Do I have to spend a lot on a lite?

gradall5200

gradall5200

Joined
Mar 12, 2006
Messages
1,867
In my pocket I carry a Gerber Tempo, Runs on 1-AAA battery, small, fits my pocket nicely and can be had for around $10-$12. Works great for me but I mainly bought it cause the price was right. Any recommendations for a good pocket lite and or survival tin lite. And obviously Im gonna spend More than $12 bucks just dont want to spend $80 on something I could lose so easily, - Joel
 
Recieved a fenix E01 in a contest here a while back. Its now my absolute favorite light, very small and very bright. I think they cost about 13 bucks as well.
 
I have two lights I would suggest. If by survival tin you mean Altoids tin, check out the Photon Freedom Micro LED for about $10.

[youtube]iklXPutJoII[/youtube]



And if you wanted something bigger, check this one out...

I'm not sure if this will fit in an Altoids tin but it's my favorite EDC light, I'll repost it from another thread I recommended it in...

JMAN86 said:
For EDC purposes I carry a Streamlight Microstream. I found mine for less than $15 and it's bomb proof. Portable, light weight, bright, good battery life, durable and inexpensive. Fits my EDC requirements flawlessly.

Specs:
CASE MATERIAL: Corrosion and water resistant, machined aircraft-grade aluminum alloy,Type II MIL-Spec anodize plating. Available in matte black finish.
DIMENSIONS: Length: 3.5 inches (90 mm) Body Diameter: 0.6 inches (15 mm)
WEIGHT: 1.04 oz. (29.7 grams) with battery
LENS: Unbreakable and scratch resistant polycarbonate lens
LIGHT SOURCE: 0.5 Watt High-Flux LED; 30,000 hours rated LED life
LIGHT OUTPUT: Up to 20 Lumens Typical
ON/OFF: Push Button Tail switch (with momentary on-off)
RUN TIME: Up to 1.5 hours of regulated runtime
BATTERY: One (1) “AAA” battery
FEATURES: Tailcap switch for momentary On/Off.
O-Ring Sealed, shock proof and drop tested construction
Water resistant per IPX4; in accordance with specification EN 60529:1992
High Strength “Break Away” safety lanyard.
Unbreakable pocket clip

I've found the battery life to be much longer than the official specs.


streamlight-MICROSTREAM.jpg

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+1 on the Photon Freedom Micro Light, I love these things, nothing beats it for size, weight, output, versatility and price!

The Covert Nose (CN) versions have less side spill and the LED is protected.

Worn with the supplied necklace, you won't know its there till you need it, and it won't get lost. The magnetic clip is pretty useful too.
 
For about $20, you can get an ITP A3 EOS. 1xAAA battery. Three levels of output: 1.5 -> 18 -> 80 lumens. I love this flashlight because it feels like it should be more expensive. Very small and very bright!
 
My first recommendation is to look at 4Sevens. Fenix is good too. I have been really impressed with the Maratac flashlight that Countycomm sells. The aluminum version is lie $20 but I would stick with steel. It's far more durable for like $4 more. They a Titanium version too but I have the copper.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0FVz26H04hc
 
machine26 said:
Recieved a fenix E01 in a contest here a while back. Its now my absolute favorite light, very small and very bright. I think they cost about 13 bucks as well.
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That's the one I would also suggest...It's a very bright light for its' size and it doesn't eat the battery too quickly...I carry mine in the Leatherman belt-pouch, along with my LM Wave.
 
I'd put another vote in for the Fenix E01 as a dirt cheap but very reliable light. Also, take a look around for some Victorinox lights. A while back a bunch of their luxeon versions were being sold on the cheap. While the emitters aren't able to touch newer Crees or the like (well ANY crees or the like), they are very dependable and plenty of output and runtime for a woods light.
 
For the price of around $20 a Mini Maglite LED is a good light.

The incandescent Maglites are terrible and need to stop being produced for all I am concerned. They make for a better club than they do light, but their LED lights are not bad at all. :)




Personally... I am a 4Sevens fan. Good lights for good prices.
 
texas gun person said:
For the price of around $20 a Mini Maglite LED is a good light.

The incandescent Maglites are terrible and need to stop being produced for all I am concerned. They make for a better club than they do light, but their LED lights are not bad at all. :)




Personally... I am a 4Sevens fan. Good lights for good prices.
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My dad used a mini maglite LED as an edc light for a couple years until I recently purchased him a 4sevens Preon 2, and an iTP SA2. iTP makes some good lights for great prices from what I have heard, but I haven't owned any myself.
 
gradall5200 said:
In my pocket I carry a Gerber Tempo, Runs on 1-AAA battery, small, fits my pocket nicely and can be had for around $10-$12. Works great for me but I mainly bought it cause the price was right. Any recommendations for a good pocket lite and or survival tin lite. And obviously Im gonna spend More than $12 bucks just dont want to spend $80 on something I could lose so easily, - Joel
Click to expand...

I used to think the same thing, but then I realized that for the last 4 years I have carried a cellphone that costs over $400 retail without giving it a second thought.
 
Don't waste your money on the Fenix EO1 IMO. I won't go into all the advantages over the EO1 but if you want a AAA keychain light, get a maratac AAA or itp A3 eos upgrade for just over $20 and never look back. If you're looking for a single AA light, there are a lot of great ones for under $80. I personally like the Nitecore D10 best with the 4sevens Quark AA light a close second. The Fenix AA is a great light also but I don't feel the low is near low enough.
 
hoopster said:
Don't waste your money on the Fenix EO1 IMO. I won't go into all the advantages over the EO1 but if you want a AAA keychain light, get a maratac AAA or itp A3 eos upgrade for just over $20 and never look back. If you're looking for a single AA light, there are a lot of great ones for under $80. I personally like the Nitecore D10 best with the 4sevens Quark AA light a close second. The Fenix AA is a great light also but I don't feel the low is near low enough.
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In that case perhaps one would consider the L0D (or now its called the LD01 I believe). I've had the same one on my keys for upwards of two years now without any issues. Virtually the perfect keychain light!
 
If you want the light to work EVERY time it has good batteries in it, then yes you do need to pay. But you will only need to buy it ONCE.
 
I have had the ITP A3 upgrade on my keychain for the past year or so, and it still works perfectly. Multiple levels and it is much brighter than the fenix EO1. Plus the low is quite low which is nice for situations where your eyes are already night adjusted.
 
Best light I own 'cause it's always on me. It never ceases to impress folks who see how much light this little thing can produce. It will also run an estimated 50 hours IIRC on low.

Cutlerylover's take on it:

[youtube]1j-Qx8LWtvM[/youtube]
 
+++ for the Fenix L0D, great output, features and battery life
 
I got this 4Sevens Preon 1 for $35 online. But the only reason it was that much is because I got it the new S2 emitter. If you get it with the previous model R5 emitter, it's ever cheaper, and if you aren't a flashlight snob, you won't be able to tell a difference.

Great light. Small, runs on AAA, very light weight, and has low/medium/high. You can use either the keychain ring or the pocket clip attachment. Anodized and comes in a handful of colors. And, for the most part, waterproof.

There are a lot of quality, small flash lights. But the one thing that sets this apart from most other pocket lights I was looking at is the lack of knurling. I did not want knurling because it scratches up everything else in my pocket. I much prefer the smooth finish on this. For a non-tactical EDC light that I won't be using camping, or in slippery conditions, knurling is not needed.

Here is a link to their website: http://www.4sevens.com/index.php?cPath=297_332_366

IMG_5499.JPG
 
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Maratac AAA or AA. My 86 year old father (not a 'flashlight' guy) saw my AAA and was blown away. I got him one for his birthday and he loves it. Got my 10 year old grandson a AA and he thinks it's great.
 
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