Hate to answer a question with a question - But it depends on what you need it for.<br><br>Maglights are reliable and use easy to obtain batteries. They last a fair amount of time, too. Downsides is that the conventional batteries and bulbs limit brightness. They used to be the only game in town and I still have one that has held up for 20 years.<br><br>If price is not an issue, Sure Fire and Streamlight make the best lights by far. You'll frequently see them being carried by police officers.<br><br>If I had to pick one: A SureFire 6p or 9p (a little bigger than a jumbo magic marker) using photosize lithium batteries is brighter than a huge 4D cell maglight. The lithium stands up well to the cold, store well, and gives good power. You can slip these in a pocket or get an accessory hook to clip it anywhere. Downside is cost. Check e-bay, though.<br><br>SureFire or Streamlight rechargeables with proprietary batteries are the brightest "flashlights" in the world. And I mean amazing brightness. Check out their web sites. Some are employed tactically as weapons by law enforcement because the bright beams cause temporary blindness and disorientation at night. Down side is battery life limited to 1-2 hrs usually. I have a couple of these around the house in chargers as well as one for each vehicle. You probably don't want tor rely on them far from reliable electricity. Cost is $80-$300. <br><br>If cost is a concern, look at Pelican lights. They usually have a very sturdy plastic housing and range from pen sized to jumbo. THey have a really good reputation for being waterproof (some are submersible for diving), sparkproof, etc. Their lights with xenon bulbs are a great bargain. Most model use off the shelf batteries so replacemnts are easy to find. I have found that the site cases4less.com has the best prices on Pelican lights as well as Pelican storage cases.<br><br>Of course, you'll want a photon LED or two or a LED headlamp (Petzl Tikka or Black Diamond are my favorites) and maybe even a little LED flashlight. If you're looking for a dropped wallet in a movie theater, reading in a tent, etc. - nothing beats a little LED - they last a very, very long time. After I ran over my lantern last camping trip, I used a photon LED on a string around my neck (I taped a piece of foil behind it as a reflector) as my only light. I just turned it on and left it one and I was able to set up my tent and make dinner with plenty of light. That's saying alot for something the size of a quarter. There is a website http://ledmuseum.home.att.net that features extensive descriptions and testing of LED's if you really get an urge to delve into the specifics.

I have many Mags, but the one I always carry with me is a "Mitylite submersible". Highly recommended. FRO has an excellent picture of it:<br><br>http://www.foxridgeoutfitters.com/camping/mitylite.html

What flashlight is best often depends upon the situation. <br><br>As part of a 72 hour kit, you'll want a primary flashlight with medium power, a long throw and long battery life. For me the Princeton Impact fills this role. You may also want a task light which can be used flexibly for close work or map reading. For me, a MiniMag AA with Opalec NewBeam module fills this role. It is supplemented by a CMG Infinity with blue-green LED for preserving night vision. <br><br>All of these lights use AA batteries which are universally available, and feature LEDs for durability and long battery life. <br><br>For EDC use, more emphasis can be placed on operating features and therefore you choices cand be more flexible in terms of power supply and other aspects. I currently use an Inova X5T as an EDC flashlight along with and Inova keychain light as a backup. Another Inova keychain light is in my PSK. <br><br>Depending upon circumstances, I will also carry a Surefire, either a 6P or my E series, if I'm walking alone night. Because of their high power and short battery life, Surefires seem more like a substitute for searchlights, signaling lights or weapons than as utility flashlights. I'm afraid my current favorite is something of a confection: it incorporates the body and bulb from an E2 with the bezel and tailcap of an E1e, plus a GG&G TID bezel shroud, the clip and lanyard from a CMG Infinity and a kydex holster. It serves as a searchlight and as a substitute for pepper spray and a baton. <br><br>

I'll secound that about the princton tec impact. It was my primary torch for short time, then I lost it!<br>For an LED light it is has very focused beam.<br>-james<br><br>

Hi PreacherMan,<blockquote><font size=1>In reply to:</font><hr><p>Anyway, I would appreciate any advice and/or info. on some good dependable and longlasting flashlights.<p><hr></blockquote><p>You might want to try http://www.equipped.org/devices27.htm as an excellent starting place. On this page, Doug is primarily talking about smaller flashlights for kits, and not about larger ones like the MagLights, but he does also say good things about Rayovac Industrials (specifically with a Krypton bulb), which should come in larger sizes too.<br><br>Also, completely depending on whether your definition of "long lasting" includes "long storing", you might want to look at certain specialty items like:<br>Code Red "Twist Top" batteries<br>Innovative Technologies' "NightStar" LED flashlight<br>Forever Light "Water Activated Emergency Flashlight"

My son and I sat down a few weeks back and made a battery out of pennies, nickels, paper, salt and water. Im curious if the "forever light" works on the same old principle as the original "Voltaire's Pile" battery from centuries ago, as ours did.

Also in my past, my daughter and I sat down, and made a flashlight out of lemons (although any citric acid source can be used). Take a piece of copper, a piece of zinc and insert it into the lemon. The copper side is your positive and the zinc is your negative, hook it up to your bulb. You may have to parallel the circuit with other lemons to obtain more voltage, but this could be a fun/all-else-fails source of light.

You can also take a potato; place a piece of copper in one end and a piece of galvanized steel (for the zinc content) in the other for an improvised battery. I would imagine that the more surface area on the two pieces of metal, the better off you will be.

To get more voltage you have to hook up the lemons in a row. Paralleling them will increase the power you can take from your batterie. The voltage will increase only marginally.

Doh! My mistake. Tends to happen when the fingers are faster than the brain. My employeer would be embarassed.<br><br>Thanks for the clarity.