Flash Lights....regular or those "tactical"?

[bleucamaro]

I have a few surefires that I hate because the c123 batteries are always dead (even lithium).

I have a couple Streamlights that I love because they come with a neat wall charger, and even off charger, the battery stays charged for months.

I like the beam patterns of the streamlight and surefire as they are wide angle without much hot spotting.

For size, I prefer the smaller handheld, with tail switch. They fit in your pocket easily and are easier to handle than a clunky oldschool D cell light.

[Eric Coffey]

Originally Posted by bleucamaro

I have a few surefires that I hate because the c123 batteries are always dead (even lithium).

Hmmm, sounds like you had a batch of dud cells. A primary (non-rechargeable) lithium cell will have a much longer shelf-life than pretty much anything else out there. They are great for lights that you may not use/need for a long time.
On those such lights, I will typically lock them out manually (usually just takes a twist of the head or tail-cap), to prevent accidental activation.

Side note, both Surefire and Streamlight now offer "dual fuel" lights, that can take either 1x18650 or 2xCR123.

[John Rogers]

Back when I bought my Mag-Lite (3 total), every now and then I would have to enter into a large void or tank to do an inspection. In thinking about it I decided I did NOT want to be waaaaay into a tank and have the bulb break or batts die! On the USS Enterprise there were "void tanks", 4 besides each other to protect from torpedoes and they went from 2nd deck to the side of the keel! Every 5 years they get opened and the senior reactor folks have to verify they are clear and dry.

[RSBob]

Bought a tactical at HF for about $10 and holy sheet is it bright. I have a hand held spot light which is powerful and this little sucker is easily as bright. It has a high and low setting as well as a easy slide for broad or narrow beam. The warning on it reads, do not look into light or shine directly into another’s eyes as close range or it will cause blindness. Yup, it is labeled correctly.

[unclebilly]

Originally Posted by John Rogers

I also noticed while at Costco the other day they had a Duracell 1500 lumen "tactical 4 battery flash light for about $20 so I got one and that sucker is BRIGHT! I want to see how long the C cells last?

The answer is about 2 weeks.

We bought 3 of these at Costco. I accidentally left one turned on (the bright setting) under the hood of a vehicle on my hoist over Christmas. I finally got the parts I was waiting for and the time to get back on this project on Saturday (January 12th) and discovered the flashlight under the hood still turned on. It was fairly dim but still ‘on’.

If I turned it off for a few minutes, it would come on bright again for a minute or so and then slowly fade.

So yah, the answer is 2 weeks.

[gr8fl4porsche]

I have been using Olight for flashlights lately.

Very good experience with the company and products.

My latest is the Law Enforcement version below.

LED Rechargeable, stays charged on a stand in car and/or home, 3200 lumens, turns on automatically if the power is cut.

Nice size for use around the house or shop. Have several of their weapon lights as well as everyday pocket carry.

They have lots of sales - usually 40% off. Thats when I buy.

https://olightworld.com/

[rusnak]

^ That olight has an impressive run time. I'll buy one to try out, thank you!


www.olightstore.com

https://www.olightstore.com/led-flashlights/rechargeable/olight-r50-pro-seeker-le

[mrmilom1990]

For me, it's obvious that tactical flashlights give more light (lumens) than of the regular ones. I have one for my AR-15, the Maelstrom X10. I bought from this site: https://gunnewsdaily.com/best-ar15-flashlights-for-tactical-shooters/.

It's really amazing and convenient to use specially for shooting at night or dark areas.

[rusnak]

Originally Posted by rusnak

^ That olight has an impressive run time. I'll buy one to try out, thank you!


www.olightstore.com

https://www.olightstore.com/led-flashlights/rechargeable/olight-r50-pro-seeker-le

Follow up on the Olight R50 Seeker flashlight:

Very nice quality materials, and it's constructed better than a Jedi lightsaber.

But it has a design flaw: It will turn itself on while being stored inside it's holster. The side button has a hairtrigger, and just by walking around the light will turn on. Other than that, it's really nice. I would probably have to recommend LED Lenser or Pelican though.

[sammyg2]

[Eric Coffey]

Originally Posted by rusnak

Follow up on the Olight R50 Seeker flashlight:

Very nice quality materials, and it's constructed better than a Jedi lightsaber.

But it has a design flaw: It will turn itself on while being stored inside it's holster. The side button has a hairtrigger, and just by walking around the light will turn on. Other than that, it's really nice. I would probably have to recommend LED Lenser or Pelican though.

No experience with that model, but on many/most lights you can simply lock them out manually be giving the head or tail cap a slight twist to break the electrical contact.

[VincentVega]

I need to stop looking at these threads. I ordered a Klarus. Something I liked was the lockout. You can disable the side button and lock/unlock at will. Nothing like needing a light and its dead.

[berettafan]

Originally Posted by sammyg2

someone gave us a 6 pack or so of those things. Not worth the $2.99 or even the gas spent to pick them up.

[look 171]

Olight makes a great product. Rusnak, you can't lock it out to prevent accidental turn on of the light? I just lost one of my Thrunite flashlights. Someone must have walked off with it while sitting on the hood of my truck at my job. I just might buy this light you mentioned. Its it pretty small?

[Geronimo '74]

Originally Posted by berettafan

someone gave us a 6 pack or so of those things. Not worth the $2.99 or even the gas spent to pick them up.

True dat!
Utter crap!

[Rusty Heap]

who needs a flashlight?

I took these about 50 miles offshore of Belize, remote Atoll south of Turneffe Key. Blackbird Caye Resort.



Orion as I'd never seen it, and the whole Milky Way Galaxy with near zero light pollution.


Sony NEX7
12mm wide angle lens. 30 sec exposure , ISO 4000 at F4.5


Orion Belt at Middle Top, Hard to Tell with all that other star light!












for a closer view of Orion's belt, 30mm 6 seconds at F1.4 (real fast lens) and iso 3200

wave at the aliens

[gr8fl4porsche]

Originally Posted by rusnak

Follow up on the Olight R50 Seeker flashlight:

Very nice quality materials, and it's constructed better than a Jedi lightsaber.

But it has a design flaw: It will turn itself on while being stored inside it's holster. The side button has a hairtrigger, and just by walking around the light will turn on. Other than that, it's really nice. I would probably have to recommend LED Lenser or Pelican though.

Hold switch for 3 seconds and it will lock out.

Hold again for 3 seconds to restore to normal function.

I agree, the switches are not difficult to push. That's why I lock out my everyday carry.

[rusnak]

Originally Posted by VincentVega

I need to stop looking at these threads. I ordered a Klarus. Something I liked was the lockout. You can disable the side button and lock/unlock at will. Nothing like needing a light and its dead.

Exactly!

Originally Posted by gr8fl4porsche

Hold switch for 3 seconds and it will lock out.

Hold again for 3 seconds to restore to normal function.

I agree, the switches are not difficult to push. That's why I lock out my everyday carry.

^ This worked! The instructions are rather poorly written. I guess I missed that part. Still, it is not as good as a proper tail switch. This seems overly fussy/ geeky. Not a good work tool, which should work reliably without thinking about it. The reason for buying these lights is so that you don't have to slow down after dark.

[rusnak]

I don't suppose anyone here other than me uses remote area lighting?

[vash]

holy hijack..RUSTY!!

a thread about flashlights "might" get diverted to gun mounted lighting hardware..maybe even bicycle lights..but night photography..hahhahahahha

hey, i baked bread last night.