Hi there everyone i'm new to this and i'm looking for a little advice on what type of flashlight i can go with i am currently employed as a automotive mechanic and in my spare time i like to go out camping so i asked a friend for some help and he suggested the Surefire a2 aviator but also advised i seek some additional advice so if anyone can make any suggestions as to what they think would be best i do please let me know
need a little help
- Thread starter samuel271
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climberkid
Flashlight Enthusiast
glad you found us here :welcome:
:welcome:
Since you're going to be outdoors you probably want to stay with incandescent, it's a big opinion (but it's the prevailing opinion in this forum at least, the LED forum would argue) that incandescent is unbeatable outside, especially in wooded areas.
The A2 is a pretty solid choice, you get a small, good quality incandescent beam that throws fairly well and you get the floody LEDs for up close work and extreme battery life.
On a dark starlit night, the white A2's LEDs might still be way too bright for close up work, so you may want to consider a yellow-green or red colored A2, or a separate low-level long life illumination source.
Since you're going to be outdoors you probably want to stay with incandescent, it's a big opinion (but it's the prevailing opinion in this forum at least, the LED forum would argue) that incandescent is unbeatable outside, especially in wooded areas.
The A2 is a pretty solid choice, you get a small, good quality incandescent beam that throws fairly well and you get the floody LEDs for up close work and extreme battery life.
On a dark starlit night, the white A2's LEDs might still be way too bright for close up work, so you may want to consider a yellow-green or red colored A2, or a separate low-level long life illumination source.
Oh, I forgot to mention, A2's are going for wonderful prices over at CPFM. Pick someone who has one for sale, offer then $115 shipped via PayPal and you should have one before the end of next week.
And keep an eye out for a FiveMega Strion kit for the A2. It doesn't look like much indoors white wall hunting but it's impressive outside. You won't find such a good deal on one though and you'll have to fight off a hoard of rabid A2 fans to get it.
And keep an eye out for a FiveMega Strion kit for the A2. It doesn't look like much indoors white wall hunting but it's impressive outside. You won't find such a good deal on one though and you'll have to fight off a hoard of rabid A2 fans to get it.
jrmcferren
Enlightened
:welcome: samuel271. I never thought of an incans for outdoor use, I always thought of outdoors being a I need more power setting, not a I need more detail setting. Thanks guys I couldn't help him on my own.
mdocod
Flashaholic
WELCOME TO CPF!!!
I'm not employed as a mechanic but find myself working on cars (mine and friends/family) quite frequently.
In my experience, for working on cars, a combination of approaches works best. As it turns out, the same combination is great outdoors while camping as well.
1. An efficient long lasting decently bright LED headlamp:
This keeps your hands free to work with tools as you are illuminating your work, or, for camping, makes setting up a tent or operating a camp-stove after dark MUCH easier.
Personal recommendation:
StreamLight Argo HP, find the version being sold described as having the "new C4 LED" as it's about twice as bright as the old Luxeon model and has even longer runtime. (more efficient LED). The Argo HP can run on either 2 CR123 primary cells, or alternatively, in the future, you may be interested in learning about the use of Li-Ion rechargeable cells, in which case this light will accept a single 3.7V 17670 size lithium-Ion.
2. A Hand-held lithium or li-ion powered incandescent.
Small enough to be pocketed in a LARGE pocket, or holstered reasonably well. I don't suggest bothering with the 2xCR123 size incandecents as they just aren't that impressive in my opinion (others may differ on this). My feeling is that this is the light you pull out when you need to OVERCOME sunlight or other strong overhead lighting to really spot something well under the hood of the car. A weak light here will not show up real well because your eyes are adjusted to the surrounding environment. In my experience, incans show up better when competing with other light sources, LED light gets washed out quite a bit. While camping a good strong incan with decent punch and throw will help throw down a serious beam off into the woods, gives a nice feeling of security being able to quickly identify whether that sound was a raccoon or a bear
Personal Suggestion(S):
Wolf-Eyes M90 if you want a lot of bang-for-buck and good rechargeable options and upgrades.
SureFire M4 if you think you will stick to CR123 primary cells and want a flashlight that is overbuilt and beautiful in every way.
The A2 that has been suggested would probably make do just fine, I just think you'll be happier with a more robust sized incan light.
Another point to make about 2xCR123 size incans, is they are quickly loosing ground to LEDs in this size. There are quite a few LED lights popping up now with 500-700 emitter lumens (300-500+ torch lumens) based on the new P7 LED that run on a single rechargeable 3.7V 18650 size cell, which is very close to the size of 2xCR123 cells. No incan in this size is going to overcome that kind of raw lumen output.
Eric
I'm not employed as a mechanic but find myself working on cars (mine and friends/family) quite frequently.
In my experience, for working on cars, a combination of approaches works best. As it turns out, the same combination is great outdoors while camping as well.
1. An efficient long lasting decently bright LED headlamp:
This keeps your hands free to work with tools as you are illuminating your work, or, for camping, makes setting up a tent or operating a camp-stove after dark MUCH easier.
Personal recommendation:
StreamLight Argo HP, find the version being sold described as having the "new C4 LED" as it's about twice as bright as the old Luxeon model and has even longer runtime. (more efficient LED). The Argo HP can run on either 2 CR123 primary cells, or alternatively, in the future, you may be interested in learning about the use of Li-Ion rechargeable cells, in which case this light will accept a single 3.7V 17670 size lithium-Ion.
2. A Hand-held lithium or li-ion powered incandescent.
Small enough to be pocketed in a LARGE pocket, or holstered reasonably well. I don't suggest bothering with the 2xCR123 size incandecents as they just aren't that impressive in my opinion (others may differ on this). My feeling is that this is the light you pull out when you need to OVERCOME sunlight or other strong overhead lighting to really spot something well under the hood of the car. A weak light here will not show up real well because your eyes are adjusted to the surrounding environment. In my experience, incans show up better when competing with other light sources, LED light gets washed out quite a bit. While camping a good strong incan with decent punch and throw will help throw down a serious beam off into the woods, gives a nice feeling of security being able to quickly identify whether that sound was a raccoon or a bear
Personal Suggestion(S):
Wolf-Eyes M90 if you want a lot of bang-for-buck and good rechargeable options and upgrades.
SureFire M4 if you think you will stick to CR123 primary cells and want a flashlight that is overbuilt and beautiful in every way.
The A2 that has been suggested would probably make do just fine, I just think you'll be happier with a more robust sized incan light.
Another point to make about 2xCR123 size incans, is they are quickly loosing ground to LEDs in this size. There are quite a few LED lights popping up now with 500-700 emitter lumens (300-500+ torch lumens) based on the new P7 LED that run on a single rechargeable 3.7V 18650 size cell, which is very close to the size of 2xCR123 cells. No incan in this size is going to overcome that kind of raw lumen output.
Eric
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As for start I would suggest a surefire G3 nitrolon. It is very lightweight, durable and it wont scratch like aluminium lights. It's also very good in cold conditions as it doesn't make your hands freeze. You have also lots of aftermarket bulb options for extended output or runtime. IMHO the lumens factory EO-9 is just a killer, blows my led lights off the table!
It is also the easiest thing to convert using rechargeables, just drop in two 17500 size lithium ion batteries and you are good to go, no hassle changing the bulbs etc.
For its regular price 59$ its a great light but it seems to be in clearance for $37 which is a very nice offer http://www.cpfmarketplace.com/mp/showthread.php?t=180460
G3 in surefire site: http://www.surefire.com/maxexp/main/co_disp/displ/prrfnbr/24436/sesent/00
EDIT: Plus it doesnt conduct electricity which could be very good feature if you do automotive work!
It is also the easiest thing to convert using rechargeables, just drop in two 17500 size lithium ion batteries and you are good to go, no hassle changing the bulbs etc.
For its regular price 59$ its a great light but it seems to be in clearance for $37 which is a very nice offer http://www.cpfmarketplace.com/mp/showthread.php?t=180460
G3 in surefire site: http://www.surefire.com/maxexp/main/co_disp/displ/prrfnbr/24436/sesent/00
EDIT: Plus it doesnt conduct electricity which could be very good feature if you do automotive work!
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mdocod
Flashaholic
santza said:
I had forgotten about that aspect. lol. A polymer body light may in fact be more appropriate!!!! I think all of us "mechanics" professional or amateur have at some point or another accidentally welded a tool to something near that car battery
Eric
