Flashlight reccomendations?

[Blerv]

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.

I'm don't have experience with that cell but wouldn't worry much.

* Your light has a step-down from 500 lumens to 280 lumens after 1 minute. Even a marginal cell (but not damaged) should be able to higher current for that amount of time.

* Single cell applications account for a very low amount of thermal runaway. Usually the problem comes from "cell-balancing" due to drastically unmatched voltage.

* Batteries being charged in safe areas and watched are low-risk. Many of the problems come from slapping two batteries on a cheap charger and walking away.

AW used to ship to Canada and might still do, so if you are concerned that might be a upgrade down the road ($10-15 is probably worth peace of mind). If you plan to buy another light, like one that uses a 18650 I would probably combine shipping. I'm sure you will find a use for one of those down the road. :)


Edit:

If you can't get them from AW directly or from someplace like Lighthound I tracked down this place in Toronto.

[NorthernPanda]

Re-reading my post I think I need to clarify it. I could not find li-ion cells in Canada at a decent price. The charger and cells I bought from Hong Kong are less than 1/2 the price of j2ledflashlight. Assuming they are not fakes it is a smokin' good deal from my point of view. The cells are supposed to be sanyo ur14500p which are currently the top of the heap from my research. If they are fakes I'll check out AW as he does still ship to Canada. Thanks for the advice!

[Studey]

AW is where it's at for rechargeables. Rechargeables aren't really something you want to gamble on.

[Buendia518]

It would be for EDC and backpacking/camping purposes.

If backpacking is something you're interested in a headlamp is invaluable and I like the Zebralight H51w or H51. I prefer the "neutral" light H51w over the "cool" tinted H51 due to more vivid undistorted color.
I always keep the headband attached but it's a slick looking light without it.

[Invective]

I recently placed an order at BHQ and decided to pick up an e-Gear Pico since it was only $6 and I figured why not. Can anyone tell me anything about these?

[RanCoWeAla]

The Streamlight Stinger is a good rugged flashlight.

[KNaB]

AW is where it's at for rechargeables. Rechargeables aren't really something you want to gamble on.

Yessir. I bought 6 AW 3400mah. 18650's.

[Donut]

I think you should definitely get a Polarion PH50 regardless of your requirements. :)

[KNaB]

If backpacking is something you're interested in a headlamp is invaluable and I like the Zebralight H51w or H51. I prefer the "neutral" light H51w over the "cool" tinted H51 due to more vivid undistorted color.
I always keep the headband attached but it's a slick looking light without it.

I use a headlamp every day/night at work for long periods of time and have been impressed with my Spark SD6-500. Its 500 lumens rating on high is as bright or comparable to the surefire maximus. It uses 18650's and also comes with a little clip that snaps onto the body so you can clip it to something for use as a normal flashlight. I own the surefire maximus, minimus, and minimus AA and must say that , unfortunately, surefire's weakness in the headlamp arena is lack of options for powering their lamps. The maximus is a great lamp if you don't mind the heft, but it is ONLY rechargeable with a cell that is not serviceable, so once it dies, it has to be recharged before it can be used again. The minimus uses and works the best with cr123 primary cells which can get costly. Because of that, I tried the minimus AA. Unless you are using lithium Ion AA's, it drains the cells way too fast. Again, expensive. At the very least, I wish surefire would give alternate options for powering their lamps, similar to their UNR commander which has a proprietary rechargeable cell, but comes with a sleeve in which to place two cr123 primary cells should the rechargeable cell die during use.
I like that the spark uses 18650's. I bought an aftermarket body for my surefire fury that enables it to be run by one 18650 as well. It's nice to be able to power several different lamps/torches without having to carry around several different kinds of cells.

[3rdGenRigger]

I have an ATAC PLx for small stuff in the house, and a big LED maglite under the seat of my truck.

[NorthernPanda]

I think you should definitely get a Polarion PH50 regardless of your requirements. :)

Ya, that one is next on my list of lights to get ... so affordable after all. :rolleyes: