flashlights: balancing power and practicality

I got the quark AA2, I freaking love it. The 0.2 lumen is great for reading maps and stuff when it's dark but I wouldn't rely on it during hiking or anything. For that I'd use higher output modes. The highest 200 + something lumen mode is wicked.
 
MustardMan said:
So why own them, then?
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To impress the chicks:

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Hehehe, reminds me of a scene from Crocodile Dundee. "That's not a flashlight. THIS is a flashlight."
 
I've come to find the small LED headband lamps indispensible. They're a must for working under a car, fixing stuff (like guns), vacuuming the house, or peering into any dim/dark corner. They leave both hands free for work and can also be used in hand as a flashlight or set down somewhere as steady illumination.

I've used 3AAA Dorcys (Sears for about 10 Bucks) for a year or so. However, their slide switches are the weak point. They soon either fail completely or you have to fiddle with the switch and then it's iffy.

Recently, I made an order from a sporting goods/gun supplier and my eye was caught by the ads for various portable lights/flashlights. On a whim, I included two 'Argo Headlamps' made by Streamlight (www.streamlight.com), of course, made in China. What isn't these days? My wholesale cost was $22.00 each. The lights have a limited lifetime warranty and the company claims they will repair, replace, or refund the purchase price, at their option, for any Streamline product that does not work or you manage to break for as long as you own it, of course excluding abuse and batteries.

Bottom line and assessment: I'm glad I ordered the Argos. They are a 4.7 ounce head lamp with a single 'C4' LED. Require 3 AAAs which fit into a 'cartridge' that slides out after unscrewing a 'bottletop' style cap on the right side. Insert batteries, reinsert cartridge, and replace the cap. It's weather tight and no way for the batteries to shake loose and lose contact.

The lamp has a positive press/click weather covered switch atop the main lamp and a battery condition indicator at the rear. The beam from the lamp is not adjustable but does provide a good center spot and a wide fan for very adequate light in the immediate area. The lamp has positive click stops to adjust the beam angle, from straight down in front of you to horizontal with multiple angles in between.
- First click of the switch turns it on in high mode, 56 lumens output, 7 hour battery life.
- Second click lowers output to 25 lumens and 12 hours battery life.
- Third click lowers output to one lumen with 20 hours battery life.
- If the switch is kept down for three seconds it blinks on high mode until turned off. No mention of battery life in blink mode. I suspect 10 plus hrs.

The first two settings are really bright. The 56 lumen beam lights things up 200 or more feet distant. The 25 lumen beam is not far behind, just less intensity. The one lumen setting is more than sufficient for reading and any close work area/task you might need to illuminate. I was just using one to vacuum my large, dark living room and it provided more than enough light to see dust bunnies, cat hair, whatever.

The instructions, BTW, include a 'LED radiation warning' as a Class 2 LED white light source, max output < 60mw. The warning states 'Do Not stare into beam.' So, definitely not a playtoy for children....

The Argo comes with two headbands. The one fitted on from the box is an elastic 'fabric' type material with the band that goes around the head and one over the top. I found that with these bands quite loose the light still stays in place and I actually forgot I was wearing it after a few minutes, it's that comfortable. The other band provided in the box is a black rubber type that only goes around the head with no over the top band. Haven't tried it yet but assume it would be very secure if/when you're really physically active.

All in all, I'm quite pleased with the Argo and consider it a keeper so far. I use such lights a lot--for various mechanical tasks/housework, tending livestock at night, LEO work (great when searching for cartridge cases after a shooting and other stuff perps throw down while fleeing, general evidence at crime scenes, etc.
 
For backpacking, I usually take a Zebralight H501w headlamp and a Quark Mini AA flashlight, both using a neutral white LED. Small, lightweight, long runtimes, great for reading in the tent or midnight bathroom runs, with the potential for lots of light if needed.

When doing nighttime hiking, I'll take something more substantial. I've been eyeing some super-bright throwers for SAR purposes, though my Eagletac P20A2 puts out more than enough as it is... but lighting up an area like it was daytime is fun, dangit! :D
 
Back in the day, when I first got into flashlights, something like the Surefire 6P was the bomb. 60 lumens of diminishing light in a small package, which blew away the traditional Maglite.

Fastforward, and now a Quark AA2 will crank 200+ lumens, and its regulated so as not to diminish in output over the life of the batteries. Plus, AA batteries are much easier to find than the 6P's CR123. Plus, there is no incan bulb to break, as in the 6P.

Point being that, as Mr. Mustard says, there really is no reason to carry a big light - unless you want to. Things have really changed, and its only going to get better.
 
+1 on the the Zebralight 501w.

Do not discount the venerable 6P. It is still a great platform with a SF P60L LED, and lots of guys make drop-ins for it. Check out Oveready.com. They will bore it out to accept a rechargable 18650 for $17. Add a Malkoff device or other drop-in (I'm running a nailbender SST-50) and you have a serious light.

My current EDC is a Ra Clicky 170. Incredible light in a small package.
 
I'm really enjoying the "no-battery" 5.11 flashlights. They take 90 seconds to charge and power around 1 to 2 hours on 90 lumens, with a burst capability of 270 lumens. It has strobe capability as well.

It is powered by a hyper-capacitor which according to my calculations if I continue to charge it once per day will last me over 200 years. It came with a AC and DC charger. They take very little power to re-charge - according to my study at 120V it is 48 Watts and .72 amps to charge. So I can even re-charge easily with my solar system.

I keep one by my bed and the other in my car. While not super ninja like Surefire or some of the others, it is one of the most practical tools I use. I never have to worry about wearing out batteries or carrying spares. I just drop it in the charger, grab a stick of gum, unwrap it, toss it in my mouth and, oh - wait, my 5.11 light is already charged and ready to go again. Cool piece of kit.
 
The Surefire LX2 Lumamax is quite a useful light. My buddy got one and I am jealous. It puts out 200 lumens for 2 hours when you need some serious light. and 15 lumens for like 25 or 30 hours for things like map reading or finding a keyhole or whatever. The two stage switch is really well thought out too. Light push for 15 lumens and a solid push for 200 which makes sense. In a panic you'd want the bright light and wouldn't have the fine motor control to activate the low lumen setting. And in an emergency you want bright light. This is the next light on my list. It's super nice. Before that my standard has been the Surefire 6PL with various Malkoff heads installed. The Malkoff 80 lumen head puts out more light than the standard Surefire 6PL head and runs at top output longer. And the flood head I got (Which is about 160 lumens I believe) makes a great EDC defense light. It's lights up and entire area and is blinding to look into from just about any angle in front of the light.

http://www.surefire.com/LX2-LumaMax
 
YayILikePie said:
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.
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Same here, got one 3 years ago and never found anything better. I've upgraded a couple to newer LED emitters but otherwise they are perfect for woods or any other use. EDC on the other hand, for me anyhow, must be keychain based so the L0D Q4 (or RB100) trumps but I don't think it will outlive the LxT models.
 
I went through the indoctrination into flashlights a year or two ago and spent a lot of time researching.

I was getting crazy - with wanting the bigger brighter lights.

I started with a Fenix L1D - single AA off the shelf battery. I started having problems with the on/off switch, so ....................

I ended up getting a Surefire 6P LED from the local hardware store, and I'm glad I did. It does everything I want it to and more.

It's a little too big for pocket carry if you are wearing slacks, but just fine if you are wearing cargo pants or shorts.

Battery life is around 10 hours, light output is reported to be around 80 lumen, and yes it does take CR123 batteries. I buy them in bulk from my local knife store.
 
i found a SureFire E1B for ~$100 on closeout at a gun shop a year or two ago. i'd pay full price at this point for a new one.

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with the pocket clip, i barely notice i have it. it's always clipped on my off-side pocket

before that i had a Fenix L1P that i lost somewhere. i miss the AA batteries, but the clip on the SureFire makes a pretty big difference

in addition to that i have a Photon LED or something similar on about any set of keys i carry. if you are just trying to see down a path, or find a key in the dark, it works great.

nothing in recent memory has really required much more than either of those. most of the time, the light on my keys does fine
 
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