Best Budget Glovebox Flashlight?

Been doing a lot of searching and reading and have come up with a list of under $30 flashlights with the sole responsibility of glovebox duty. I'm posting my thoughts/research here if someelse is in the same position. Any comments and suggestions are welcome.

Glovebox duty criteria:
1. Generally housed in glovebox, will only see use occasionally.
2. Need to use lithiums for long shelf life
3. Needs long throw ability
4. Needs to be economical, and in my case I'm setting the absolute ceiling to $30, gotta draw a line somewhere
5. Needs to be of reasonable size; large enough to be comfortably handheld, small enough for the glovebox
6. Aesthetics are not too important
7. Battery life is not too important. I've rarely had to use a flashlight for more then 15 minutes at a time. One set of spares will be carried. I'll always have an LED light on my keychain for long life purposes.
8. Adjustable beam is a plus, since map reading and sign spotting are two possible uses.

Batteries:
Lithium is a must. Having said that, 4 AA's will cost me roughly 30% more then 2 123's. (Correction, 4 lithium AA's $10 will cost me quite a bit more then 2 123's $3) AA's in general are easier to obtain though, so no advantage either way.

Candidates:
1. Streamlight Scorpion ($23 + ship)
Leading contender. Metal construction, adjustable beam, clickie tail switch, and built in spare bulb. Rubber coating can be considered good or bad. Limited bulb life, not too thrilled on changing bulbs.

2. SureFire G2 ($25 + ship)
Not going to buy a light based on brand name, but this is still a good light. Well constructed, good beam. I'm not a fan of twist switches, no lockout tailcap, and expensive replacement bulb.

3. Brinkmann LX ($20 + tax)
Fit and finish may not be up to par to the two above lights. Adjustable beam (I think), metal construction, and clickie tailswitch. A few dollars cheaper then the above lights.

4. UK2L ($24 + ship)
Plastic housing with weaker light output with extended run time. Bezel twist switch.

5. Princeton Tec Surge ($22 + ship)
Good bright waterproof AA light, can't use lithiums. Side lever switch.

6. Princeton Tec 40 ($13 + ship)
Economical, waterproof and lithium compatible. Many LED mods available. Bezel twist switch.

7. M*glight 2D ($20 + tax)
Aluminum D cell flashlight. Weaker light output with excellent run time. Lithiums not available. Potential use for self defense.

8. Streamlight Tasklights ($20-$30 + ship)
Not out yet, looking forward to these.

Added from comments below:
9. Pelican Stealthlight ($20-$25)
Stealthlights seem to have a good reputation for durability, have a long throw beam, but the beam is narrow and not adjustable. I haven't kept the light on for a long period of time, but so far with momentary use I haven't seen a problem with using lithiums.

10. UK 4AA ($16 + ship)
Same output as UK2L. 4-5 hour runtime on lithium AAs. Nicely designed "clickie" switch on newest model (AS2). Tough ABS body with rubber bezel. Hazardous location rated.



Anything I miss? Please keep suggestions to under $30.

Updated with some of the great comments below.

UK 2L waterproof small good throw good battery life toughnot going to turn on by itself.I love my 2L!!!

FWIW I'm a fan of the G2, and it's far brighter than the 2D mag that'd take up much of your glovebox too. (It was being enraged by the dim light from a Mag when my car broke down that was the last straw and sent me into the realm of flashaholism. In a dimly lit parking garage I couldn't see into the dark, blackened depths of my engine compartment to determine the source of a cooling-fluid leak.) I haven't had the privilege of using the others on the list, though.

Sean's flashlight Site has some great info.

I keep a Pelican Stealthlight with Lithium AAs in my car. You can find one for about $20-25. The Stealthlights seem to have a good reputation for durability, have a long throw beam, but the beam is narrow and not adjustable. I haven't kept the light on for a long period of time, but so far with momentary use I haven't seen a problem with using lithiums.

UK4AA ($16 + ship)
Same output as UK2L. 4-5 hour runtime on lithium AAs. Nicely designed "clickie" switch on newest model (AS2). Tough ABS body with rubber bezel. Hazardous location rated.

I just bought one last week for that very purpose. (Got it in bright yellow, so I could find it quickly)

I would take Princeton Tec 40. And not for the price, but for options: you can use alky/NiMh/NiCd/Li, you can find a lot of bulbs (starting from less than 1 $ to 5-10$). Of course you can buy or make a lot of LED mods, starting from 1-5 Nichia to Everled. Lifetime warranty, foolproof design, water resist to 2000 ft (I only quote the manufacturer), it won't turn on by itself. You can't focus the beam (it's quite large), but still it has a good throw and can be used for reading.

A glovebox light is for unforseen circumstances of unknown duration. Your previous short burn experience is no predictor of future needs. Extended runtime (or extra batteries) is critical.

Most focusing flashlights are short burn, and bright short burn lights are tempting but limited.

If you must have very bright light, keep at least one set of spare batteries and one extra lamp with it.

Waterproof, tough, non self-activation a must. Scorpion prone to inadvertant self-activation. LX less so because of stiff clickie. Turn or turn-push switch most secure

2L is non-focusing

Both the Tek 40 and UK 4AA/Mini Q40 take lithiums which give them a long burn. Tek 40 has better beam, UK's have longer burn (4.5-5 hrs [tested] with lithiums)and slightly brighter light. UK bezels/lamps interchangeable among 2L/4AA/Mini Q40. 2L will give you 2:45-3hrs (tested).UK 4AA (not Mini Q40) has suberb clickie, less prone to S.A. than some others. MiniQ40 is most secure.

Brightnorm

Having owned or used nearly all the lights you listed, I can tell you they are all fine for what you plan to use them for. If it's just going to sit in the glovebox all the time, just get the cheapest one. Everyone's "picking nits" at this point - AKA analyzing the lights to death...

My wife and I both have Mags in the cars and have been perfectly happy with them. I just change the batteries in them once a year to avoid issues...

For years I had nothing but a $2.00 2-D el cheapo and it never let me down. I was just sure to keep the batteries fresh.

Scorpion all the way. It carries it's own spare (unlike the SF), is adjustable (unlike the SF) and it's rubber coated body will provide a comfortable grip in most temperatures and weather conditions.

Don't think I'd use it for map reading though - way too bright... I keep a swivel-head Ray-o-vVac 2AA w/ red lens for that. Actually, that one stays in my center console underneath my parking brake - nice and accessible. I use it almost daily.

Jon

get a tec-40 ($13), throw some lithiums in it (~$10). get a couple of spare bulbs--kp113, $1.50 for 2. you are all set.

total of about $25, including Li bats and spare bulbs.

or, just go with an el-cheapo, as Quickbeam stated. there is nothing wrong with a 2d mag, if you have space for it. however, i think you would like the tec-40's size, beam and versatility much more.

or, you could get the tec-40 and an infinity ultra ($15) or Palight ($17), which would give you low light capability. plus, both the Ultra and Pal can use lithiums.

Bob

Scorpion.

I have 3 lights always in my truck. US, E2e, and Streamlight Clipmate. I also have a pelican case with spare batteries for the E2e and Clipmate. The clip mate is great because I can go hands free if I need to work on the engine.

Scorpion and it's on sale at Botach for $19.95!

For map reading and inside the car, mod a Minimag with a Opalec Newbeam. Newbeam will work with Li AA batteries.

No one says you have to keep the batteries in the light! You could keep a simple $9 2AA Mag in there with two AA batteries still in their package. That combo would keep for years with no use, and be ready for use when you needed it! I would prefer an LED modified Mag, but that's just me.

Thanks for all the comments everyone!

Quickbeam: Sure any of the lights can serve their purpose and sure I can choose any one, but which one? /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

E2E4Me: Even though it stays in the glovebox, it will probably be used from time to time so keeping batteries outside may not be very convenient.

I live in Houston where the summers regularly hit 100% humidity every day with who knows how hot it gets in the car. So lithium batteries for me is definitely a plus.

[ QUOTE ]
Quickbeam: Sure any of the lights can serve their purpose and sure I can choose any one, but which one?

[/ QUOTE ]

I already told you in my post - the cheapest! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Has anyone CONFIRMED that lithium batteries handle the heat better than alkalines? We know they handle the cold better. I've never had a problem with my alkalines in my car sitting outside in the summer heat all day here in North Carolina. But then, I do change them once a year.

SL Scorpion!

If you shop real carefully you might be able to find a UKE SL6 for under $30. I think they're $32.95 at Brightguy. It will be brighter and have more throw than any of the other lights you listed. It's a little bigger than a typical plastic 2D light, but thinner and rectangular (uses six C cells in two columns), so will fit in the glove box without too much problem. It's smaller than Mag 2D. Don't worry about the lithiums, the C's have so much capacity that even if you lose some of it, you're still fine.

edit: None of the ultra bright lights are good for reading maps in the car even if focus is adjustable. They'll just overwhelm. Use your overhead dome light and/or keychain light for that, or even keep a 99 cent 2AA light in the glove box (with lithiums if you insist) for that purpose.

SL6 is way overkill (big - remember, it's a 6 C light). Expensive, too; 33 $ only the light (does it come with batteries ?); a set of spares would be 5 $ (maybe more) and a spare bulb 10 $ (maybe more). So it's more like 48 $ (or 53 if it doesn't come with batts). Maybe more.
With PT40 you pay 13 $ for the light (batteries included), 1 $ for extra bulb and 1-2$ extra batts (let's say you give up Li). Total 15-16. I would take the long burn bulb too (or something equivalent): 8-10 hours, yes the color is pathetic but still has much more light and throw than a regular led light like arc aaa.

Given the Scorpion and G2 at the top of the list, and Surge not much further, I didn't feel the SL6 is out of place. I don't think I'd bother with spare batteries. The six C's have plenty of runtime and you can see as the light gets dimmer that it's time to buy new ones.

I personally would go with your suggestion of a PT40 but Brian seemed to want something more powerful. Also, he wanted lithiums if he used AA's, so add $10, or another $10 if you want a spare set.

Then again, most non-flashaholics would just get a generic 2C or 2D light for $1.99 or so (plus batteries) and be done with it, and they seem to get by ok.