Small bright flashlight for aircraft mechanic

Hi Guys,

I am new to this website and am happy I found it.

I am an aircraft mechanic who is looking for a flashlight that is bright enough to light up the exterior of an aircraft about 75 feet away but not so bright that I will blind myself lighting up smaller areas like wheels and brakes. It needs to be relatively small and have rechargeable batteries.

My research brought me to these lights that may be a starting point:

The Fenix TK11 R2 is the perfect size and has rechargeable batteries. Not sure about brightness. Maybe I can get a brighter one at the same price range.

The MTE SSC P7 looks nice too but maybe a bit too bright.

I am looking in the 75-110$ range.

If you guys could give me a bit of guidance and recommendations it would be much appreciated.

Thanks,
Dan

the TK-11R2 would be perfect... if you have never used a modern high power LED light before you will be amazed how bright they are. when working on small close up things it will be necessary to reduce the output of the light otherwise it's too bright.

I have a jetbeam IIIM R2 (basically the same output as the TK11 R2) and it's very bright. I bought the jetbeam over the TK-11 because it had a much more customizable brightness settings. I use the very low setting when I wake up in the middle of the night and want to keep my night vision, 1/4 brightness for working on very close things, 1/2 (about the level of a stock LED D-cell mag light) for most things. and full bright for long distances.

The 18650 batteries are a bit weird at first but they last a very long time.

-Zach (Newb)

I think as a test, you should try the two stage Romisen RC-N3 Q5 from shiningbeam first(6% off coupon is "cpfuser"). Low mode for the closer range, and high more for longer range.

:welcome:

I would suggest adding a headlight too (eg: Zebralight). As a mechanic I'm sure you need both hands free.

tk20!
-has the simple twisthead for turbo or general mode.
-you can use rechargeables such asEneloops or reg NiMH ( i suggest eneloops)
-it has decent throw ( so you can reach out decently far with the light )
-has a big lanyard hole, so you can tie a shoelace or some cord so u dont drop it.
-Comes with a decently good holster too!

heres some specs:
-Turbo Mode: Constant 150 Lumens 2 hours
(Ni-MH,2500mAh)
-General Mode: Constant 45 Lumens 11 hours
(Ni-MH,2500mAh)

•Uses two 1.5V AA(Alkaline,Ni-MH,Lithium) batteries,inexpensive and widely available
•158.8mm(L)x34.1mm(D)

You should ask Aircraft800. He is a member here and an aircraft mechanic. I'll see if can direct him this way.

+1 for the TK11--a light among lights and tough as nails.

I figured I should chime in here. I've been an aircraft mechanic full-time for the past 11 years until recently. I still do contract work here and there when I have time. I've worked on everything from Super King Airs to 757's, and have used many different lights in the process. Unfortunately the really nice LED lights have only come out in the last few years.. I always cringe when I think about all that wasted time with Mini-Mags and other assorted lights (and what I may have missed when performing inspections..lol).

Ok, so on to my recommendations. I absolutely agree 100% with the Zebralight headlamp suggestion mentioned earlier. I always hated headlamps.. thought they were corny, bulky, cumbersome, etc. Then one day I was struggling in the belly of a King Air trying to support myself with one hand, hold a light with the other, and still manage to use my tools. I then remembered that I had the Zebralight that I brought in to try. After literally the first 10 seconds I said "WHY DIDN'T I TRY THIS SOONER!!" I was totally hooked, and used it all the time since. You really have to have one in your box.

For the other tasks, many lights will do, but I stay away from Li-Ion powered lights. The main reason is that you shouldn't charge Li-Ion batteries unattended. Not too much of a problem, but the last thing you want to worry about when you're at home at night or on the weekend is the Li-Ion batteries you left on the charger. You'll wonder if the charger really terminated the charge when the batteries were full, or did it malfunction and start a fire? And I'm sure you know, you WILL forget them on the charger at some point.

I really like the 2 x AA format. Perfect size for grip, and you can throw it in your pocket with just a bit of it hanging out. This is important, makes it very easy to retrieve. Smaller lights tend to turn sideways in your pocket, and it can be a pain digging them out. Of course a holster would work great too, but I really don't like anything hanging off of my belt. Another thing is a momentary (forward style) switch... absolute necessity. You want to be able to partially press the switch for quick blips of light, without having to click it fully on and then click it back off every time... that's annoying.

My personal choice is the EagleTac P10A2 and the P100A2. Each has a general mode that works for pretty much anything, and a turbo mode for when you really want some light. I absolutely love the P10A2.. beautiful smooth beam, and tons of output. The beam is perfect in my opinion for mechanic work. You don't want a beam that has too small of a hotspot.. a beam with a good mix of spot and flood is ideal. The only thing I don't like about the light is that it's not as grippy as the P100A2, which has great knurling. The P100A2 has a protruding tail switch, which makes actuation a little easier. The bad thing about the P100A2 is that it's round, and will roll off of just about anything.. it's hard to keep it in one spot on the slightest non-level surface. The P10A2 is great in this regard.. the tailcap and bezel have flat spots, plus the pocket clip keeps it from rolling. My final choice is the P10A2, it's awesome! I think it'll have enough punch for you when you're shining on the aircraft from 75 feet away, unless there's a lot of ambient light.

Yes, I sell both of these lights, so many will think I'm biased. But, I can use just about any light I want and the Zebralight and the EagleTac P10A2 are the ones I use.. the others stay home.

My favorite as of now is a my 1D Maglite with a P7, Direct Drive, rechargeable KD Protected Li-Ion cell, with 5 brightness levels via a D2Flex. I can use it on the interior and in the wheel well on level 2, level 3 on most of the walk, and level 5 to light up the entire tail. Great mix of everything I need and fits in my cargo pants pocket. Thats if you were interested in building one. Very solid and tons of runtime.

Using lithium ion batteries should be less of an issue if you use high quality protected cells, and buy a high quality charger like the PILA IBC. Sure, there is always a possibility that something can go wrong, but lithium ion batteries have a lot of advantages. If you are really afraid of fires starting, you can make some sort of encolsure to put the charger in just to make sure.

How small are we talking?

The lumapower d-mini from batteryjunction.com is within your price range.
3 simple modes it can take rechargeables and batteries of different sizes including 18650, rcr123, and 2xaa with the right tube. Its made to be a pocket rocket but i think it seems like a decent all around light. It has a quid die and should flood well too.

I do like the idea of a headlamp for you because you may need hands free. Another possiblity is the tomahawk from firstlight. Its american, reported to be tuff, can take rechargeables and has a nice clip that would clip onto your shirt for hands free. Its an angle head light.

If you want to go for a single AA light there are lots of options. Dont know about 75 feet away though. May or may not light up the aircraft as much as you want.

how about a MG L-Mini II from Shiningbeam?

Three levels, good runtime, good regulation, lots of light on high, floody beam.

http://www.shiningbeam.com/servlet/the-42/mini-L-dsh-mini-1081/Detail

The TK11 is a thrower, and so is not suited for close work or wide area inspection.

I have to agree with Flashcrazy. Headlamps are the way to go for work of this nature. As Exhibit Maintenance Tech in an Aviation Museum I often need to work in all sorts of weird spots.

I have a Black Diamond dual source head lamp(3W center LED and 4 side mount LED) I use for both work and camping and I love it. I still have a trusty Fenix PD20 in my pocket as an EDC and I have my TK10 when I know I may need more light as back up but the headlamp is the best for work needing 2 hands with no easy spot to drop and aim the light at your work space.

Thanks for the replies and sorry for the delayed response.

Funny story, I submitted this thread starter to the moderators which I have never had to deal with before. Every forum I have used was posted without any screening. Therefore I figured it would only be posted if it were relevant and not a repeat subject. So a few days later I saw that it was not in the forum so I figured it was rejected just forgot about it until I saw the thread titled NEW MEMBERS something. I saw that its only rejected if it is spam so I did a search and found that it was here all along. Haha.

There is a lot of great information here and I have learned a lot. The romison flashlight looks nice but I am looking for one that has a holster that is easily accessible from my belt. I use my pockets as my 'mobile stores department'. I was looking at the Fenix tk20 but at 150 Lumens I am looking for one in the 200+ range.

Flashcrazy, thanks for the in depth post. I am glad to see there are many of my kind on here. I looked into the lights you suggested. The p10 sounds like the better of the two you suggested and I have looked into it but I have not found a lumen rating. Also I am looking for a light with rechargeable batteries as the batteries our stores department at American Eagle supply the crappiest cheapo batteries.

Aircraft800 I would be interested in trying to build my own but I need to know how you cut down that Mag and tapped the correct threads to build that thing. Looks cool.

It looks like my suggestion for the MTE SSC was a bad one since no one acknowledges it. I was looking at the eagletac T10LC2 and think it would make a nice light. I think I would like the RCR123A batteries for it since my research has found as I interpret it to be a bit brighter than the 18650 but does not last as long. I am teeter tottering between the eagletac T10LC2 and the fenix TK11 R2 if it accepts the RCR123A battery. The TK11R2 has two modes right? At 295 claimed lumens, the T10LC2 looks very attractive.

As far as headlamps I am also an avid rock climber. I have had many a night sessions in my time and use headlamps and could not agree with you more that they are the best for working in wheel wells and avionics bays. The zebratec looks like a must buy, but will have to sit on the back burner until my budget allows it. I currently use a black diamond headlamp.

Thanks for the thoughtful replies and am anxious to see more.

Dan