I keep an inova microlight with me always but want another solution for around house, car, etc... So looking on suggestions on a "best for your buck" solution. Looking for a fairly small led flashlight, with good battery life, good brightness and waterproof. I'd prefer something that works on standard batteries and frankly not looking for something not alot of $$$ but if worth it I'll pay the price.

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I carry Inova X5s, but really I wish they were brighter and worked with std batteries. I know there are tons out there, but I haven't researched them much. While at the Ford house the other day, they had these little LED flashlights that were pretty cool for about $13. They had two different shades of brightness, but I don;t know what kind of batteries they use....we were in a rush. They were about 3-1/2" long and a little larger in diameter than the X5. Looked like maybe 8 or 9 LEDs, but don;t hold me to that.

Well, I'll tell yeah what i have:

-Surefire L1 (LED)
-Surefire G2
-ARC AAA
-ARC AA
-Peak Solutions LED Rainier
-Several Photon 2 LEDs

The Surefires and probably the ARC lights are most likely out of your price range (although they are all great lights!). Check out the Peak Solutions light, my model is fairly expensive but I think they make some cheaper ones: Peakledsolutions
They have several models of lights that are at least worth a look at. I am curious to see what others say about Peak led lights...

I think the Surefire G2 is more reasonably priced but it doesn't take "normal" batteries like you would like.

You may be looking at some model of an Inova or a Pelican in the end... I have never owned a Pelican but some people swear by them... relatively reasonably priced...

I hope this helps!!

I use a Fenix L1T. It has a 3W white LED and works on a single AA cell. It will work well on rechargeables too. The flashlight will operate on very low battery voltage. I used cells that were detected as empty by my GPS unit with good results. Rechargeables should not be used until the light goes out. That could damage the cell because of the low voltage.
I like the flashlight because it is very compact and lightweight. It produces a pretty bright beam. The switch is protected against accidental operation.

I Carry a Dorcy with me at all times, the one I have is this one
http://www.dorcy.com/products.aspx?p=414281
I picked this up at SAMS club in August, runs on 3 AAA batteries. I am still using the batteries that came with the unit, I use it every night for a mile long walk I take with my dog.

It is very bright, I would have to say the brightest flashlight I've ever owned. Made out of aluminum so it has a very solid feel to it, has a clip held in by two small screws, very well built

I normally carry 3 lights that might fit your needs. On my keychain is a Skunk Lights Skylight solar rechargeable LED light. Not real bright but good for finding the keyhole in the dark and never needs batteries. On my small tool ring I keep a Streamlight Key Mate. This is about 2" long by 1/2". Very bright and runs on 4 coin cell batteries. Had it for a year or more and haven't changed the batteries yet. The last one goes along in my attache bag. That's Gerber Infinity which uses a single AA and is reasonably bright. It comes with a lanyard hole and pocket clip. All of these can be had for under $30.

While I have a couple of Surefires and Streamlights, the light I have been using the most lately is a Mini-mag 3W LED. Same sized body as a regular Mini-mag, with a slightly longer head. Uses two AA's, I have no idea on battery life, I have had it for almost five months, and still using the originals. MSRP of about $25, got it at Wallyworld for $19.95 or so...

I'd recommend the Inova X1. It runs on a single AA, and it's only about $20 at your local Target. I've taken batteries that don't even work in a remote control and have sucked a few hours of light from them. Real economical and easy to operate. As a caveat, they've made several versions - one with a floodlight and one with a "focus" convex lens that makes a bright "spotlight", which only basically lights up in the direction that you point it in. Perfect if you want to see down a dark alley or hall, but if you don't want that look at the lens and see what you are buying first - the stockboys at Target usually can't tell the difference.

Surefire makes a G2 LED now, 80 lumens, 12 hour life on the 123 lithium batts.

Not to get off topic... But for those of you with a Surefire L1 LumaMax light, I think Surefire just released a MORE POWERFUL smaller L1 that is called the same thing (L1 Digital LumaMax).

Compare the pictures:

A Pic of mine: My "Old" L1

The "New" L1:

New L1 on Surefire's website

The older model looks just about the same but is smaller around the middle where the text is. And the output and battery life numbers for the new one are different than my L1.

This kinda makes me sad since I just bought an "old" L1...


Anyway...sorry to get off topic...