Three years ago I bought a 10-LED spotlight/flashlight from Essential Gear that with a click can be brought down a notch to 7 -LEDs. On high, the 10 white LEDS are super bright and they are housed in a waterproof adjustable head with a rubberized base so I can set it down and aim it wherever needed even in rain. Even though they are white LEDs, things tend to have a bluish tint when lit with it.

Here's their site.

[www.essentialgear.com]

Sora57

@YamIinLawSchool: mmmmmm...loganberry

mildretard

They need to review it with a maglite that has the led upgrade. My father has that and sweet lord is that thing bright.

-Brett

budboyy2k

I use candles. Never need to look for batteries. Set the mood. Smell of lavender. Dancing flame.

YamIinLawSchool

I'm too cheap to pay for a Surefire, even though it's a really nice flashlight. I bought a 6$ Ultrafire on Ebay and it's great! You can easily light up a 6 floor building.
I use it at work (aircraft tech, night shift) and it's much more comfortable to work with than LEDs.

fed1

@th3gh05t: 25 to 35 dollar range, I'll take the duracell any day of the week. I put flashlights in the same category as sunglasses: I am going to lose, break, loan out and forget who has, leave in the glove compartment when I sell the car, etc.

Why spend 110 bucks on a flashlight? Damn rich people have to make everything cheap seem crappy.

sicknick

@stlblufan: hmm sunfire sounds like a new brand of torch (idea bubble)

ichi1

Is this one of those flashlights that you hold with your thumb pointing forward, arm extended in front of the chest, or backward and up by your ear?

Because one is badass for minutemen looking for aliens, and the other is for missing car keys.

mildretard

seriously though, I'm a streamlight fan in general, but surefire makes a couple good lights that are nice and compact for tactical use (read: handgun in one hand, surefire in the other) without weighing you down, the surefires aren't good for clubbing ppl, but there's nothing like a good pistol-whipping when people don't want to listen.

Kaspir

and by club I mean a place for women to party and have relations...that's what you meant right???

Kaspir

@bpapa9013: my body doubles as a club, so I guess I just need to buy the flashlight eh?

Kaspir

@th3gh05t:

Hands down, Surefire makes the best flashlights. I have the U2 Ultra--built like a tank, light, small, and very bright. I'd take it over a Duracell any day. Of course, one could buy like 10 Duracells for the price of one Sunfire. But maybe you get what you pay for.

stlblufan

@dysthymia: Blah, Surefires are worth the price.

spyker3292

Hows it compare to mah small little E2L Outdoorsman :P.

spyker3292

@th3gh05t: find me a $25 flashlight on that site, pppppppplease.

dysthymia

Please...a Duracell flashlight? Really?

If you want to check out flashlights that aren't made from a battery company, go here: [surefire.com]

th3gh05t

Pretty impressive.

RE-L

What camera did you take those pics with?

Killjoy

@LoganAdams: I agree, my Maglite is brighter, but more focused - so not as bright as that Duracell.

But of course the Maglite makes a great weapon. I can't imagine telling someone - "Back off, I've got a Duracell."

Hectorvex

@seda: Carry a very bright flashlight and a big stick...

bpapa9013

@LoganAdams: The 2D mags are on the very low end of the maglite "brightness" spectrum.

I have owned several of the 2AA and 4D models, and I agree those models should be brighter than the mag example used in the pics...

bpapa9013

Hit the light in the attackers eyes, then a swift kick to the sack.

seda

I still swear by Maglites. I keep one at my bedside, one in my car, one in my desk and one in my "go bag." They've saved my hide many a time.

Your images of the Maglite's lit-up area look a lot like weaker than the lights I use.

LoganAdams

I still prefer headlamps, cuz I'm actually a coal miner cleverly disguised as a 20-something nerd...

Oh, that and being able to keep both my hands free while illuminating exactly what I am looking at.

bpapa9013

So glad you cleaned your kitchen for this little feature. :)

shorty63136

pussies. I use magnesium and white phosphorus.

Parapraxis

People who kvetch over torches are like those guys who buy 5000 dollars of toolkit for their garage and then never use them. IE they are dorks, just with shit from a hardware store instead of, say, figurines or comics.

A torch is for lighting the dark. It doesn't have to be machined aircraft grade aluminium. It doesn't have to be waterproof to a thousand metres or have gold contacts. That shit is stupid. EVEN IF you want a super powerful one, it's going to flatten the batteries in a commensurately short time, which is hardly practical.

Having said which - I myself use an armoured 5 million candlepower search and rescue one. It weighs a ton, has a shoulder strap and its shaped like a concrete block with a foghorn, but it turns night into day at 2 miles, the beam burns faces and a charge lasts for maybe 45 minutes permanent use until it becomes no stronger than a normal torch. I got it about 7 years ago and never looked back. It doesn't piss around.

Cultivar

@dysthymia: Well... I bought mine for general use :P.

spyker3292

i like how surefire has all these tough ass names.

how's about a 3-way battlemodo comparing brightness and skull cracking potential?

Weihovah

I'd reccommend Coast brand flash lights. They use a nicha LED with lensor tecnology. They have amazing build quality and most of their flash lights are under $50 Check them out at coastPortland.com

I have their mini tac torch and I have to say this sucker is pretty effing bright for a $10 FL. I made the mistake of looking at the beam and felt my eyes burn. So yeah they aren't kidding when they saw don't look into the beam.

Jonathan21

@dysthymia: you can buy a surefire 6p for 30-40 bucks. Its smaller than a mini-mag and puts out a ton of light. I have a 8nx nitrolon surefire that can shine acrossed 7 acres and clearly spot deer on the other side. Plus, its rechargeable

Chameleon8474

My favorite flashlight is a Pelican M8 8020 Recoil LED Flashlight. It's a relatively puny 30-35 lumens (total light output) but it has very good collimation and keeps the beam small and tight. From about 150 feet away I can evenly illuminate a circle of about 10-12 feet radius which is pretty decent. And since I live in the uber-dark boonies it's more than enough light to see things at night. I'm pretty sure that model is discontinued and with all the new LED technology out there I wouldn't be surprised if the update the model. The only complaint I have about it is a wimpy not-so-reliable on-off clicky switch that gets that way if you tighten the thing up too tight after changing batteries.

GiltProto

"Unfortunately, I did not have a comparable LED flashlight to compare against the Daylite, so I was forced to use an old school 2 D-Cell Maglite."

Were you PAID for this unfair comparison and endorsement?

schrosa

Wow...who'd a thunk an article about a flashlight would create so much controversy? Can't we all just agree that flashlights are cool and everyone needs several?

AF6FB

@dysthymia: What a lot of people seem to be oblivious too is that there aren't just two or three brands of quality flashlights out there. The last few years some very interesting and well built flashlights have started to show up from China and other countries in that region. They are a bit more expensive than the $40 dollar mark naturally but might be worth it for some.

The most well known brand in that category would probably be Fenix which have been putting out some very nice products the last few years. NiteCore have released some nice models recently as well in the single cell segment (the Smart PD line which I can highly recommend. Very nice.) Dereelight is another, more expensive brand which have gotten great reviews.

Other brands of interest in different price classes include Streamlight, Inova, Tiablo, RaidFire and Wolf Eyes.

What pretty much all these lights have in common is that they all blow the common MagLites out of the water in everything but blunt force trauma capability.

BoinK

Surefire's stuff is nice, but there are lots of manufacturers doing stuff just as good or better, for WAY less money. I've had great luck with fenix stuff. Here's my fenix l0d-q4. 75 lumens on a single AAA vs. a 4D maglite:

ppiddy

Dude I want one... But im not about to go around store to store looking for one... Anyone know where I can pick one up?

JustinD

@spyker3292: they might be, but we are talking about two WAY different markets. That is where you and @th3gh05t are missing the point.

Duracell Market: below $40 dollar home consumer looking for LED flashlight.

Surefire Market: specialized use/user and flashlight enthusiasts prosumers with $125 and above price range.

Sooooooo, tell me how comparing them make sense to you?
meanwhile you think about it, I will have some lunch.
Man, I can be a douche when Im hungry. :P

dysthymia

@Chameleon8474:
Where? Their site says $85. I'm talking about reputable retailers that will accept a return.

JEmlay

@spyker3292: and that makes you an enthusiast or a guy that justifies buying a 70+ flashlight for lighting up your dog while its taking a afterdiner-trip dump.

@Chameleon8474: meanwhile they have relative same price and similar specifications, in this case the led/lux I see the validity of making a comparison between them. I couldnt find one when i checked the site, I look deeper.

@BoinK: and ppiddy, you've got it right, that is the point.

to be fair with all, the fact that Sean couldn't get second LED flash light makes it less accurate to show the Duracell one. at the same time many of us have still the old bulb type, and we haven't been able to justify spending $100+ in one of these babies, so this makes the Duracell a cheap and good option.

dysthymia

The only problem with this is sometimes you want only a concetrated beam of light. Can you imagine lighting up an entire camp area and pissing everyone off?

JEmlay

What do you buy for a significant other who moves to a small, sparsely populated town in the middle of nowhere? You only have two options.

IF YOU LOVE 'EM:

Maglite. That sonofabitch won't go out no matter how many zombie/hick skulls she cracks. More or less blood proof, and the LED upgrade for when that already pretty bright light does go out will be a life saver.

IF YOU HATE 'EM:
Any one of those plastic-cased, giant yellow or orange things that takes up way too much room. All the shaking in the world won't get it back on, and it'll break after a few good cracks about the skull.

Human Bomb

@budboyy2k: Cosign. Buying the LED build and slapping it into the existing 2D Maglite was the winning move. That thing will blind you.

Donk In A Box

Oh, and I can certainly spend in the $50-70 range.

nagumi

So, flashlight junkies, care to help me decide which flashlight to get? I'm not in the US, so I don't have infinite brand selection, though there is maglite for sure.

I need something quite durable, able to withstand falls onto concrete and water resistant. I own a small dog boarding service in a residential neighborhood and have the regular chore of cleaning up dog poop in the grass late at night. I had a small aluminum LED light which took 3 AAA's and had about 8 leds (though don't quote me on that) but it died - the power button/toggle, made of rubber, dried out and fell out of the device, along with its ball-bearing. Suddenly the only way to turn it on was with a pen poking into the hole where the button was. Then it died.

What numbers/voltages/features/design characteristics et cetera should I look for? I need a strong, relatively tight beam (also my dating habits). Other uses for this are cat-finding in the dark. I don't mind it being relatively large, though handheld and not TOO big is important. I do need my other hand to do stuff, after all. I prefer a cylindrical design, not a box-with-handle design.

Thanks!
Naomi

nagumi

@nagumi: nagumi do you know what lumens are? well this motherf**er has 670 OF THEM. for less than a 100!!!!!! just an fyi surefire 6p 60 lumens, 5 watt cree high tech emitter, 140 lumens, NEW cree emitter 225 lumens, SUREFIRES MOST POWER BATTERY GUZZLER, 500 lumens, and more than half a grand. 670 lumens is insanity in this package: [store.advancedmart.com]

i've bought from them and you can find that model for 80 bucks and rechargeable batteries for it for cheap. Literally there is nothing for less than 500 bucks this insanely good, and if you do find a 500 dollar competitor(and I'm not talking you bought 5000 .10 cent leds and are using a home power grid, I'm talking surefire solid) please look at how stupid anything else is compared to this if you need SERIOUS light.

CrashingOut

Maglites are a joke. Check out advance mart, specifically the palmblaze k2, about the length and size of three cr123 batteries and takes 2, puts out 140 lumens with a perfect cube frayen optic, and it scared off the black bear I saw in Tahoe last week. and its 39 so for a little bit more you get a tiny waterproof light thats so tough I've smashed through a car window with it. Not to mention its an excellent self defense tool

CrashingOut

Maglites rule for a simple reason - they're relatively cheap, the big ones make a great emergency weapon and there's a dead simple hack to make them uber bright:

Get a 4-D maglite, cut a length of 1" pvc to fit inside and use 5 C's instead of 4 D's. You get brighter light by overvolting the bulb and the balance is better. The batteries last quite a while. I did up a 6-D Mag with 7 C's and it rocks - I put a leather strap on it and it sits next to my driver's seat.

aurispector

@ppiddy:
Nice Pic. I have always prefered my Millwaukee 18v flashlight that came with my hammer drill. Rechargeable and it came with three batteries, it is still going strong after 9 years of abuse.

TerryinSt.Paul

so how would I compare lumens to candle-brightnesses, wehich is all I've been able to find on local sales sites, being here in Israel and all.

nagumi

Personally, I like my Streamlight (UltraStinger). Got one at an auction for below retail, wonderfully bright. Plus, it is rechargeable, with two external posts, so no need to constantly replace batteries (whether rechargeable or not).

ururk

@aurispector: How many bulbs do you go through?

LoganAdams

here's the link [www.BrightestFlashlightInTheWorld.com]

jimbowyer

If those HID's are too expensive here's probably the brightest flashlight in the world for the money you can buy in the world today

35W 3,5000 Lumen HID light for about $74!!!

jimbowyer

If you want the most powerful flashlight and have the money I'd suggest investing in a HID flashlight from the like of WolfEyes or SterOps

SterOps do a 3,500 Lumens HID flashlight that cost $379
or WolfEyes do an 1,800 Lumens tactical flashlight for $350

These torches are like floodlights! The light they emit has to be seen to be believed

jimbowyer

From what I've read, this flashlight is garbage.

The images provided are from a VERY TINY kitchen area. That's about all this flashlight can light up. Other reviewers are greatly disappointed with this product.

JEmlay

Don't forget about the Maxablaster as mentioned by Giz earlier this year:
[gizmodo.com]

All this light unit stuff can get confusing. Remember that lumens are a meaurement of the total light emitted by a bulb. But when you're talking about lux or candlepower that's measuring the amount of light measured over a specific area. So lux or candlepower measurements include the effects of the reflector and/or lensing system in a flashlight or spotlight.

GiltProto

I'm willing to check it out for myself. Where the heck can we get one of these? Returnable source!

JEmlay

Really bright flashlights are great for personal safety. I carry a 200 lumen Fenix p3d and can illuminate an entire dark parking lot when I have to go to my car at night. You can light up entire alleyways or truly blind someone if you have to. It's really disorienting to be at the business end of one of these lights.

dascoyne

.

PDavis

Sean, if you're looking for a truly astounding flashlight, try out a Fenix flashlight:

[www.fenix-store.com]

Our flashlights will blow away your concept of what a flashlight should be. Crafted from aircraft-grade aluminum, lightweight, type-III hard-anodized, amazing runtimes, unbelievably bright, multiple levels of output (in a single light); the list goes on.

Nearly all of our lights have textured reflectors which eliminate those ugly rings that you see on Maglites and even that Duracell Daylite. Our textured reflectors create beautiful, smooth beams.

To answer the inevitable question: Yes, they are just as good - if not better - than Surefire flashlights. Ask any of the thousands of LEO customers we've had that now leave their Surefires at home and carry Fenix flashlights. I do not mean any direspect to Surefire - they make exemplary flashlights. However, LED technology has made tremendous progress in the last two years and, quite frankly, Surefire has not kept up with the times.

A few examples:

The Fenix L0D takes a single AAA battery and is barely larger than your pinky finger. It weighs 0.5 oz. It has five different modes of output: Low, Medium, High, Strobe, and SOS (three short, three long, three short flashes). On high, the L0D puts out 75 lumens and runs for 1 hour. on low, it puts out 11 lumens and runs for 8.5 hours. On one single AA battery. $46.50.

The Fenix P1D takes a single CR123A battery. It is even short than the L0D (2.8 inches). Five modes as well, except even brighter: high is 180 lumens (yes, 180 lumens) running for 1 hour; low is 16 lumens for 21 hours. Yes, 21 hours. Yes, on one single CR123A battery. $61.50.

I could go on. Fenix flashlights are setting the benchmark for hand-held illumination. Oh, and they all come with lifetime warranties as well.

If any of you are in the Atlanta, GA region, feel free to call us up and make an appointment to stop by. We'll be more than happy to show you what a flashlight should be. :)

PDavis

well i have a surefire g2led and it's a wonder of a pocket torch but to be able to throw these in my car my room and about everywhere else i'd fear my surefire would get stolen is a good thing not only that they run on AA they are a fraction of the cost of 123's any day. all i have to say is kudos duracell now tell me wher i can find some.

cmecha

I have a Surefire Z2 with the rechargeable battery conversion, and a single LED light I got for $35 makes the Z2's light look yellow in comparison. The smaller LED light is still quite bright once the battery voltage starts to drop off (you'll know the difference when using the normal or rechargeable batteries in the Z2) and both have been fine on various mountain bike rides at night.

Student.Driver