Hi there, long time flashlight hoarder, new member.
I have a 5 year old '5.11 Tactical Light for Life' Ultra Capacitor flashlight (http://www.policemag.com/channel/te...or-life-uc3-400-flashlight-now-available.aspx) which still works quite well. Apparently though, they are discontinued.
A Google serach for 'Capacitor Flashlight' basically gets me homemade versions. The only other one I know of out there is the Ikea hand-crank one (http://www.ikea.com/ca/en/catalog/products/30190857/).
What I'm looking for is reliability and long term storage. In the event of a short term outage or long term emergency, in my opinion having charged batteries or scrambling to find them can be a challenge in a pinch. I'm not looking for extended run time as these can be recharged very quickly, for instance the 5.11 Tactical light can charge in 90 seconds from any car battery.
When I camp or go hiking, I bring plenty of batteries and my favorite flashlights (2-4 of them, as my wife rolls her eyes). If I'm in a position where I no longer have access to a 12V power source, like all the car batteries are dead after the zombie apocalypse, then I have other problems.
I'm not looking for a debate over alkaline vs lithium vs rechargeable vs capacitor, just looking for ideas on this type of light. 5 years ago when I bought the 5.11 tactical one, I got very excited as I believed the technology was finally changing, now...not so much.
So...suggestions?
Thanks,
Craig.
I have a 5 year old '5.11 Tactical Light for Life' Ultra Capacitor flashlight (http://www.policemag.com/channel/te...or-life-uc3-400-flashlight-now-available.aspx) which still works quite well. Apparently though, they are discontinued.
A Google serach for 'Capacitor Flashlight' basically gets me homemade versions. The only other one I know of out there is the Ikea hand-crank one (http://www.ikea.com/ca/en/catalog/products/30190857/).
What I'm looking for is reliability and long term storage. In the event of a short term outage or long term emergency, in my opinion having charged batteries or scrambling to find them can be a challenge in a pinch. I'm not looking for extended run time as these can be recharged very quickly, for instance the 5.11 Tactical light can charge in 90 seconds from any car battery.
When I camp or go hiking, I bring plenty of batteries and my favorite flashlights (2-4 of them, as my wife rolls her eyes). If I'm in a position where I no longer have access to a 12V power source, like all the car batteries are dead after the zombie apocalypse, then I have other problems.
I'm not looking for a debate over alkaline vs lithium vs rechargeable vs capacitor, just looking for ideas on this type of light. 5 years ago when I bought the 5.11 tactical one, I got very excited as I believed the technology was finally changing, now...not so much.
So...suggestions?
Thanks,
Craig.