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Flashlight preferences?


MickinMD

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Is there a particular flashlight or lantern you really like and fits your needs?  I found one, not a tac lite but powerful enough and really convenient that goes by the brand name "Dorcy" which sells flashlights and lanterns at Walmart, Amazon, etc.

I when the battery finally died after a decade, I threw out my bulb lantern with a 6V battery today and bought a second 7" LED flashlight, the same as the one I got to keep in my car, to use around the house.

The various flashlights' light power is measured in "lumens." A chart after the text shows what flashlights.com says about how many lumens are generally needed for various tasks.  Pics of those I mention appear afterward.

A couple years ago, I bought a "Dorcy" 7" long 4-LED flashlight, 55 lumens, 3 AA batteries, and a claim of "8 hours 45 minutes" of run time.  It's at least as bright as my old lantern was with a fresh battery and only $7.48 ($7.93 with state tax for me) including batteries on Amazon.  I keep it in my car but like it so much I bought a 2nd one for my house. It has a carabiner clip on the back end so I can hang it on a belt loop while working. It really lights up dark places in my house, yard, or car I need to see.  Amazon picture below.

Then I wondered if I'd be better off with the adjustable 5-position-zoom, tactical military flashlights "as seen on TV."  They claim 1000 lumens which should be blinding. They run on three AAA batteries (smaller than the 3 AA's in Dorcy above that I bought) yet claim 6 hours of run time. There are several brands that are basically the same on Amazon, and one shows the light end gets hot (tac light pics below).  So I decided to pass since I'm happy with the brightness from the Dorcy flashlight I have which has almost 50% more run time and I don't want a hot flashlight.

Finally, I wondered about LED lanterns.  There's an "Eveready Floating Lantern" that's only $6.99 on Amazon (the same model may be $4.99 at Target) with 80 lumens and it comes with two heavy duty D batteries for 70 hours of run time and can hold 4 D batteries for double the time.  Even though it lights a larger area and is cheaper than the Dorcy flashlight I have, I don't need a larger lit area and it's not as convenient to use as the 7" flashlight with the carabiner clip.  So I passed.

Here is flashlightfinder.com's recommendations on how many lumens you need in a flashlight:

952532264_flashlight.comlumenschart.JPG.9ccd739403be621c2599dff6ece68a51.JPG

Here's the flashlight I got (Neon Green was fine with me  because it's easier to find than darker colors if you put it down in the dark):

349841116_Dorcy44-LEDFlashlight55lumen3AA8.45hrs.thumb.JPG.d1c490f67b016c851a800a3b03c6d1c0.JPG

Here are the tac lites I passed on because of the hot front end:

1037918655_Hottacticalfront.jpg.1e68ae8dc2bc8ba49b13cf079f439df6.jpg 189905107_SimilarTacLites.JPG.bce35a0518c10ae5c1530e3cf94cbb3c.JPG

996551336_BeikeLEDTacticalFlashlight1000lumens3AAA6hrsHOTFRONT.thumb.JPG.6dcb6a4ed29c8caf1f1aaaccdf98a701.JPG

Here's the Eveready LED Lantern.  If I find a need for a wider beam, this might be my choice:

1986483601_EvereadyLEDLantern80liumen2D400hrs.thumb.JPG.3c4c79dce789ec561d19e12a9861393d.JPG

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My wife still tells me after 38 years together I'm still too much of an engineer.  (mechanical engineering way back in 1977)  :)

I like Maglite LED flashlights.   The 3 D cell size produces a lot of light lumens.    However, my cell phone is used way more often, it's always with me and it weighs a lot less.

When the end of the world comes and there are no batteries (or the virus stops production in China), I have a small LED rechargeable flashlight power by a hand crank generator.

 

 

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I/my guys have used a lot of small tactical lights over the years. Most are fine and so inexpensive things like spare bulbs are a non issue these days. We just buy new ones when they go out.  Streamlight is one of the better tactical lights, Maglight has been around for decades and I still have a couple of 3 cells around the house.

I have a small Streamlight Tactical light I keep in my war bag that is super bright and the battery lasts a long time but it is an expensive battery.  But I didn’t pay for it with my own money so not sure if I’d recommend it over what you have... My contract staff just carry their own small lights and I keep extra batteries for them.

So with 2 mag lights, a streamlight tactical and several others in our office which do I use the most? My phone!

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We've had several Maglights over the years, and still have some around.  However, the Nebo tactical light fits our needs best. The bright light is helpful when looking for lambs at a distance or when it is snowing or foggy.  I also like the fact they operate on AA rather C or D batteries. I am careful as to the type of batteries I use, as it is a bit disconcerting to have the light stop working at-10F or colder. I've never used the light in the phone, but I normally wear a headlight when looking for lambs, as I can use it and have both hands free for carrying lambs. We normally do this to get the ewe to follow the lamb to the barn.

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I have several different battery powered light sources, for various functions.  I have 2 different "tactical" style flashlights, one much brighter than the other, for different purposes.  I also have LED work lights, an AA MagLight, and some LED emergency lights for power outages.

 

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I use something similar to the Nebo Big Larry shown in this sketch.  Mine are unbranded but essentially the same.  It's useful to go 125 feet to the mail box and the end of the driveway at night and the side light can light a significant part of the room during power outages.  Most importantly it has a very powerful magnetic base which sticks like glue to the metal end tables we have in the living room so it can be stashed under the table and easily found when the power goes out.

317G0REnI%2BL._AC_.jpg

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9 minutes ago, Mr. Silly said:

Won thing I learned from the North East blackout of 2003 is that stores sell out of D batteries in times of crisis.  My goto flashlights and lanterns all take 'AA'.

I maintain a stock of AAA batteries. The number of things around the house that use them is unknowable.

7 minutes ago, Longjohn said:

2310B416-7272-4A3A-8D91-9B549F10B8B0.thumb.jpeg.7b03476a45f0510ceab4316d4ca22b35.jpeg

I also have a small supply of candles and a candle holder made for tent campers. Looks something like this.

81+cJ-lB03L._SL1500_.jpg

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10 hours ago, sheep_herder said:

We've had several Maglights over the years, and still have some around.  However, the Nebo tactical light fits our needs best. The bright light is helpful when looking for lambs at a distance or when it is snowing or foggy.  I also like the fact they operate on AA rather C or D batteries. I am careful as to the type of batteries I use, as it is a bit disconcerting to have the light stop working at-10F or colder. I've never used the light in the phone, but I normally wear a headlight when looking for lambs, as I can use it and have both hands free for carrying lambs. We normally do this to get the ewe to follow the lamb to the barn.

I switched my old Maglights to LED bulbs.  Definitely brightened them up some and there is something about carrying around a Maglight loaded up with D cell batteries, a light and weapon in one.

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All I carry anymore is a headlamp.  Can be hand held if wanted and you can lay it on the ground and focus it where you need light.  I strap mine to a full Nalgene waterbottle and turn the light where it is facing the bottle to make an impromptu lantern with a soft glow at camp or in my tent.

I carry a BlackDiamond Spot.  It has red and white light and has a beam and a flood pattern on white

Image result for nalgene lantern

Image result for black diamond spot

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I also have a small LED light with a magnet on the back end, less than two inches long and 3 or 4 inches in diameter that I keep in my car in case I need to look under the hood at night and I can stick it on the inside of the hood.  I saw it in a Harbor Freight store where it was on sale for something like $1.99 including batteries.

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