*OT* LED Flashlights *OT*

*OFF TOPIC*

Okay... so while I was posting about a USB card I found on DealeXtreme, I sortof spilled over into this topic, so I decided to create a new OT thread instead of p33ing in somebody else's pool...

What all kinds of LED flashlights do my Toughbook family like to play with?

I've had dozens; from the Micro-Light to the Inovas and the Lumilite Cree 3W & Maglite AA 3W, now to the Ultrafire "Tactical" line.

My two specific must haves are it MUST BE POCKETABLE, and it MUST be small enough I can hold it in my teeth comfortably while running power tools.

I'm really liking DX prices, and their "UltraFire" line of Tactical LED lights are amazing -

I have this one:

http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.15644

and this one:

http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.26122

I bought the special batteries & charger for both along with; total price was about $50 for both flashlights, 2 batteries each & 1 charger that charges both the 10440 & 14500 batteries they use.

The A6 is amazing; it's rated 120 lumens from a single 10440 (AAA-size 3.7V nimh) - it produces more light than my 3-cell Maglight with Krypton bulb. It's the one that's always in my pocket; I replaced my Inova Bolt with it.

The C3 is just SICK... 190 lumens on a 14500 (AA-size 3.7V nimh) or 150 on a AA - it is something to behold. It is not merely bright for a pocketable flashlight, it is just plain F-ING BRGHT! That fact that it's ALSO pocketable - about like my Bolt only shorter - is just a bonus. I played around with it as my EDC light fore a few days, but in the end I was just in love with how tiny the A6 was; I can barely tell it's in my pocket.

The one thing to remember about both lights is that they put out a LOT of light, so they DO suck batteries and they do get warm - the A6 gets warm, but not hot, the C3 gets HOT to the touch after about 10-15 minutes on HI; enough that I'm moving my grip to the bottom 1/2 of the light. Others will warn you about this; the HI setting really isn't needed except rarely, like in daytime use; the MED 120 lumen setting is more than enough most of the time, plus it boosts the runtime from 40 min to about 90.

mnem
Wooooh.... SHINY!!!

 

OMG LMAO... I gotta say DIIITTTTOOOOO!!! It needs to be BRIGHT white light, always on switch, fit in my pocket, and able to fit in my teeth!!

My current LOC (light of choice) is a small, light green, tactical style aluminum that uses 2 aa batteries (another plus for me. I don't like any non-standard batteries like watch batteries or those mini-c flash batteries). Its only about 3-3 1/2 inches long. Perfect for me.

 

Long ago I had aluminum lights like Maglights
They were bright but the original types were not good on batteries, or bulbs, and not good to hold in your teeth as the body is made out of aluminum, and you had to watch out using them around live circuits

I found a brand that had almost everything figured out
Pelican
The only issues with the early models was the battery life , but the bulbs seemed to last longer than the Maglight

The latest models are perfect
I use these two

http://www.pelican.ca/lights_detail.php?recordID=7060

http://www.pelican.ca/lights_detail.php?recordID=2140

The 7060 is rechargeable and very bright it’s about $125
The smaller 2140 needs batteries , but it is very handy,made of plastic so it won't hurt your teeth, and is non-conductive ,I keep it in my electrical pouch ,it’s about $20


Alex

 

I actually had one of the Pelican lights like the 7060 that ran on disposable batteries and had a halogen lamp as my toolbox light back in the day; it was an excellent light, but I'm more into the billet stainless design now that they've come down to earth in prices. The 7060 is of course much too large for an EDC (Every Day Carry) light.

I HATE trying to fish a rubber flashlight out; it invariably gets wedged sideways in your pocket making you look like a doofus needing to use both hands to get it out, then once you have it almost free it will of course hang up and go flipping out of your hand across the floor just to add insult to embarrassment.

If the rated brightness is accurate (which most of the reviews of the UltraFire lights seem to agree with) the C3 will be as bright or brighter than the 7060, all in a package about the same size as the 18650 battery the 7060 uses. Of course the 14500 used by the C3 has about half the capacity of a 18650 so the runtime will be about half at max brightness; but I find I get a solid hour and a half from the light in 120 lumen MED mode, plus still have the UBER-bright mode when I need it.

I'm REALLY liking the recent developments in switch-mode power supplies used in these latest generation of lights; that C3 will generate scary brightness from a regular AA alkaline battery, plus getting even BRIGHTER when using the 14500 nimh. And it automatically regulates based on the input voltage... it KNOWS which battery you put in it. How Batman is THAT?

And the A6... well... it's AMAZING; it's chromed billet stainless, it's bear-blinding bright, and it's the size of a AA battery... how can you NOT love it?

mnem
BLINK...BlinkBlink...

 

I can not even remember how many black mini Maglights I have owned, and lost
The original Pelican light I used was a yellow model, similar in shape to the newer style silver models that you have
You are right the little light that I use is not easy to fish out of your pocket, but it’s easy to hold in my teeth
The 7060 sits in the charger on the wall, and it’s almost too bright at close ranges but I never have to worry about bulbs as it uses a single led, and its rechargeable

Alex

 

Oh, are you kidding? I bet I have the remains of a DOZEN 2-AA Maglights in every color lying around the place; they use the battery as part of the switch, so the contacts tend to get crusty when used with rechargeables (I've been on the rechargeable kick since the '80s), or the brush contacts at the battery endcap or at the lampholder get crusty, etc... I used to mix & match the bits (some black here, some red there, some blue over here) to get one that worked until I could buy a replacement...

Maglight says they'll warranty any light failing due to a bad switch; I mailed them 5 at once, explaining that was about a year's worth. They never got back to me...
I WILL admit the 3W 2-AA LED Maglight I bought has held up WELL for almost 2 years as my toolbox light; it STILL doesn't hold a candela to the A6 that's about 1/5 as big. We'll see how well the A6 holds up under everyday use...

mnem
Click...click...Click...click...Click...

mnem