If you needed to setup 16 guys with very bright and light flashlights ???

I seem to have shown a group of volunteer search and rescue guys my 5 led module from DX that I put into my maglight host.

they were very impressed with the output and weight as anything they have that is as bright is also very heavy and that is not always good in a search situation.

I have asked about what lights are as bright as my dx module but it seems that alot of you on here prefer higher cost lights and in this situation price is more important that quality , whatever that term means..

they have left me in charge of finding a solution for them and I am not ready to go ahead with a dx order if a better option is out there .
thanks for the help.

What batteries do you want to use? I'm sure there are a few inexpensive P7 lights out there that would do the job, but they'd be 18650-based.

wayfasterthanyou said:

I seem to have shown a group of volunteer search and rescue guys my 5 led module from DX that I put into my maglight host.

they were very impressed with the output and weight as anything they have that is as bright is also very heavy and that is not always good in a search situation.

I have asked about what lights are as bright as my dx module but it seems that alot of you on here prefer higher cost lights and in this situation price is more important that quality , whatever that term means..

they have left me in charge of finding a solution for them and I am not ready to go ahead with a dx order if a better option is out there .
thanks for the help.

Click to expand...

wayfaster,

Two things to help you get the ball rolling,

1) What's their budget per unit?

2) In search and rescue, have you considered and discussed with them something like Zebralight headlamps for keeping their hands free to work and that can also be used as traditional flashlights when removed from the headband?

http://www.zebralight.com/

John

Whats your budget $ amount?
How big can it be before its considered cumbersome to carry?
Any cell type preference? are you being issued cells/batteries?
Any must have / not have features or preferences? (shirt clips, anti-roll, flashy modes, switch types....etc...)
How about water resistance... does it need to be submersible and pressure resistant? or is rain-splash resistance sufficient?
How far out do you think you will need to see?... max distance?

for starters...

Welcome to CPF!! Glad you and your troops found your way here.

I am going to send this thread over to the LED forum. Personally I feel that you have set these 16 guys up with expectations of a very bright light such as yours which has 5 LEDs and runs on two "lap top batteries", this info from a previous thread regarding your 5 LED light. Your post does not indicate that you have explained to them the rest of the story, such as runtime, which might be important in a search and rescue situation. You are asking for a light as bright as yours for 16 guys, where "price is more important that quality". So you are really asking for 16 budget lights, and that might be where this thread ends up.

I have been suggesting this light alot tonight. Order them all Eagletac p100a2's. 39.00 dollars per light. Very bright , usable beam, and it throws about 100 yard on high, very useful for search and rescue. Runs on 2AA alkaline or nimh batteries, small enough to carry in a pocket if need be.
I have suggested this light to a bunch of flashlight newbies that are used to mini maglights. Every one of them could not believe what this 39.00 dollar light would do.

http://www.pinnacleflashlights.com/products.php?product=EagleTac-P100A2. This is just a quick link that sales this light. There mY be more companies that frequent this forum.

I'm gonna go out on a limb and recommend a light coming out next week, the fenix ld40. I've been thinking that it would make a great search and rescue light. 4 aa's so batteries are standard, great runtime, neutral tint, strobe available. Not the so small you drop it but not ungainly. About $70 a piece, you might be able to get a group buy discount.

bigfish5 said:

I have been suggesting this light alot tonight. Order them all Eagletac p100a2's. 39.00 dollars per light. Very bright , usable beam, and it throws about 100 yard on high, very useful for search and rescue. Runs on 2AA alkaline or nimh batteries, small enough to carry in a pocket if need be.

Click to expand...

I will ditto this recommendation. Since they're not likely flashaholics, they won't care for 123s, so AAs would be best. Along with the P100A2, I'd recommend taking a look at any of the other EagleTac 2xAA offerings and the Fenix and Quark 2xAA offerings, as well as the Dereelight Javelin. The Javelin has the most throw of all of these and has the advantage of being upgraded when newer LED technology comes out, saving the cost of buying a whole new light (just need to buy the pill to upgrade it). However, the P100A2 is the lowest cost.

The Eagletac 2xAA lights are great, my P10A2 is my favorite 2 AA light and one of my favorite lights in any category. I run mine on Eneloops, as its performance on alkalines is underwhelming. This is true of many of the 2xAA lights that us CPF'ers love and recommend.
So, if we recommend those lights will you use NiMH rechargeables and get great performance, or will the S&R guys use alkalines and get mediocre performance? (although probably still better than lights they are used to)

If I had to recommend a light that uses AA alkalines, I would recommend the Streamlight ProPoly 4AA Lux. It throws very well due to its deep reflector, but still has useful sidespill. Very rugged and no hassle lifetime warranty, made in USA, quality light. It was about $25 a few years ago.

Small, cheap, 2AA, yet tough - Fenix E21. My 'issue' light of choice when I'm equipping other folks who likely don't want to bother with lithium. Two power output levels and has the same Fenix build quality we're used to. $38. Great personal lights.

Then get a couple of ultra high power searchlights for the team. You can build ROP's or you can get something LED and MC-E or P7 based (TK40 perhaps, if you want to stay AA).

+1 for Fenix E21, and neutral white is a nice option for outdoors.

fenix TK20 !!!!

uses 2 x aa, can throw, has 2 modes, warm tint - best for rural/outdoors, built like a tank , cheap < us$50 :devil:

So what comes first on their climbing gear? Price or quality? Sorry...maybe they aren't planning to depend on these particular lights for anything, but I've been out in the field after the sun has gone down and being able to see the trail with my 6P did make a difference...especially since the sides of the trail were rather large sharp rocks.

Lumapower has that new Trust line, they look sharp.
Shiningbeam has those MG P-rocket and MG Thrower.
All these options are around 70 dollars though.

Did I miss the price limit?
(shrug) to early to think straight

Fenix TK11 or PD30 would be what I would suggest. For a reasonably priced and reliable.
The new Surefire 6PX and G2X when they eventually come out. There 200 lumens OTF I would think.

Fenix LD40!
248 Neutral-white lumens from 4 common AA batteries.
Good penetrating in all conditions, good throw.
Fenix also gives you good quality.
You can't go wrong with it :thumbsup:

I would stay away from DX as the customer service there is kinda "iffy".
Check out shiningbeam.com for decent quality less expensive lights.
Rominsen has a strong following here and maybe other members can give you opinions about them as I don't have one yet.
If you can talk the S&R guy's/gal's into a $50 range, they can have their choice of quality lights.


Barry

Don't forget to check out the discount thread over in the marketplace for dealers who offer CPF members discounts on purchases. 4sevens, bugoutgearusa, batteryjunction and lighthound just to name a few. Also, when you find a model that they like, email the store and see if they can give you a group discount.


Barry

For SAR, at least from what I've experienced here in Pennsylvania, at night - I believe the searchers would mostly be doing some sort of hasty search along a trail, or to a specific point of interest. Not too much in the way of grid-searching at night. I would opt for a light that has a powerful beam so that you can see about 50 feet or so at night, with a decent amount of spill, runtime of 2 hours or so on a set of batteries, and a neutral beam. For me, if you are looking in nooks and crannies outdoors, a beam that is too narrow really cuts down on how well your brain can discern things. The neutral beam would be needed also - to accurately pick out colored clothing and flesh colors. I would also recommend a light that has a low-med-high, or they carry a second light or headlamp that has less output for reading maps. Personally, this lower output light would also be neutral, as topo map and other map colors stand out better under neutral lights to me.

Some possibilities that I am familiar with would be Surefire 6P with a Malkoff drop-in, Malkoff MD2 with hi/low switch with Malkoff drop-in, Fenix TK-20, Surefire with a Nailbender multi-level neutral drop-in. I'm sure you will get other great choices.

It depends on what type of battery they have available to them or want to purchase. But as a searcher, if your light fails, you could also become the subject of a second search when you are overdue. So don't buy junk.

TK20.

G27