new member after recomendations

dingo217

Newly Enlightened
Joined
Jun 25, 2010
Messages
2
Hi
I would like to ask help picking out a new LED handheld, here is a wish list of features:

- bright enough to light up an accident area, say 80 lumens or so
- run time around 6 to 8 hours so one set of batteries can last all night
- run on normal AA or AAA batteries do I can be easily resupplied
- tough enough for robust outdoor work and basic rescue use
- waterproof enough to use say at the bottom of a swimming pool or at least highly water resistant such as IP 56
- tail switch would be best but I expect that's asking too much because of the waterproof/resistance

Any ideas on what could best fill this role would be totaly awesome,
thanx!
 

joe1512

Enlightened
Joined
Jan 7, 2010
Messages
755
Runtime is simply how much power the light uses in a particular mode divided by the amount of juice the flashlight holds.

Hence, the more batteries the merrier. Having intelligent modes is helpful too.

I would recommend either the itp A6 Polestar or the Fenix TK40.

They use 6 and 8 AAs respectively and have multiple modes up to a whopping 600ish lumens.

The polestar is cheaper (80 bucks, minus discounts) and has more flood, but the TK40 is more rugged and a bit more throw and is 140 bucks.


The major advantage is that with 6 or 8 batteries, you can run on low or medium mode for a long long time, while still having the ability to crank it up to high mode to really see well.

I recommend using rechargable eneloop batteries and buy a charger that does 6 or 8 batteries at once. (or buy 2 cheaper 4batt chargers).


==================

You can also do decently with any 2xAA light out there with multiple modes, but your runtime will not be as good. However, these lights are a lot lighter and a bit smaller(skinnier than the fatter 6,8xaas), and also use more efficient emitters.
They will also be quite a bit cheaper.



I'd recommend you hit the sticky and check out the 2xAA roundup to get an idea of what is out there.
 

carrot

Flashaholic
Joined
Dec 6, 2005
Messages
9,240
Location
New York City
You do not need a light as big, powerful, or expensive as the A6 or TK40. Something as simple and reasonably priced like the Quark AA^2 will be more than excellent for your needs.
 

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