Hi guys,<br>Hey, I was wondering if any of you could tell me who makes a good flashlight? I bought a "cheap" one from Home Depot about two weeks ago. I've started stocking up on them after we had a bad ice storm last winter that knock power out for 5 days. Well, the flashlight worked for about an hour and it quit. I might as well throw it away.<br>Anyway, I would appreciate any advice and/or info. on some good dependable and longlasting flashlights.<br>Thanks--and God bless,<br>Joe

About the only ones that have impressed me are the LED "button" type lights and the Mag-Light that takes 3 D cells. Everything else always seemed to run down too fast.

We use the maglites. Got a bunch of them and they havn't let us down yet.

Button LED flashlights are great for carrying in your pocket or PSK, but the small size may not be a requirement to just keep around the house. I picked up a 2AA cell LED at Walmart for $11-$12 that has been left on all night several times as a night light for small children . It puts out a good amount of light, has much more affordable replacement batteries, and is much easier to keep up with than a button LED. Don't get me wrong I carry a Photon II just about every where I go, but those 2 watch batteries are $2-$3 apiece and not always convieniently located. The 2AA LED light just seems to be a more efficient use of resources.<br><br>Just an opinion,<br><br>Turk<br><br>"TANSTAAFL"

I second Longbow on the Maglites. They are very dependable and hardy. I have a 4-battery large Maglite for the house which I bought about 5 years ago and it has been dropped and so forth. It just keeps on going and going....<br><br>It is great for safaris here in SA also, especially for viewing game at night. It really casts a potent beam with fresh batteries.<br><br>I also have the Maglite Solitaire and has been great, and I have a Photon 2 which is part of my EDC. Hope this helps.

I agree with the other posters that MagLites are robust and reliable and would be a good choice. However, they are pricy and you may not want to shell out for more than one or two. There are also a lot of inexpensive plastic lights that will hold up surprisingly well, just avoid the very cheapest ones. The Rayovac Industrial line of lights is a good example and there are other similar ones.

Maglites are probably the best commonly available flashlight, but they are handheld items. I prefer a headlamp, which I often use like a handheld. The best of these are made by Petzl. I prefer the Duo for serious, prolonged use (caving, biking at night, long night hikes). I have modified mine to use LEDs - there are at least two kits available for this purpose. The light I have with me most often is the Tikka - LED and fed by three AAAs. I have used mine occasionally for over a year and I am still on the original set of batteries. Pelican also makes a nice, small headlamp that is compact and somewhat cheaper than the various Petzls. There are also several lights made primarily for scuba divers that are high quality. They are waterproof, naturally, and usually have switches that are difficult to activate accidentally, a very important feature for any light on which you will depend.<br><br>Three important characteristics. 1) Some way to attach or suspend the light. 2)How to keep the light from turning on inadvertently in your pack or pocket. 3) Provision for a spare bulb, unless you are using LEDs. <br><br>LEDs are the way to go. Although more expensive initially, the savings in batteries is astounding. Combine a LED with lithium or rechargeable NIMH batteries and you will save big bucks over the long run.<br><br>Much depends on the purpose for your flashlight. Do you need enough light to simply follow a trail at night or are you looking for a flamethrower to light up Yankee Stadium? My recommendations are for the smaller use. I often prefer to let my eyes get really adapted to the dark and avoid the use of any light altogether, but this doesn't always work.<br><br>Never depend on just one flashlight. Back them up.

if you think that maglite's are to expensive you can always try the S&W ( SMITH & WESSON ) collection of flashlights.<br>they are almost the same as maglite, but cheaper.

You've already got the right answers...so I'll just mirror what you've already heard. Start with a good D-Cell MagLight and some type of headlamp. Both items together with batteries will set you back maybe $35. The MagLight is a little more expensive...but you're paying for something that'll last forever. Mine have gone through some real rough times and just keep on working. I just picked up a little headlamp that is a three in one. It uses 3 AAA batteries, has a soft white LED for general purpose walking and working (casts a wide soft blueish white light), a red LED for perserving your night vision and a regular spot - to - flood lamp when you need a good bright light. The thing cost about $12 from Wal-Mart.

The best "deal" on a LED flashlight I've come across is from Walmart... They sell a Dorcy brand LED light named "Cool Blue" It's a 4 AA light with a single LED... very bright and has a nice narrow beam profile... best of all it will run approx. 200 hours on a single set of batteries. All for under $8 bucks.<br><br>Another flashlight I've recently bought a number of is the "Storm light" by Black & Decker... it's a recharger/flashlight that uses their stick batteries, best of all it comes on automaticly in a power outage so it's easy to find.<br>I mounted them strategically around the house to provide emergancy lighting, without even removing the flashlight from the holder... the light shining on the ceiling makes a nice area light which is good for 6 to 8 hours. (providing you fill the extra battery space provided)<br><br>Either of these is a good option, used together they pretty much cover all the bases.<br><br>Best of luck

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.