So.... I want a flashlight

[Nick]

actually, I may already have the best for my situation, but I wanted other opinions...

for one thing - I'm avoiding the 123a powered devices - I'm not interested in a specialty battery to go out in the most in opportune time and I'm looking to standardize as much as possible. Therefore I'm looking for something to be "AA" powered. My camera and my GPS both use these and I have recently moved to the Energizer rechargeable NiMH and they seem great (I also have the charger that goes in my truck which may be convenient.

Here's what I need:
I have a new hunting lease. It is straight up primitive. We will have a mobile home on the premises for a camp but power is extremely limited. There is NO utilities. Generators will not run at night.

I'll need a light for:
*arrival at the camp until I can get a lantern lit.
*the inevitable **** in the middle of the night
*navigating through the woods to deer stand
*(hopefully) tracking a deer
*other general uses like dark corners etc.

I really like the idea of a two stage, high / low setting light like what Surefire offers on some models, would be great for getting to the stand and middle of the night needs without ruining natural adaptive night vision. I don't think they are available in anything AA powered.

as of right now, I have a "4AA" LED Streamlight. It's about 7 years old and one led is dead and another is flickering. I also have a 2AA Maglite, brand new, works fine. Next I have a 4D Maglite, I'm not gonna carry it anywhere unless I have to, it's old and it works great. Last I have a cheapy Rayovac projector beam light powered by 3AAA (impressive light for what it is).

I want a 1 light fit all solution if possible. If someone swears that I'll have to have this uber tactical $300-500 light that will blind a man 2 miles away and last 10 minutes before the batteries croak then I'd rather go with no light. Let me know what the opinions are....

 

[penguin]

Why don't you get this for your camp:

And then a streamlight headlamp?

 

[jmcrawf1]

http://www.samsclub.com/shopping/navigate.do?dest=5&item=341405

This is the one I have as my hunting flashlight. It's cheap and BRIGHT (80 Lumens for >$10) and it uses AAA. I keep a pack of AAA in my backpack when im in the woods.

Sams is out of stock, but if you go to the top right corner and click on services, then auctions, then search for flashlight, you can find it and then bid on it in an ebay format. I promise you it's worth it. I got a 2-pk for $16.

 

[dantheman]

Why no generator at night ?

 

[GunAddict]

http://www.samsclub.com/shopping/navigate.do?dest=5&item=341405

This is the one I have as my hunting flashlight. It's cheap and BRIGHT (80 Lumens for >$10) and it uses AAA. I keep a pack of AAA in my backpack when im in the woods.

Sams is out of stock, but if you go to the top right corner and click on services, then auctions, then search for flashlight, you can find it and then bid on it in an ebay format. I promise you it's worth it. I got a 2-pk for $16.

I got ripped!!! When I bought mine back earlier this year, I paid $30 for this. But I am happy with them.

 

[Nick]

Why no generator at night ?

for several reason:
*landowner's wishes
*not to disturb wildlife
*not to disturb others in the area
*not to waste fuel all night when the lights will be off
*not using electric heat, will heat with gas b/c electric is so profoundly inefficient
*I can't stand listening to a generator at night
*My campmates think they are the uber smart ones by buying these extremely large loud generators that drink way too much gas, whereas I'm holding out to buy a Yamaha Inverter style that'll be super quiet, reliable and efficient... I just don't have it yet.

regardless - I need a flashlight, we can't light up the whole 685 acres on generator power

 

[dantheman]

Easy there , killer . I was just curious about the generator thing .

 

[Nick]

penguin, thanks for reminding me, I had planned on doing two of those early on but it slipped my mind... the mobile home will be placed Saturday and I'll be able to see if it's feasible with the light we'll get shining on it.

jmcrawf1, I'll look into those lights a little more and try to locate some, I'd prefer AA battery type, but I think AAA is still easier to find than 123

 

[jmcrawf1]

Be aware that flashlights are every bit as addicting as guns, knives, etc. I have almost a dozen. But if I could only have one, it would be this little one AA cell Coast light.



.

He speaks the truth....I've recently been bitten hard by the light bug

 

[Manimal]

me too, it's fun.

 

[spanky]

I carry a G2 now but I'll be going to an E1L soon.

But that doesn't help you since they're both 123 lights.

 

[TxShooter]

Fenix and Coast seem to be the leaders in AA/AAA powered lights. I haven't used either one though. My house light is a 9LED, 3AAA cheapie that was on clearance at the grocery store.

I'd also recommend a fullsize light for longer-range illumination or hands free use. Something with the 2D or 3D MagLED that can take a beating and are long enough to tuck under your arm. Streamlight has a plastic 3C model out with an incandescent main beam and three auxillary LEDs that looked pretty decent from the ads. I've always used the rechargeable Streamlights, but they're useless without a charger handy.

When I've been roaming around at night (usually fixing fences or checking for missing cattle), I preferred a fullsize light but also kept a smaller one on me in a pocket or on a neck lanyard. Bulbs break, batteries die or leak, people borrow the main light, or you happen to step outside without it. Eventually the backup will see a lot of use.

Re: your AA NiMh batteries, something to keep in mind is that AA/AAA rechargeables normally have less voltage than alkaline or lithium cells, so brightness and runtime will be reduced.

 

[arcomm3]

I recently bought a sidewinder by streamlight and I am extreamly happy with it
four led, each one a different color, four power settings. runs on 2aa batteries. I have the model with the green led but i am planning on getting the one with the infered led to go along with night vision

http://www.streamlight.com/product/product.aspx?pid=132

 

[jmcrawf1]

Spanky, you might want to re-consider that E1L. I have one, and it has a VERY annoying idiosyncrasy; the switch is a "stage" switch; it cycles between high and low.

IOW, if it was on "high", when you click it again it will be on "low". If you want "high", you gotta click the switch twice.

Why they didn't put a pressure-demand switch (light push for low, hard push for high) like most of their other regulated lights is beyond me.

SureFire stuff is top-notch, no doubt about it. My old 6P is a testament to that. And my A2 gave yeoman service during Katrina, and rides in my man-purse as my constant companion. But unless you just WANT that sort of longevity, most of us here will be well-served by the quality, less expensive lights like James mentioned above. Inova is another good brand of that genre.

I keep 123A-powered lights at the ready, but with one exception, all my every-day use lights use alkaline batteries. The main advantage of 123As is that you can put them in a light, set the light aside, and years from now it will work when you need it. For instance, that A2 in the man-purse hasn't even been out of the side pouch in a year or more. And it will sit right there, maybe for years longer, until I need it one day. And it will work, because 123As have an incredibly long shelf life.

But they can get expensive if you use them all the time.

.

I was wondering about that. So one could buy a bulk box of 123A's and they wouldn't dissapate over time.

 

[spanky]

Thanks Steve. I was actually looking at the Fenix P2D the other day but I'm not sure on that whole switching thing on those either.

 

[jmcrawf1]

Thanks Steve. I was actually looking at the Fenix P2D the other day but I'm not sure on that whole switching thing on those either.

I was gonna order the fenix p2d this week, but I didn't realize about the switch. Dammit......

 

[TxShooter]

From I remember reading of the specs, the 10 year shelf life quoted for lithium batteries means that after 10 years has passed, the cells should still have at least 60 to 70% capacity remaining. Being miserly, I'm still using the last 4 cells out of a 12-pack I bought in 2001. I bought another 3 dozen in '06 that seem to be holding up fine stored in the bedroom closet. We have a black concrete tile roof and Brisbane gets to 130+ in summer, so I'm impressed by their longevity.

I generally don't have a problem leaving lithium batteries in a flashlight. I've never had a lithium cell leak, whereas I've had two or three 3D and 2AA Mags junked due to leaking alkalines...almost always they were lights kept in a vehicle as spares so they were never used/inspected.

Some lights will continue to draw current even when switched off. Older SureFires made before the switch to lockout tailcaps tend to do so...that's why my semi-retired 6P is stored in a box with the cells separate.

Those dual-level SureFires have another annoying habit: if you use one as a gunlight, there've been reports of them switching modes due to recoil. This is mostly reported in the E2DL...it wasn't intended as a weaponlight but is a popular choice due to the light weight. The original E2DL was high only; the newer ones have the same annoying click-to-switch mode as the E1L. I haven't heard of any other LEDs doing this, but then again I haven't seen many other brands mounted on guns. I'd hoped that Pentagon Lights would offer some sorely needed competition to the market.

The idea of sticking to AA/AAAs is somewhat appealing, but I find 123As have one strong advantage for me: aside from a 35mm camera that I don't use anymore, nothing else in the house uses 123As. I don't have to worry about my battery supply being poached to feed a remote control, GameBoy, or CD player.

 

[Manimal]

I have a P3D and it has a 'Turbo' and 'stage' mode. I keep mine on 'Turbo'. Click once = 120 Lumens, Tap button or push twice rapidly = 120 Lumen Strobe. I don't know if the P2D. In 'stage' mode it starts off in Low, which is better IMO b/c it has the 'Turbo' feature.

 

[jmcrawf1]

Manimal, Say I wanted the low mode but the last time I used it was in low mode. I wouldn't have to cycle thru the high mode to get to the low mode?

 

[spanky]

I wish surefire would just make a G1 or a 3P.