I was looking for suggestions for a good survival flashlight. I appreciate any insights

Fenix T1

The most recent torch added to the collection has been a Nitecore EA41.

The subject of flashlights has been discussed at length in numerous threads. The search function is your friend.

I think some clarification would help. "Survival" could mean so many different things to people. Intended use? Size? Cost? Preferred battery type? How much light do you need? Are you OK with a headlamp?

Yes, intended use is important. Escaping a dark building? Signaling? Searching for others that may be lost? Reading or doing other close at hand work?

You may not need a light at all for a real survival situation, but a powerful light may save your life. Most camping and living in the woods only requires a relatively low power light just to see what you are doing.

Signaling needs more power to reach potential rescuers.

Searching for others does require more power.

I EDC a Block Light that attaches to a 9 volt battery. It is good enough for most uses. I also have an 1100 lumen Streamlight as I am generally responsible for the safety of others, and it makes it easier to find them.

I also have a good headlamp (I have several brands and models around) as I find them useful when I need my hands for other tasks.

So many variable to consider.

I apologize for my vagueness and will try to be more specific in the future My survival light would go with my 72 hour pack. I haven't used headlamps that often but I'd be willing to give them a go. The main uses would be navigating the wilderness and signaling for help.

Basically you want a headlamp. You can always carry it in your hand when conditions warrant. It is much more difficult to carry a flashlight on your head. There are many situations where you will need both hands.

Dependability and reliability are extremely critical. The tint of the light and the number of lumens is not nearly so critical as the simple fact that it will produce light every time you activate it.

There are many fine models and makes out there. I really like my Zebralight headlamp and I have some very fine lights made by Fenix. There are many others.

Check out candlepower forums for an incredible amount of information by serious, dedicated nerds.

Having a light that can run at lower brightnesses for long periods is very useful. Headlamps are very useful.

Personally, I prefer lights that run om 18650 lithium ion rechargables.

My current lights of preference:

Zebralight headlamps. Very compact and light 18650 form factor. Downsides, button easy to bump on unintentionally and non intuitive UI. Can't run primary lithiums.

Spark headlamp. Better UI, can get optional lens to convert between full flood and more focused. Can run 2x123A or 1x18650. Downsides, heavier/bulkier than Zebralight.

HDS Rotary. Dim to bright with the turn of the knob. Very intuitive UI, bombproof. Pending 18650 tube. Downsides, cost.

hikermor,

I am looking for a good headlamp for my backpack. I like the looks of the Zebralight 123 series and their AA. A question though - do you have the frosted or flood styles? Which would you get if you did it again? Why?

Thanks,

Jerry

I like my 4sevens Quark AA2 Tactical:

http://www.amazon.com/FOURSEVENS-Black-F...evens+quark+aa2

Pros: multi-modes from very low long lasting, to very high with SOS and Strobe flashing. 2 AA batteries (I prefer AA batteries); you can program 2 modes that are simple to switch between.

Con: switching between all the different modes can be a bit of a "fiddle."

It does not replace a good headlamp; you should have one of those also.

usual disclaimer, no affiliation

I was recently looking at a Fenix HL-55 headlamp. Does anyone own one and/or have any thoughts about it?

For the intended use you mentioned, I think these are the top two considerations. Something that can take lithium batteries might be preferable, whether AA, AAA, or CR123 since it sounds like this will be stored permanently with your 72 hour kit. With lithiums, you can leave the headlamp loaded with batteries, ready to go, and not really need worry about battery leakage from long storage.

While you could use it for other uses and then put it back in your 72 hour kit, chances are, when you need to grab your 72 hour kit, you'll remember that you lent your headlamp to your buddy a few weeks earlier to work on that plumbing issue he had and you'll be left without a light (unless you buy TWO, that is, or three...or four...)

The wilderness is very dark, so a super bright light is probably not necessary for navigating out in the bush on foot, setting up camp, etc. With dark adapted eyes, you need very little light to see by. Signaling? During the day? At night, against a dark wilderness backdrop, I would think any reasonably bright light would be effective.

Besides the other brands already mentioned, the popular backpacking/outdoors brands like Petzl and Black Diamond have worked well for me and I haven't broken one yet.

I just bought a Nitecore HC50 headlamp that I like a lot but haven't done more than play with it yet. It has a metal body for absorbing heat when it cranked up high and it feels like a beefy piece of equipment without being too heavy. Excellent beam pattern for my uses. Even so, it's a bit heavy for something I might need to carry a long ways through the bush, though, so I wouldn't necessarily recommend it for you.

I have never handled a HL-55, but if it is a Fenix, that's good news right there. It does appear to be a bit on the bulky side, and it is not lightweight.

A lot depends upon what characteristics you value in a "survival" light and its contemplated uses. "Survival" is just a marketing buzz-word, like "tactical" or "gluten free." At least the HL-55 is made of "all natural ingredients" -no added kryptonite!

The 18650/CR123 battery mode is interesting. I will be buying more 18650 powered lights in the future, probably starting with the ZL-602 - a lot of juice in a small package

My opinion is that the HL-55 would serve quite well. It is by no means unique in that respect....

I believe I have the flood version (the lens is absolutely clear). I am not sure the frosted version would make any meaningful difference. I am quite satisfied with it - probably will not be my last Zebralight.

It is compact,light weight, takes all varieties of AA batteries, and turns on and off dependably when requested The UI is, however, over complex and too complicated.

While I haven't used one myself, for something like a 72 hour bag a Petzl e+LITE seems to fit the bill pretty much perfectly. This is a headlamp designed specifically for this purpose (i.e., being tucked away for emergency purposes only).

i wrote this thread back in 2011 on "the most important [survival] flashlight i've ever owned" and today wouldn't change a thing:

http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/show...i-ve-ever-owned

wileycoyote, That's a nice looking flashlight and certainly seems to bomb proof from the description.

The fenix eo1 I normally carry bit the dust a short while ago and I've been looking for a replacement, the mako seems to fit the bill except for the price and availability.

Any suggestions for a similar flashlight in regular production for someone without a spare $100 laying around?

you got it:

the $10 E01 is almost as bombproof, puts out a useable 5 lumens or so, and an excellent buy, even if the beam is kinda nasty in color.

for a somewhat brighter 30-lumen light i like the $20 single-stage Fenix E05 (not so much the 3-level 2014 E05 edition).

fact is, i've had hundreds of AAA lights and eventually the chinese-made multilevels die when least expected, so carry a few of them.

i do have a bunch of single-stage Ultrafire E05 that put out 150 lumens on an alkaline AAA. available from DealExtreme www.dx.com/p/ultrafire-e05-cree-xp-e-r5-150lm-1-mode-white-flashlight-black-1-x-aaa-13445 for around $14, they made a great EDC light for city use where you need greater power to override the ambient light than we do here in the wilderness. in terms of quality, about one in ten of them are dead when i receive them, so definitely buy three to be sure you get a couple that work. and then plan on one failing after a while. :-)

but honestly, if you desire a super tough keychain light, then you should buy a custom (mako, spinner, arc Ti, sapphire, killer, et al) or a standard older arc if you can find one.

but if that's just too much money, then buy consumer 'lights in quantity.

The requirements of a "survival flashlight" vary from one person to the next. Is high output required or should you go with long battery life? Common everyday batteries or high performance lithium-ion rechargeables? Hand held or headlamp?

I don't own a "survival" flashlight, but I keep a FourSevens Quark Tactical QT2A-X in my truck's survival kit with lithium primary batteries and NiMH rechargeables. I also keep a single mode 1xAAA (think Arc AAA) w/ lithium primary in my Mission Wallet for pocket carry. (there are a lot more lights than that here from Fenix & FourSevens and headlamps from Princeton Tec & Black Diamond)

Different lights will be better suited to some situations than they are to others. My primary recommendation is to think about how you will use the light and what you will use for fuel. Lithium batteries have great shelf life and excellent operational life. These are great for short term survival such as your typical 72 hour requirement, but for longer than that think quality rechargeable NiMH in a size that works. For me, that means mostly AA with some AAA for the smaller lights and other small devices that require AAA batteries to be small.

Work out all those details and choosing a light becomes a bit easier.

i concur with Russ: lithium for long term storage, rechargeable NiMH eneloops for everyday use, and alkalines only in emergencies.

I no longer trust alkaline batteries. Sometime in the recent past they changed and I lost a flashlight to a copper-top battery that had not reached expiration but leaked nonetheless. Lithiums and rechargeables only.

right.

additionally, i lost a nice 'light to a bunny-made lithium primary so called the bunny company. i said i had heard the lithiums don't leak. there was a pause.... "well, they do sometimes".

moral: check lights often and don't leave any batteries in a 'light used for longterm storage (rubber-band them to the outside).

Thanks, I was unaware lithiums could also cause problems. Loosing a good light or radio to a consumable is a hard lesson. I'll pull the lithiums from the light stored in truck kit.

what is a "bunny-made lithium primary"? Brand name lithium primary batteries have an excellent reputation and record.

Eveready bunny, it keeps on going and going... and sometimes leaking.

that was the company that quietly admitted to me that they leak.

That is shocking to me. I've never before heard of lithium primaries leaking or destroying flashlights.

i'm not joking or making that up. truly. it doesn't happen often, but did to me. and it wasn't even short-dated.

I try not to leave Energizer alkaline batteries in anything that will sit for a while since I have quite a few of them leak on me over the years, but I never heard of their lithium batteries leaking.

i should have kept it or at least photographed it.

fyi - it was a single-cell 'light too (not mixed with other leaky alkalines, etc, in case you wondered).

If I gave the impression I thought you were making it up, I apologize, that's not what I was thinking.

hey, maybe they'd tell you up-front if you asked:

Customer Support Energizer Headquarters
Tel: 800-383-7323
533 Maryville University Drive St.
Louis, MO 63141

the light itself wasn't a good one so i didn't ask for replacement, but they did send me free replacement lithiums (or a coupon for them, can't recall).

not at all cm. just trying to estabish that it was a true incident.

hey, i couldn't believe it when it happened to me!

at the time i did a search on CPF and couldn't find a single mention of it happening to anyone else.

I'll have to amend my advice to folks: Lithium primaries almost never leak. Alkalines...well, I don't use them.

LOL!!!!

Other considerations when choosing a flashlight (and anything else that uses batteries in a survival situation) is to get all those electronics in sync power-wise. Select those items for battery commonality. There's a relatively current thread on lowly battery-operated radio which may be useful to peruse. In many things, standardization is a good thing.

BTW, I like radios that use AA batteries and 4Sevens AA flashlights that run from sub-1 lumen to over 200 lumen. My go-to light around the house is a 2xAA 4Sevens Quark Pro powered by NiMH rechargeables; the light comes on in Moonlight mode (0.2 Lumen) which is usually enough light, but a couple taps later is significantly brighter. I used the Max lumen setting one time inside the house, never again, at night that is just way too bright and totally destroyed my natural night vision.

My GPS runs on AA NiMH rechargeable batteries too.

I EDC an ARC LED light on my keychain, but its light is pretty minimal - better than none in the dark.

I like the single CR123A Fenix LED lights. Very bright for fairly small.

BUT ... these days I pretty much only use Princeton Tec EOS Rebel headlamps. I have them all over the house, in packs, in my car ... They use 3 AAA batteries, can use lithium batteries (some other headlamps can't), opens with a thumb screw (no prying or snaping - the plastic band adjusting loop can function like screwdriver on the thumb screw head if overtightened), provides an excellent combination of flood and stunning brightness for its size. They carry in hand as easy as on head. Wraps smallish - a 2"x3-1/4"x1-3/4" ball. Water resistant to 1 meter. About $30-35.

I find the lowest brightness (50 hours regulated) perfect for in-tent use, the medium (10 hours regulated) great for most uses, and the high (1 hour regulated) very bright. Actual total burn time is MUCH higher (121 hours at high). The blinking mode runs 12 hours regulated.

It has a tactile rubber button on top - easy to find. One click turns it on in high. Two rapid clicks in medium, three in low, four in blinking. Wait a few seconds then click to off. Simple.

Oh, and the EOS doesn't bother my glasses. Some semi-transparent headlamp cases inject terrible glare into my glasses.

Sorry for the length, but I like the PT EOSR that much.

Ken

+1 Ken

PT EOS has been around a long time and is still a very useful headlamp as long as you don't need retina scorching output.

I've probably had at least one battery of every brand leak but have had more rayovac leak than any others.
I actually had a NiMH leak, was a Radio Shack 1200mAh that I bought to see if they really were worth their high cost, turns out they were worse than any others but cost twice as much.
Since Maglight went to LED, I've been buying those mostly.

I found a Ti Mako Mark II for $199.
http://www.uniquetitanium.com/Ti-Mako-Mark-II_p_654.html

I'm thoroughly confused by that price. Can you explain?

yes, that's it. these versions (the Mark II) are the best of the best. the only place to get them is directly from the maker or that website.

and no, they aren't cheap. prices shown are what i would pay too.

the one i'd get from the drop-down options is the "HO" (high output) which has a 21-lumen high and a 3 lumen low (for over 80-hours runtime on a lithium primary). the HO costs an additional $26 ($125 total).

while that is a lot of money, if you desire the finest, this is it. i've been buying makos from the beginning (early versions started at $125 and with each improvement the price has gone up due to manufacturing costs).

i have been very happy with all of them and this version takes them to a new level. worth every hot cent, but that's me...

I guess every guy is into their own thing. I'm happy with my Fenix LD15 that I got for $35, and I thought that was pricey for a little AA flashlight. My next AA flashlight will be the Fenix E12 for $23 on Amazon.

its whatever works for the individual. being into flashlights, in past years i've spent as much as $500 on one, but these days half that is more than enough for me.

Here's a brand new product that looks interesting - small, bright, and rechargeable: also affordable

http://www.batteryjunction.com/nitecore-...ponsiveTemplate

All that and reasonably watertight too. Impressive at that price.

I have a Nitecore light here that looked good on paper but after I had it in my hands, not so much. The ergonomics are terrible; whoever designed the On/Off switch shoud have their engineering degree rescinded. Of the LED lights I have that is the last light I'll go to. But that's just my opinion.

Gerber (the knife company) makes some pretty good flashlights. The Infinity Ultra Task Light can run for thirty hours straight on one AA battery. They also make the Bear Gryls light. It has a water proof match case on one end. I have one and use the match case for a spare battery. Just be sure to put some tape on the ends of the battery. Sixty hours of light in the size of a mini Maglight is darn good. It can fit in the Niteize head band for Maglights. I also have a Arc AAA Premium and a Fenix LD01 AAA and have one in my pocket always.

BOATMAN
John

will definitely try one on my next order with them. thnx hikermor!