Flashlight Recommendations -- Suggestions Welcome!

Hi!

First of all, thank you for taking the time to consider my situation, I appreciate this very much!

I am looking for an LED flashlight that:
- Does not exceed 6 inches
- Does not have have a weak beam
- Does not have a run-time of under 15-20 hours. The higher the runtime, obviously, the better =)
- Does not succumb to water

A flashlight that is offered in a black Type-III HA w/ knurling variety is preferred.

The primary uses for this flashlight will be:
- Emergency all-purpose flashlight to carry around in my backpack (therefore, too much weight or volume is very much unpreferred)
- Emergency all-purpose flashlight in case there is a power-outage at home due to a storm that may last up to a week (hence the need for long battery life)

So far, based on my reading here, I'm considering the:
- Surefire L1
- Inova X5T-HA

Problem is, 123 lithium batteries can be rather expensive, and hard to find (if the power goes out, for example, it may be wise to have a flashlight that can run on AAs so that you can use batteries from your neighbor -- the chances that they will have 123s stocked up are slim to none)

So I started considering the purchase of a flashlight that will run on AAs as well and looking at:
- CMG Sonic
- Ultra-G
- Infinity Ultra
- Some Peaks from peakledsolutions.net (although entirely lost as to which ones I should be considering)
- ARC AA/AAA
- Inova X1 (which I have sinced scratched off the list due to it's limited beam)

ARCs shutdown was a blow to my plans, so I am not sure what to do in this department anymore.

My questions:

<font color="red">- Based on my given information, which flashlights do you recommend I consider?

- If I want to go for an AA light, which flashlight would be best? Are there any upcoming flashlights that I should wait for?</font>

<font color="red">- I am considering buying a non-lithium flashlight for my family back in Taiwan as well, perhaps in the green variety for no-power typhoon nights (I am in college and would feel much more at peace knowing that they're properly equipped to deal with power outages since I am not there to help out). The maximum length would thus be extended to approximately 8 inches or so, in favor of battery life. Standup-able tails would be a must in this situation. Any suggestions or comments regarding this situation?</font>

It would be very kind if a link could be provided as well to the place I should buy from (i.e. a reliable, reputable distributor with a good price, like CountyComm)

Again, thanks very much for your time, I appreciate this very very much.

Thanks you for reading!

He and welcome to CPF. as a newbie you get a two part resaponse to your question.

Part One
These generalizations are true in the vast majority of circumstances (but there are exception to each one of these)

1) Brighter the light, the shorter the runtime!
2) LED's come in two types, smaller 3 or 5 mm diameter with outputs of 1-3 lumens each OR Luxeon Star LEDS made by Lumaleds with outputs around 17-30 lumens each.
3) Incandescent lamps (regular light bulbs) still kick LED's butt if you want to throw a beam of light beyond about 30 feet.
4) Surefire Lights are Tactical lights, not general purpose lights for the homeowner. As such they are usually purchased (except for CPF members) by taxpayers for issue to special people who do tactical things.
5) Textured reflectors produce a smoother beam that smoothly polished reflectors.
6) Adjustable focus is a lie. There is only one focal point, you are de-focusing a light. Marketing people love this bullsxxx. Some people find the feature helpful anyway, when they need a less intense light. Me I set the focus to the least annoying beam shape and then never fiddle with it again.
7) Flood v Spot. 90% of people should buy a flood beam that throws no more than the length of their backyard. Questions like "Hi I'm new here and I want a flashlight with a tight spot that lights up a tree 300 yards away to impress my friends, what do you recommend" makes me roll my eyes and say to myself here we go again.
8) Lithiums are really not that more expensive and kick alkalines butt for several reasons, however they are harder to find. Buy from Surefire or other vendors here on CPF ($1-$2 each)
9) There is no easy chart or conversion formula between Candlepower and Lumens. Lumens is the total amount of light produced, whereas Candlepower as typically advertized is the brightest part of the beam. So while they are related Candlepower is often misleading and can be used by market departments to hype their products. That is why some manufactures say Lumen is a more honest means of measure light produced. To give you an example of how Candlepower can be manipulated, take a laser pointer for example. I would imagine even a cheap one is probibly a million candle power yet it makes a horrible flashlight, because the amount of light (lumens) is really small.


Part Two
The Underwater Kinetics UK eLED that runs off 4 AA cells sounds like what you need.

Re: Flashlight Recommendations -- Suggestions Welc

Hi, thank you very much for the starting pointers! I've always been trying to figure out a lot of things out, this helps a lot. =)

The Underwater Kinetics UK eLED does indeed look like a good choice for my family to keep around the house for emergency use, I will look for places that offer it for reasonable prices.

Do you have any suggestions for smaller-sized lights that will do a comparable job without taking up too much space and adding on too much weight? Something around the size of the Inova X5T and under? I am concered that the Underwater Kinetics UK eLED won't be as good of a fit when it comes to portability.

Re: Flashlight Recommendations -- Suggestions Welc

For AA go with the Infinity Ultra. It'll be cheaper than the Ultra-G (due to the better finish of the U-G), and will run almost forever; nice in an emergency. You might also consider a Mini-mag with the Newbeam Opalec. Again, loooong runtime.

The UK eLED 4AA is also a great choice. I've only heard good things about it. The UK Q40 is a more compact, dive-rated version of the UK 4AA and as far as I know the bezels are interchangeable.

As Double_A points out, brighter= less runtime, so I try to stay away from those blindingly bright lights for emergency use. How can they be useful if the batteries run out in 1-2 hours and there's no power for 2-3 days? ...

The new lithium AAA should allow you to use "standard" size batteries, with the long shelf life (again, in case you're thinking of stocking up for an emergency). Be careful with their higher voltage, they *may* burn your bulb or LED circuit.

Re: Flashlight Recommendations -- Suggestions Welc

Just out of curiosity, how would the brightness of the Inova X5T-HA compare to that of an Infinity Ultra? How would the runtime compare? I certainly do not need a blindingly bright light, but I'd like one that can cut through the darkness. How would an Infinity Ultra or Inova stack up in the woods or my backyard, for example?

Re: Flashlight Recommendations -- Suggestions Welc

Dmitri: The X5T would, in my experience, blow the Infinity Ultra away - you're talking about a 5-LED light versus a 1-LED light, and the five LED light there also has more power in the cells thanks to the higher voltages and capacities of the CR123 battery. However, that Ultra runs in AA's, but probably wouldn't do that well in the woods due to the 1-LED function and no optics or reflectors to shape the light cast by it. While the Inova doesn't have optics either, it DOES have five very bright LEDs with a good power source behind them, and they run for a long time on those 123 cells.

Looked at an Eternalight Marine, perhaps? 3xAAs, fairly bright, and very functional and easy to store. Otherwise I'd have suggested a PAL E-Lite if you can live without it being waterproof - I've had one and they run practically forever on 9V batteries, especially the lithium ones. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Option #3 is to go Princeton Tec - the Impact XL has a good runtime with a bright light, and the 4xAA body makes it easy to power and fairly rugged. I've used their Impact II light, and it's nothing to sneeze at, but this will probably outdo it.

Re: Flashlight Recommendations -- Suggestions Welc

UK eLED is 6 inches long and 1.5 inches wide. Is that too big?

Re: Flashlight Recommendations -- Suggestions Welc

The UK eLED is indeed a little too large to be comfortably carried around with me. It looks like it should do wonderfully as an emergency light at home, but I'm looking for something a little smaller (say, 5 inches max and not too wide) as a portable emergency light. I am very sorry if I did not make this clear from the very beginning, I was not too sure what I was after myself, since I am so new and unfamiliar with all this /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/icon23.gif

The Eternalight Marine looks like a nice choice for portable use, but it looks a little strange... not sure if I should go for that, or a traditional shaped flashlight.

The Inova looks very attractive to me, it's just my concern with availability of lithium batteries that worries me.

Do you believe the advantages of the Inova far outweight the inconveniences? How portable is it?

Re: Flashlight Recommendations -- Suggestions Welc

[ QUOTE ]
Dmitri said:
The UK eLED is indeed a little too large to be comfortably carried around with me. It looks like it should do wonderfully as an emergency light at home, but I'm looking for something a little smaller (say, 5 inches max and not too wide) as a portable emergency light. I am very sorry if I did not make this clear from the very beginning, I was not too sure what I was after myself, since I am so new and unfamiliar with all this /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/icon23.gif

The Eternalight Marine looks like a nice choice for portable use, but it looks a little strange... not sure if I should go for that, or a traditional shaped flashlight.

The Inova looks very attractive to me, it's just my concern with availability of lithium batteries that worries me.

Do you believe the advantages of the Inova far outweight the inconveniences? How portable is it?

[/ QUOTE ]

The Inova X5 is about 5" long, an inch or so thick, built like a tank, and runs for about 20 or so hours if not a bit longer on 2x123 cells. Those can be found in photo supply shops and in drug stores, as well as your local Radio Shack, WalMart, or anywhere else that sells batteries for cameras.

The Eternalights look a bit odd, and the LED -is- exposed, but they're very versatile and usable lights. Otherwise I'd suggest you go with Princeton Tec - very usable lights which tend to be fairly rugged, and the Impact XL has a good LED in it and good burntime on 4 AA-sized cells.

Re: Flashlight Recommendations -- Suggestions Welc

I do not think the x5's run for 20 hours

Re: Flashlight Recommendations -- Suggestions Welc

Goodness. This is such a hard decision, so many good flashlights to pick from =/

Do you think a green LED is worth going for, or is it not really needed? What are the advantages and disadvantages?

Perhaps I should do this:
- Buy something like the UK eLED for strictly at-home use
- Buy the Inova X5T-HA as an flashlight that can be packed into an emergency backpack (along with water, rations, etc) in the case of power outages/moves in the case of typhoons and earthquakes
- Wait until a true contender comes out in the single-AA ARC-like department before buying one of those

Comments?

Re: Flashlight Recommendations -- Suggestions Welc

I think you'd be better off with 123 batteries because they have a shelf life of 10 years, and if you by a brick or two from Surefire or Battery Station, they're only a buck or a little over each. AA batteries could be dead just when you need them, or have leaked and ruined your light.

Charlie's VIP, which you'd have to buy used, or Charlie's new Lionheart have multiple levels, so you can have long run life on low or a bright beam for short needs.

The Arc 4, which may be hard to find now, is also a nice light, although some had QC issues, most were great.

Re: Flashlight Recommendations -- Suggestions Welc

The Gerber Trio might fit the bill; there's a link to a review in the URL below:

http://www.pocketlights.com/gerber_trio.asp

An alternative to it would be the Dorcy 4LED 2AA light, but I don't trust its waterproofing. The tailswitch will admit water if pressed. I'd call it water resistant.

Re: Flashlight Recommendations -- Suggestions Welc

Well, I placed an order for an Inova X5T-HA and matching carrying case from CountyComm, hope I won't be disappointed.

Will look into the various suggestions above (e.g. UK eLED, Marine, etc etc)

Do you all believe a green line is warranted? Or are colored lights not really necessary?

Thank you all for your help so far!

Re: Flashlight Recommendations -- Suggestions Welc

[ QUOTE ]
Dmitri said:
Goodness. This is such a hard decision, so many good flashlights to pick from =/

Do you think a green LED is worth going for, or is it not really needed? What are the advantages and disadvantages?

Perhaps I should do this:
- Buy something like the UK eLED for strictly at-home use
- Buy the Inova X5T-HA as an flashlight that can be packed into an emergency backpack (along with water, rations, etc) in the case of power outages/moves in the case of typhoons and earthquakes
- Wait until a true contender comes out in the single-AA ARC-like department before buying one of those

Comments?

[/ QUOTE ]


I think this is an excellent idea and that you will cover most of your needs with this combination.

Re: Flashlight Recommendations -- Suggestions Welc

Just wanted to chime in with my 0.015 cents.

There is a thread that has a nice small 5-watt led that has 2 settings. One for a long runtime and one for high 72-Lumen output. Here is the link but I recommend your read the entire thread.NuWai 5wAtt

I agree with watt DoubleA wrote about the usability of the flood for the majority. The 5-watt should put out a ton of light at a short to medium range if you can get past the battery thing. I like my Ombu. - When in doubt... get them all /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/crazy.gif

Re: Flashlight Recommendations -- Suggestions Welc

Dmitri, you're in good hands here. I just wanted to throw in another endorsement for the Eternalights. I can understand how the unconventional shape is an obstacle to newbies, but if you get one I can promise you that it will become one of your favorite lights. They take every advantage of LED lights, looong runtime, durability, etc. and makes them work for you like no other light can.

Re: Flashlight Recommendations -- Suggestions Welc

though a little longer than 5", a newbeam in a minimag is pretty light and portable--runtime is 10 hrs, and you can use any AA bat, including lithiums.

the eternalight (3xAA), palight (1x9v) and inova 24/7 (1x123) are other possibilities.
though it doesnt stand up, a princeton tec attitude will also run for a VERY long time. it is small, tough, inexpensive, fairly bright and completely waterproof.
runs on 4xAAA.

good luck!

Bob

Re: Flashlight Recommendations -- Suggestions Welc

The Inova X5T won't stand on it's tail ,the Gerber Trio will. The realistic run -time is about the same for both. The brightness, (lumens), is greater for the X5T, but the throw, (lux or candle power), for both is about the same. The Gerber Trio is smaller. The Gerber Trio is $20 dollars on the www.baterystation.com CPF member specials page. I have a Gerber Trio and love it.

Re: Flashlight Recommendations -- Suggestions Welc

[ QUOTE ]
Dmitri said:
Well, I placed an order for an Inova X5T-HA and matching carrying case from CountyComm, hope I won't be disappointed.



[/ QUOTE ]

From what I've read in threads, you should not be disappointed. I don't have one yet, but I ordered the same thing as you did from County, the X5T-HA with carry case.
Mine is due in this Friday. I chose it to use around the house vs. my mini-mags, and to drain the 123's. I don't use my Surefires too much around the house or on walks yet, but that will change when I get some LED heads. My heavy duty 3D MAGLite has served me well over the years, and again Cub Scout camping in the rain this past weekend, despite the heavily scratched lens (I know, it can replaced with glass for $7 + ship), but since finding the CPF, I'm finding all sorts of great "tools" I Must Have! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/ooo.gif