I have also posted this on Candlepower forums
i am slowly becoming addicted to flashlights and I want to finally go ahead and buy something a little bit more high end. Right now I EDC a Streamlight stylus pro while it is a great light i just want something with a little more punch in it and i am starting to really appreciate having a quality light with me at all times, Im not really worried about the cost and I think that you get what you pay for and that you should buy what you want the first time.
0) What Region/Country/State will the light be purchased in?
____I will be mail-ordering or buying online, so this doesn't matter.
_x___I am in North America. More precisely I am in Texas .
____I am in South America. More precisely I am in _______________.
____I am in Europe. More precisely I am in _______________.
____I am in the Middle East. More precisely I am in _______________.
____I am in Africa. More precisely I am in _______________.
____I am in Asia, Japan or Micronesia. More precisely I am in _______________.
____I am in Australia. More precisely I am in _______________.
1) Price Range: An easy question, but you may change your mind after answering the rest!
____I only want to pay $1-10.
____I can spend $15-30.
____I could spend $40-60.
__x__I am willing to spend $80-$120.
__x__I have no limit!
2) Format:
__x__I want a flashlight.
____I want a headlamp.
____I want a lantern.
____I want a portable spotlight.
3) Length:
____I dont care.
____1-2 inches. (Keychain sized)
__x__2-4 inches. (Pocket carry)
__x__4-9 inches. (Holster carry)
4) Width:
_x___I dont care.
____I prefer a long narrow light.
____I prefer a short wide light.
5) What batteries do you want to use? Alkaline batteries are easier to find and less expensive but don't pack as much stored energy and are don't work well in cold temperatures. Lithium batteries have long shelf life (10+ years, great for stored emergency lights) and are not as affected by cold but must be kept dry and are more expensive. Rechargeable start expensive, but if used frequently pay off quickly.
____I want common Alkaline batteries. (AA, AAA, C, D)
__x__I want lithium batteries. (coin cells, CR123, AAA, AA...)
__x__I want a rechargeable system. (an investment, but best for everyday use)
6) How much light do you want? Sometimes you can have too much light (trying to read up close up with a 100 lumen light is impossible).
____I want to read a map, or find a light switch, in a dark room. (5-10 lumens)
____I want to walk around a generally paved area. (15-20 lumens)
____I want to walk unpaved trails. (40 lumens)
__x__I want to do Caving or Search & Rescue operations. (60+ lumens)
__x__I want to light an entire campground or dazzle an intruder. (100+ lumens)
7) Throw vs Flood: Which do you prefer, lights that flood an area with a wide beam, or lights that "throw" with a tightly focused beam? Place an X on the line below.
Throw (distance)-----------------x-----|----------------------Flood/close-up
8) Runtime: Not over-inflated manufacturer runtime claims (like some LED lights). but usable brightness measured from first activation to 50% with new batteries.
____20 min. (I want the brightest light for brief periods)
__x__60-240 min. (1-2 hours)
____240-360 min. (4-6 hours)
____360+ min. (More than 6 hours)
9) Durability: Generally the old phrase you get what you pay for is very accurate for flashlights.
____Not Important (A night-stand light.)
____Slightly Important (Walks around the neighborhood.)
__x__Very Important (Camping, Backpacking, Car Glove-box.)
__x__Critical (Police, Fire, Search & Rescue, Self-defense, Survival.)
8) Switch Type:
____I don't care.
____I want a sliding switch. (Stays on until slid back.)
_x___I want a "clickie switch. (Stays on until pressed again.)
_x___I want a momentary switch. (Only stays on while held down.)
9) Switch Location:
____I don't care.
____I want a push or sliding switch on the body near the head.
__x__I want a push switch on the back end of the body.
____I want a rotating head switch.
____I want a rotating end-cap switch.
____I want a remote control.
10) Operational Modes: Check all that apply.
____A simple on-off is fine for me.
__x__I want 2 light levels. (Brighter/short runtime and Dimmer/long runtime.)
__x__I want multiple light levels. (some lights have 5-16 light levels.)
__(nice to have, not nesissisary)__I want a strobe mode. (blinks to show location.)
____I want a tactical strobe. (Flashes rapidly to disorient an opponent.)
11) Is it important whether the body is metal or plastic/composite?
____I don't care.
__x__I want a metal-bodied light.
____I want a plastic/composite light.
12) Special Needs: Is there anything else you want or need that hasn't been mentioned? Circle any below or write in your own comment(s).
____Red (night vision preserving) filter
____Other filter colors (Amber, Green, Blue, _________)
____Waterproof how deep: _____________
____Non-reflective/dark finish (stealthy/hard to find)
____Polished silver or brightly colored finish (for easy locating)
__x__Corrosion resistant or hard-anodized finish
____Hybrid light (bright incandescent combined with long running LEDs)
____Built-in second (or spare) lamp or filament
__x__Belt/Jacket clip
____Holster
____Wrist/Neck Lanyard
____Kobuton/self defense features
____Non-sparking Intrinsically Safe (IS) for use in explosive environments
As of now I have a few lights that I have sparked Interest in and i know they are all over the board as far as price/features ect. I was wondering what your opinions are of these lights and if there is a better light based on my answers.
Here is the list of lights im Interested in:
1.) Surefire E2D LED Defender
2.) Surefire LX2 Lumamax
3.) Surefire 6P LED
4.) Olight M21 warrior
5.) Quark 123² Tactical R5
6.) Fenix LD20
Right now from those on my list im really digging the Surefire E2D LED Defender. How is that for an EDC light?
I really appreciate you reading and look forward to your recomendations
i am slowly becoming addicted to flashlights and I want to finally go ahead and buy something a little bit more high end. Right now I EDC a Streamlight stylus pro while it is a great light i just want something with a little more punch in it and i am starting to really appreciate having a quality light with me at all times, Im not really worried about the cost and I think that you get what you pay for and that you should buy what you want the first time.
0) What Region/Country/State will the light be purchased in?
____I will be mail-ordering or buying online, so this doesn't matter.
_x___I am in North America. More precisely I am in Texas .
____I am in South America. More precisely I am in _______________.
____I am in Europe. More precisely I am in _______________.
____I am in the Middle East. More precisely I am in _______________.
____I am in Africa. More precisely I am in _______________.
____I am in Asia, Japan or Micronesia. More precisely I am in _______________.
____I am in Australia. More precisely I am in _______________.
1) Price Range: An easy question, but you may change your mind after answering the rest!
____I only want to pay $1-10.
____I can spend $15-30.
____I could spend $40-60.
__x__I am willing to spend $80-$120.
__x__I have no limit!
2) Format:
__x__I want a flashlight.
____I want a headlamp.
____I want a lantern.
____I want a portable spotlight.
3) Length:
____I dont care.
____1-2 inches. (Keychain sized)
__x__2-4 inches. (Pocket carry)
__x__4-9 inches. (Holster carry)
4) Width:
_x___I dont care.
____I prefer a long narrow light.
____I prefer a short wide light.
5) What batteries do you want to use? Alkaline batteries are easier to find and less expensive but don't pack as much stored energy and are don't work well in cold temperatures. Lithium batteries have long shelf life (10+ years, great for stored emergency lights) and are not as affected by cold but must be kept dry and are more expensive. Rechargeable start expensive, but if used frequently pay off quickly.
____I want common Alkaline batteries. (AA, AAA, C, D)
__x__I want lithium batteries. (coin cells, CR123, AAA, AA...)
__x__I want a rechargeable system. (an investment, but best for everyday use)
6) How much light do you want? Sometimes you can have too much light (trying to read up close up with a 100 lumen light is impossible).
____I want to read a map, or find a light switch, in a dark room. (5-10 lumens)
____I want to walk around a generally paved area. (15-20 lumens)
____I want to walk unpaved trails. (40 lumens)
__x__I want to do Caving or Search & Rescue operations. (60+ lumens)
__x__I want to light an entire campground or dazzle an intruder. (100+ lumens)
7) Throw vs Flood: Which do you prefer, lights that flood an area with a wide beam, or lights that "throw" with a tightly focused beam? Place an X on the line below.
Throw (distance)-----------------x-----|----------------------Flood/close-up
8) Runtime: Not over-inflated manufacturer runtime claims (like some LED lights). but usable brightness measured from first activation to 50% with new batteries.
____20 min. (I want the brightest light for brief periods)
__x__60-240 min. (1-2 hours)
____240-360 min. (4-6 hours)
____360+ min. (More than 6 hours)
9) Durability: Generally the old phrase you get what you pay for is very accurate for flashlights.
____Not Important (A night-stand light.)
____Slightly Important (Walks around the neighborhood.)
__x__Very Important (Camping, Backpacking, Car Glove-box.)
__x__Critical (Police, Fire, Search & Rescue, Self-defense, Survival.)
8) Switch Type:
____I don't care.
____I want a sliding switch. (Stays on until slid back.)
_x___I want a "clickie switch. (Stays on until pressed again.)
_x___I want a momentary switch. (Only stays on while held down.)
9) Switch Location:
____I don't care.
____I want a push or sliding switch on the body near the head.
__x__I want a push switch on the back end of the body.
____I want a rotating head switch.
____I want a rotating end-cap switch.
____I want a remote control.
10) Operational Modes: Check all that apply.
____A simple on-off is fine for me.
__x__I want 2 light levels. (Brighter/short runtime and Dimmer/long runtime.)
__x__I want multiple light levels. (some lights have 5-16 light levels.)
__(nice to have, not nesissisary)__I want a strobe mode. (blinks to show location.)
____I want a tactical strobe. (Flashes rapidly to disorient an opponent.)
11) Is it important whether the body is metal or plastic/composite?
____I don't care.
__x__I want a metal-bodied light.
____I want a plastic/composite light.
12) Special Needs: Is there anything else you want or need that hasn't been mentioned? Circle any below or write in your own comment(s).
____Red (night vision preserving) filter
____Other filter colors (Amber, Green, Blue, _________)
____Waterproof how deep: _____________
____Non-reflective/dark finish (stealthy/hard to find)
____Polished silver or brightly colored finish (for easy locating)
__x__Corrosion resistant or hard-anodized finish
____Hybrid light (bright incandescent combined with long running LEDs)
____Built-in second (or spare) lamp or filament
__x__Belt/Jacket clip
____Holster
____Wrist/Neck Lanyard
____Kobuton/self defense features
____Non-sparking Intrinsically Safe (IS) for use in explosive environments
As of now I have a few lights that I have sparked Interest in and i know they are all over the board as far as price/features ect. I was wondering what your opinions are of these lights and if there is a better light based on my answers.
Here is the list of lights im Interested in:
1.) Surefire E2D LED Defender
2.) Surefire LX2 Lumamax
3.) Surefire 6P LED
4.) Olight M21 warrior
5.) Quark 123² Tactical R5
6.) Fenix LD20
Right now from those on my list im really digging the Surefire E2D LED Defender. How is that for an EDC light?
I really appreciate you reading and look forward to your recomendations
, surefire makes a great durable product that has withstood alot of abuse from me but since i bought my fenix honestly the surefires stay home the fenix is smaller for pocket carry, brighter, has more modes for more situations, and is alot cheaper! if i were to buy another light id go straight for another fenix the only bad thing is they r made overseas n surefire is us made
