Flashlight noob, scored some new lights.

[Skimo]

I know with flashlight nuts things like what tint the light is, and how spread a corona is and all that matter.

I'm not a flashlight nut, and I can't afford to be a nut in two hobbies.

So thing like precision built and all that stuff, while I can appreciate it, it doesn't matter, I look for lumens, I look for throw and I like battery time.

I picked up the new NEBO Redline model which boasts 250 lumens 4 hour run time, 125 lumens for 8 hours 10 lumens for 15 hours and SOS and strobe for 72 hours. It also comes with a pocket clip, adjustable beam, a battery charge indicator and the almost omnipresent magnetic tail cap.

The second is a Camping Hiking headlamp, 300 lumens, 150 lumens and strobe. It also has an adjustable beam, so you can throw or flood

Two models, one take a few AAAs the other uses a single 18650. I took the three AAA model.

I totaled about $50, I blew my Coleman headlamp out of the water for brightness for less, I'm going to keep the Coleman for reading, I modified the lens on it and now it's nearly perfect, no hot spot, flood.

I keep hearing the same things over and over about how some brands are bullet proof, or that you can't go wrong spending hundreds of dollars on a light that isn't any more functional.

Again, I know, I have knives that are hundreds of dollars, and it's because I'm a fanboy.

I really want this to be an open discussion, I would like to learn what the difference is between my flashlights and your flashlights.

My opinion is I want a light to be bright, I want to be able to choose between spot and flood, I want runtime to not suck, I want batteries that aren't an arm and a leg. I prefer to stay away from lithium, mainly because I know what lithium can do. I can pick up 40 AAA batteries for $10, for my flashlights that's 5 years of shelf life and 13 battery changes without having to rely on a wall charger. I want my flashlights to work in a power outage, so rechargeables are out the door too.

TLDR: I got new toys! http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.1094084529248.11595.1740625891&type=3&l=5ab540bdbb

 

[thatotherguy]

IMO Nebo is a great starter brand. Good quality, decent diodes and tints for not too much.
I have found that lumens and brightness is kinda like small traditionals versus big tacticals- you'd be surprised at what a Peanut can do, and you'd be surprised at what a 45-50 lumen or less light can do. I carry an older Surefire G2L that has two settings- on and off. On is 80 lumens at the most, and declines slowly over time as the batteries run down. I get approximately 16 hours of continuous usable light off of 2 CR123s. I have never needed anything more or less.
If I may recommend a light or two for you- the Maglite XL 100 and XL50. Both run pretty well off of AAA batts, multiple modes, good tints, not too expensive, readily available, and made in America.

 

[Skimo]

I like that tail cap on the XL 100, thanks for the recommendation!

 

[MrSpiffdifilous]

I actually just picked up one of those Nebo Rebline SE's too. It's a pretty sweet little light. The intensity of the light is a bit much on full power if you're much close than 10 feet IMO. The strobe function is seriously disorienting. I tested it on my friends last night haha. The defensive crown , or whatever you may call it on the end is mean. It would seriously suck to get struck with this thing. Oh and the magnetic base is pretty cool too. Overall I really like the light. I only wish the clip was a bit stiffer, but if that's the only complaint I have with a $30 flashlight that's not too bad in my opinion.

 

[MikeC]

I run older surefire D3's, G2's nitrolon's, and some 9P's, all with cree drop ins from solar force where I went from incandescent to eod. Took all the lights up from from D3 and 9P went from 105 to 225+/- and increase run time by a few hours and the G2 went from 65 to 120+/- and also increased run time by a few hours. Their still battery eaters and every once in a while I have to slap the light because of a short in the drop in. But I operate in remote places hunting and fishing in bad weather and in teh dark. I need more light. I don't need multiple settings, I don't need strobe, this that or the other I need light as bright and long lasting as possible. Getting ready to take it up a notch in all of them as new drop ins are available to take the lights up into the 300+ lumen range for a small amount of money about 20 bucks per drop in.

Surefire's are expensive but I've found them to be very durable, I disassemble, wash in warm soapy water, dry and reassemble once a year. Aside from scratches to the aluminum bodies they look, feel and operate like the day I got em. Fresh water, salt water, mud, being dropped etc. and their kinda like a Timex they take a licking and keep on ticking. Sure I could get probably get away with less but why push it, when I'm 7 miles or greater from a paved road in flooded timber at night trying to track downed deer in cougar country I'm not interested in being impressed by my case peanut and minimag light. I'm trying to operate safely with confidence and peace of mind in place where being ill or under equipped can get you hurt or killed easier than I care to think about. If I want to gamble I'll go the casino, not deep sea fishing 120 miles offshore at Candy Mountain or hunting in the flooded timber and palmetto bottom swamps.

Yea, I know the old timers used to it with mag lights or no lights at all, well accident and death rates used to be lot higher and life expectancies a lot shorter than they are now. They used to sail the world without life jackets but would you take a small boat out to sea without life jackets now, No you wouldn't because it would be prudent and in fact many would say it would be unwise or foolish. We have the tools to make certain activities easier and safer to a degree why not use them?