flashlights: balancing power and practicality

MustardMan

MustardMan

Joined
Mar 14, 2009
Messages
3,646
I've been lusting after some new flashlights lately, but much of that lusting is after ridiculous lights that serve little practical purpose. I have the same dilemma with knives - I own many huge choppers that are larger than I'm likely to carry in the woods, yet I still enjoy them.

So where do ya'll draw the line? When I go into the woods, my most practical lights are a plain old Black Diamond headlamp, and an Olight T10 CR123A light for when I want something really bright. Yet I own many more lights, that rarely see use beyond "playing" or walking the dogs :rolleyes:



I mean, things like these are fun to play with, but too bulky for me to lug into the mountains until I get far away enough from the city lights that I would have any need for a powerful light. So why own them, then?

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I have an LX2 that I carry daily. For me it's perfect. 10 lumens for just about everything I need with a great run time, and 200 lumens if for some reason I need them.

Once you go past ~200-300 lumens you need to justify it with some regular use.
 
I've actually been considering a 4sevens Quark, specifically due to the obnoxiously low power moonlight mode that lasts seemingly forever. When it's pitch black in the mountains, you need less than a lumen to see well enough to keep you from tripping over your tarp guylines.
 
I have cut back on my wilderness lighting gear big time. Lately, I have been bringing a little Leatherman S2 LED. It runs on a single (!) AAA (and I pack a few extras in my PSK), lasts for hours, has two settings, an all-metal watertight casing, and its roughly the size of a Bic. Plus, it has a reversible pocket clip that allows me to attach it to my hat and use it like a headlamp, which comes in really handy for cleaning dinner dishes, gathering late-night firewood, etc. It's only capable of throwing out 35 lumens, but that has consistently proven to be more than enough for me.

All the best,

- Mike
 
I have a G2 Nitralon, cheap and bright but paying 30 bucks a box for batteries that last less than two hours is getting ridiculous. I used to use a 9 dollar walmart special, their Garrity halogen-that thing lasted 7-8 hours on three AAA's and was plenty bright for a functional camp light. I may nab another one. Got a Nautica penlight for free with the wallet I bought myself for Christmas, it's effective as an EDC light. The cheaper PETZLs are of good quality, very reasonable price with decent performance and are looking more tempting than anything else right now. Imagine how many people are still lugging around GI L lights....
 
The Maratac/itp/olight single AAA light is good enough for me to have replaced anything bigger for hiking. I also have some bigger lights (including a 1xAA Fenix L1D that is excellent, but still compact), but this latest AAA has plenty of power, and the beam is good enough that I don't miss them.

Light is good, in more ways than one.
 
MustardMan said:
So where do ya'll draw the line?......So why own them, then?
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Cool toys when you get to that point. A lot of people seem fixated on throw and high output, though descriptions of their use typically shows little need for either. Nothing wrong with getting something just because you want it, but those big, heavy lights aren't something everyone is going to be willing to carry, especially in the outdoors.

I draw the line at comfortable carry and practical output, with the focus being on high quality, reliability, and usable runtime.

At work, that means a SF E2DL modded with a neutral emitter and McTC tailcap with McClicky switch, because I need a penetrating beam a lot.
A Zebralight H60w headlamp for the hardhat takes care of all the closeup stuff.
I work night shift, so the E2DL gets about an hour of use every night, and the H60w about 2 hours.

My EDC is the same thing I use in the woods, and if I thought there was something better, I would own it.
It's a SF E2L with stock circuit, body bored to allow using 17670 Li-ions in addition to 2x123, emitter swapped for a neutral Q4-5B, optic swapped for a cut-down McR18 reflector, light diffusing film under the lens, and a McTC tailcap with McClicky switch for easy replacement of the switch if it fails, and boot when it wears out. Floody beam like a Malkoff M60WLF, but with longer runtime, and more punch in the middle, though the spot is diffused.
Headlamp is a Zebralight H30w that was a special order item(no factory neutral version of the H30), uses the same CR123A cells in the woods, and a 16340 Li-ion for around home, or when carried in my bag. Fantastic combo.

The Zebralight H501w is a good one to check out for use in the outdoors. Neutral tint, and basically the same modes as my H60w, but taking a AA battery.
 
All the lights i use are small and do everything i need them to do. My current favorite is a Fenix LD10

I like lights that are LED, reasonably powerful, have low/high power capabilities and are small enough to not get left behind.

I've also been shifting away from lights that use CR123 Lithium batteries for models using AA alkaline or AA rechargeables. It's nice to have lithium powered lights for emergency kits (shelf life) but for camping and EDC they seem more expensive than necessary.
 
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Practical.L.E.D. -Light Emitting Diode
AA Batt. Find any where ,Go Lithium if the Light can use it.
can wear all day without a hip displacement.
Long run time.
adjustable beam for the above
One Handed use.
Can Take abuse. knocks water dust crush.
Some Can be used as a self defense Tool- Light- Body.
In the Total Dark field or Urban output does not really matter.
 
I always have, and usually rely upon, my red Photon 2 and my white Photon 3. When I need brighter, I use my Fenix L1D/L2D (I have both bodies).
 
MustardMan said:
I've actually been considering a 4sevens Quark, specifically due to the obnoxiously low power moonlight mode that lasts seemingly forever. When it's pitch black in the mountains, you need less than a lumen to see well enough to keep you from tripping over your tarp guylines.
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I've looked at that one as well, it would be perfect for when you just don't need the light. Surefire's T1A fits the bill, but at almost $200 I don't see myself owning it anytime soon. :)

PayetteRucker said:
I have a G2 Nitralon, cheap and bright but paying 30 bucks a box for batteries that last less than two hours is getting ridiculous. I used to use a 9 dollar walmart special, their Garrity halogen-that thing lasted 7-8 hours on three AAA's and was plenty bright for a functional camp light. I may nab another one. Got a Nautica penlight for free with the wallet I bought myself for Christmas, it's effective as an EDC light. The cheaper PETZLs are of good quality, very reasonable price with decent performance and are looking more tempting than anything else right now. Imagine how many people are still lugging around GI L lights....
Click to expand...

That's why you should get the G2L, incan lights are suckers for power.
 
I've lost count of how many lights I now have. Most were bought in my quest for "The Light". I finally found it in the McGizmo LunaSol 20. It is a single cell CR123 light that has 3 leds in a ring for a floody low and a center, more powerful led for a bright throw. Great for camping. The low is perfect for walking around without tripping over every root in the woods, with the high just a press away for "what was that"???
I do like to play with the mega throwers every now and then too.
 
I haven't gotten into the big and super powerful lights yet but did fall for the smaller is better fallacy for a while. While I love my Maratac AAA because it's with my keys allowing for a better grip, I tried the Maratac AA and it was to big for the key chain but to small to twist easily one handed. Same for the ITP A1 EOS.

I really like the single AA lights such as the Nitecore D10 and Quark AA, etc. for their "one-fisted" size and tail buttons. Easy to carry, easy to use, adequate light. I also like the Surefire G2 with Cree drop in LED's for a little more light and throw in a great size.
 
MustardMan said:
I've actually been considering a 4sevens Quark, specifically due to the obnoxiously low power moonlight mode that lasts seemingly forever. When it's pitch black in the mountains, you need less than a lumen to see well enough to keep you from tripping over your tarp guylines.
Click to expand...

The Quarks are great. The main reason I prefer the Nitecore D10 is the user interface. If you turn the Quarks and Fenix's on and then off then back on again you're in a different mode then have to cycle through all the modes to get back to the level you want again. Very annoying. :grumpy:
Once I choose the level I want on my D10 I can turn it on and off repeatedly and it's not changing unless I want it to.
 
MustardMan said:
I've actually been considering a 4sevens Quark, specifically due to the obnoxiously low power moonlight mode that lasts seemingly forever. When it's pitch black in the mountains, you need less than a lumen to see well enough to keep you from tripping over your tarp guylines.
Click to expand...

In my search to find the perfect light for my EDC setup, I have acquired an SF E2DL, Fenix TK20, Fenix LD10 R4, Fenix PD30 R4, Olight T20 and a Quark 123 squared. I have to say the moonlight mode on the Quark sets it apart from the rest. At less than 1 lumen, I find moonlight mode to be just enough light in most situations. At the same time I have the ability to quickly take the Quark up to 200+ lumen if I need it. With that being said, I still mostly carry the LD10 because of its smaller size and the huge stack of cheap AAs I have on hand. But once I have the spare funds I plan to add a Quark AA to my collection which will probably displace the LD10.

And in keeping with the title of the thread, To my eyes my most expensive light the SF E2DL easily out performs my other lights in throw and light output but isn't as practical when you consider the larger, more aggressive looking form factor and the simple user interface geared towards a defensive fighting light. Simply put, the E2DL excels at what it's meant to do but leaves much to be desired for most normal every day type situations.
 
Of the few lights that I own, the one that seems to get the most use is my tiny Fenix L1T 2.0, which is just a simple two-mode AA light. Not much larger than the battery, this little guy puts out enough light on low mode for most of my needs while still offering up to 90 lumens on high. Also, since it uses a common battery type, if it ever runs out of juice, I can just pick up another battery easily.

As for the large, fat throwing flashlights, I keep those in the car. Never know when you might need something that can be seen a few miles away.
 
I use a Surefire light as my emergency light as it cuts through fog and smoke and can blind at night. I use LEDs for mundane use with their longer battery life.

My nightstand light is a rechargeable 1,000,000 candlepower light.
 
I have the Quark 2AA and its not overly bright and the moonlight mood is really nice and practical too.
 
My EDC is a Fenix E01, which is on my keychain. In winter time I also EDC a Fenix LD10, to have a bit more power and I bought a red cone for it, which can be used for signaling.

So why own them, then?
Click to expand...

I have much more knives than I will ever need. Why? Knives are fun. I am not really into flashlights, but I do have several compasses. Last week I was looking at the NATO compass made by Silva, which has tritium in the markers and needle. I don't need it, but I like it and maybe I'll buy it. For the same reason as knives: fun. :-) As long as I can afford it, I will buy knives and other nice outdoor gear.
 
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