The best flashlight? Why..the one you have with you, of course

I recently posted that I purchased a Fenix P3D Q5, based on the info I got on these forums and I could not be happier with it. It replaces my agency issued Surefire Z2 Combatlight. I have shown quite a few guys and gals that work with me the Fenix and everyone to the man and/or woman likes it. Until, that is, I tell them I paid a little over $60 for it. Apparently, that is too much for them to spend on a light. The rub here is that they want to stick with te Surefires (since it was a free, issued item) but all say it is too bulk to carry on them plain clothed so they usually carry nothing.

Keep in mind that these same folks think nothing of spending hundreds on custon folding knives they can clip to their pocket but a light, which they will definitley use MANY more time than the knife...is too bulky to carry or too expensive to purchase. The Fenix fits perfectly in my pocket and does not bulge like the Surefire does. I will most certainly have it with me at all times and it will be there, unobtrusive when I need it.

My point is this...better to spend a few extra dollars on a tool that you will actually use than cheap out and not have one with you when you need it because the one you have is too cumbersome. This is not just for law enforcement either...I always have some sort of light on me and I'd like to think it will turn on when I need it....Surefires retired and the Fenix is on duty!

BLASPHEMOUS!!!

Fenix better than the exalted SureFire? Ruh-Roh.

Gator762 said:

BLASPHEMOUS!!!

Fenix better than the exalted SureFire? Ruh-Roh.

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Different lights for different tasks, no one light can cover for all tasks as effectively as multiple lights.

Be advised that topics referencing both surefire and fenix usually gets the thread locked.
post as your own risk

Well, I am not saying one is better than the other per se..but one is bigger than the other. Not dissing the Surefires.

Illum_the_nation said:

Different lights for different tasks, no one light can cover for all tasks as effectively as multiple lights.

Be advised that topics referencing both surefire and fenix usually gets the thread locked.
post as your own risk

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Quite true.

Hopefully with the wink others will realize it's all in good fun.

No question an Arc AAA, or Peak Matterhorn/Kilimanjaro/Shasta, or Fenix EO, or Photon, or whatever that is in your pocket or on your person when you need it is worth 100 lights sitting on the shelf at home. We are a bit spoiled when it comes to output and I am always surprised at how little light I really need for 80% of my tasks that require a flashlight. One reason the Novatac is such a useful tool, but in a lot of circumstances all you need is light, not necessarily a zillion lumens. Much like the firearm mantra - a .38acp in your pocket is worth more than full size .45 custom job sitting in the safe at home - even if ideally you'd rather have more than less on that front.

I've regressed a bit and find myself upgrading and using some older lights sitting around the house - some MagLED upgrades, throwing some lithiums into some AA lights, etc... instead of focusing on the newest lights o the market. Mostly to make sure there are lights available when I need them and when my wife/kids need them. In a storm or blackout a 3D MagLED is still a pretty useful light, even if it is not the brightest, latest or greatest. Same for a Minimag with a Niteize drop in for that matter. I've even been looking at the Niteize 2D-6D or SMJLED PR bulbs for some long runtime optional upgrades for otherwise unused hosts. For a few bucks having a light that works for a long time is worth something from a preparation standpoint.

I don't understand folks who think $50 ~$60 is too much for a modern LED flashlight. Having good, reliable lighting is not important to those folks, I guess.

LED-holic said:

I don't understand folks who think $50 ~$60 is too much for a modern LED flashlight. Having good, reliable lighting is not important to those folks, I guess.

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I don't disagree but admit that, until I discovered this place, I would have put my Maglites on my list of "items or brands with which I'm totally satisfied" along with zippo lighters, Vic SAKs, Honda cars, Parker Lamy and Pilot fountain pens, Lands End luggage, Seiko/Citizen/Casio watches, and a handful of other things. A lot of it is a matter of first how much you value a quality light, and second how much you know about them to make a good buying decision. LED lights are a fixture of the mass market now but weren't for a long time, and from what I can tell a number of people including some of my friends and family have proven quite resistant to the notion that anything really does surpass the Mag - and one some level they have a point in that they are remarkably reliable and durable given the limits of the incandescent technology. But some people just don't care about having a flashlight other than one which uses cheap batteries and puts out some sort of light.

For example, I gave my father in law a Streamlight Twintask 2L before he headed out for an extended hiking and camping trip to Colorado when I found out he didn't have a light at all other than an ancient Minimag and stumbled to the toilet in the middle of the night, and went to sleep at dark since he had no way to light up his tent reliably. I thought the TT was a great choice, super long runtime on the LEDs which provided a nice even flood for nightime navigation, and an incandescent if he needed it to really spot things. All in a small and light package that was built tough and using batteries that would have a long shelf life since he is not known for his upkeep and maintenance habits with things. He looked at it, said thanks and dropped it in his car and AFAIK never used it or looked at it again, and may have even left it in the car when he sold it.

He just doesn't care about that, or about having a good knife, or good tools. Maybe it was growing up in an environment where those things weren't valued, some of his maintenance habits are from never having things worth maintaining (a function of family culture rather than income I might add).

Anyway, as someone whose father didn't make a fortune, but would rather own one good tool than 10 crappy ones for the same money, and cared for those good tools, it always struck me as odd that there are people who for whatever reason, sometimes just how they were raised, don't care a lick about such things...

Don't be quick to retire the Z2. I purchased a Q5 Deree light drop in. I can now use RCRs with it and it is VERY bright.

bpman said:

...My point is this...better to spend a few extra dollars on a tool that you will actually use than cheap out and not have one with you when you need it because the one you have is too cumbersome. This is not just for law enforcement either...I always have some sort of light on me and I'd like to think it will turn on when I need it...

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Amen.

I think the point is being missed, especially by the folks who are reading this as SF vs Fenix !!

The contest above (to the officers the OP is talking about) is FREE vs $60 and for people who don't realize quality flashlights cost $$$, especially Surefires, the sticker shock is pronounced. So they are willing to stick with their slightly uncomfortable Surefires because:

A. they're free
B. they're high quality

And it doesn't matter if they even recongnize the SF difference because to them . . . . they're FREE! Even the P3D's features didn't sway them!

Wattnot said:

I think the point is being missed, especially by the folks who are reading this as SF vs Fenix !!

The contest above (to the officers the OP is talking about) is FREE vs $60 and for people who don't realize quality flashlights cost $$$, especially Surefires, the sticker shock is pronounced. So they are willing to stick with their slightly uncomfortable Surefires because:

A. they're free
B. they're high quality

And it doesn't matter if they even recongnize the SF difference because to them . . . . they're FREE! Even the P3D's features didn't sway them!

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And the kicker too. They have a quality light, but don't carry it, because of it's bulk.

Probably why my new L0D is becoming a favorite... So much light for such from such a tiny little sucker. I can even clip to sleep pants and hardly ever know it's there.