What flashlight should I keep at my bedside?

HikingMano

HikingMano

Joined
Sep 2, 2008
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What do you guys keep by your bed in case the power goes out or something goes bump in the night? I have a maglite, but I'm wondering if I can do better. I don't want to drop a ton of money on it, since it'll only sit by my bed most of the time. My main requirement is that it be easy to grasp and turn on when i'm fumbling for it and half-awake. Anything else is secondary (extreme brightness, weight, etc.)

Thanks in advance!
 
I like the new breed of small tactical lights.

Nitecore D10
Fenix P2D Q5
etc...

These are small, bright, tough, and easy to operate. They'll set you back $50-60 though. In the world of flashlights, when you stack up against $200 streamlights and whatnot, $50's not bad, but it's still a lot more than a $10 mag lite.

My pick would be the Nitecore. The piston technology means you go from dim as can be (like 3 lumens) to full blast (130 lumens) all with thumb taps on the back end. It doesn't get much easier than that. Even the Fenix requires twisting the bezel to switch modes and whatnot. Not the Nitecore. Tap tap, it's 3 lumans. Tap tap&hold, it's 130 lumans. Tap&hold, and you brighten or dim to get any level inbetween.

This makes it double good for bedside. When you want to wake up and look at something, or stumble out to the kitchen, you don't want a flood beacon. When you have an intruder, or the power goes out, you do. The Nitecore will do both. I haven't seen another light with as nice a range of brightness. Most of the really bright tactical lights bottom out around 12ish lumens. The Nitecore goes down to 3. That's booklight bright. Perfect.
 
i actually prefer something simple. a bedside light is an emergency light, ie, power outage, burglar, etc.

i would recommend a surefire g2 led. about 50 iirc, and has a tailcap switch, so no fumbling for the button. it is plenty bright and as simple to use as it gets.

batteries are pricier, but the surefire 123's have a ten year shelf life.
 
I think simple is better too. I keep a Surefire c3.

I gave out g2 incans as a christmas present one year, i think they rock because of the lithium shelf life.

Be warned bedside lights arent general task lights, they only have approx 60 minute runtime.
 
thanks guys, good suggestions, will investigate each:thumbup: keep em coming! :thumbup:

update edit: I am liking the G2 LED the best so far; it looks functionally simple yet very effective, and I don't mind the 123 batteries. Thanks Morimotom and Sirahren:thumbup:
Noshtero, that Nitecore D10 does look good for EDC though, especially with the range of 3 to 130 lumens and AA battery. I don't think i need the variable illumination for my bedside light though; I have those little glowing plug-in panels in the bathroom and kitchen for late night trips :) I'll probably end up getting it down the line for EDC though. :thumbup:
TKC, the Pelican 7060 looks very good as well (LEO issue seems like a big plus), but it might be a little expensive for me right now.
I guess I should have given a range earlier, let's say I prefer up to $50-$75 max for this.
 
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I just got an Inova X5 in a trade, and it is pretty neat, bright, and simple to use. I think you can find these at Target for about $30 bucks.
 
The X5 Foilest mentions and the G2 both work well for this purpose. The X5 in particular is rated at 20 hours battery life, so I don't feel bad using it when I just need to find something in the dark as opposed to saving the batteries for emergency use only.

The Fenix P2D is nice but I'd rather EDC that since it's small and keep something large and easy to find in the dark by my bed.
 
I keep a Maglite that I put an LED bulb in as my house light, but keep a Surefire G3 on my bedstand. I've got a G2 in my truck, and an Outdoorsman in my Jumbo pack.
 
I have upgraded to surefires, but I still have a 4D cell Maglite under the bed within reach in case I have to go "johnny Bench" on somebody if caught by surprise in my sleep.
 
Surefire P6 with Cree multi level LED replacement bulb and always around my neck, an Arc AAA.
 
I don't mean to be rude but Mag Lights suck. They are big and clunky and DIM.. Once you step up and buy a higher end light, you will probably put the Mag in the drawer and forget about it. Even though you don't think you will use the light much, it really is worth spendin a little more and upgrading.. I only use SureFires but you can buy an excellent light for less money. Fenix offers some well made lights that are plenty bright for what you want to use it for and most models are reasonably priced.

My nightstand light is a SureFire 6P with clicky tailcap, lanyard, and a 230 lumen L.E.D drop in.

Simple, durable and bright as hell...
 
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My bedroom mag light holds the window open...that is about all it is good for now a days.

I would recommend the G2L as well. It is a great little light with the high shelf life of the CR123's. I personally keep one in my car, as I have a Streamlight PolyStinger in a charger in the bedroom. But I would not hesitate to move the G2L in the bedroom.

Billyp
 
Another + for Surefire G2 LED. I bought a yellow one a few months ago and it sits on my nightstand, goes camping, backpacking, hiking, etc. I haven't replaced the batteries yet after nearly 3 months. I replaced a Streamlight Nightfighter, because I got tired of replaceing the batteries all the time with the xenon bulb.
 
yeah, i've had my eye on a surefire 6P for a while now. And I like the lower price of the inova X5.

so far, looks like it's coming down to surefire 2G LED, surefire 6P, or Inova X5. Thanks again guys for all the responses.
 
338375 said:
I don't mean to be rude but Mag Lights suck. They are big and clunky and DIM.. Once you step up and buy a higher end light, you will probably put the Mag in the drawer and forget about it. Even though you don't think you will use the light much, it really is worth spendin a little more and upgrading..
Click to expand...

I agree completely, i only recently learned that there are better flashlights out there:o. I'm definitely ready to step up and upgrade to something better:thumbup:
 
rksoon said:
yeah, i've had my eye on a surefire 6P for a while now. And I like the lower price of the inova X5.

so far, looks like it's coming down to surefire 2G LED, surefire 6P, or Inova X5. Thanks again guys for all the responses.
Click to expand...

the 6p and g2 are essentially the same light with only a different housing material. and of course the 6p costs more.
 
gotcha, i'll do more thorough research tomorrow and compare specs before pulling the trigger on one. It looks like the G2 is a winner though.
 
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