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jB
 
location:
Pickering, Ontario
Gender: Male
He who speaks does not slack; he who slacks does not speak
 |  | Re: best flashlight
<Reply # 140 on 1/5/2006 1:54 PM >
|  | | | Posted by Pravus
Yea, We carry a couple of these as the final 'oh shit' solution.. also on that note:
http://www.glo-toob.com/
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Sounds good but "...can switch the unit on and off underwater - just don't confuse the switch for the cap!" has caveat written all over it. I think the 'oh shit' solution needs to be idiot-proof...I'm talking pitch black situations.
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Archer
       
location:
Toronto, ON
Gender: Male
Imperator Sagittario
| |  | Re: best flashlight
<Reply # 141 on 1/5/2006 6:00 PM >
|  | | | I have a 3AA 3 LED flashlight that really isn't that good for much other than making the immediate area really bright; it has no distance to it.
Also have a Mini-Mag that I carry around in my backpack for any impromptu explorations that I might want to do.
And if I'm planning an exploration, then I bring my 3D Maglite along with me.
Abandoned UE - http://www.abandonedue.com
"We live in a twilight world... and there are no friends at dusk." |
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oldtimer
location:
Toronto
Gender: Male
| | Re: best flashlight
<Reply # 142 on 1/5/2006 10:33 PM >
| | | | Continuing the search for flashlights...
There are LED conversion kits for Mag-Lites. So the battle against Mag supremacy is heating up. Has Mag-Lite been stuck in time? Sort of. Mag now has a section on their site called Mag-Led Technology.
==========
Dear Maglite.com Visitor:
Thank you for your interest in Mag Instrument and its products. We are pleased to report that Mag will soon be adding MAG-LED™ flashlights to its product line.
If these products have been a long time coming, it’s because the MAG-LED™ Technology has taken a long time to develop to the point where it is feasible to make an LED flashlight that meets Mag Instrument's high standards of quality, durability, style and function.
Now, after years of research & development, testing and refinement, Mag Instrument is committed to introducing, in early 2006, a line of MAG-LED™ flashlights. Like Mag's incandescent-lamp flashlights, these newest members of the Maglite® flashlight family will have the style, performance, benefits and features that both professionals and consumers have come to expect from a Maglite® flashlight, including the fact that they are built for a lifetime of service. The Maglite® design tradition will be instantly recognizable in them, and they will offer the beam-focusing capability that has always been a feature of Mag® flashlights, AND MORE!
Again, thank you for your interest in Mag Instrument and its products. We look forward to the rollout of the MAG-LED™ flashlights in the near future.
Sincerely,
The Maglite Team
==========
Anyhow, until then...
In my travels a couple of hybrid LED/Xenon ones looked intriguing - 3-C cell with 10 LEDS and a Xenon bulb in $50 range. But then I decided they were not quite what I wanted. LEDs being the non-high-tech Nichia variety.
Then quite by accident while looking for things I didn't even know I needed at Best Buy I happened across a 3-D cell 1W Luxeon LED one - made by Dorcy (well, China). That's right, 3-D yummy goodness. Packaging claims 300 hour run time. It also claims "projects 100 ft. beam". I don't know how they measure that, and why would a beam stop at 100 feet. But it is damn bright.
The design is 1-1/2" longer than the 2-D Mag-Lite. If it were just the extra cell it would be 2-1/4" longer. So this Dorcy is less wasteful of space. Total is 11-5/8" Aluminuminum - dark pewter colored. My fave.
Other refinements over a Mag-Lite is that the middle section is rubberized. That makes a big difference when handling it without gloves in cold weather. Also there is a hexagonal rubber surround to prevent the thing from rolling away. By-the-way there is an optional addition for Mag-Lites that comes with yellow/red/blue filters I think they were. I can't find mine but I thought the hexagonal plastic cover was worthwhile.
Cost is $29.99 CDN + taxes.
41-4250
http://www.bestbuy...atid=22107&PCName=
(Not to be confused with another model of the same number which is easier to Google for, is black, has no rubberized grip and has a distinctive conical head - and is focusable)
Although not focusable, I'm happy with the bright spot in the centre - it shines across the street and lit up a house's wall (visible at least). There is a wider even beam surrounding that. If it were focusable this would probably be the setting I would have it at most of the time. At 10' from the wall, the outer illumination is about 10' across. the inner bright spot covers around 15". The very center brightest part is 4-5" across.
Another impulse purchase item was a tiny 3-3/4" long 1xCR123 (battery) light - 1W Luxeon LED as well. Also by Dorcy. Normally I would stay away from CR123 powered lights - since such batteries are classified as 'camera batteries' and are rarely in any respectable ampere-hour rating. And they are expensive like $15 in a store unless bought on-line for $2. The battery it came with is lithium which means it has a 5-10 year shelf life. Ideal for letting it sit in glove compartment for emergencies. And lithiums are supposed to work much better than conventional batteries in cold temperatures. I call this flashlight my back-up back-up.
http://www.flashli.../dorcy_super1w.htm
Cost is $19.99 CDN + taxes.
41-4262
http://www.bestbuy...065025&catid=22107
Unfortunately neither of the Dorcys came with canvas sheath or even an eyelet for a lanyard. I'll have to adapt an unused holster or fashion some sort of velcro strap & belt clip deal.
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pyro
location:
Toronto
Gender: Male
| | Re: best flashlight
<Reply # 143 on 1/6/2006 4:14 AM >
| | | | This isn't exactly the most relevant place to put this, but I didn't want to start a new thread just for it.
The green filter, it seems so useless, but apparently Streamlight says it's used for hunting. It gives other hunters clear identification of yourself so they don't shoot you, and they claim it doesn't scare away animals. My friend is a survival instructor in cadets and he says that any colour but red will scare animals away. Either one could be right.
http://www.streamlight.com/huntsafe1.htm streamlight's article about it.
Sorry if this has been said before, it was hard to search for such a post.
"[emo kids] are like homeless people with thier hand out only its pitty they want and not money." -boutdatlonestar |
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Ghost13
location:
Chicago area IL
Gender: Male
| | | Re: best flashlight
<Reply # 144 on 1/6/2006 4:59 AM >
|  | | | Ok so I'm new to this site and I wasn't going to bother reading 8 pages of flashlight posts. If I'm saying something that someone has already said, forgive me. I noticed that someone mentioned a led mag lite. Just today I saw an ad on ebay for a mil spec led flashlight 2AA that looks surprisingly like a mini mag. They were $5 bucks with $3.85 shipping. Just a consideration.
My real reason for this post was that I have been using a finger light for years. Call me weird but I love the thing. Its not waterproof or anything but its better than carrying around a flashlight thats easy to turn off with the flick of a finger on the same hand. I also use a cheap 3 setting headlamp. It has a regular bulb with fair range, a blue/white LED and a red LED. It was about $12 at Wal-Mart so if I smash it I'm not worried. I wouldn't say it seems incredibly dependible, so I'm going on a goood excursion, I have back up. I ALWAYS carry my 2AA mag lite just in case.
Going back to the finger light, mine is a nighthawk microlight made by Triton. Online they go for nearly $25 and they give off a nice amber light that won't kill your night vision immediately. Also its LED.
In addition to this, I was in Wal-Mart (again) today and found some economy blue light finger lights for a whopping $1.89!! I immediatly bought two, and they are nice and bright. The switch mechanism is different on these than the nighthawk, so if you wear it on top of your finger, you have to use the other hand to turn it on and off. It seems a little bright if you want to keep your night eyes too. For the price though, go pick one up. You might fall for them like I did. Having 2 free hands and a quick way to turn them off is nice in case of authorities and the such.
Ghost
My lifestyle determines my death style. |
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jB
location:
Pickering, Ontario
Gender: Male
He who speaks does not slack; he who slacks does not speak
| | Re: best flashlight
<Reply # 145 on 1/6/2006 2:15 PM >
| | | | Just a quick note on filters; I don't know how useful the majority of filters are. They reduce effective lumens by a fair bit and they make colour differentiation very difficult (if not sometimes impossible). I don't know why the majority of colours are used (blue, green, etc.) but I know that red and near colours, being on the low end of the spectrum, are invisible to many animals with monochromatic vision as well as fish and many birds. It's also the most non-reactive, non-reflective (not entirely of course) colour of the visible spectrum...hence its use in photographic dark rooms. It's basically the safest colour for use at night that's still visible to our eyes. However, it's very limited as well and I would have trouble justifying its use in most situations.
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dev
Passed away September 23rd, 2006.
| | Re: best flashlight
<Reply # 146 on 1/18/2006 7:46 AM >
| | | | after losing my 3D mag at a hardcore drunken party in the woods....
i picked up a brinkmann maxfire LX. about $20 at target, basically a surefire g2 knockoff. well worth it, just stock up on cheap cr123a batteries. plus, it's all black.
and for the less-light-needed, long-life, i picked up a $10 chinese streamlight trident knockoff. 3xAAA, 1 led, 3 led, incand. good light, never use the incandescent. plus, it's all black.
no more maglites for me, aside from the 2xAA i carry as a backup / loaner light.
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Grey_Fox
location:
London, ON, Canada
Gender: Male
I love me...
| | Re: best flashlight
<Reply # 147 on 1/24/2006 5:46 PM >
| | | | I just finished machining my own minimag light in my machine shop. how's that for a flashlight. I will post pics tomorrow.
"good old bunny and hand soup... just like mom used to make" |
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Ninjako
location:
Winnipeg
Gender: Male
I Wonder What's In Here
| | Re: best flashlight
<Reply # 148 on 1/30/2006 4:14 AM >
| | | | I'm partial to maglites
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Mithshell
location:
Montreal
Gender: Male
| | | Re: best flashlight
<Reply # 149 on 1/30/2006 8:29 AM >
| | | | there are no BEST flashlight ony diferents need, meaby some need some fat ass 10 000 000 candles power flashlight to light some total black cave or tunnels. And some just need a little headlight to stay safe...
I have a spare 2AA maglight in my backpack,
A 2LED Headlight,
and a little compact LED flashlight,
and im happy with it.
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atomx
location:
Brighton, ON
Gender: Male
| | | Re: best flashlight
<Reply # 150 on 1/30/2006 10:20 PM >
| | | | Unfortuantly I just lost my 3D Mag. Can't find it anywhere. Anyone seen it?
"Programming today is a race between software engineers striving to build bigger and better idiot-proof programs, and the Universe trying to produce bigger and better idiots. So far, the Universe is winning." - Richard Cook |
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Dimwit
| | Re: best flashlight
<Reply # 151 on 1/30/2006 11:31 PM >
| | | | I've found that the MJLED is a simple, inexpensive, and effective upgrade for the Mag AA. Basically, it's a super bright modified LED. Just clip the leads on the MJLED and plug it into the bulb socket on the Mag AA. The Mag AA focuses normally with this upgrade. Use lithium AA's for maximum brightness. The MJLED's cost $7.50 US at http://home.mchsi...._lights/smjled.htm
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Tyralus
location:
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
Gender: Male
| | Re: best flashlight
<Reply # 152 on 2/4/2006 4:27 AM >
| | | | I find all mag-lites are great and also an LED of any sort is good if not needed to light up al large space, if you want to illuminate large areas, use a large mag-lite. Head lamps are also a good idea, and regardless of what flashlight you use, excluding brand new LEDs, bring backup batteries. Also bring more than one flashlight.
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pyro
location:
Toronto
Gender: Male
| | Re: best flashlight
<Reply # 153 on 2/7/2006 1:51 AM >
| | | | Posted by Tyralus
and also an LED of any sort is good if not needed to light up al large space, if you want to illuminate large areas, use a large mag-lite. |
My 3-D LED flashlight can easily cast a 100 meter beam, brighter than a mag of same batteries, much better battery life, and only 30 bucks at Home Hardware.
"[emo kids] are like homeless people with thier hand out only its pitty they want and not money." -boutdatlonestar |
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Ember
Gender: Female
| |  |  | | Re: best flashlight
<Reply # 154 on 2/7/2006 2:59 AM >
| | | | I have a 2 D cell Maglite, which I think more than serves its purpose. And because I have a habit of losing my Maglites, I also carry a cheap lightweight plastic flashlight in my pocket as a backup. Depending where I'm going and how much or little I think I'll use it, sometimes that's the only one I'll bring. The less stuff I have to schlep, the happier I am.
By the way, if anyone finds a red 2 D cell Maglite in either NoHo or Norwich, it's probably mine. Heh.
"Even lands we once called home lie undiscovered and unknown." |
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FoxTwoFoxTwo
location:
Clarksville, Tennessee
Gender: Male
I'm an explorer who photographs...
| | | Re: best flashlight
<Reply # 155 on 2/7/2006 3:45 AM >
|  | | | Posted by atomx
Unfortuantly I just lost my 3D Mag. Can't find it anywhere. Anyone seen it?
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Yeah man I picked it up over here in Clarksville, it was inside a raccoon on the underside of the tire of a mack truck with a nun's hat on it and 5 strips of bacon inside. What the hell were you doing?
Bringing exploration to Clarksville.
Journal: http://www.uer.ca/...id=4&catid=2000173 | RUAUER!?!?!?111ONE??QUESTIONMARK | FoxTwoFoxTwo - "I just ordered a large. I have a relatively huge head so yeah..." |
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atomx
location:
Brighton, ON
Gender: Male
| | | Re: best flashlight
<Reply # 156 on 2/7/2006 11:49 AM >
| | | | Posted by FoxTwoFoxTwo
What the hell were you doing?
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Do you really want to know?
"Programming today is a race between software engineers striving to build bigger and better idiot-proof programs, and the Universe trying to produce bigger and better idiots. So far, the Universe is winning." - Richard Cook |
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seany
location:
Santa Clara, California, USA
Gender: Male
| |  |  | | | Re: best flashlight
<Reply # 157 on 2/9/2006 5:09 AM >
| | | | Posted by Grey_Fox
I just finished machining my own minimag light in my machine shop. how's that for a flashlight. I will post pics tomorrow.
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come on man, post pics 
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ScarsAndStripes
location:
Dublin, CA
Gender: Male
| | | Re: best flashlight
<Reply # 158 on 3/7/2006 8:29 AM >
| | | | Since this thread is 8 pages long, this may be a repost:
I recently saw an info-merical about these neat little gadgets called Everlite flashlights. The short and dirty is that they don't use batteries, can take a hell of a beating, and can float. To charge it, you simply shake it for a few seconds. Seems like a very useful tool. Anyone have an experience with this?
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Sidler
location:
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Gender: Male
| | Re: best flashlight
<Reply # 159 on 3/7/2006 8:37 AM >
| | | | We use these at work. (security guard)
Actually, we don't use these. They have been sitting in the drawer since they were bought. They give you carpal tunnel syndrome and aren't very bright.
Sidler
something witty |
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