Show Me The LIGHT!!

B

Bali_Nut

Joined
Jun 16, 2004
Messages
253
Well, I have been through 2 hurricanes in under a month, and have been without electric and water more this month than I care to admit. I have been managing pretty well with the bare necessities, but one thing is really getting to me.

Do you know how dark it get then there is not a single light on in 50 square miles of you? ITS DARK!. Its so dark, that at night, you can NOT see your own hand in front of your face. Its like being in a cave. I have a couple hurricane lamps, and some maglights, but they 'just don't cut it' so to say. I thought spending more than a $20 for a flash light was totaly crazy, but since i have been in the dark, I WANT LIGHT!

So to get to the point, I am looking for some opinions on some good flashlights. I have searched, but found little usefull. I do have a few requirements though:

1. No rechargeables (if i had electric, i would not even need a flash light, would I?)
2. Needs to have long battery life
3. Gotta have the power ( lumes, that is)
4. Needs to be watertight to water resistant( I can't be up on my roof @2AM with 50mph winds, pouring rain, trying to nail shingles on my roof and the flashlight craps out on me [already been through that])
5. Size (smaller is better, but size does not matter at all, as long as it meets the above requirments.)
6. Cost ( last on the list for a reason )

Any reccomendations would be greatly appreciated.
 
A Streamlight Twin Task 3C is JUST what you are looking for.
 
I'd say a nice D cell maglight... I have a 2D in my car, think I'll find either a 4 or 6D when i have spare change laying around again, better for my walks.
 
Princeton tech Aurora is my favourite light. It's small, fairly robust, a head light so allowing you to work with hands free (an important consideration in any emergency work IMHO), water tight and very long battery life.

The only downside is that the beam doesn't throw very far, probably only 10-15 yards, perhaps a little more if it is really dark and your eyes are adjusted. There is pleny of light for working but it's a but limited for 'spotting'.

I have used mine daily for more than a year now with no problems. I had one issue (self inflicted) that PT took care of very promptly - so I'd say their back up service is excellent.
 
Bali_Nut said:
Do you know how dark it get then there is not a single light on in 50 square miles of you? ITS DARK!. Its so dark, that at night, you can NOT see your own hand in front of your face. Its like being in a cave. I have a couple hurricane lamps, and some maglights, but they 'just don't cut it' so to say. I thought spending more than a $20 for a flash light was totaly crazy, but since i have been in the dark, I WANT LIGHT!
Click to expand...
I live out in the bush where it's always dark at night, I prefer it that way. I do however like having electric light when I need it, and I also need it to get water. We have regular blackouts out my way so I bought myself a 6KVA generator. This thing can not only power my pumps but also lights.

If you're in a place where storms and blackouts are frequent you might want to seriously consider a generator.
 
You need to start with LED lights for long battery life and you need reasonably available batteries.

Start with the PALight. It takes a 9 volt battery and lasts and lasts, especially in "always on" mode which provides a soft locater glow. You can then shift to low and then high and then blink mode. It is only slightly larger than the 9 volt battery itself. Get them with the bail on the bottom and the neck cord. Get one for each family member. May be as low as $15 but don't pay over $20.

I like the Inova X1. I have two of them on the way to me now since my daughter got my first X1. Compact, all but indestructible, bright, tightly focussed beam, AA battery.

I frequently carry lithium 123 lights. The batteries are expensive but they last a long time in LED lights and provide a lot of power for a brighter light. The Inova XO is the big brother to the X1. Slightly larger and much brighter. I actually carry an X5T so wait till someone else chimes in to approve the XO.

Remember though that if you are in total darkness, even a relatively weak LED light will light up a lot more than you might expect under normal conditions. This is why I don't recommend Surefires or similar lights for emergency backup. They burn through lithium batteries in an hour and the bulbs burn out quickly, too.

The big Maglights make great impact weapons, but you can put a PALight, an X1, and an XO or X5T in a shirt pocket all together, with room for a couple of ballpoint pens.
 
I live an area near Los Angeles where it always gets extremely windy during the winter. Which means trees get blown down, knocking out power lines, which means no electricity.

I bought a Lightwave 4000 flashlight for these emergencies. It has 10 LEDS, runs off 3 D cell batteries. Here is what makes this light special. After being left on FOR A MONTH, you can still use the light to read the newspaper from 6 ft. away!

Now this light is big - over 10" long. And it's heavy - at over 24 oz. I use the landyard all the time. But, its rugged (armored in rubber). And, although its not a dive light, I wouldn't hesitate to use it in a rainstorm. 10 leds should be bright enough for any reasonable task I can think of, short of blinding looters in a hurricane.

You can check it out here:http://www.brightguy.com/lightwave-4000.html

At $54 dollars, this light isn't cheap. But, operating it should be really inexpensive. The leds should last a lifetime unless you decide to use the flashlight to illuminate your t.v. room. And the battery cost should be lower than any other flashlight I can think of (other than solar lights, shake lights, Freeplay wind up lights, etc.).

Let us know what you decide on.

Bruise
 
I use the Pre-LED version for HAZMAT situations and SCUBA diving. One heck of a light.

I've been swimming with my Inova X5T and it seems to meet all of your expectations except for possibly lumens, and I don't know how bright you want to be. Remember that in general, the brighter the light the less it'll stay that way on batteries. .
 
on the roof @ 2AM in the hurricane nailing shingles? you don't want a flashlight. you want a headlamp! namely, the Princeton Tec Yukon HL, which is available @ the website Bruise and Komondor have already provided the link to.

- it runs on 3 AA batteries
- runs on either a 1watt luxeon main lamp or 3 small LED's for less light, so there are no bulbs to ever blow or replace
- it's one of the most water resistant headlamps available
- the main lamp will run for 25+ hours on one set of batteries and the 3 small LED's will run for 120+ hours on one set of batteries
- Princeton Tec Yukon HL review by CPF member "Quickbeam"

there are other options, such as the Petzl Myo 5 (review by Quickbeam), that will provide you with a brighter main lamp (@ the expense of less runtime) and 3 levels of brightness from 5 LED's. it's a nice headlamp with a brighter main lamp and more brightness levels from the LED's, not to mention a few other pluses, BUT, it costs close to $80 vs. the Yukon HL's slightly over $50 pricetag.
 
Petzl LED headlamps!

Pelican LED flashlights.

Those are absolutely what you need in Florida. My sister still doesn't have power!
 
You really need a head lamp. Princeton tech and Petzel are both good choices. The Inova 24/7 looks good, but I have no first hand experience with it.
The Inova X5 is a great light for in the house. Good burn time and more than enough light for every day tasks.

Paul
 
Yep, a headlamp is best if you need your hands...

Petzl's aren't always waterproof though... Princeton Tec's headlamps are usually fully waterproof, so I'd go with that.

Of couse, you should always have a small 1watt Luxeon driven by a single 123 battery in your pocket for emergencies ;) I carry a Longbow Micra for that. My headlamp is a princeton tec Vortec. I don't recommend it though... Too heavy and the beam is too narrow. Go with the newer Luxeon models.

Guy
 
I would 2nd the Pal light. Constant on for 2 years, strobe function, low level and high. Small enough to strap to your arm or head. Great little light. Takes a 9V battery.

I would also recommend an Eternalight. 4 LED's, a multitude of functions, but what I just used recently was 1 LED, all night long, as a night light. I think my paperwork says it will run 2700 hours on 1 LED. Takes 3 AA batteries, if I put lithium AA's in it, it will float, and has a 10 year shelf life.

I would also recommend an Arc AA, Gerber/CMG Ultra or an Inova X1. Something that uses an AA battery. They are easy to find batteries, and my old AA's that won't light up my mini-Mag, will still light up my ARC AA, CMG Ultra, and my Inova X1. :)
If you want superbright light, you have short runtime(usually). You want long runtime, you sacrifice brightness(usually). So you need more then one light. I would also recommend something pocket sized and superbright.
I have a Streamlight Scorpion(1 hour runtime- 50-60 lumens), and a Surefire Z2 with the high output lamp assy(20min runtime- 100-120 lumens).


Once you start buying lights it doesn't stop. :) Just like buying knives. :) Always looking for that 1 light that will do it all(Surefire U2 maybe?? :) )

Whatever lights you buy, don't forget the batteries. www.batterystation.com



Blades
 
So many options......lots of great ones so far.

I think the Streamlight Twintasks would be an excellent choice. They have a fantastic high beam/low beam effect and very good runtime. The only drawback are the batteries but yopu cvan get them at sdeveral places for $1.25 each. Very well worth it.

I like the PrincetonTech headlamps, great products that you cannot go wrong on with easy to find AA batteries.

There are some great Maglite LED conversion kits out there that will take a wimpy AA or other Maglite and turn it into a light cannon. Check out Candlepowerforums.com for more info.

One other company worth looking at is Nightcutter. Their Sport light is still a favorite of mine. Comparable to the Inova lights in output but a bit more affordable. Great runtimes in a small package.
 
Thanks for the great information. I'll have to try not to get carried away with flashlights now...
 
I 2nd the lightwave 4000, it's pretty school style, but the battery life is amazing. It's not the brightest but plenty bright for round the house stuff. I have two and I have used them a fair amount both camping and when the power goes out.

Edit to say the Lightwave 3000 is on sale at glowbug:
http://www.glowbug.com/product.php?sku=59

Also it's always good to have a small personal light that you never lone out and always have with you.

And thirdly there are alot bright lights, it mostly depends on what kind of batteries are acceptable to you and how much you want to spend.
 
Princeton Tec IMPACT XL - 1W Luxeon LED, 4AA.

My new favorite GP light, this thing is BRIGHT and runs FOREVER. It's a scuba light, so it's o-ring waterproof and LED shockproof. $30, and worth twice that much. I use rechargeables in it, but I get about 15 hours of quality bright light before any noticeable dropoff.

I have a slew of other LED lights, SL Propolymer 4AA, Inova X5T, SL TT3c & 2L, Coast V2-6 - the Impact has become my go to light for just about everything you need a general use light for.

The SL TT2L is a close runner up, and does pretty much all that you'd expect from an SF Aviator, but it's not as bright as the Impact in LED and the incan run time is so so.

The Impact XL is a bit large for EDC, but did I mention, it runs FOREVER on the 4AA's. Back it up with an Incan EDC like an SF G2 or E2e, and a good LED headlamp (Petzl Tikka or similar) and you'll be set.
 
Thanks a bunch for all the advice. So many to choose from. Well I went ahead and bought the following:

1.) Palight Survival Black case, white light
2.) Infinity Ultra by Gerber
3.) Lightwave 3000

I am most impressed with the Lightwave 3000. It puts out an insane amount of light for the price, and size. The Infinity is also a bright lite for just 1 LED and 1 AA battery, and the Palight ranks high on the coolness scale, and for function. I have never owned a LED light, but now that I own 3 of them, I have been converted. Thanks again for the help.
 
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