flashlights

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Liquidm1980

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Jun 26, 2005
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i am looking to get a flashlight to leave in my car. currently i have a d mag light in the house. i am wondering what the difference between ones for 25 bucks vs 100. i am not to concerned with weight since i dont plan to carry it.

thanks,

liquid
 
Honestly the new LED Maglites are pretty good for the money. if you don't mind a more expensive light and more obscure batteries, take a look at the TK line from Fenix.
 
Lowe's had the 2 D Maglight LEDs as door busters for the Florida tax free hurricane supplies sale a couple of years ago for $13...I keep one in the car attached to a spring loaded center punch window breaker, and a cheap AAA headlamp... another on my night stand...my entire hurricane supply purchase last year was an 8 pack of D cells.... I have converted all the rest of my electronics to AA Sanyo Eneloops... the cr123s are for the gun lights and a couple of hand held SureFires and Solar Force LEDs... the window breaker attaches to the key ring through the post loop on the cable tie

 
For a light that'll only get used every now and then, I'd say just get another maglite. They're fantastic for the price. There's better stuff out there, to be sure, but it's usually 2-3x the price at minimum before it starts to seem a lot better.
 
If it is to be left in your car for long periods experiencing extremes in heat and cold I would recommend going with a 2 X CR123 (lithium primaries) since they are not affected by cold and have approx 8-10 year shelf life (and longer), and 2 would give you adequate run times in emergencies. The batteries can be purchased on-line inexpensively and in volume so availability is easy.

As to brands of lights, you might want to state your intended use for the light for a more useful recommendation...eg: vehicle break down, tactical use w/weapon, long run times on low to wait for help, lots of flood or throw? There are many new lights on the market available from on-line retailers carrying excellent brands for a wide variety of uses and which most people (non-flasholics) are largely unaware.
 
I'm no flashoholic, but it' pretty easy to research technical details on just about any gadget these days. It seems like there's a geek forum for any kind of tool or doohickey you care to name. That being said, here's a link to an exhaustive technical review of the O-Light S10. It's a bit dated; the S10 has been updated with a new emitter that produces 400 lumens (!) which ought to be enough light for just about anything you care to do. It also has a few more nice features, like a soft lockout so you don't turn it on accidentally, and the pocket clip is very sturdy and reversible. It comes with a wrist lanyard, but I make a longer one out of paracord so I can wear it around my neck. It's light enough to wear like that indefinitely. It does not have a tail switch like similar tactical lights; instead, it has a strong magnet in the tail, allowing you to stick to any iron or steel surface as needed and available.

If that's not enough info, I can say that I feel this is just about the perfect flashlight: lightweight, tough, very carryable, a great range of "features". It has four levels of light output, from the 400 lumen light cannon already mentioned, and stepping all the way down to a 0.5 lumen setting which is surprisingly useful. It even has a high-intensity strobe function that tactical lights feature to disorient attackers. It uses one CR123A (or the rechargeable RCR123A) battery, which, as knolan said, has a very long shelf life. I bought several S10's to equip family members and for stowing in the car.

You can find it on the major sales websites and get a very good deal for buying them in lots.

EDIT

Here's a very recent technical review of the updated S10 with the L2 emitter. Lots of pics and detail.
 
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I recently picked up a fenix pd-35 and am totally blown away by it. I guess it's been a while since I've gotten a new flashlight. I like it so much I want to get 3 more. One for each vehicle and one for the wife to carry. Puts out 750 lumens has several different lower settings and strobe. The lower setting are very functional and the battery will last a very long time on them.
 
Liquidm1980 said:
good call on the battery life for car use. i might get one of the ollights for the car.
Click to expand...

The Fenix pd-35 will take the same battery as the S-10, but requires two of them. It puts out more lumens, but costs twice as much. I got my S-10's for about $30 apiece.
 
Think very hard about getting a headlamp of some sort. Being able to work with your hands free is very useful.
 
knolan said:
If it is to be left in your car for long periods experiencing extremes in heat and cold I would recommend going with a 2 X CR123 (lithium primaries) since they are not affected by cold and have approx 8-10 year shelf life (and longer), and 2 would give you adequate run times in emergencies. .
Click to expand...


That was my question, for a dedicated car light. I want to replace my original 6P with something preferably having a bit more CP, and some reduced power modes. I know there is some awesome tech out there now using standard batteries, but I still feel the 123's are superior in the blistering summer heat inside a car.
 
Maglite D cell with Malkoff XML dropin, that's what's in my trunk. Although the LED costs 3x more than the flashlight and you need nimh for best performance and prevent leakage.
 
VictorLouis said:
That was my question, for a dedicated car light. I want to replace my original 6P with something preferably having a bit more CP, and some reduced power modes. I know there is some awesome tech out there now using standard batteries, but I still feel the 123's are superior in the blistering summer heat inside a car.
Click to expand...

Yep...Lithium primaries are IMO the only choice for car lights, not only for their temp tolerance and long life, but they don't leak like alkaline's, and work when you need them! I think more people would use them but many are unfamiliar with the technology and and prices are high and selection low in brick and mortar stores, and most who use em' buy in bulk on-line.

My personal preference for an all-around gen purpose glove box light is typically 6P sized with 2 X CR123's due primarily to increased runtimes with two batteries. Compact 1 X CR123/16340 and single AA (with lithium primaries or 14500 Li-ions) lights are nice and pocketable (and my favorite by far for an EDC light), but a very gen. rule of thumb is 20min on high max with a single 123/16340 light...fine for EDC but maybe not the best choice for a car light IMO.

Once again, just my opinion, but I have found Eagletac to be a high quality production manuf. excelling in rapid new emitter adoption, prob. the best consistant production tints (ie; little to no green!) of any current producer, good build quality and excellent warranty (10 years) and customer service, and more flashing/disco modes than you can count (uh...OK, not so good...but every manufacturer is pretty strobe crazy these days)

If you insist on a super small single CR123/16340 or AA/14500...my current personal favorites in my pocket these days are the Zebalight SC52w (XM-L2 4400k tint) and the recently updated Jetbeam RRT-01 (XM-L2) magnetic ring control IV lights.

Good luck...

EDIT...Sorry Victor, rereading your post/query I realized I misinterpreted your candle power abbrev. for compact light. Just keep your original 6P host and pick up a new drop-in for the most cost effective solution. There are several sources of XM-L2 light engines currently available from custom and ready made sources. A good reliable off-shore supplier, Intl' Outdoor, currently has them for approx. $17 shipped in your choice of 3 tints, SMO or OP reflector, and a multitude of UI config's., 2,3,4, and 5 modes.
 
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If you will be using it to work on the car (change tyres, check under the bonnet) you need a headlamp.

I keep older "obsolete" flashlights in my car
I have an Inova T3 (2x 123, 100ish lumens) and a Surefire 6P with KL3 head (2x123, 35ish lumens)
I also have a Silva coincell headlamp, and a cheapy 1xaa headlamp.

I typically have my EDC lights with me too, which can be up to another 5 lights
 
KNOLAN,

All good points in consideration for the 2 x CR123 light. I thought about that when deliberating between the S10 and the S20, for the very reasons you describe, particularly the increased runtime on two batteries, but also the increased light output. A straightforward comparison would certainly seem to bear this out (I haven't verified these myself, but these seem to be supported in independent testing by confirmed flashlight aficionados.):
S10 specs
[table="width: 500"]
[tr]:
[td]Mode[/td]
[td]Lumens [/td]
[td]Run time (hours)[/td]
[/tr][tr]
[td]Moonlight [/td]
[td]0.5 [/td]
[td]360 [/td]
[/tr][tr]
[td]Low [/td]
[td]5 [/td]
[td]108[/td]
[/tr][tr]
[td]Medium [/td]
[td]85 [/td]
[td]7.5[/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td]High [/td]
[td]400 [/td]
[td]1.25[/td]
[/tr][/table]
S20 Specs:
[table="width: 500"]
[tr]
[td]Mode[/td]
[td]Lumens[/td]
[td]Runtime (hours)[/td]
[/tr]

[/tr][tr]:
[td]Moonlight [/td]
[td]0.5[/td]
[td]600[/td]
[/tr][tr]
[td]Low[/td]
[td]5[/td]
[td]120[/td]
[/tr][tr]
[td]Medium[/td]
[td]120[/td]
[td]9[/td]
[/tr][tr]
[td]High [/td]
[td]550[/td]
[td]2[/td]
[/tr][/table]
Upon further consideration, I observed that two batteries does not produce twice the lumens or run time. And, while the high mode was considerably brighter, I don't think I would actually use it as often as the medium mode, and the difference there was only 35 lumens. Furthermore, by running only one battery at a time in an S10, I would significantly exceed the run time of the S20 over the life of two batteries. So, not only does it seem to be more economical to run a single CR123 battery light, but it would also appear to result in providing more light over a longer period.

Thoughts?
 
First off gtshin...I'm claiming no expert status in flashlights & batteries, rather just a guy who's been tinkering with this stuff for a long time and spending way too much money in chasing new technology and buying a lot of flashlights.

I don't personally own the S10 or S20 but I'm unsure how you're arriving at a higher efficiency with the S10 over the S20, unless your planning on carrying a few extra CR123's with you and then running them in succession after each dies...which is fine, and might indeed give you a very marginal increase in battery life at the expense of inconvenience, e.g., battery dying on you in an extended emergency, needing high mode longer than anticipated, etc. At around $1 a piece on-line, the savings will be negligible. The only point I was making is that generally...a 2 X CR123 will give one roughly twice the run time as a single...and if an emergency arises on the road a dependable light with longer use "per charge" trumps efficiency from my perspective.

Safety Note: One BIG plus to utilizing a single CR123 as opposed to multiple lithium primaries is that if you're a person who's lax on swapping batteries at regular levels and/or not checking voltages, and tend to let them sit for years w/o use and then use them to exhaustion you run the risk of the more depleted of the two possible reversing polarity and causing a fire, explosion etc. Rare indeed, but it does happen and one needs to be aware of the risks of these chemistries or else stick with Ni-MH batteries and lights.

As I say, single CR123/AA EDC lights are really great little general purpose lights for throwing in a pocket for "non-emergency" uses, but the double CR123 S20 (from a practical standpoint) will likely give you roughly another 40% run-time at least per battery change-out. Selfbuilt, arguably the "de facto" premier on-line flashlight reviewer states that on CR123's, the S20 (XM-L2) gets around 2h 35m on high compared to the S10 (XM-L), 1h 12m on high...both to 50% depletion. *(PM me for links to his site if you wish to read more).
 
As already stated, a light which uses CR123 batteries is the way to go. I have had I don't know how many lights with alkaline batteries ruined because the batteries leaked. A real pisser in an emergency. There are a lot of lights which use these batteries available now days. I have a Surefire G2 in all of my vehicles.
 
The O-light T-10, if they're still around, can use a single 123 Lithium battery. With an auxilliary T-15 barrel, it will also utilize an AA battery. Since the voltage of the AA is 1/2 that of the 123, the light output is reduced by about 1/2. The versatility is worth the loss of brightness IMO.
 
VictorLouis said:
That was my question, for a dedicated car light. I want to replace my original 6P with something preferably having a bit more CP, and some reduced power modes. I know there is some awesome tech out there now using standard batteries, but I still feel the 123's are superior in the blistering summer heat inside a car.
Click to expand...

Unfortunately, the neutral version is currently sold out...
Certainly not the cheapest option, but probably the best quality dropin available:

http://www.malkoffdevices.com/drop-...refire?zenid=e7ca201cafc776e037aebc17958476b7
 
knolan said:
First off gtshin...I'm claiming no expert status in flashlights & batteries, rather just a guy who's been tinkering with this stuff for a long time and spending way too much money in chasing new technology and buying a lot of flashlights.

I don't personally own the S10 or S20 but I'm unsure how you're arriving at a higher efficiency with the S10 over the S20, unless your planning on carrying a few extra CR123's with you and then running them in succession after each dies...which is fine, and might indeed give you a very marginal increase in battery life at the expense of inconvenience, e.g., battery dying on you in an extended emergency, needing high mode longer than anticipated, etc. At around $1 a piece on-line, the savings will be negligible. The only point I was making is that generally...a 2 X CR123 will give one roughly twice the run time as a single...and if an emergency arises on the road a dependable light with longer use "per charge" trumps efficiency from my perspective.

Safety Note: One BIG plus to utilizing a single CR123 as opposed to multiple lithium primaries is that if you're a person who's lax on swapping batteries at regular levels and/or not checking voltages, and tend to let them sit for years w/o use and then use them to exhaustion you run the risk of the more depleted of the two possible reversing polarity and causing a fire, explosion etc. Rare indeed, but it does happen and one needs to be aware of the risks of these chemistries or else stick with Ni-MH batteries and lights.

As I say, single CR123/AA EDC lights are really great little general purpose lights for throwing in a pocket for "non-emergency" uses, but the double CR123 S20 (from a practical standpoint) will likely give you roughly another 40% run-time at least per battery change-out. Selfbuilt, arguably the "de facto" premier on-line flashlight reviewer states that on CR123's, the S20 (XM-L2) gets around 2h 35m on high compared to the S10 (XM-L), 1h 12m on high...both to 50% depletion. *(PM me for links to his site if you wish to read more).
Click to expand...

Great info, especially about the reverse polarity possibility. That explains why so many of these lights specify reverse polarity protection circuitry. I thought it might be because people were inserting the batteries backward.

Just to be clear, no offense or argument intended by my previous post. You are clearly knowledgeable and I was just asking as a check on my own thinking. Your points are all good. Based on the O-Light stats above, my thought is that, if I have two batteries, getting 15 hours at 85 lumens is better than 9 hours at 120, even if I have to change batteries midway. I live in an area where we experience power failures a couple of times a year, and this would be the most common emergency scenario for me.

For the car, as the OP asked, carrying spare batteries is good planning of course, and this way only one spare at a time is needed. If my light requires two batteries, I have to carry spares in multiples of two. You're right that the cost is not the major issue, but carrying say, four batteries rather than eight seems significant. Perhaps I've been incredibly fortunate, but I've never experienced an emergency where I would have needed the high mode for more than few minutes. Why would one need 4-500 lumens for an hour or more?

I am familiar with Selfbuilt's stuff; you are right, it's really good!
 
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