, (trust me again, they are nothing but very helpful) just tighten the head and all it does is to go on/off by every full click. same for the low mode(s) just untighten the head and every full click puts it either on (12 lumens) or off, its just that simple. since you asked for a camping light I highly recommend to get the diffuser cap (available in white and red) as well, especially with oudoor activities this will become extremely in handy.


regards, holger

(quote) "Pros: Decent price, Uses AA batteries, long run time, has a low and high setting."
"3) Durable and long battery life."

The Gerber infinity ultra meets this criteria exactly. If this is for camping, then you obviously want more than just one light. I also have a 2AA fenix and a LM31, and recommend them both, but for $15 (basegear.com) you can't go wrong having one of these along for the ride,too.

SureFire L1. Get CR123s online and buy a light you can trust when you most need. I can't same the same about these chinese AA lights...

As previously stated get a Tikka+.

For a hand held I would recommend a Surefire L2. Few lights do as well as this one for getting you the "Big Picture."

BTW Welcome to CPF!

I agree with the headlamp. Tikka, EOS, whatever you prefer. Then something like the L2D or if you want smaller, the L2D Fenix as a handheld would be my choice. If you want, I still like the Surefire G2. The other thought was a Pila GL2 with an led tailcap.

I'll also recommend the L2D or the single battery L1D. The either case you never have to see the blinkie modes if you don't want to. The Fenix lights in general are good values.

Welcome to CPF, J-dog.

Geoff

+1 on the L2D for a handheld light, it's really hard to beat. And the different modes don't get in the way cause of the brilliant UI, you can use it as a simple twostage (or even onestage) light, just twist the head for low and turbo.

But you should really consider a headlamp, and my vote there would go for the zebralight.

With a zebralight and a L2D, you're set for most camping needs.

The Olight T15-Q5 or the Fenix L1D Q5. Either will suit your needs. Bothsmall and powerful, have multible modes, and use a single AA battery.

If you want more powerful and don't mind slightly longer a L2D-Q5 is the way to go.

Bill

+1 on the L2D for all above mention reasons. And also that it seems to be good at draining cells, which is a huge plus in an emergency situations when you don't have any more batteries.

The specific request was for a reading light. The H50 is really far better for this purpose than the fenix/surefire/tikka/proton/whatevers that have been suggested. It is also excellent for general close-up camping use (setting up tents, cooking, etc). It terrible for distant illumination (beyond 20 feet).

It comes down to whether you prefer a light that does one thing extremely well and other things badly, to a light that does several things sort of acceptably but nothing really well. I'd go for a 2-light system giving the benefits of both approaches.

paulr said:

The specific request was for a reading light. The H50 is really far better for this purpose than the fenix/surefire/tikka/proton/whatevers that have been suggested....

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thats why I specifically recommended a diffuser tip for the L2D. its great and very easy to read with it, without the need to hold the flashlight in the hand all the time.


regards, holger