Not Doomsday Prepper but...

Can we assume that a small number of CPF people are hooked into an endgame scenario...? What is your time table?

BTW What do cops use overall? Or are they really an accurate barometer of useful lights?

You won't find much in the way of "fringe" here, but you will find some folks who have been through some serious emergency events and can share their wisdom; user Sub Umbra remained in-place in downtown New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina, for example.

And generally speaking, law enforcement comes to us for lighting info; most police departments currently issue the Pelican 7060, which by our standards is a "not bad" light, you can certainly do better for the money..

pebbles said:

BTW What do cops use overall? Or are they really an accurate barometer of useful lights?

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For prepper-type lights? JMHO, but aside from the durability/reliability aspect, I'd say they'd be a good reverse barometer (bright, high lux thrower, strobe, momentary, specialty battery, big/heavy). Look for camper-type lights (versatile, efficient lows, massive runtime, low lux floody, common batts, small/light weight).

While I've got lots of 18650s, 266502, 32600s and assocaited lights, with the advent of capable AA powered lights and multi voltage AA powered lights I've picked up lithium AAs, 145002 and eneloops. Also have a few nice AAA lights.

You're gonna be kinda on your own here. Both in terms of emergency lighting, and what to pick for that.

:devil:

I think what cops are issued are the last lights I would want to use for an emergency. The Pelican 7060 is a plastic flashlight made for the LAPD to keep the city from being sued for police brutality using a flashlight as a club for beating people. It uses a cool tint l.e.d. for the police to see through tinted windows more easily. Runtime falls far short for emergency situations and it's bulky if you have to run from trouble. For emergencies, I want a multi-level 2AA Cree XPG-2 or XM-L2 flashlight with a sub-lumen low for battery conservation and a bright high for rescue and perimeter security tasks. If I use a big light for emergencies, I don't want to rule out the possibility of using it as a weapon for self-defense so it better not be plastic. For emergencies, get a light that takes normal batteries (AAA,AA, C, and D) with multiple levels and a good high efficiency l.e.d.. Lithium ion cells don't work well when you don't have electricity long term. There are few li-ion chargers that work on solar panels and in certain types of blackouts, fuel for generators will be scarce. AA lights are best. They have the most charges for rechargeables (Eneloops), have the best cold weather performance (lithiums), and have the greatest availability (alkalines).

pebbles said:

Can we assume that a small number of CPF people are hooked into an endgame scenario...? What is your time table?

BTW What do cops use overall? Or are they really an accurate barometer of useful lights?

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I don't get what you are asking, even your cop and flashlight question is vague.

pebbles said:

Can we assume that a small number of CPF people are hooked into an endgame scenario...? What is your time table?

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You want Survivalistboards.com for this conversation.

Hey, Thanks for your replies. The use of Pelican by police was news to me. I just assumed what police use might point me in the direction of some time-proven lights. (As if I need any more.)

A special thank you to Hooked on Fenix and Riccardo for you thoughtful replies.

Flashlights are inexorably linked with crisis.

to StarHalo,
Here in western Mass, buried in snow, we were without power for two weeks. I felt abandoned and alone very quickly. My Tikka and LD40 (all I had at the time), were used in conjunction with a... candle?

pebbles said:

Here in western Mass, buried in snow, we were without power for two weeks. I felt abandoned and alone very quickly.

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And that's precisely the kind of real world scenario we're most concerned with; you're a lot more likely to experience a longer-than-expected power outage than Soviet zombie ground attack.

Make sure you've got a battery-powered radio ready to go, and you know where the news station is on the AM dial. Once the power is out and there's no cable or internet, your radio will keep you up-to-the-minute informed without skipping a beat. It's a great morale booster too, to be able to tune in something interesting when not much else is going on. Remember to only use as much light as you need for the task at hand, this is where the low modes of flashlights really shine. And throw in some baby wipes and disposable plates/utensils into your power outage kit, always handy..

Thank you StarHalo for your kindness,

I have two Grundig DXer (long range AM, FM, and shortwave) radios and the baby wipes, disposable flatware and plates and cups are close at hand.

Again thank you for your patience with this off-topic. I was taken off guard by how quickly things deteriorated for us in western Mass.

Here in the UK the police use LEDLensers, so I'm not sure they're a good measure of 'top quality' kit. If all I had was a LEDLenser, then I'd be more than happy, but I like to spend the same, or a little more and get something a lot better. All my 'prep' kit gets used for hobbies/work/etc so I don't really consider myself a prepper as such, just an outdoors person who'd be okay if the power was out for a few days.

Check out Malkoff Devices, seems to be highly rated with LEO and related types. Their customer service seems pretty top notch- Gene Malkoff who runs it often answers questions about products etc.

The Tikka and LD40 are a good pair of lights! What lighting devices would have made your life easier?

Thank You Gravelmonkey,

I see Malkoff all over the place when aficionados chime in. I looked over all their offerings, but could you please name the industry standard? I want to explore this market.

The LD40 has battery rattle but good enough to give to someone who doesn't care.

The Tikka has been replaced by ZebraLight H602 warm floody and becomes another gift to a family member. I take an ArmyTek pro Pred. Warm. for throw.

In the end, you are right the former are great lights, but I like the best performing lights I can get.

Neither the tikka or LD40 were good reading lights, whereas the Zebra H602 warm was great. And efficient.

A SF 6P with a ZeroRez and a Malkoff M61LL is almost eternal, add 100 cr123 and you'll have 500 hours of illumination at 100 lumen.

For close jobs stack a bounce of Fenix E01 and a good numbers of lithium primaries.

If you want to think about worst scenarios, where you'll never be able to buy cr123 again, than you need to use rechargeables. In this case Eneloops, 9P and a Malkoff M31LL will do the job. Add your preferred recharging system (solar, wind generators, water wheel..) plus a bag of lithium primaries (until you settle down and organise for recharging) and you're done!

pebbles said:

Thank You Gravelmonkey,

I see Malkoff all over the place when aficionados chime in. I looked over all their offerings, but could you please name the industry standard? I want to explore this market.

The LD40 has battery rattle but good enough to give to someone who doesn't care.

The Tikka has been replaced by ZebraLight H602 warm floody and becomes another gift to a family member. I take an ArmyTek pro Pred. Warm. for throw.

In the end, you are right the former are great lights, but I like the best performing lights I can get.

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Industry standards (technical standards?) or industry leaders (manufacturers)?

Who's the "best" debates normally end up with petty arguments, there is no overall "best" because "best" varies so much from person to person. HDS, McGizmo, Malkoff, Surefire, Peak etc are all highly rated US manufacturers. "Premium Chinese brands" such as Armytek, Foursevens, Fenix etc are hugely popular and adequate for many people's needs. If you know what sort of features you want and how much you're willing to pay, post a thread into the "recommend me a light" section with your requirements and you'll get a load of useful suggestions.

I'm not hugely knowledgeable on the standards used, ANSI FL1 is used for brightness, runtime and beam distance. It leaves a bit to be desired as it doesn't take into account any thermal or battery saving 'stepdowns' and runtime is all the way down to 10% of original brightness. Distance is to .25 lux which is barely visible, half the throw number and you'll have a more realistic 'real world use' number).

The H602w and Armytek Pro are even nicer lights! You will eventually get into the realms of diminishing returns with price Vs quality.

Keep in mind, for LEOs, there isn't "an industry standard" - departmental issue will vary wildly base on budget, resources, even mission specifics.

Taking it a step further, the daily use, or even tactical use, of a LEO's flashlight would be of little use to an emergency prepper: high output "tactical" lights eat batteries quickly and often. And 300+ lumens in near dark conditions will blind you as quickly as it does anyone else.

The usual suspects for common brands: Maglite, Streamlight, and Surefire. Fenix made a splash by being adopted by a Toronto department some years back - I don't know if they're still in use or not. And as mentioned by this thread, Pelican by the LAPD and others.

Thanks to Starhalo, Tmedina, GravelMonkey, and Riccardo,

Industry standard, in my case, refers to an internationally accepted proven performer, and I know this doesn't necessarily exist with flashlights now. But Riccardo's Malkoff M31LL recommendation is intriguing.