Pen-like flashlight for medical work.

Need to be able to purchase it from Australia
Less than $60.
I want a flashlight.
Every day carry small (2-4 inches).
LED (known for efficiency, longevity, and compactness)
Would like to use 1 AA or 1 AAA, using eneloops would be great.
I want to navigate a dark room or read a map (0-10 lumens).
Less than 1 yard/meter (reading, other close work)
3 hours + (I critically need this light to run on max for extended periods in between battery changes/charges).
Very Important (Camping, Backpacking, Car Glove-box).

12) Switch Type and location (choose all that apply):
I don't know.

13) User Interface (UI) and mode selection. Select all that apply.
I don't care.

14)Material/Finish/Coating
I don't know.

15) Special Needs/extras: Is there anything else you want or need that hasn't been mentioned? Select any below.
Don't think so.

So basically I need a small quality pen torch that is guaranteed to last me at least 5 weeks of pretty frequent use. I have used medical pen torches in the past but they always seem to break pretty quickly, even the more expensive ones. Needs to be small enough for pocket and un-floody enough to be able to check pupils etc.

Thanks for your help in advance guys.

Welcome to CPF, durkinmj.

I'll move your thread to the LED Flashlights section, as you have specified a LED light.

Bear in mind that most LED emitters are strong in the blue part of the spectrum, and weak in the red part. Color rendition with most LED lights is therefore not uniform.

I'm sure other members will assist with advice, and perhaps other medics will chime in also. Meanwhile, here are some previous threads on this topic:

anybody still make good medical led pen lights?
What is the best LED light for medical use?
Medical doctor's penlight

How about a Terralux Lightstar 80? I have one and really like it, especially for the price (aorund 20$). It has an led with a higher CRI so you can differentiate colors better with it than with a normal cool-white light. You can read about it here, here and here. Runtime is around 5 hours and it does about 50-60 lumens.

durkinmj said:

Need to be able to purchase it from Australia
Less than $60.
I want a flashlight.
Every day carry small (2-4 inches).
LED (known for efficiency, longevity, and compactness)
Would like to use 1 AA or 1 AAA, using eneloops would be great.
I want to navigate a dark room or read a map (0-10 lumens).
Less than 1 yard/meter (reading, other close work)
3 hours + (I critically need this light to run on max for extended periods in between battery changes/charges).
Very Important (Camping, Backpacking, Car Glove-box).

12) Switch Type and location (choose all that apply):
I don't know.

13) User Interface (UI) and mode selection. Select all that apply.
I don't care.

14)Material/Finish/Coating
I don't know.

15) Special Needs/extras: Is there anything else you want or need that hasn't been mentioned? Select any below.
Don't think so.

So basically I need a small quality pen torch that is guaranteed to last me at least 5 weeks of pretty frequent use. I have used medical pen torches in the past but they always seem to break pretty quickly, even the more expensive ones. Needs to be small enough for pocket and un-floody enough to be able to check pupils etc.

Thanks for your help in advance guys.

Click to expand...

Please clarify...
Do you need the light to run for more than 3 hours at 10 lumens...or more than 3 hours at max?

The ThruNite Neutron 2A may work, if you can get them in Australia:
http://thrunite.com/en/ProductView.aspx?id=42
Max output = 135 lumens for 4 hours
(uses 2 AA batteries)

Getting 3+ hours runtime out of a single AAA or AA battery is a challenge...unless you are talking about getting 3+ hours of around 50 or less lumens of light instead of 3+ hours of light at max output.

The following lights will not give you 3+ hours at max output, but they will give you 3+ hours of output at the lower settings (and some of these "lower" setting are still quite bright).

The ThruNite Neutron 1A:
http://thrunite.com/en/ProductView.aspx?id=41
6 hour of medium (50 lumens) output

I do not know if you can get ThruNite's in Australia, but I know you can get Fenix...

Fenix E11:
http://www.fenixlight.com/viewproduct.asp?id=151
8 hours of low (32 lumens) output

Fenix LD15:
http://www.fenixlight.com/viewproduct.asp?id=121
39 hours of low (8 lumens) output

Fenix LD10:
http://www.fenixlight.com/viewproduct.asp?id=117
4 hours of high (45 lumens) output
(max output is 100 lumens)