Ideal gift light for army recruit?

xamindar

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A friend of mine will be entering the army soon and I figured a flashlight would be a good gift for him. He is no flashaholic at all so it would probably have to be one that uses AA or AAA. Any ideas of a good light for someone in the army?

Or, is a flashlight maybe a bad idea? Does the army have certain requirements with this sort of thing?

Thanks for any advice.
 

Brasso

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I was in the Army a number of years ago, and there were no rules about carrying a flashlight in the field. That being said, if he's in a combat or combat support unit he most likely won't have much use for a standard white light. Light discipline is a big deal for the military. I would think that something like a Surefire A2L with the ability to use red led's for map reading would be nice, while still having the white when appropriate would be a good choice. Another light that uses AA would be the Proton Pro. It has both red and white led's. Both are well made and should be able to handle field conditions.

With the A2L you could also get an IR filter which is even more useful with NVG's.
 

UberLumens

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a Streamlight sidewinder or sidewinder compact may be good.

-can be mounted to helmet, has red blue white and ir with multi level and strobe.
-dead simple to use

whats your budget?
 

mikra

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I think in the army he should have a good supply of CR123s.
I would recomend a HDS Rotary or Clicky for CR123.
If you realy want to buy an AA light, then I would recomend the Quark AA Tactical.
 

scout24

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I wouldn't get him anything until he is done with training. Things get confiscated and stolen in Basic Training, (One station unit training now, I hear...) never mind one more piece of gear to keep track of during an incredibly stressful time... Wait until a permanent unit assignment happens, where things are a bit more relaxed regarding personal gear and EDC equipment. It was 23 years ago, but your post brought it back clear as day, and made me smile... :)
 

xamindar

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Thanks for the tips on giving it to him after training. He did mention he heard that people steal things so he wasn't taking hardly anything with him.
I'll look at all these light suggestions, Thanks!

whats your budget?
Hmm, I guess no more than $150.
 

Solscud007

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If you want a simple AA light. Cant go wrong with the Sunwayman V10A. Variable control so he can dial in as much light as he wants.

Surefire E2L-AA is a good one too.

Surefire G2X would be good as well although not AA format.
 

Erzengel

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For military use You have always to discriminate between a utility light and a light for combat use and searching of cars and vehicles (sometimes also at daylight). An utility light needs a really low low (less than 1 Lumen) to preserve Your night vision and light discipline, colored light is also necessary. The 10 Lumen of the Surefire A2L are far too bright. A Streamlight Sidewinder is one of the better choices for an utility light, you might also look at the Energizer Hardcase Helmet light, which is more compact than the Sidewinder and offers more mounting options including a headstrap.
 

TMedina

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I strongly recommend the Romeo vest light by Energizer. I went through BCT at Fort Relaxin Jackson in 06 and I wish I had this flashlight then. The Army doesn't issue a flashlight, but they "highly encourage" you to purchase the only light at the PX, the Fulton anglehead.

The Romeo vest light is small enough to drop in a pocket, runs on AA batteries and has usable red/blue filters for those fun nights on fire guard and you have to figure out who to wake up.

After he gets to his duty station, then he can worry about the high speed gear like tactical lights, helmet lights and all that fun stuff, if he wants.

Also, tell him not to pack anything else like multi-tools or pocket knives - they'll be confiscated during reception.

Good luck!

-Trevor
 

Mdinana

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why does everyone seem to think that 123's are falling out of the Army's butt? I'm in the Navy, attached to Army, and I don't see batteries anywhere. We can't even keep motrin in stock, much less batteries for our own equipment.

Get him something that can be red, with batteries he'll buy.
 

TMedina

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It varies by unit - some units, particularly combat units that issue Surefire weapon lights, tend to stock the CR123s.

My Quartermaster unit didn't issue flashlights, didn't even suggest that Soldiers buy one before deploying, and didn't even try to keep batteries stocked while we were deployed.

-Trevor
 
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