Which flashlight do you often use?

Hi guys,
I am a newbe here , i'm just curious which flashlight do you often use ?
At present ,i have 3 flashlgiht,Ultrafire 501b ,Trustfire F20 ,and iTP A3. all of them i like it very much .iTP A3 is a nice EDC flashlight ,good quality .now i often use the ultrafire 501b, superbright, MCE Led ,it is a good tool for camping .
Which flashlight were you usually used ?

My most often used light is an AA minimag with the LED module from 2D swapped in, and diffuser film installed. No hassle with modes, nice floody light for around house use, and no worry about batteries since it takes rechargeable AA.

Since I have several it just depends on what I have available at the time.

I'm a big fan of 4sevens lights... quark mini AA on my key chain, quark regular AA or AA^2 for whatever-use, on my bike etc. And a zebralight H50b for headlamp.

several Minimag LED's scattered around, 3D cell MagLight (incandescent) in car for windows if necessary, SureFire 6P and G2 Nitrolon in pistol bags, SureFire Scout Light on the 870, and Streamlight SuperTac LED on night stand

1 or 2 cell AA, LED lights made by Fenix or 4Sevens. Both brands can be found at www.4sevens.com

I carry a Fenix LD01 on my keyring; it is the closest at hand, and probably gets used the most. I use a Princeton Tec EOS headlight (two, in fact)when biking or hiking. I also carry a Gerber Ultra Infinity - very compact, with long run time.

I also EDC spare batteries for the Fenix and Gerber; with that supplement, either can last an all night hike, if it came to that.

Fenix LD01 and TK40, although I use the TK40 every day at home and work. Best light I own, my buddy has the TK45 but I can out shine him on the throw only, other than that his is brutally brighter than mine but he can't drop to using 4 AA batteries like I can. I get several days of work running it in turbo, it vary rarely leaves turbo mode at 630 lumen.

The Doug Ritter headlamp for filling out paperwork in the dark (like last night); and a Fenix 1xAA for most other stuff, can't recall the model number. Love these lights.

At home I grab one of my Surefires. Doug's e-Pico is with me always -- on my car key chain and my dog walking lanyard, along with a whistle.

Two get a regular workout with the great MARATAC AA Flashlight from Country Comm being the most often used. I am always amazed that such a tiny inexpensive light can provide so much light! For outdoor use I usually grab my Wolf Eyes "Sniper" 2x123 LED.

A Fenix LD01 is my on body EDC so that gets the most regular use.

I'm not sure if you'd consider it a flashlight, but the most used light for me is my Princeton Tech EOS headlamp. I used it both on-head and in-hand. A fantastic piece of gear, especially for the price.

Keep in mind that I don't need a spotlight that will light up the other side of a football field. I usually need for of a tight floodlight to light up my work area.

Ken

I too use the MARATAC AA Flashlight from Country Comm as my main light with the MARATAC AAA as a secondary light.

Pete

Quark 123 is my EDC. If I know I'm going to need a flashlight, I'll usually supplement that with a Quark 123^2. Sometimes I'll scale down to a ReVO.

For me would that be a Fenix L0D (edc with a lri photon freedom as backup) followed by a Fenix L2D and a Nitecore D10. For Handsfree A Petzl Tikka XP. The other flashlights do not see that much use.

Minimag with LED drop is in my EDC. Its red with a yard of yellow duct tape around it.

But I prefer hands free so I like headlamps for things I can plan. I use Tikkas and e+lite.

I always carry my Surfire E2D and on my hip is a surefire 6P and a Gerber LED flash light.

Yes I know I carry too many flashlights.

The light I get the most use out of is my Petzl TacTikka plus, for both camping and flying.

Thanks to Izzy, I have the MATATAC AAA in my pocket at all times, except when it goes through the washer & drier. Still works great though!! I'm constantly using it at work, at home, out adventuring...and I find when I pull it out to check the barrel of a used gun the seller immedietely drops the price.

Description from their website:
LED Type: Cree 7090-XP-E Q5 with a life span up to 50,000 hours. The reflector is aluminum alloy. Flashlight body is made of aircraft grade aluminum covered with Type III Military grade anodization. The lens has been treated with a AR (Anti-Reflective) coating. Its proprietary circuit design features reverse polarity protection and runs off of one AAA battery that provides 3 levels of brightness (Medium/Low/High).

Using A Single Duracell AAA battery we got the following results:
Medium Mode, 18lm Output for 4 Hours
Low Mode, 1.5lm Output for 50 Hours
High Mode, 80lm Output for 48 Minutes

-Blast

I love mine too. I got the stainless versions. Really makes
a lone AAA battery last. Much bright than any of the old
headlamps and flashlights still hanging around from
yesteryear.

Dealextreme do some very good deals on flashlights, here are some examples which I have found to have provided reasonably good service;

A 400+ Lumen LED flashlight for $22 (A wide variety of drops-in are avialable including Red, Blue, Green Cree and IR and UV and Xenon)

UltraFire WF-502B SSC-P7-CSXO 3-Mode 900-Lumen Memory LED Flashlight

A CR123 EDC flashlight fro $13.50

TANK007 TK-360 Cree Q2-WC 3-Mode 150-Lumen LED Flashlight

An AA EDC Flashlight for $15

TANK007 TK-566-3 Cree Q2-WC 3-Mode 95-Lu...*AA) Flashlight

A Maglite 3D replacement flashlight (well actually blows it away); great for vehicle, garden and household use. Very Bright and excellent beam.

Aurora AK-P7-3 SSC P7-C 5-Mode 900-Lumen LED Flashlight

For the indestructible flashlight then the Fenix T1 (if still available) would be worth looking at.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0WvhJWE3_Oc

As with knives, I can't see how it's possible to carry to many

I carry this one on me all the time, Ultrafire A10:

http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.19187

I *really* like this light! It functions flawlessly and is very bright with a NiMH rechargeable AA installed. The best LED flashlight I have ever bought, even though it has the "Made in China" stigma attached to it.

By the backdoor, I have a Maglight 3D LED

For a headlamp, I use the Petzl Zipka Plus

On my shotgun, I have this one mounted, Ultrafire 502B:

http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.16178

This is another great flashlight made in China. It is well made, solid as a rock, functions flawlessly. I personally have found no reason to go for the much more expensive SureFire over this light.

And then for backups, I have five million+ other LED flashlights laying around the house. You can't walk two feet without tripping over one.

Note: All of the above are LED flashlights. I don't buy incandescent anymore.

I have an e-gear pico on my keychain and a PETZL e+light in my jacket pocket. We keep Tektite C-cell dive lights at the front door and garage door. The Tektites run a long time and because of the multiple LEDs they give a very even light. Not as fancy as the CREE-based lights.

http://www.tek-tite.com/src/product_info.php?id=15
http://www.essentialgear.com/store/p/117-eGear-PICO-LED-Zipper-Lite.html

Hard to go wrong with a Quark AA², R5 Edition OTF = out the front

What I like most about this light is that it runs from a moonlight mode which is ideal for use when your eyes are night adjusted, to extremely bright. The highest mode I've needed so far is Medium at 22 lumens, but I did test the brighter modes -- 206 lumens is extremely bright and gives the light good reach. . . it gets warm.

For me it was Doug's Pico and some streamlight nanos. I really prefer a small keychain and with their gate clips they are the easiest.

Thats what I actually use the most. Not what I would prefer to use but its what I always have on hand.

To be honest, the light I use the most if probably this little LED keychain light that I bought at Dealextreme, mostly because it's on my key ring (hence always on me). They were 10 for $5 with free shipping, and I ended up getting a second batch in clear/white. While they're not as nice as the Photon, they are pretty decent. I accidentally ran one thru the washing machine and it still works! They're pretty bright for the size and have both momentary and permanent-on capability. They're cheap enough that I gave some away and used a few more as zipper pulls.

The flashlight I normally grab when I need a "real" light is my Pelican 2010 SabreLite Recoil LED Waterproof Flashlight. It's pretty bright, waterproof and the batteries last for 30+ hours. It's a good all around light, but a little bit big and heavy for the amount of lumens (it's a 2 x C cell light).

I suspect my most used light will now be my SUREFIRE E1B Backup LED Flashlight. I just got it today from BatteryJunction.com. While $139 is a lot for a flashlight (at least a lot for me!) I'm blown away by the power and the quality. And getting 24 free batteries (probably at least $35 bucks worth, or $80 worth if I had to buy 'em locally) takes some of the sting out of the purchase.

Most often, I use a flashlight built in my Nokia cell phone and 1x AA Fenix L1T V2.0.

This is too funny. You can tell we are all flashlight freaks.

Fenix L1T V2.0 is a good light -- simple, solid design.

I've never used a Fenix light. I see they're popular and well reviewed. There are some pretty good Chinese lights out there but most of them are a complete unknown to me. Maybe I'll have to browse Candlepower forum for awhile and see which ones are considered to be good ones. DealExtreme has tons of different ones that look like good deals...if they're decent quality lights.

Day to day, you'll mostly find a MagLED AA or a Chinese Cree "Lightmate" from Cotsco (2 for $15) on my belt. They're adequate for most things, and if I lose one in the tall grass it's not a big deal.

I have a Fenix L1T for "dress" occasions where I don't want a big, bulky 2AA light. It's okay, and I have the 2AA body for it also. But I have to confess that my experience with Fenix lights has been very mixed -- roughly a 50% failure/weird stuff rate. And I don't abuse my gear. So the L1T and L2D will be my last Fenix purchases.

I have several Streamlight LED lights that have proven to be very tough indeed. Not the brightest or fanciest, but when I hit the switch there's always light. That counts. I'm starting to reserve them for more critical moments.

The lights that have caught my eye recently are the 4sevens AA lights. I think I will have a couple of these very soon (1-AA and 2-AA).

But for serious work in dark places, my fleet of Princeton Tec headlamps have been just great. I have a Yukon XL (all LED), a Fuel which is being tested for my car/camp kit, and an Apex. The Apex is so bright that you almost forget there is no other light source; last winter I chainsawed up a bunch of dry logs with just the Apex, in otherwise pitch black darkness, and felt entirely comfortable with the 'situational awareness' it provided.

How true. But they are often incredibly useful in a wide variety of circumstances.

As a certified geezer, I am impressed with the wide variety of lights available at all different prices with dependability ranging from adequate to superb. It is a far cry from the junky light sources and leak-prone batteries of my youth.

I lurk on candlepower forums, and I love the incredible obsession there with lights. To me the most important thing about modern lights is that they light up when you press (or twist)the switch. Beam shape/artifacts/tint etc. are secondary. Let there be light!

Fenix TK12 on left side work belt
Fenix LD20 in right side vest pocket
Petzl e-lite in right side vest pocket
Streamlight Stinger XT plugged into work truck
Maglight 3D in door pocket of work truck
Energizer Pistol-grip C-size LED light in tool box, work truck

Fenix LD01 in EDC Pouch
Many small LED's and MiniMags scattered throughout gear pockets and emergency/field/travel kits
Petzl Headlamps for hands-free use and Petzl e-lite in new small survival kit

I am in the process of buying a Streamlight Sidewinder, looks neat.

My name is Mike, and I have a problem with illumination.

Haha! Funny but very true! When I was a kid, there were pretty much the "lanterns" that took the the big honkin' square batteries and the 2 D cell ones with a sliding switch...that and the green GI angle head one. And it seems like they all produced a feeble, sickly yellow splot of light! The first time I saw a Mag-Lite it seemed like the most advanced thing on the planet! And when I finally managed to purchase a couple I was as proud as a peacock.




Also very true. The lights of today are pretty amazing compared to what we had even 20 years ago. My new little Surefire backup can be concealed in the palm of my hand yet is orders of magnitude brighter than my 4 D cell Maglite was (for the brief time it actually worked). And computer technology has lead to amazing performance; the digital regulation of LED lights is very impressive, and the computer-aided design of the reflectors give amazing control over the beam, it's focus and light spill.

As much as I love my Pelican Recoil, it's a prett big flashlight, size-wise, compared to my Surefires and Streamlights. How I ever lived with a Mag-light I'll never know, those things are enormous!

+1 on the Fenix lights. I EDC a L2D & have a L1D body to switch the head to if I need a smaller light.

I EDC a Fenix L2D (2 Years) on my belt and an ARC-AAA (4 Years) on my keychain. Both have been great lights thus far. Prior to the Fenix L2D I had a Pelican 2330 M6 LED which performed well, but burned through CR 123 A cells far to quickly for my liking though I had a charger for them.

i use the older model Pal Light,that's the six volt battery in a rubber case with one LED and a good lens.small size and on a two week canoe trip i have never had to change the battery.it throws a good beam across a campsite and has a low setting and a flash.it also stays "always on" with a very dim light which makes it an easy find in a dark tent or crowded gear bag.i'm told the natural drain on the battery is used to make that LED glow.even left unused in the "off" setting with the glow working the battery is still good in the spring.the switch is worked thru the rubber case so it's somewhat water proof. a dog chewed--no joke--Pal is kept around the house to back up my seven C cell "raccoon light"

wow,so many flashlight you have !
Surefire and Fenix flashlight are too expensive .
Are you interested in Chinese brand flashlight ?


Daniel

Fenix is Chinese.

Just like many things, quality control varies. From what I've seen in the Fenix lights I own, Fenix QC is very good. I've never had a lemon.

Also, 4Sevens deals with a lot of lights manufactured in China and they're very good regarding support IME.

To the contrary, you appear to have no problems at all!

I've got a Surefire 6P on my belt right now - it's been there or with me somehow for 12+ years. I have a 9P by the door that goes out with me and the dog each evening for the "walk" before bed. I also always have the mini-mag on my key chain.

In the cars are c-cell mag-lights and the wife's car has a 'twist to light' c-cell in the glove box too that's a great light but no brand name on it and has been around so long I don't remember where it came from. There’s a c-cell mag light on the bookshelf in the living room and I've got the old Safari Land Kel-Light (2 c-cells) from 1973 or so by the bed. Then there are several tin and plastic throw-a-way lights (all d-cell) around in the garage, kitchen and utility room. I also have Dad's old d-cell light with the magnet base attached to the furnace housing downstairs.

Apparently Lightake has been accused of shilling fake Solarforce lights and such.

Perfectful and any Lightake references have been removed from Candlepower Forums completely.
http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=290367&highlight=perfectful
http://www.cpfmarketplace.com/mp/showthread.php?t=234297
(CPF membership may be required to read posts.)

I recognize his handle from another forum I frequent.
MO is the same.

On my keychain is a Fenix EO1 aaa, on my belt for work I've gone to a Victorinox aa two cell LED. Got it free with a farmer gift pack the misses got me for last Christmas. I can get free aa batteries from work, so that's why I use it there. For my "personal" use I have a Nitecore Infinty Ultra.

Most often I use my phone back light. Because it's always in my pocket. If in the field, I'm using its camera flash UBLED to light my path in the night.

In the car I'm keeping MAGLite 4D with TLE-300M-EX LED upgrade close at hands.


I have a dozen of other good flashlights, but these are the most used.

The stuff I actually use:
The one on my person is a Fenix P3D (2-CR123a batteries, 215 lumens).
My headlamp in my daypack is a Princeton Apex Pro(2-CR123a batteries, 130 lumens).
I standardized on CR123a batteries because I order bulk quantities, worked out to $1 / battery shipping inc. for Japanese not cheap Chinese versions.
I have assorted Photons all over the place (key ring, key ring on my daypack, zipper pulls).

Stuff I have around the house but never use:
Maglite (2 D-cell)
Maglite x3 (2 AA)
Petzl Tikka Plus (3 AAA)
Petzl Tikka (3 AAA)

The Fenix LD01 on my keychain. It's so bright that I rarely use any other light unless I know I need it to run for hours. Most importantly for me, it's bright enough to be really useful. The little 5mm LED lights just weren't bright enough for me, especially for situations like going from full sunlight (or office lights) to darkness.

I've tried many when I was on my flashlight kick, but I always seem to grab my Peak Matterhorn first. It's survived a couple of trips through both the washer and dryer, and hasn't failed me yet. A lithium Energizer gives it a long run time.

Currently my main torch is a Nite Core D10, which runs on a single AA Eneloop. Its brightness is continuously variable from 2 to 120 lumens, and it lasts for over 50 hours on dim. I recharge the battery every 6 months or so.

The light I use most often is the Countycomm Maratac AAA on my key ring. I've used this light almost daily for the past year, and have only replaced the battery once using standard Duracell AAA batteries. Having grown up in the era when the Mini-Mag was state of the art, it still amazes me how much light this tiny, lightweight flashlight puts out.

I also have a bunch of other LED flashlights from Fenix, most of which which I like, some not so much, plus the usual assortment of Photon's and similar, and a Pico.

But I like the Maratac AAA so much I bought several more and sprinkled them around my various kits.

I got extremely lucky and found a Surefire E1L Outdoorsman at an Unclaimed Baggage for 99 cents. Maglite's Solitaire are the old stand by.

I have to vote with the Quark 123.

That said my "most used" and "most carried" is the Flashlight app on my phone! (Not the one that puts the silly white circle on the screen but the one that leverages the camera's LED flash and lets you choose a brightness level.)

For a road trip last weekend I bought a new headlamp Princeton Tec Byte I was really impressed.

At $20 it costs a 1/3 less than my e+lite and its significantly brighter.

Its minimalist. Three settings. Red. Low white. High white.

The red was good for reading in a dark room but not so much for outdoor tasks like looking into a trunk. I used it to read in the back of a vehicle and the driver had no problems using the rear view mirror.
The low white is excellent for reading. The spread went accross a large book page. Also did well for basic walking through a dark house and looking for things in dark bags in a dark room.
The high white was outstanding for movement outside. I think my Tikka has a higher watt/lumen count but it is a larger unit.

Standard Disclaimers

I keep a 2xAA Coleman LED on my nightstand and have a similar one inside my SHTF bag. And 1 Inova Microlight on my keyring and a similar one on the outside of my SHTF bag.

In my company van I have a 4D Maglite, a 2xAA Maglite and an Energizer LED headlight. I also have various small 3xAAA "shorty" cheapo lights laying around everywhere so they're easy to get to.

The main one I use regularly would be the Inova on my keychain, because it's the closest one being in my pocket.

one of my "lessons learned" from the 04/05 hurricane season if you use a large 3D MagLight... cable tie a split ring (keyring)to your large lights so you can clip it to you (I carry my keys on an external nylon belt clip, and have replaced the spring clip of my Maxpedition cell pouch with a similar nylon belt clip ... I have a habit of setting it down and not remembering where it is...also added rings to my SureFire 6P and Nitrolon G2 towards the button end to give more purchase if used with a thumb forward grip using a pistol...

I must say, I do love my Illumina Ti (Model CA1-Ti) from Titanium Innovations. It lives on my keychain and takes a regular AAA battery. It is extremely bright and seemingly reliable so far...

It was a gift...my dad found it on eBay I think...but it's product info can be found here...
It can be found here if you are curious

(The usual disclaimer for the above link...)

I have a Princeton Tec Quad headlamp for night hiking and other hands-free tasks, a Princeton Tec Attitude LED light for general use, and a Maglite Solitaire on my keychain. I like the Princeton Tec brand because their lights are waterproof; actually, I used the Attitude once at the summer camp where I was working to try and find a pair of glasses a kid lost at the bottom of the lake (was not successful; a scuba diver ended up being called in and did find them).

Recently I've been using this light from DealExtreme.com. It was only $8 with free shipping. I believe the claimed rating is 110 lumens, but if so it must be at the emitter, not out-the-front. Still, it's a very bright light, especially considering it uses a single AAA battery. Even after carrying it for a few weeks and playing with it constantly, with the original battery it's still roughly as bright as my 3 D cell Mag-lite with fresh batteries! And of course it's about the size of my pinky finger and weighs about 1/100th as much as the Mag-Lite. Have I mentioned lately that Mag-lites really suck?

I usually have a Streamlight Nano on my keychain, and a Quark Mini 123 in my pocket (Minimum). When I know I'll be out after dark I generally carry a modified E2D flashlight.

The Surefire isn't cheap, and when the Quark Mini blew it away I wasn't a happy camper. I ended up buying a Veleno Designs LED that gives ~250 OTF lumens for 2 hours.

So... It does kinda suck that it takes a $50 upgrade to a $90 flashlight to best a $30 flashlight, but the surefires are well built and I like it, even though I probably wouldn't spend that kind of money again.

Flashlights have come a LONG way... I think my next purchase will be a 6P sized host, there are a lot of nice drop ins available like Malkoffs.

I carry the Fenix LD10 in a satchel, and the Fenix E01 in a neck bag.

My Surefire E1B is easily the best light I've ever seen. It cost me $139 but came with 18 free batteries. Yeah, that's a lot of money for a flashlight but I'd buy one again in a heartbeat. Well worth the money!

I picked up a Mini-Mag AA L.E.D. at a yardsale for only $4.50, it is bright and, I know< maglights are heavy for the size, but I love it! is there anyone else that uses this light?

I believe one still lives somewhere in my wife's purse. I formerly used one, and we still have various versions around that have been retrofitted with LEDs, but they are no longer my "go to" light.

I love my LED Lenser H7R headlamp. It has a focusable beam and continuously variable brightness, and I don't feel guilty using it all the time and going through batteries because it is rechargeable.