Incandescent Vs LED Flashlights

Hello,
I am looking to buy a flashlight for my car. I was wondering what is a good kind to get. the main decision is wether to buy an Incandescent or LED one. What are some pros and cons of each. Also the maker of the light i am thinking of getting a maglite but i am open to suggestions to others. (serious suggestions based on quality and performance not an advertisment) Also a C or D cell battery and the how many batteries. Thanks

Your questions are quite general. I'd suggest first browsing The Welcome Mat: https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/172991

Then consider the questions in the checklist and post your answers here. https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/96884

I would go with a LED. If your car gets broken at night in the middle of nowhere, the last thing I want to find is a broken bulb or with no batteries after a while using the light. Incans have better CRI and more pleasant tint if driven hard, but I think you want an emergency light and a decent LED flashlight will offer way better runtime and the emitter shouldnt stop working even if you drop it.

C and D powered lights are not that common now. You can get more light and runtime using AA with a high power led than using an incan with bigger cells. I would get a 2xAA handheld and a headlamp. Almost noone (non flashaholic) thinks on headlamps, but getting both hands free to work in the car is great (or, if you live in a place like me where it rains half of the days of the year, an unbrella and a free hand).

Since the car can get hot in summer, you should use energizer lithium in them, unless you plan to use the lights in a regular basis. Then stick with NiMH LSD (eneloops). Dont forget a small case or bag with spares too.

An LED light will generally be much more reliable, compact, durable and efficient than any comparable sized incandescent, until you reach very large lights, that i wouldnt class as a general use 'stick in the car' type lights.

I also agree that D and C cells are very poor in terms of performance compared to many modern battery chemistries in smaller cells such as AA format.

If you have been considering buying a stock maglite it shouldnt be hard to find yourself an easily handheld and even pocketable LED light that will outperform it in brightness, runtime and utility. If youre looking for a lower price point light then i would recommend checking out 'shiningbeam.com' he offers excellent service and very good value on many led lights. I would specifically recommend the Romisen RC-N3 for your use as a general purpose light to keep in the car.

If you prefer the 'warmer' tint of incandescent bulbs then you can go for the WW or 'warm white' version which offers much of the higher CRI of an incandescent coupled with the much greater efficency and durability of an led. :twothumbs

Maglites make excellent car/truck lights. I would suggest a 2D Mag Rebel LED, or possibly wait on the new multimode C cell models. Like others have or will suggest, lithium batteries will be better for the light if it is sitting in the car during weather extremes. But to be honest, My parents have kept Maglites with alkalines in the vehicles ever since I can remember, and so have I, with absolutely no problems like leaks and dead cells or whatever else happens. And it gets COLD here, as well as pretty hot in the summer...

For the price, the new Mag-LED models (Rebel) are well worth it.

I have a 6D Mag mounted behind the seat of my truck. It's perfect for what I use it for. Bright enough, throws like crazy, but it is BIG.

https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/172209

https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/245793

Let's not start World War III.

Thanks for the help so far you have been very helpful. I had no idea that C and D cell batteries were being phased out. As far as being a little specif towards what i need i want a light that is a good size and durability, i want something more than small light preferably bigger than pocket size.

If you are willing to spend $150, then the Fenix TK40 will most probably blow away anything else in that size range, also a very high quality and durable light, just stick 'tk40 torture test' in the search bar.
If you want something a little more basic though, then unless youre willing to get into the slightly risky world of recheargeable lithium batteries, then maybe a simple led maglite is the best way for you to go..

Thanks the Fenix TK40 is a little out of my price range. i dont think i want to get into rechargable just because it is not going to see a whole lot of use so it would sit in the charger a lot. If i am going with a maglite LED then would it be better to stay with a C-cell or D-cell cause the AAs i was looking at them and they seemed smaller than what i want

Okay, you might be best off with one of those larger maglites, but i'd like to point out that the smaller size doesnt neccesarily mean any less power, simply smaller size, but if you are looking for a larger light simply because of that factor then a C or D cell led maglite should suit you fine.

Also, if you buy eneloops or a different new lsd (low self discharge) type of batteries then there will be no need for them to sit in the charger as they hold charge almost as well as alkaline cells, but with up to 5 times higher capacity as well, so well in fact, that they come pre-charged. :thumbsup: So with them you could just charge them up, stick them in a torch and leave them like an alkaline, then once youve run them down they are rechargeable again. Thats, just something to consider, also, if you are set on a C or D cell light you can get adaptors that are that size but you can fit an AA NIMh cell into for a very similar, if not better performance than an ordinary disposable alkaline cell.

Romisen RC-N3 with cr123, fits the glovebox very nicely and gives light for couple of hours, and the lithium battery woun't crap out on you in years.

I keep a maglite 4D, Fulton N42, and Surefire G2 P61 in my truck. It is nice to have a big old maglite for road rage. All of them are incandescent, they work fine everytime I need them and with 4D cells there is plenty of run time. I personally am sick of the blue tinted LEDs and HIDs, even the warm ones.

Pugsley67 said:

Thanks for the help so far you have been very helpful. I had no idea that C and D cell batteries were being phased out.

Click to expand...

They're not being phased out by any means. In the consumer market, D cell lights probably outsell any other form factor. It's just the people on CPF, the tiniest of a percentage of the market think they are.


Edit* I meant D cell Flashlights...Sorry.

Well i can see where youre coming from, but im pretty sure that if D cells do outsell AA's, which im pretty sure they dont, then it would be mainly for flashlight usage, which in itself is a pretty small percentage of the battery market, and while CPF may be a very small minority of the overall market, surely we are by necessity the part that in general are the ones choosing the best flashlight and battery options available to the consumer, and therefore perhaps a better representation of what may be the best choices to make than the market on the whole in the case of flashlights and the batteries directly associated with them. :nana:

My opinion is you want Lithium batteries if you're going to be keeping the light in your car, especially in the trunk. Not only do lithium batteries have a longer shelf life, but the work much better in temperature extremes. For example alkaline batteries are not worth much in temperatures below freezing.

There are 'D' sized lithium batteries, though not many.

An LED light with several modes will last ages on 'low' - longer than any D cell incan. You want a decent LED IMO, look at spending at least $40-50.

+1 on LED powered by CR123 batteries. Will take more abuse, and long shelf life on batts. You can buy them online for $1.25 or so each, so having a few spares is affordable. Surefire nitrolon led, such as G2L or G3L would be excellent choices for a car light that is weather resistant and dependable. They show up occasionally here in the marketplace, or you could place a WTB ad. Bet you could keep cost under $100 easily.

wingnut86 said:

They're not being phased out by any means. In the consumer market, D cell lights probably outsell any other form factor. It's just the people on CPF, the tiniest of a percentage of the market think they are.

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I think that just seeing at store shelves... tons of AA and AAA cells and only a few pack of D or C cells.

Last time I had a problem with a car (the oil plug of my parents car was lost) it was raining a lot. Unfortunately I had no headlap there, but in the car keychain was a Fenix E01 and I EDC a Quark MiNi. I put the MiNi in my mouth, had an umbrella in on hand and tried to improvise a new plug (but needed two hands to do some useful) If the light were a multi D, I could have ended too wet (and the car's seat too). A few years ago several D cells were the only way to get enough runtime to be useful in a emergency. They are no more (and you can have it in the glovebox).

Of course, if you can find them cheap, why not?. They were usable until now.

Sorry guys, I meant in flashlight terms about the D cells. My mistake.

Incandescents waste alot more energy in heat creation which lowers run-time which may be important for a prolonged roadside incident. They might have more throw and brightness than some LED's but will usually be bigger and go dead sooner. Your looking for an emergency utility light, not a spotlight.

LED's usually have more mode options such as brightness levels so you can manage run-times for low light requirements whereas the usable light range on incandescents is usually alot more limited (mostly non existent) unless you mod. LED's also lend them selves to controllers that can easily add strobe, beacon, type features etc. They Can usually be more compact and have more run-time capability per form factor. Alot of the better ones have current control so they will maintain the same brightness throughout the entire runtime, instead of bright followed by a gradual decline to dead.

In short, and coming from an incandescent lover, you need an LED light for this use.

My backup lights are all LED's running on Lithium primary cells.

That doesn't stop me from having incandescents though.