The Flashlight review thread: post yours.

[look 171]

Originally Posted by masraum

My zebralight headlight takes AA.
My Olight headlight takes 16340
My Thrunight takes 18650
My Olight flashlight takes 21700

What a pain! LOL!

Where do you get your Panasonic batteries that you're sure that you aren't getting counterfeits?

Which Thrunite do you have? TN12? I bought a couple for the house that charges with a USB. I actually like it a lot and no more switching batteries. Just plug it up when I remember plus, they stay round the house so there no need for a back up battery unlike out camping or something.

I have a TC 20 for the back yard sitting in my nightstand. My back yard is pitch black and that TC 20 will light it up pretty well if I want to see the coyotes or any other noise. The throw is good but the beam pattern is nice, very bright and wide. Huge usable light output. charges with USB. Simple and no worry for getting batteries.Its a little fat, about 1.5" in dia, 4.5 inch long, shorter then the TN12.

[look 171]

You can still see a good amount of light about 50-60 yards down the road with this thing. Here's a size comparison.

[masraum]

Originally Posted by look 171

I don't know if they are fakes, but I buy from these guys
https://megabatteries.com/3-7-volt-panasonic-18650-lithium-ion-battery-3400-mah/?gad_source=1

My old eyes like the Zebra 18650 floody head lamps. I don't even use the Zebra AA anymore. The over the head strap makes is very comfortable to use.

I like a small headlight. I've never had/tried one with the over the top strap.

Originally Posted by look 171

Which Thrunite do you have? TN12? I bought a couple for the house that charges with a USB. I actually like it a lot and no more switching batteries. Just plug it up when I remember plus, they stay round the house so there no need for a back up battery unlike out camping or something.

I have a TC 20 for the back yard sitting in my nightstand. My back yard is pitch black and that TC 20 will light it up pretty well if I want to see the coyotes or any other noise. The throw is good but the beam pattern is nice, very bright and wide. Huge usable light output. charges with USB. Simple and no worry for getting batteries.Its a little fat, about 1.5" in dia, 4.5 inch long, shorter then the TN12.

I've got a TC12 v2 which is basically the same as the TN12, I think. One thing that I've always found to be a pain is that you have to turn the thing on for it to charge. Plug it in when it's not on and the charging light blinks purple (abnormal charging). Turn it on, then plug it in, and it will charge. What the heck is that about.

The Olight Warrior 3S that I have is the same size (maybe a tiny bit fatter) than my TC12. I think it will put out a lot more light in high mode, but I almost never use it in high.

I would like to have something a bit bigger, more floody, and powerful, but I'm not desperate for it.

[look 171]

Its the weird way of doing things. I found it strange to have it on for charging.

I have a custom thrower, search light that will cast a pretty mean beam 1/4 mile down the road with 5 settings. it was made by the engineer I mention in an earlier thread from Seattle. I rarely use it but with the occasional strange noises in the back of the house where the kids sneak in, hang out to drink down into the canyon. The TC 20 is a real nice light because the beam pattern. Its powerful enough to cast a pretty wide beam pattern with the perfect and consistent hot spot so all the light is usable. I use it a lot when I have to chase cayotes and other animals out off our decks.

[KFC911]

I have an Olight after asking the braintrust several years back. A few days ago, I grabbed this on a whim .... think I'll get a few more .... cheap and "good enough" to have a few without spending $500.

[masraum]

My modest collection (I've got a few more of the tiny black ones floating around. They run on a single AAA.

I didn't really want a stars and stripes themed flashlight. What I wanted was an all red flashlight. I don't want the flashlights to be invisible in the dark, so I prefer bright colors. But they stopped selling the all red one, and when I made my purchase, the best of the bunch was the stars and stripes version. It was black, green, or stars and stripes.

[stevej37]

I have a gripe about some of the newer ones.

I like having a simple on/off power button. The last two that I bought requires a person to 'hold' the button to power off. It's a nuisance.

[masraum]

Originally Posted by stevej37

I have a gripe about some of the newer ones.

I like having a simple on/off power button. The last two that I bought requires a person to 'hold' the button to power off. It's a nuisance.

My 2 Olights that have push buttons you press the button once to turn it on. You press it once to turn it off. When it's already on, you press and hold to cycle through different brightness settings.

[stevej37]

I forgot, I have two gripes.

I don't like when the power button is at the same level as the flashlight. Hard to find it in the dark.
The tail buttons or raised on the side are easy to find.

[masraum]

Originally Posted by stevej37

I forgot, I have two gripes.

I don't like when the power button is at the same level as the flashlight. Hard to find it in the dark.
The tail buttons or raised on the side are easy to find.

The stars and stripes (Olight Warrior 3S) light has both, a side button and a tail button.
The blue headlight only has a button on the end.
The black one (Thrunite TC12) also has both, side and tail buttons.

[KFC911]

Only two gripes .... slacker!

Grab a light ... expecting soft .... Super Nova Strobe instead... try to change the mode .... Super NOVA again...

I really just wanted a dim light ... 99.9% of the time.

Every light is different too....

I HAVE planted fescue btw .... git

[stevej37]

^^^ I'll try harder.

[masraum]

Originally Posted by KC911

Only two gripes .... slacker!

Grab a light ... expecting soft .... Super Nova Strobe instead... try to change the mode .... Super NOVA again...

I really just wanted a dim light ... 99.9% of the time.

Every light is different too....

I HAVE planted fescue btw .... git

Yep, I have no need of a strobe. I do like to have the option of super bright if needed. I like that most of my lights "remember" the last setting that I used and come on at that level. Most of the time, I use the lowest level, sometimes called "firefly". I only increase brightness if I need it. My preference is to use the least amount of light and have the longest run time possible.

On my Olight there are 5 levels turbo, high, medium, low, firefly.
press the side button and the light comes on in whatever the last mode used was (except turbo).
press the side button again and the light turns off
press and hold the side button while the light is on and it will cycle through low, med, and high.
if the light is off and you press the side button for 1 sec, you go straight to "firefly"
half press the tail light and you get momentary "on" as long as you hold it there (whatever level you last used)
full press the tail light and you get momentary "on" in turbo mode.
double click the side button and it goes to turbo mode
I rarely need/want turbo, so the easiest way to access that is with a press of the tail button.
I use firefly as much as possible, so I usually just turn the light on/off.

[KFC911]

I think I have my Olight mastered and then I grab a different one ... my cheapies are now gone.

If I don't use the Olight for a while ... it's 4am and I want dim .... STROBE!

It might be operator error

[ramonesfreak]

i have been buying batteries for vaping (18650,21700 etc) from here for years. probably over 100 of them
https://imrbatteries.com/

one issue i have with olight is that none of my batteries fit. even though they call it an 18650, it appears proprietary so i plan to just buy replacements from olight

for basic AA rechargeable i buy the panasonic eneloop batteries off amazon. no issue

[cabmandone]

I buy the cheap rechargeable ones on Amazon and love em'. In fact, I just bought two more!

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08D66HCXW/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&th=1

[masraum]

The Project Farm guy does a flashlight review. What's funny is the comparison from his meter to the advertised outputs.

[masraum]

Originally Posted by Geronimo '74

Pretty sure that the sound of his voice is weapons grade.
Made me lower the volume just so I could keep on watching..


Edit: F it, can't keep on watching, he needs to ask a friend to do a voice over.

I'm with you on that. I rarely watch his stuff for just that reason. If he'd just stop yelling like it's a commercial for a small local business. I have seen one where he spoke almost normally and it was so much better.

[wdfifteen]

My Coast headlight died on me last week, and I've been looking for a good replacement. Coast apparently doesn't make this headlight anymore. Coast is a great company. The frame on the first Coast headlight I had cracked and they sent me a new one, no questions. If I was in the market for a handheld, I would get a Coast.
I bought a headlight off of Amazon that sucks. It is bulky, heavy and had no padding for your forehead. It is too heavy to wear without some kind of padding up there. I don't like rechargeable flashlights, but I got this one anyway. I'm sending it back.
I was in the hardware store this morning, and they had a Milwaukee brand that is perfect. Light, compact, uses 3 AAA batteries like my Coast. I have a charger and 3 sets of AAA batteries, so when one set gets weak I can just swap them out for a fresh set and get back to work, no sitting around drinking beer while I wait for the light to recharge.

[jyl]

I bought a rechargeable light that clips on to your collar or shirt or belt, with a very wide angle, very bright LED light. It basically illuminates the entire hemisphere that your body is facing, hands-free, anything you can see is lit up. Very handy for working on stuff. Found it at a welding store.