LED flashlights for Haiti

Hi all thanks for this very informative forum. I just got a TK-35 and am infected.

Moving on I have 2 very dear friends that are doing mission work in Haiti. One is presently in the states and I showed her my new toy...an LED flashlight in Haiti would be like gold. As they have no electricity where they are I thought to myself, this would be perfect! Max lumens is not required here as they presently use EverReady $4.99 halogen flashlights.

I have a few requirements in no particular order: 1) runtime on a medium-low setting not the "moonlight" setting. 2) ruggedness/reliability/water tightness. 3) able to tail stand and use a diffuser tip of some sort for room/church lighting. 4) most likely AA compatible as these are most readily available batteries where they are located.

I'm not sure about #4 as I read here it seems CR123A and higher powered mah batteries reign supreme as for runtime. I could buy a block of 50 CR123's and send them with her or am I better off sticking with AA powered lights?

Was looking at the Fenix E21, but runtime of ~11 hours on lower setting seems very average. Am I stuck with lower runtimes by looking at "2 AA only" lights?
My budget as I will be gifting these is around $40 per light or $80 total, but for the right light I might could swing some more $ with your help.

I ask your professional advice and thank you for any input

My suggestions are Quark AA, Quark AA2 (LINK). I own the tactical versions of these lights but I don't think they are practical for this purpose. The regular quarks have a flush tailcap for tail standing, hidden flashy modes, and great runtimes. The 2xAA model will go like a month continuous on the lowest setting (this is of course very dim but also very usable for night adapted vision). The light also has great medium and low settings. I tailstand my Quark AA2 on the medium setting and it illuminates the room well in my opinion, and it is rated to provide this amount of light for 24 hours.

Hi JB ..... check out the link in my signature which may help you choose a light.

Thx so much Ty the Quark AA2 looks superb for what I'm after. Do you feel this is a rugged durable light as much so as the Fenix's (which is the only one I'm familiar with)

And thank you Lightman2 all that info in 1 spreadsheet I will study it it's almost overwhelming

thx for the replies

runtimes on any high powered light using AA alkalines will be on the poor side.

cr123a have all the advantages except that its not super common such as AA cells.
but if you did send them a good supply, then its not a problem.
your options would really open up.

for AA lights, the E21 would be a nice choice. simple, good quality, and quite efficient on alkalines.
you might want to check out the Jetbeam's BA10 or BA20. simple high/low. and less than $40 a piece.
also check out ICON brand of lights. quality at an affordable price, using AA batteries.

edit: welcome to CPF

I would definately stick with AAs.Non-flashoholics usually don't have much interest in batteries other than common household types and trying to send a bunch of lithium CR123s along will probably cause your friend problems with the airline.I would also guess that lithium AAs are going to be rare and they will be stuck using alkalines.There are plenty of 2AA lights that offer some runtime,The Fenix LD20 or Quark 2AA are good general use lights.If they are in fact stuck with alkalines an LED lantern that uses D-cells might be worth while as well.

Also PR base LED replacement bulbs would be worthwhile to send along.They are relatively inexpensive and can convert flashlights they already have on hand.As skyfire said :welcome:

Well, it looks like you've already gotten some good advice regarding flashlight choices.

One other thing you may want to consider. For less than the cost of a box of 50 CR123As, you could purchase a couple rechargeable Eneloop AA low self discharge (LSD) cells and a solar powered NiMH battery charger. I know C. Crane sells a solar charger for about $25, but I can't vouch for it as I've not used it personally. Anyway, a bit of research in this direction might pay off huge dividends for your friends as there's nothing better in that environment than essentially free electricity - and it sounds like they may be using their lights a lot.

Hello JB,
I think the gift of quality LED lights for Haiti missionaries is a thoughtful idea. I have been to Haiti numerous times and one can never have enough flashlights. We just don't realize how dark it is at night when there is no electricity.
As far as recommendations I would definitely stick with AA batteries. Even AA alkaline batteries may be impossible to get down there (unless your friends have supplies coming in from the states periodically). What they have are the old yellow and blue Ray-o-vac batteries if any of you are old enough to remember those. Rechargeables with a solar charger would be a great idea IF they have a secure place to set it up. Things like that tend to disappear if left unattended.
Flashlights that take one or two AA batteries would be ideal and there are plenty of quality lights to choose from.

Phil

I suggest you check out tht Zebra lights that specifically take AA's. These lights are maximized for alkaline and have amazing lumen output and runtimes. They cost more than you wanted to spend by about 50% with a discount but if you take into account the havings in battery cost it may be a excellent alternative. The flashlight models also come with a headband for great hands free use.
I'm pointing you to this website so you can see a video of the lights, operation and output: http://goinggear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=14_20&products_id=2235
Good luck.

Wow what great info posted it is much appreciated! I absolutely love the idea Bronco about the rechargeables and a solar cell (which is something some of the villagers actually have for their basis for electricity). And this would still allow for the usage of regular alkaline AA's as well correct? I do know that certain parts of the year there can be weeks that go by where it is completely overcast so they would need regular alkalines during those times.

Thx for the welcome and advice sky and ZM

Thank you phil and enzo. Phil they do have access to alkalines through a source. I do know those blue and yellow ray-o-vacs!
Enzo great link the Zebra's sc51 are a little pricier at $70 a pop, but have 6 possible lm levels and great runtimes indeed although they are tested on 2000mah eneloops. What kind of runtime performance drop will I see on standard AA alkaline? ie 26 lm for 12 hours on eneloop would it be like 10 hours on alkaline?

Great advice all I know I've come to the right place for my missionary friends!

What do y'all think about the Fenix LD40? I'm going to find out whether they prefer the size of the Zebra sc51 since it's totally pocketable compared to the LD40....they are almost equivalent in price and the runtimes on the LD40 are obviously much greater. With that said are they on equivalent build quality levels even with the plastic body of the LD?

Jbdan,
Standard AA also have a great runtime. IMO Selfbuilt is the best reviewer in the forums. Here's a link to his review on the zebralight: http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb...XP-E-Neutral)-1xAA-Reviews-RUNTIMES-BEAMSHOTS
Based on his review and seeing the data, I purchased one of these lights.
By using the code " spring 11", you can get 10% off for the month of May from Going Gear which will get you to about $60.00. Remember too that this 1 AA light gets you more lumens than a 2 AA light and most CR123 battery lights.

I would think an angle light similar to the Fenix mc10 or zebralight sc31 would be the best bet the Fenix probably being better for what u are looking for but if you are down to spend more get them the zebra light they could clip these lights to a shirt pocket and hVe two hands free for whatever activity they have happening at the time

Thx enzo and sgt. The Zebra sc51 is looking awfully good right now. Sgt the mc10 @$40 looks great as well I never thought about an angle light! Soooo many lights to choose from I didn't think options for LED flashlights would be this large. Welcome to the world of the internet right :laughing:

Goona go do some web window shopping thanks a ton guys for the advice so far!

A headlight might be worth considering so they can have BOTH their hands free for whatever they need. I would also 2nd the angle head light. A combo pack of flashlight and headlight for each would be phenomenal and should address any/all lighting needs.

Make sure you check the Good Deals section of the CPF Marketplace, there may be a deal on zebralights like in this thread ;
http://www.cpfmarketplace.com/mp/showthread.php?250409-Zebras-on-sale-SC50w-SC50-SC30w-and-H31w

Goodluck and good on you for helping your friends out

jbdan said:

Thx so much Ty the Quark AA2 looks superb for what I'm after. Do you feel this is a rugged durable light as much so as the Fenix's (which is the only one I'm familiar with)

And thank you Lightman2 all that info in 1 spreadsheet I will study it it's almost overwhelming

thx for the replies

Click to expand...

All of my Fenix and 4sevens lights have performed flawlessly, but if I had to bet on which would function after a slam against a brick wall I would bet on my Fenix lights. However, the Fenix lights don't have the program-ability, lego-ability, or low low modes that the 4sevens quark lights do.

Thrunite Neutron 1A and 2A with XM-L seem to have everything you mentioned except for the diffusers. Not only are they quite bright for their size, they have better runtimes than similar sized lights with XP-G emitters due to XM-L's higher efficacy.

Again thank y'all all for your generous advice. I ordered 4 lights tonight based on my friends take on which lights she thought would be best (although she doesn't really know anything about LED flashlights...well I don't know much either!).

I ordered 2 x Jetbeam BA20's and 2 x Zebra sc51's one w and one c. I really like the price and the runtimes of the BA20 30lm @35 hours and most of all the super easy 2 stage interface. Hi and Lo seems smarter to me for them. They have cheapy LED headlamps for "moonlight" reading modes and the BA's tailstand. My friend said the the diffuser is not as important as I initially thought it was, but I'm sure there are DIY options for them down there.

I also really like the specs on the sc51's and thought I'd try the regular and the "w" version. They also have the headbands for hands free. I'll let her play with all of them and she can choose from there. She's going to take 3 of them I think and that leaves one for me. She thinks she is paying me, but little does she know!

Means a lot to me I can contribute somehow to the plight in Haiti and your replies contibuted to that contribution so thanks for taking the time to reply in this thread