Do they have a lumen rating? great price.

Comms, I'm still not understanding the need for replacement of the exact same flashlight model. We're not talking about something like a carry gun that requires practice time to get proficient. If the batteries are standard, then I don't understand why it matters if the flashlight itself is replaceable. If you buy a Fenix over the Internet, maybe you have to buy an REI brand at the last minute before a trip...so what?

Primarily from the Internet; a few stores carry high-end flashlights other than Streamlight and Surefire. I highly recommend 4sevens.com for their own Quark flashlights and every other brand they carry, including Fenix. Great prices and service with free shipping. Use the coupon CPF8 for a discount. I have no affiliation with them other than as a very happy customer.

I have a very nice 1xAA from DealExtreme that I carry on my belt everyday. A fantastic light for the price. http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.19187

But in my EDC bag, I carry three more: a 2xAA MagLED, a Princton Tec "Fuel" headlamp, and an older CMG "Infinity Ultra" (from before Gerber took them over). Nothing fancy, exotic or expensive. Just solid and reliable. All are LED based.

Thanx to everyone for their input. I've modified my thinking. My latest canidate is a Zebralight SC51. It fits all my spec.s and has the longest run time. Comments??

Looks like a good choice. I don't carry one (yet) but there is quite a following and lots of favorable comments about Zebralights on candlepower forums, where they elevate the discussion of flashlight characteristics to a level previously reserved for vintage wines and rare cheeses...

I recently bought a Fenix MC10 which I like a lot. Yeah, its a funny little angle head light, but it takes 1 AA, is bright, not overly complicated switching mode and its pretty handy.

I think because I learned the hard way, that while having high quality, expensive/unique, hard to replace items make for cool gear porn, when it comes to survival, off the grid or in combat, that the lowest common denominator is usually best. I try to keep things simple.

This thread was not about replacing batteries, it was about finding a flashlight to carry in a EDC. Granted a flashlight is a flashlight and takes zero familiarization or training time but if you replace a small fenix with a larger Dorcy or maglight and it doesn't fit where you have reached for your Fenix 1000 times...Uncle Murphy loves opportunities like that to make it 'lost' in your pack or not in your pocket when you want it. Which is why I stand by my position that Fenix may be a great light and I wouldn't turn one down, but I advise people to be able to see the item in hand before buying and know where they probably can replace it when they need to, at the lowest common denominator, (i.e. Walmart, REI right away versus online and then paying maybe 50-100% of item price to get next day which still might be too late).

While switching from one flashlight to another seems so basic if batteries are the same, I can tell you that I have two CR123 flashlights. One runs 2 hours on new batteries, one runs 20 minutes. That's huge. I just bought a new headlamp that takes same AAA battery as others I own. Except the high setting drains my batteries 50% faster. Fenix makes a decent light and if you're used to it's batteries running for X amount of time, you can not rely on that same time for a different no name light that probably breaks easier or has inferior seals and fittings.

Now extrapolate the need to replace something like a fire starter at the last minute before a week long backpacking trip. You had an expensive but simple Blast Match, but could not get one at the last minute and had to replace with a cheap magnesium stick w/ mishmash that you have never tried before but you've seen them everywhere so why not, right.

Then what used to take a few seconds with a tried method to start a fire in the rain and wind, now takes significantly more time as you attempt to first just scrap the mishmash, then realize you have to scrap the block but again shortcut scrapping onto a collector, then trying to ignite this new contraption.

Keep moving up the ladder of gear. You rip that perfect online tarp with all the grommets you've had for 3 years and had to replace quickly with something from ACE hardware before a camping trip. What used to take a few moments to string up is now a foreign object b/c the grommets are not there, your hanging set up is different, then probably the constant need to readjust in adverse weather and a usually well rested night in the rain and wind was now sleepless and compounds your mental effectiveness the following day.

Trust me, just reading this response makes me seem like I have put way to effort to keep things simple. Maybe I have, but I always have what I or someone needs and I know I have 100% chance of it working they way I want.

You make a worthwhile point, but I believe it is more about not trusting unfamiliar gear when the crunch comes, rather than where you buy your favorite toys.

I learned (the Hard Way, of course) to try out gear and techniques, at least in the backyard, before trekking off into the boonies. I am not the best at staying organized, just ask the DW, but I am decent with my outdoor gear - an ability I developed in my SAR days, where a pack instantly had to be ready to go, 24/7.

With respect to the precise subject at hand, I have enough good lights scattered around, that I could pretty well trust the third stringers to light up when I turn them on, the most important function of any light.

Comms, I get your point, just not on this issue of flashlights. If my 10 flashlights suddenly vanish, I'm not worried about having to use a new brand from REI or wherever. My system is just not so rigid such that I can't find something local that'll work. In fact, I'm familiar with the local brands, and I know at least one of them would work fine.

We're still talking about survival, right? Selecting a new flashlight at the last minute is a tiny obstacle.