Flashlight reccomendations?

[knolan]

I'll blame you. I keep going for the tail end to change things... That habit will need some work. What other magnetic control ring lights do you think are worth a look?

Well...my interest in flashlights begins and ends with small single cell AA/14500, CR123/16340/18350 lights and on occasion if run time is a factor the smallest 18650 lights...so larger than that you'd have to ask someone else. But in that genre of lights, I'd have to say my favorites are the Jetbeam RRT-01 & Niteye EYE 10 (same lights with superficial diffs...mag ring is the only control) and the Sunwayman V11R (has mag ring AND a forward clicky so you can pre-set output prior to activation).

There are many others and new ones being introduced all the time but these are generally considered the "go to" single cell small EDC IV lights currently avail. The Jetbeam RRT-01 is being updated as we speak to the new CREE XM-L2 emitter and has just started to show up at a few select dealers (*Noticed it on Amazon in a pkg deal yesterday). This would be my pick if I could only have one mag ring light (in fact I'm trying to snag one right now)...published max lumen rating is 600 (prob very conservative) with a 16340 Li-ion and the light can also use 18350 IMR's and CR123 primaries. It's already a well designed light with the older XM-L and has seen recent tweaks to address a couple a shortcomings with the addition of a more refined clip and OP reflector and now with this new emitter IMO this is a fantastic light and the gold standard for a small mag ring type light.

The only caveat I would offer if you're new to this type of light, there is a slight parasitic drain inherent in the design, typically 50uA...no biggie really, but they're not as efficient as a clicky switch and even using them at low levels, the battery drain is similar to using it on max. That said, in everyday use it's not a huge diff and I've often felt most detractors usually overstated their inefficiency claim. Good luck!

**My apologies to all...I'm new here and it wasn't my intent to hijack this thread...I'll try to do better in the future.

[Monocrom]

For something very small and compact ... Fenix LD01.

I have an older L0D rebel 80 version. (Same light as LD01 but with strobe and S.O.S. modes.)

That little Fenix one made a stressful situation a lot less so when a much more expensive, sophisticated, and highly praised, flashlight let me completely down.

[luck]

I carry Armytek Predator Pro almost every day.

This flashlight is one of those extra things that I keep in my bag. I can choose any mode I need: for home, walking, my car. It's multifunctional light.

[jeru]

What I really like about the 4sevens (non-tactical) QUARK PRO series, is that the switch is protected/does not stick out. Most flashlight brands are running 'tactical' or partially 'open' switches, for easy access. But in my experience the rubber of the switch wears ten times, if not a hundred times quicker, when not protected. The QUARK PRO series from 4seven seem one of the few flashlights that does not come with a tactical (partially) 'naked' switch. (Please mind I'm not a native English speaker.) Further I love that a 4sevens flashlight always start at the lowest mode when you put it on.

[Divo]

You better look on forums dedicated to flashlights. Plenty reviews and info on forums like http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/forum.php



Here are some recommendations in pics, although most of these are for CR123, some of them are also available in an AA variant and a few in CR2


Source for these pics is candlepowerforums

[Monocrom]

A surprising number of us have dual accounts on here and on CPF. :)

[Blerv]

A surprising number of us have dual accounts on here and on CPF. :)

A yup :)

That and picking a light from a trusted manufacturer isn't tough. There are a number of them that service nearly every need. The nuances are there but not of concern to someone simply looking for a quality product.

[noseoil]

Olight S10 Baton is a great, small, single cell (CR123a) pocket size LED. It has a clip for your hat if needed. Nice & compact, plenty bright, 4 power settings. 2 3/4" long & 15/16" diameter. Has a magnet on the base so it can stand or "clamp" on your car. I like mine. About $38 from the river in south america.

[JD Spydo]

When it comes to flashlights I'm sort of old fashioned in a way. I tend to dance with the one that brung me to the world of high tech flashlights. My Surefire 9an Commander was my very first upper tier flashlight>> and I still own it and use it by the way..

I'm currently using the newest edition of the E2D defender model and love it dearly. I know it's got a lofty price tag but it is very dependable and I love it immensely. I know that there have been a flood of good new flashlight companies hit the scene here in the past 10 years or so.

But for now I'll stick to SUREFIRE>> they are made right here in the good ol' USA and the company has customer service almost equal to that of Spyderco's. The Spyder bit me and I saw the light :eek: !!!!! (Surefire that is :D )

[d.2.the.p]

For 1xCR123a lights, I'm a big fan of the EagleTac D25C Clicky. I often carry the Ti version with a neutral white XM-L2 emitter. I highly recommend either this or it's aluminum counterpart.
Another great light I carry a lot is Oveready's Peak Logan with 4000k neutral white XP-G2 emitter. Peak's UI is awesome, and this Oveready edition's tint is one of the nicest NW's I've ever seen.
I also like the Olight S10 Baton Ti with a neutral white XM-L emitter. I really dig the Olight's UI too, but the tint is a little on the green side due to the AR coating on the lens.

For AA lights, I have and like the EagleTac D25A, again with a NW XM-L2. I've heard mostly positive things about the Zebralight SC52 or SC52w. If I was looking for a new AA light, I'd probably pick up the Zebralight.

For AAA lights, I personally carry a Foursevens Preon Revo SS with NW XP-G, but these are discontinued and hard to find. Klarus' MiX6 or Mi10 are decent substitutes because they supposedly run on the same circuit as the Revo. I guess Klarus used to produce these lights for Foursevens.

[Bladekeeper]

I carry Armytek Predator Pro almost every day.

This flashlight is one of those extra things that I keep in my bag. I can choose any mode I need: for home, walking, my car. It's multifunctional light.

Love the armytek with the gold rim class looking flashlight but I only have a few , can't start collecting more toys I have a niteize headlamp and dome tent light .
A Fenix Ld22 which is great value and solid for AA will probably pick up a Zebra light product , I like sure fire but until I've hit up a ton more spyderco knives I can't justify the £ , although there was a pic posted here of ladybugs with matching AAA lights in colour looked great.
That I will have to do at some stage it look great the purple Fenix with the purple VG10 ladybug looked great for the wife too.
I have some old mag lights but they have not kept up as far as others have which is a shame .

[VeloWeave]

From what has been suggested so far I like the zebralight and the O-Light s-10 baton. But if you want to go a bit more on the slim side of things with a AAA battery I'd recommend highly the Peak Eiger AAA Long Body QTC w/ Momentary switch and and a Nichia 219 small optic and a DarkSucks Prometheus Pocket Clip. It's the light in my avatar below next to the Southard. I know the OP said he don't like twisty's but that is where the Momentary switch comes in. I find that I rarely use the twisty feature as the Momentary button is more than adequate for most all tasks. It runs almost any variety of aaa battery chemistry (alkalines, NiMH aka eneloops, Lithiums, and Li-Ions). If you go with Li-Ions like I do (just make sure you read up on the dangers associated with Li-Ions) you can get a whole lot of lumens out of such a small package (around 200 with the beautiful tint of the Nichia 219 emitter). With standard batteries you can get around 70 lumens.

This is by far the most useful little EDC light I have ever used and will be with me for a long time. Once you get it all setup, you'll have to source the Li-Ion batteries and the clip separately, it's really hard to beat this little light. I'm guessing around $100 investment.

[Evil D]

I don't know much about lights still to this day, but the light that Blerv was kind enough to gift to me has been awesome. It's a Nitecore Extreme Infinity. The only thing I would like more about it is if it were thinner/smaller in diameter somehow but with the same output (so it carries easier clipped in your pocket). Other than that it's a great little light that is light years ahead of any flashlight I've ever owned (pun intended).

[Blerv]

A light of any sort is way better than not having one. As my brother once said, almost anything can become an improvised cutting or prying tool but a flashlight is hard to replace. :)

[tk59194]

love my surefire

[Echo63]

I have a bunch of flashlights, from cheap Fauxtons, up to a Maxabeam

I EDC a reasonably priced Sunwayman V10R Titanium, and my wife has the Aluminium version.

My all the time, around my neck backup light is a TI Muyshondt Aeon, which is a very well built little CR2 powered lights.
It's expensive, but I feel it's worth every penny.

There's plenty of good lights out there, joining CPF would be a good start, they have a "reccomend me a light" section, where you tell them what you want to use the light for, how bright you want it, battery type etc, and the experts make reccomendations.


Here's a few pics of mine.
My EDC lights
Top - Surefire Minimus Vision headlamp
L-R Muyshondt Aeon, RA Twisty TW100 and Sunwayman V10R TI
Bottom, Surefire 9P, bored and reanodised by Oveready, with AW 18500 cells and Moddoo 1000 lumen dropin


The V10R on my belt in Kydex


A bunch of Surefire (M6, M4, M3, 6P and A2)


The Maxabeam reaching out 1000m across the river (a mile is 1600m for you Americans, so just over half a mile)


And the Maxabeam (ignore the tape on the battery box, it's just holding it together while the glue sets, the box was cut open and had a new pack installed)

[Jazz]

Fenix LD01

I always carry it. It has a clip and I also attach a small knife (Manbug or Jester) to it. LD01 has 3 brightnesses and that's all it does. Twist head easily used one handed. I can easily walk my dog with the medium setting. This is a single AAA battery light. The single AA battery lights I've tried don't get much brighter, but I think they last longer. I use rechargable batteries and don't need the light for long periods of time. This light is PERFECT for me. I've tried others and keep finding out the new light just isn't any better (for me) so I end up carrying the Fenix LD01 anyway. I won't buy any more EDC lights. The next light I get will be a BIGGER one. Actually, if I really needed one I'd already have one so I may never get one.

Thanks to you, I have 2 of these - one in my work pants and one on my keys. Love them. I also use a Preon at work a lot.

[NorthernPanda]

I got a zebralight SC52w a couple of weeks ago and I love it. Hopefully the li-ion batteries I order and the charger show up soon. Still it does a heck of a good job on AA eneloops. Very easy to figure out the UI and small for EDC. I love this thing and would recomend it in a heartbeat. Having said that the last time I got a flashlight was perhaps 10 years ago so I'm not well versed it all the models.

[Blerv]

You did very well for catching up on things :D .

[NorthernPanda]

You did very well for catching up on things :D .

Thanks Blake. Hopefully I don't blow up my flashlight with the li-ion cells. I tried to research things and have ordered a xtar vp1 and 2 up14500p based cells, http://www.fasttech.com/products/0/1000 ... ble-li-ion. The cells are what worry me (might be fakes), it is hard to find decent li-ion cells in Canada (or at least it is for me). There are restrictions on flying them from the USA to Canuck land.