Recommendations - Belt Mounted Flashlight

I want a belt mounted flashlight. Something small enough to carry on my belt all day and getting in and out of a car so probably mounted horizontally. It would have to be easy and quick to clip and unclip. I want it for servicing computers where I just want to quickly check something. I already have a BD Storm headlamp in my briefcase.

Ideally variable power and focussing lens possibly with a single 18650 rechargeable in it. I think rechargeable would be good.

So separate holster and flashlight?

I guess either a holster or a good clip. I have looked and seen quite a few with a simple like clip like one on a pen. That may be good enough. I suppose it has to be quite small to be unobtrusive worn on a belt and getting in and out of a car.

Basic is the clip that comes with the light or you have to go custom.
Two-way clips are quite versatile. When you want a holster that rotates, if will be bigger than a normal holster, because of the rotating system. You could take a look at ESP holsters.

If you use a Surefire 6P size light then Kytex Shooting Gear do a horizontal or a vertical carrier.

InspectHerGadget said:

I want a belt mounted flashlight. Something small enough to carry on my belt all day and getting in and out of a car so probably mounted horizontally. It would have to be easy and quick to clip and unclip. I want it for servicing computers where I just want to quickly check something. I already have a BD Storm headlamp in my briefcase.

Ideally variable power and focussing lens possibly with a single 18650 rechargeable in it. I think rechargeable would be good.

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Are you sure that you want so much flashlight?
It seems to me that a penlight would be sufficient, a small single AA or AAA light should work too.

Hi Poppy,

I think you may be right. I wear pants with pockets. It might be better to go with simple and small. It is an ambitious requirements list for a simple item.

I guess there is so much cool gear out there that it is tempting to go for more than I need for the job at hand.

I will check out the other suggestions too that have been made.

Maybe just a very well made but small light would be better?

I have a 4 D cell incandescent mag lite as well which I guess is digressing but I would prefer to convert that one to LED mainly as incandescent filaments are so fragile and with short lives. LED lights are thousands of times more reliable.

I'm thinking an LED Lenser P2, tiny with only one AAA battery.

The bigger P5 is probably a way nicer torch but is not so pocketable.

The pocket-ability of a light really depends on the particulars of a user's pants. I comfortably carry a Malkoff MD2 with Dark Sucks clip in my front pocket when wearing most of my standard demin jeans. I carry a Surefire E-Series or HDS when I wear jeans with less pocket room.

I used to have a Sunwayman V20C, and the magnetic control ring worked quite well (and the light was machined and finished surprisingly well). Their V11R seems to be quite popular on this forum.

Grizzman said:

The pocket-ability of a light really depends on the particulars of a user's pants. I comfortably carry a Malkoff MD2 with Dark Sucks clip in my front pocket when wearing most of my standard demin jeans. I carry a Surefire E-Series or HDS when I wear jeans with less pocket room.

I used to have a Sunwayman V20C, and the magnetic control ring worked quite well (and the light was machined and finished surprisingly well). Their V11R seems to be quite popular on this forum.

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The V20C looks really impressive. What so you think of the Eagletac D25LC2?

Sunwayman C20c, v25r both take a 18650 and are great lights.

The C20c comes with a great holster and is ideal for your belt

InspectHerGadget said:

The V20C looks really impressive. What so you think of the Eagletac D25LC2?

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The only negative aspect to the V20C was the tint shift from spot to spill, which is extremely common with lights utilizing an XM-L2.

The control ring rotation distance is very reasonable, and it's easy to accurately select a brightness level before turning on the light.

I've never seen an Eagletac light in person.

I liked the C20C but I think I might pull the pin on a Led Lenser P5R.2 which is smaller than I thought, has a very well designed belt loop clip and a magnetically attached recharger for the single rechargeable.

I have done some researching and it seems like it is the only focussing lens rechargeable in this range but it does have a short life if you have it on maximum output of 270Lumens due to the small single 14500 or 14440 cell in it.

I like their stuff though and it is the sum total of the device, focussing, great clip, easy to recharge and 5 year warranty. Shame about the price though.

I just bought one of the H5R.2 lights. I've only just put it on charge. It uses a iCR 14500 which is supposedly the only one you should use as it has special contacts and an adjusted protection PCB.

In Australia, LED Lenser are pretty well the only specialist lights you see on the shelves although you can order anything on line.

The only surprise is that it is either low or high or strobe, I thought it might be adjustable. The flood at wide is lovely and the spot seems very tight and clean. Inbetween there are a few points where there the saturation of the beam is not perfect any more. The switch is stiff but it is easy to adjust to low or high or strobe quickly which is good.

In the end I got this in spite of the relatively short battery life as battery life is not that important, unlike for my headlamp, the H14R.2, where it has 8 times the storage using 2 x 18650 rechargeable. I got this torch as I was so pleased with the build and performance my headlamp.

I haven't had the chance to use it yet but the belt clip was another feature that sold me on this torch. It just seems like a lot of thought has been put into it and I am addicted to the focussing lens concept. It just seems to give you the beam you want without fuss.

The only thing I would have liked would be a dimmer function although the 20Lumen low function is probably what I will use for work looking behind desks and inside computer and the high mode will get used more at night walking.

Thanks for the input guys, there is a huge array of gear out there along with a huge array of thoughts on what is best.

These also come with a 5 year warranty which is unusual and I intend to keep this gear for at least that long. No doubt manufacturers like LED Lenser factor this into the cost of the products as they certainly aren't cheap, some would say overpriced. Only time will tell. I should offer my thoughts in two years time. My brother has the H5 and H7 headlamps and I was impressed with them and in particular the focussing lens which can make even 20 lumens project into the distance quite nicely.

Edit:

I had a good play with it tonight on a long walk around Beenup swamp here in Perth, Western Australia. It is a great walk and winds right through the heart of this swamp. I had my H14R.2 headlamp on and I brought my P5R.2 to compare them. The beam on the H14 is bigger at both flood and spot, maybe 30% more on flood and a bit more on spot. I was amazed though by the performance of the P5. It actually matched though the performance of my brother's Lenser H5 which is about 70m reach on spot and that has 26 Lumens compared to 20 on low for this P5. The specs say 15m on low which is nonsense. The normal power on the P5 is 270 Lumens and it will outperform the H14 with the spot which is 350 Lumens for the H14. The beam is wider though for the H14. Lenser claim 240m for the P5 and 300m for the H14 (at 850 Lumens). The H14 will outperform the P5 of course on boost at 850 Lumens but the difference isn't as great as I would have thought.

I'm sure running off a single iCR 14500 cell, the battery life won't be great running at 270 Lumens but it more than enough for a long walk and really what surprised me is 20 Lumens is just fine for walking and the spot at 20 Lumens is easily 70m which is amazing but very similar to the H5 I used so it all matches up nicely.

The charging cradle has screws and plugs to mount it to a wall but I've just cable tied it to my work shelf. The torch hangs upside down from a magnet while just resting in the cradle so the magnetic power plug is at the top and it just hangs there like a BAT. It has a light to indicate RED when charging and GREEN when complete.

I think the focussing lenses are amazing and this thing is damned fine piece of engineering. So far just great.

The controls are pretty good too, simple as there is just low, power and strobe. On is just push on, low is one quick push then click on within one second and the same procedure for strobe except two quick pushes. The switches all seem robust.

I have spent probably 20 years using light often for poking around the computers and such. I was using malite Solitare, but this is one terrible light. in 2009. I have replaced it with a Fenix LD01 (small AAA with a clip) and it is great for such a task. But, I hated twisty interface, so I just ordered and received yesterday a Fenix LD02. This one would be perfect. Headlamp: I find it perfectly to use only NiteCore Headband HB02 for flashlight which costs about 6€ delivered. It is superior to the Fenix one (whose holder broke, is larger and heavier), cheaper and smaller. Ideally, it accepts something like Fenix E12 or LD10, but will work with AAA sized lamp (LD02) nice (but not for outdoors!). As for holster, I use it not for business, but for outdoors (walking, hiking, working outdoors and so) or garrage. The perfect holster is Fenix Flashlight belt clip AB02. Works perfectly with a single AA lamps. I have it for 5 years - still as new!, Easy goes on or off the belt, but never by accident, holds chosen direction perfectly, never bothers me in the car, lamp is held perfectly steady, easy to manouver and aim. And I am carrying it over 6 months per year in the last 5 years!