Whats A Good Flashlight To Ask For

Holepuncher

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Oct 16, 2008
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Rhode Island
I have always loved flashlights but dont really have a real need for them other than power failures or working around the house etc. My women knows this and buys them for me for birthdays etc.

So what she has bought me thus far is an Inova Single AA (or is it AAA) - the one you twist the bottom to turn it on. Also have an Inova 2 C cell dont know the model. Have another that has no name on it but it is seems very well made with both incandescant lamp and LED's with adjustable focus. That one is silver finish and nicely polished/anodized. If anyone knows the name of this one let me know. I also have a drawer full of various keychain lights, penlights and the common $3.99 9 LED ones. I think shes done well in picking some of those out herself as I never asked for any one in particular.

So recently she asked me If I wanted a flashlight for christmas and I said " No I think I have enough flashlights". But then I got to thinking that the nicer ones of the bunch are more than 2 or 3 years old and maybe dramatic improvents have been made in the flashlight arena. So whats the best in the easily obtainable and in the $25 to $50 range. Should I ask for one in particular or just let her choose and be surprised. Enlighten me.
 

Gunner12

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Dec 18, 2006
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Bay Area, CA
So how do you define best?

Fenix lights are good ones to look at in your price range. The E20, L2T V2.0, L0D-CE Q4, L1D-CE Olive(use "Clear10" for 10% off), L2D-CE Olive(use "clear15" for 15% off) are all lights you can look at, along with a lot of lower priced lights, here's a thread with reviews of many of them.

8% off coupon at Fenix Store or 4Sevens is "CPF8".
 

PhantomPhoton

Flashlight Enthusiast
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NV
A couple bucks over budget but I'd say check out a Proton Pro. Very nice little single AA. Great UI, uses a Cree XR-E and a red LED.
 

Holepuncher

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Blasphemy!! :shakehead

Almost fell off the chair laughing. But come on I did come to my senses.

Anyway thanks for the recomendations. Lot of choices. One more question though. Whats the general opinion of Inova and have the ones I have been improved in any way since I got them a few years back? One thing I dont like about them is you cant take them apart. I like to take things apart.
 

toolpig1

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Dec 10, 2007
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NE Ohio
The recommended Fenix E20 would be a great choice for you. To answer the question about Inova, it depends on the series. The "Radiant" and "Bolt" series of lights are just ok. They're not super bright, quality is moderate, and regulation is just a boost circuit. On the other hand, the X and T series are great, in my opinion. They're built like tanks, have much better power regulation, and are brighter comparatively. Critics of Inova are correct that there are now much brighter lights to choose from. But it's hard to dispute the quality level of X and T series lights. Personally, I have an XO, XO3, and T4....they remain some of my very favorites.
 

GPB

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You might want to pick up a nice 2 or 3 cell Maglite for 20 bucks. Then, you can then go with the Mag LED ($20) or a Terralux LED ($25) when you have a little more cash. THen you have the Malkoff and a few others in the $50 range. Then you can start replacing the D cells with 3 AA cell carriers to increase the voltage and start messing with different bulbs, new reflectors, ultra-clear lenses. A well cared for Mag could suck money out of you for years to come.

Enjoy the descent into luminescent poverty !!!
 

Holepuncher

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Location
Rhode Island
You might want to pick up a nice 2 or 3 cell Maglite for 20 bucks. Then, you can then go with the Mag LED ($20) or a Terralux LED ($25) when you have a little more cash.

Cash is not a problem. On the one hand its hard for me to justify spending $100 + on a flashlight when A) I dont have much use for them and B) I have not counted but I have at least 40 - 50 flashlights more than half of which are LED. On the other hand after snooping around here on this forum and seeing some of the impressive beam shots I think a bug may have bitten me. I see trouble on the horizon.

I have every Maglite ever made up to 3D cell (some more than one of each). Its amazing how useless the solitaire is yet it seemed so nifty many years ago. Did anyone ever make an LED conversion for that one?
 

GPB

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42.58 N 70.84 W
For an idea on how far you can go with a Mag, google Black Bear Flashlights or Borealis Flashlight. They are able to get over 1000 lumens out of a Mag 3D size.
 

Gunner12

Flashaholic
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Dec 18, 2006
Messages
10,063
Location
Bay Area, CA
Since you have Maglites, I'd suggest checking here.

How many high power LED lights do you have?

If they have Luxeon I, III, V, or K2 LEDS(which they probably have), a LED swap to a current gen LED will at least double the output without decreasing runtime. This is because the current gen LEDs are twice the efficiency or more compared to the last gen LEDs.
 
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