Hand Held Searchlight
 

Quick Sea Story - From Last Night

My wife is a very light sleeper. 3:30AM dogs bark my wife awakes. She sees, from our second story bedroom, a light at the tool and equipment shed, just under a 1/4 mile from the house.

She wakes me up.

This is where things go south, preparedness-wise. BTW, it is dark outside: dark, dark, no moon and cloud cover. Which is good.

The binoculars I always keep upstairs are MIA, Cyclops Searchlight, on the charger, puts out zero lumen when I do the closet test with the red lens...phone is also downstairs. Pistol check is good.

No phone, no lights...Gilligan's f'ing Island.

I gather the tools and head back upstairs. Light at the shed is out. F me.

This has happened before. I really prefer to walk up with the big Cyclops searchlight, armed, and make noise, listen, turn on the light for a second, move.

It has worked the two times I have needed it.

So, this time, I get out to my truck and do a quick start and turn all the light to bright and head up the driveway. I stop half way and watch, all lights on. I can see everything and the truck is in reverse, brakes on. Something happens and some nice soybeans are going to get run over.

Nothing. I slowly drive up. Point the truck lights at the shed from the right side of the driveway.

We have not had issues in 15 years so the shed is open, the door to the tool shed is unlocked, tractor parking bay doors open...a Flea Market in other words. I get out, truck running and do a quick search.

While I am there the lights come back on. I jumped like a white Dominique Wilkins.

It turns out that the florescent light switch was turned on but only one was intermittently working...it would flicker on and off about ten minutes apart. I had turned the lights on yesterday afternoon and did not notice the cycle.

I turn off the lights, lock the doors, curse my stupidity and return to the house.

Now, I need to fix a lot in the chain of ignorance, but concerning hand held searchlights, any recommendations? I want to shoot down B-17's with the next version and am willing to pay for it.

I bought a smaller Cyclops for the next few weeks, $30, but I really want a red lens capable, then light up the night version.

Suggestions, recommendation of manufacturers, real world experience?

I wish I had some sage advice, but I don’t. It’s a reminder for all of us to be prepared.

Note to self, get my **** together.

Problem solved! Although when used in anger, it was a 3 man operation, 2 guys on the generator and one that sat on the searchlight.

:D

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We source a lot of our police gear from Galls. This might be what you're looking for....

https://www.galls.com/streamlight-waypoint-ac-rechargeable-spotlight?PMWTNO=000000000002146&PMSRCH=

Looks like you can but the filter in red or green as an accessory....

https://www.toolsid.com/streamlight/red-filter-for-waypoint-300-rechargable-spolight-mpn-44915.html

I see that Cyclops has got an 18 million candlepower light. Wow!

Take that Fenix and Surefire and your piddly flashlights!

First, I'd suggest converting those shed lights to LED's.

Then check out these lights...I have a 5 D cell model, no longer made, you could drive by. Suggested by a cop on a Mustang board.

https://www.fenix-store.com/lights-by-activity/?msclkid=b65e8588d8a710071c86e4d6f8b03048&utm_sour ce=bing&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=Fenix-Store%20SO&utm_term=fenix&utm_content=Fenix%20Flas hlights%20GSO

Perhaps this will fill what you're looking for?

https://www.fenix-store.com/fenix-tk32-led-flashlight-2016-edt/

I was also thinking that one of the killer flashlights from one of our various and numerous flashlight threads, but if he's got a dead cyclops (Odysseus would be proud!) then he's probably got something very different.

Absolutely. The rest of the shed, it is large, is LED.

The tool room is where the fluorescents are.

They will be changed this weekend.

I just got lazy with preparation and keeping things relatively secure. I would have preferred a later show time.

$16.99 from Amazon

I love these lights. Plenty of illumination, rechargeable, and best of all.....inexpensive!

Plus you get a 2 pack in this deal.....

2Pack LED Work Light, USB Rechargeable COB Light with Magnetic Base 360°Rotate and 5 Modes, Folding Flashlight Inspection Light for Car Repairing, Workshop, Household and Emergency Use, Large

If you are in a place like that, don't fawk around with other flashlights. Get this https://www.amazon.com/Nitecore-TM28-Rechargeable-Flashlight-Batteries/dp/B01MR30WOG/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?dchild=1&keywords=thrunight+tiny+m onster&qid=1633571298&sr=8-1-spons&psc=1&smid=AMCCGH3BJHZB5&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUX VhbGlmaWVyPUEySzhaSlBPR1hFRzhUJmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEw MzE0MTkzVlU0QjY0NU9KTDRaJmVuY3J5cHRlZEFkSWQ9QTAzND EyOTUxM0dDRjUxMFBRSUpDJndpZGdldE5hbWU9c3BfYXRmJmFj dGlvbj1jbGlja1JlZGlyZWN0JmRvTm90TG9nQ2xpY2s9dHJ1ZQ ==

I have the older version of this light with 80% of the lumen output of the new one from that link. Max or turbo mode is almost needed. For a light you need, it needs not only to shoot a small spot beam, but a wide enough beam with enough hot spot to see especially if the bad guys are around. It isn't cheap, but worth every penny when needed. I have a more then 1/4 mile of hill side and its dark back there. This thing will light it up very well.

Oh, this isn't a toy. Its a tool

My uncle had a light from a Sikorsky helicopter on his Toyota Truck (from his uncle Jack from Sikorsky). Had to add a second battery though.

I have an 8 AA battery Fenix and it's got to be the brightest per size per dollar light around.

Ordered.

I have also fixed all the other holes in my preparation. I was frankly embarrassed.

We all need an Uncle Jack.:cool:

Trust me, the nose light on a 60 was on a swivel and made "boo-coo" lumen.

Again, it was just one of those wake up calls where you go: "Shoes, lights, phone, gun, binos, keys...fk"

That and the fact that the entire tool and equipment shed, keys in all the equipment, was open is just so lazy and embarrassing.

Back in my single days at my bachelor pad house my bedroom was typical corner of the house, windows on two walls. In the middle of the night my room lit up like a Broadway play stage. It expected to hear some kid say "there here". The police helicopter was flying overhead in search of a bad guy that they were chasing. They were illuminating my house looking in the bushes next to the house. It was really bright in my bedroom. I saw blue flashing lights a few seconds later. I never saw anything about it in the news or in the paper. I just remember that spotlight was BRIGHT! I double checked my pistol was where it was supposed to be and that the doors were locked.

It took my a while for the adrenaline rush to pass before I could get back to sleep.

I have lights around the house on all night which include simple landscape lights, but I also have motion activated lights so I can tell if something is moving about. Typically it will be a night animal but I make no assumptions.

There are flashlights everywhere. We must have ten of them.

A farm is different in terms of distance and what sets off motion activated lights. I had motion sensorlights at all the barns and took them down. Some nights it looked like a disco out there.

There are a lot of creatures in rural areas, more than most people know. I brought in all may game cameras because of the sheer number of hits.

Our dachshund keep most of the critters out of our yard. He has cleared the entire area of Grizzly bears, Polar bears, Giraffes, and Buffalo. One skunk got him pretty good and we suffered from that more than he did.

His was on a swivel mounted to his roll bar. Lost it when he rolled the truck goofing off. Roll bar saved the XL600 in the bed though.

I love me some Dachshund's. Apparently, so did the skunk.

There are methods to help get the stink off, but the short hair was probably the best help. Skunks live long lives for a reason.

One of my neighbors, from Cali, hunts my farm exclusively. He and Jack get along great and I really like his ethos where hunting is concerned.

He took me to pick up my LC yesterday and said he did a deer stand event two days ago...he just likes to watch.

Easy, Buckaroo's.:cool:

His count: Seven deer, does and fawns, raccoons like you read about, a family of foxes, raining squirrels, and a skunk.

The only thing that kills a skunk around here is a minivan.

It is the stupid wild turkeys for us during deer season. They think you are a tree and want to land on you. Walking in the woods they get confused and run into your kids.

I know they aren't as dumb as people say, but they are really dumb around us.

When I was in high school WI had buck only tags but you could pay a lot for a doe tag. Back then it was not unusual to see 60-70 doe opening morning. Ruffed Grouse were pretty thick back then too.