As a part of my Xmas gift project my friends are getting survival eq instead of stupid stuff they are never going to use. I'm looking for recommendations on decent flashlights that are:
1)Under $40
2)Use regular batteries not Cr123 lithiums
3)LED
4)Durrable and strong
5)Not too big

I was thinking about Streamlight 4AA (7leds). But what you guys think?

Matt

MIght try Mag-lite with the led conversion unit opalec Mag-lite will run you ~$10 and the conversion unit will be ~$25. Runs comparable to the ARC AA lites for brightness and run time but somewhat cheaper.

ARC AA, ARC AAA, CMG ULTRA, INOVA X-1 would be my choices. Pete

ARC AA or X-1? What do you think?

ARC AA, based upon size and that the beam is wider than the X-1. Although I have and carry both, I lean towards the ARC. Pete

If you're looking for something they'll carry every day, this might be a little big, but I carry a PT Attitude It's as rugged and waterproof as lights get,great run time, bright (although the 3 LEDs make kind of a funny beam shape) and they can be found for $14 on sale.

Good size comparison here.

I'll second suggestions for Arc and Opalec add-in - both good choices, both can use lithium batteries.
Also, if you hurry, you can catch Arc's Christmas sale (ends this morning) - they have "taste of Arc" specials with a sample of their lights, plus discounts on purchases of 5 or more of any one light. I think the sale ends at about 10 or 11 a.m. - sorry I didn't see this thread earlier.
Arc sale page
Dave

Yeah that what I was aiming at but I didn't know the sale ends this morning. My fund are not available until Dec 6th.

Matt

Matt,

As a self-confessed flashaholic, I think flashlights make great gifts! Couple of things to consider when selecting a flashlight.

- What do you want your friends to use the flashlight for? If it's for EDC, then something like the Arc AAA, Arc AA, Infinity Ultra, etc. would be better as they are pocket sized. However, with only a single LED they're not very bright, so if this is going to be a house/car/camping light, you might want something bigger & brighter.

- Don't just give up on CR123 batteries. For an emergency light that may be stored a while and not used much, lithium batteries hold their charge longer than alkalines, hold up better under hot/cold storage conditions (like can happen in a car glovebox), and won't leak like alkalines can. And they can be purchased online for about $1.00 - $1.50 each, much cheaper than in regular stores.

- Finally, LEDs are great in that you never have to worry about breaking or changing a bulb, they give a nice white light, and they have longer battery life than incandescent bulbs. However, LEDs just can't compete with incandescents (especially xenon bulbs) for brightness, except for a few high end expensive models. Also, incandescents generally "throw" farther than LEDs, and are better at spotting things at a distance. So if you want something really bright, go with a xenon bulb flashlight and get some spare bulbs.

With those in mind, the Streamlight 4AA7LED is a great flashlight; waterproof, durable and gives a good flood of light. However, it doesn't have much distance "throw", so it's good for close work or lighting up a room, but not for spotting anything at a distance. At about $25 it's a bargain.

The Princeton Tec Attitude that was mentioned is also a great light; waterproof, smaller than the 4AA7LED since it uses AAA batteries, and it's 3 LEDs give a nice flood of light for lighting up a room, though not as bright as the 4AA7LED. I think they're about $15.

For an LED that's brighter and throws farther than the 4AA7LED, look at the Streamlight 3AA Luxeon Task Light. Tough, water resistant aluminum body, with a single Luxeon LED that's as bright as 7-10 regular LEDs. Better for spotting things at a distance than the 4AA7LED. They go for about $36.

If your friends already have 2AA Mini-Maglights, then consider getting them a Luxeon LED drop-in from inretech.com. This is a Luxeon LED that replaces the Mini-Mag bulb. It's brighter and whiter than the original bulb (and brighter then the Opalec someone else mentioned), and they'll never have to worry about replacing the bulb again. Costs $25, or if you want to buy them the Mini-Mag, too, about $35 total.

Finally, Streamlight makes a great line of flashlights called Twin Tasks. They have a tough, water resistant aluminum body, and are made for AA, C, or CR123 battery types. They have two lighting modes: 3 LEDs (6 for the C size) for close, flood type lighting with long battery life, and a xenon bulb that's brighter than any of the other LED flashlights I've mentioned here. The best of both worlds! They cost from about $21 - $30 depending on the battery type. I think the 2 CR123 cell Twin Task is one of the best car glovebox lights, and have one in each car with spare batteries.

A great place for reviews of many flashlights is flashlightreviews.com. A good online store for flashlights is brightguy.com. And if you really want to catch the flashlight bug, go to candlepowerforums.com. Hope this helps!

the beakman

Morning Beakman,

Thank you for your post. Those flashlight are for weekend warriors except for 1 or 2 cases. I love CR123 batteries and quite honestly I would buy all my friends Pelican M6 lights but...
I know they would never think ahead and buy batteries in bulk so they would end up paying full reatails for them or taking them off me. They also forget things and would just leave lights on and discharge them totally. I don't want to even get into bulb replacement issue. I'm just trying to avoid entire extra expense thing for them. I will check out the dual Tasks streamlights. Thank you again for your post.

Matt