Best WATERPROOF flashlight?

Rhesus Feces

Rhesus Feces

bombastic simpleton
Joined
Jun 9, 2002
Messages
11,876
I'm going to be going on vacation in August and will be spending alot of time at the beach...

...I'd like to have a small waterproof light handy, it doesn't have to be super-bright, just a personal tasklight.

I was looking at the UK 2AA LED and incandescent lights and was wondering if there's something better/brighter. I have owned UK products and was satisfied with the performance in the past.

So what's the scoop?
 
Underwater Kinetics... if waterproofness is your main concern, the a diving light is your most obvious choice. Of the best Diving lights is UK!
 
I have that very same UKE 2AAA (Mini Pocket Light w/yellow body), but haven't used it in over a year. Just checked it; beam is focused rather than wide, good for spotting and appreciably brighter than my Arc AAA but also less "clean." I.e., its radius beyond the center focus is scattered and uneven. How much this matters at the beach is your call. If you've used other UKE's like the 2L, you may already know what this looks like anyway.

[Added] For actual diving, this 2AAA obviously wouldn't do much beyond letting you see your watch, etc. For a real pocket dive light, I think the best is the 6AA Ikelite PCa (4" x2.5", ~$30). For a real diving lantern, the UKE Light Cannon 100 is pretty pricey but is far superior to any 4D or 4C lantern, IMHO.

Again, I don't really use my 2AAA Mini; forgot about it till I read this thread. If you're interested in mine, I'd be happy to send it to you -- just email me your mailing address.

Happy 4th of July weekend --

Glen
gmimura@yahoo.com
 
If you are looking for a small waterproof light . . . you have to have a Princeton Tec Rage and a Tec 40 in your collection.
The UK lights are great too though.
 
Longbow Micra.
I replaced the polycarbonate lens in mine with a UCL (ultra clear lens) from flashlightlens.com, and replaced the optic with a reflector. Mine has the twist/press tailcap.
Small, waterproof, and practically indestructable. Not as small as an Arc LS w/twistie, but a nicer light for less money.
Bought it from www.bugoutgearusa.com
Great service.
 
Another vote for the Longbow Micra. It's a light cannon! However, the runtime isn't all that great so maybe you want something with less output and better battery life. Still, the light cannon idea is kind of like a siren song............
 
Pelican L1 it's my EDC light and is about as tough as a small light can be. It's not dive rated but is water proof and very bright (for the size). Plus if it ever breaks they fix it no questions.

Neko2
 
For abuse and watertightness very little comes close to Underwater Kinetics. Pelican makes comparable lights in their Mity, MiniMity, and Supermity Lites. Prices are comprable with UK and they also make a 1 LED light that is submersible (Neko2's L1). The Mity line uses Xenon lamps that are brighter but have a shorter run time.

I have been using UKs for years of night dives and know the abuse they can take. Just bought a new Fathom 4 pack that includes two of their smaller lights and I don't think there is anything better in the price range.

The Longbow Micra is an expensive tool to accidently drop someplace. The UKs are easier to locate in murky water or amidst the dune grasses if you drop it - the housing colors parctically glow.

Good luck.
 
Hmmm, the only UK lights I've ever seen are black. Maybe that's just the choice of the person doing the ordering, though. I'd use a UK light anytime, or a PT, or a Pelican. They're all good, really. The only issue I could think of might be size, and the overwhelming suggestion that I got for a flashlight for lifeguarding is the Arc AAA, as it does all I need it to do in a tiny package. .
 
If you want WATERPROOF and small, you can't beat the UK 2L. This thing is tiny, light and bulletrpoof. Not to mention waterproof. It comes with a incandecent bulb which is reasonably bright with pretty good runtime (2+ hrs). The beam is not Surefire quality, but it will get you by. You can get a replacement LED module for this light (same one as used in the UK 4AA eLED). The eLED module produces a strong hot spot with some sidespill. It is pretty smooth. Runtime is increased a fair amount.

You can buy both at Brightguy.com.

Here is a review of the UK 4AA eLED. This will tell you what to expect from the LED module.

He also has a review of the 2L.

-john


The UK 2L:
f12005_0800.jpg


eLED replacement module:
uk_4aaeled_module.jpg



Oh, and the PT Attitude and PT Rage are both decent, small, waterproof, incredibly sturdy lights as well. They both use the same body which uses 4 AAA batteries. The Attitude uses 3 5mm LEDs, so not super bright, but OK for most tasks. The Rage is incandecent and produces much more light but with lower runtime. The form factor of these lights is nice. They are very small and pocketable.

He has a review here and here.

Attitude next to you-know-what:
pt_attitude_size.jpg
 
Muchas gracias everybody!

I still haven't decided, but I've got plenty of great ideas now.

storyville, thanks for the kind offer, but if I go with a UK mini, it will be the LED model. Might I suggest sneding it to Garageboy to replace his (presumably) broken PT? ;)
 
I couldn't see anybody not loving the Princeton Tec Impact II. I've been beating on mine for a year and a half, and it just won't die. I often use it for night fishing, but it gets most of its use at work. It's one tough light, is good down to 500 feet, and the 4 AAA batteries last forever. I still haven't used up my first set of batteries yet. The pocket clip is mighty handy as well.

As opposed to something like a Mini-Mag with Opalec Newbeam insert, the Impact II has a VERY focused beam. You get a VERY bright spot with little ambient spillage.
 
In general, I'm a huge PT Impact2 fan. We generally always have one on the boat, as waterproofness is a nice thing to have when you might have to check out something below the surface. For me, it would make the ideal BC pocket light.
 
I've got a PT Tec40 that is ok, but haven't had good luck with the PT Attitude.
I've bought two for different friends' kids. The first stopped working within a week, and was thrown away. The second never lit up properly, no matter what we did to it. Took it back from my friend, and have it around here somewhere. Keep meaning to send it back, but working 4-5 OT shifts a week, it just hasn't been real high on the priority list...
 
Glo-Toob will do it all. fairly bright task lighting, Pressure Rated to 11,500' (if you dive that deep you got problems a light can't fix), Drive a truck over it, and Drop check it as much as you want. You can't hurt the little buggers!
 
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