my most important light.

yesterday my sump pump broke. what light did i grab? everready 6v. lantern with alkaline batt. and halogen lamp.
same as when my furnace broke. same as when my car would not start in the garage. same as when i heard a noise in the night. the list goes on. i have three reasons for always grabbing this light. 1. it gives off tremendous light. 2. it is nearly bomb-proof. 3. i will not wreck a $140+ surefire sticking it into my furnaces heat exchangers etc. don't get me wrong. i collect lights as a hobby. i love cool lights. but i have come to realise that the average homeowner who is not a leo/emt, military etc. is going to benifit from this light more than any other. i find it way more versatile than a 6d mag light which is it's competition. the small high output lights us flashaholics like actually seem to not serve the general public too well. then again, they were not made for the general public. they were made for specialists and flashaholics!
well, i just thought i'd share this thought with you guys/gals. of course i will be buying more speciality lights in the (near) future. i am just glad eveready has made this lantern.

nitebrite.

Yeah, and the 3.00 to 10.00 price, who cares if you drop it.

MagLites are great when you run into that dog that wants to see what you taste like.

Kind of like a BIC pen you use all the time, and the 180.00 pen that sits in the teak wood with silk lined box on your desk.

That is, until you have the pen with the Nichia LED in it that includes optics....no more bulky ARC/Photon on the keychain...

Hello Nitebrite,

I agree the Everready lantern is a great light.

On the other hand, I have found that it takes more than a furnace, car, or general abuse to damage other quality lights.

In another thread Tektite even ran a tank over their LS4 (and other lights). The bezel of the light was damaged, but the light continued to work. The bezel can be replaced for under $5. Now that is abuse.

As far as the general public goes, perhaps they have never been caught out in the dark...

Tom

Now isn't it strange that the average person never has seen the need for an L5?
Surely Mag Lites, and Eveready 6V Lanterns will not let you change a flat and do the chores around the house and farm.

I also like the nice lights we talk about and buy as flashaholics, but if I never had anything except the lights mentioned, I would be able to do everything I will ever need to do with a flashlight.

It is kinda funny that we buy things because they are so good, but they cost too much to use???

Jerry

Yeah, the cheaper lights have a lot of value, for sure. Nothing would make me sicker than to screw up or lose one of my "better" lights. That's why when I need light in a situation where it may get beat up, like working on the car, I usually grab a cheapie.
BTW, nitebrite, the Mag 4-D is the competition for the 6-volt lanterns, not the 6-D (which is 9-volts).
I saw some of those Energizer 6-volt lanterns at Walmart last summer for sale for $2 each, with battery. I bought 2 of them, but I should have bought a few more at that price.

The lights I feel are not replaceable for me are my several 3D Rayovac or Sams Choice OLD STYLE lights.

They make excellent beams, and didn't cost even 10 bucks when they were available.

The newest made in USA light isn't too bad. But leave the Thailand made one on the shelf! Several minor differences except one MAJOR! USA bulb is spring mounted (and can be adjusted to some degree) and the Thailand bulb is in a rigid plastic bulb holder.

I LIKE discussing cheap lights!

nitebrite, I got a black Eveready halogen lantern in 1985 and it's still using the same lamp - and it's not because the lantern sits unused. I think it cost $10 at that time and came with a "HD" battery. Now I use a 4XD adaptor. My wife uses it a lot to search the knee-wall attic spaces for stored items. She prefers the brightness and security of that lantern over a flashlight. I'm glad, too, because I don't want to find my better lights with unexpected dead batteries, or worse yet, not to be able to find the flashlight. She forgets to put things back and a lantern is easier to find than a small 2X123 light.

Those lanterns do have their uses. No question about that. Still, I don't have one, cause they don't fit my needs. I use a headlamp for most things, as it is, given my situation (not to mention mania for using headlamps). /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif

6v lanterns don't get enough love around here. They're usually reliable and bright enough for the job. I like the brinkmann maxstar lantern but don't have it right now. Adjustable focus in a lantern.

Where do you get a halogen bulb for a 6v lantern?

Same as here really (Okay, it isn't a lantern, but the same idea. Light I normally grab for around the house things is usually the Osram Dulux Mini, little 5W flourescent, and if I need serious light, it's a cheap ($10) 5D Mag Knock-off (5D Mag would set you back about $70 here...), which with a 4 cell bulb in is crazy-bright, and so far has proved very reliable.

They're not maybe my favourite lights (Okay, the ODM is near the top of the list thanks to being so darn handy), but they're certainly the most used.

For me, my more expensive lights are the most used.

Most used general purpose: Arc4+
Most used incandescent: Surefire M2 w/Pila lamp and Li-Ion

I have other cheaper lights like a 6V lantern and a 2D mag but they're too big for me, even for around the house. I like something not much bigger than palm size and if I want longer runtime, I got a bunch of Li-Ions lying around which can feed a modded KL1 for about 3 hours, which is my next most used light.

CM

I gave all my 6V lantern and other cheap flashlights to Goodwill after I got some better quality lights. The difference between those lights and Surefire and Arc lights is staggering. Why would anyone not want to use their best lights? What are you going to do to break an Arc? I don't consider my best lights expensive because I do use them and because they have so much utility.

I have a problem with collecting very expensive tools that don't get used. Flashlights are top of this list, along with snap-on tools.

My most used tools are my best ones. Arc4+, firefly, X3T Mclux. If I had an Arc4X, I'd be banging it around the most.

I use either C or D cell Maglites, or cheap plastic lights like the D-Cell Rayovac for work that could damage the light.

I only use my good lights (Arcs, Pelicans, Streamlights) for tasks that are not highly probable to damage the light.

If a Maglite breaks, I'll be slightly disapointed but lose lose sleep. If the Rayovac breaks, I could care less.

If my Pelican M6 LEDs or Arcs were to break or be damaged, I WOULD lose sleep.

And I loan out the cheap plastic lights when people want to borrow a light. I do NOT loan out Arcs or other high end lights unless its family.

The right tool for the job, right!

If your favorite light is a 6volt lantern, and it works great for you, GREAT!

Actually, a 6 volt lantern might make a nice place in my FL collection, for reasonably bright, and long run time.

When I had to live via flashlights for over 2 weeks, in 2001, when TS Allison hit Houston, I had several big mag lights, and ended up hating them, because of BOTH the light output and heqavy weight. I was in a 25 story building with 3 basements, that was totally without power, and I was carrying around 3, big Mag and Everready 8AA flashlights, and an everready ArcWhite (I had yet to discover this fourm!) I had to live with these things for 6-14 hours a day.

The Energizer ARC White with the CCFT became one of my favorite lights. I emptied out my office, by just the light of one flashlight.

Carrying around those big, heavy lights, that gave me penci thin light streams was not what I wanted.

My most used is my L4.
I got the Pila rechargeable battery for it the week I bought it. I never used up the Surefire batteries that came with the light. Because I don't have to feed it, it gets used all the time.
Surefire, ARC, UK, etc advertise how tough their lights are, why baby them?
It comes down to this - did you buy it as a toy or tool? There is nothing wrong with either.

after i posted this i thought to myself i am gonna get ran right out of here. i am glad no one got mad that i like a cheap light. it seems everyone that posted is pretty much split down the middle on this subject.

yes the major drawback of the 6v. lantern is it's size. however it proves more usable to me than my hola's or kl's because it is like the best of both worlds when size is not a factor. the hola or even an l6 will light a subject great it will also bounce back at me and blind me too! the 6v. lantern is a very broad diffused flood. it does not have a hot spot. i think of mine as a giant l4. plus it has a heck of a throw, but that is rarely what i use it for. it will light a 18 inch diameter by 3 foot deep sump basin like the sun. if i drop it in the water big deal. it floats! i also read that with a hp52, high output 6v. batt and faceted reflector these can reach 65,000 cp(which is why i compared it to 6d mag not4)!
the high end lights we discuss here serve two different crowds at the same time. colectors, and people that use them as tools. i have snap-on tools. they are tools, and i use them as such. a l4 for instance could be a tool. it could also be an executive acessory. to me an expensive light is like a delta pen or dupont lighter. any of these can be used hard. they are designed to last. however they will all show wear. i use my lights plenty. i also enjoy them as status symbols. once they are roughed up they loose there allure as status symbols imho. this is why i try to buy at least two versions of everything i own. cheap and expensive.
one to use hard and one to use gently. both to be used! that is just my personal philosphy. on the other hand some people may think their lights look way cooler well worn. i can also understand that attitude.

but, i think most people can agree on three things. these lanterns are surprisingly usefull. many many people get by just fine with these not even knowing surefire etc. exists. even fire departments! their usefullness per dolar ratio is enormous. this is all assuming weight and size are not a factor.
for household,shop or farm use i think nothing can fit the bill better than these. of course there are plenty of uses where these ar not appropriate and a high-end light would serve much better. for instance, sitting on my desk /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

nitebrite.

i have an old clunky brinkmann lantern...bright yellow, cheap, at least a decade old...never changed the battery. that thing is still quite bright. darn thing really runs for a long time. those big 6v bats erally pack some mah.

im thinking of getting another higher quality one for the car. i would like to find one with a decent beam, spare bulb holder, but not too bulky.

take care, nitebrite.

Bob

My problem is I buy something like an L4, or an A2, and then I think I need another one just like it in case I screw up the one I have already got. I see now how this can get REAL expensive!

LOL!

i have the same issue, Bravo!

i almost always build/buy 2 of each...and rationalize it by assuming that my wife can always use one.

denial isnt only a river in egypt!

Bob