Which flashlight would survive?

Your best bet would be an old, dumb, incandescent Maglight. No small electronics usually=less EMP problems.

What? You mean you don't keep all your tactical flashlights in a Faraday cage every day?

Keep your lights in your microwave. Just don't cook them on accident.

What? You mean you don't keep all your tactical flashlights in a Faraday cage every day?

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Sure, at night but during the day I get out of the cage to walk around a bit.

Wouldn't an EMP render all unprotected batteries useless?

If so, that would mean your EMP proof flashlight will be useless once the batteries you have are dead, right?

CoRoMo said:

Wouldn't an EMP render all unprotected batteries useless?

If so, that would mean your EMP proof flashlight will be useless once the batteries you have are dead, right?

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No, batteries are electro chemical, nothing to fry.

The electronics inside modern (LED) flashlights are too small to be threatened by EMP. Perhaps to set your mind at ease you should store your flashlight in an old ammo can sealed up with aluminum tape and under three feet of earth. Good luck finding it!

I was under the impression that a flash light would not be very prone. I've read that if I am close enough to an EMP for smaller, non-grid linked, portable devices with limited surfaces as such to be damaged that I'm going to be uncomfortably close to the boom-boom...no idea how accurate that is tho, especially since one high-altitude atmospheric nuke could hypothetically flatten most of an entire country's infrastructure, and the effect of EMP would be far greater than a more traditional detonation?

I have always wondered if you ground a metal-bodied flash light if that would have a beneficial effect? (even though the metal may only cover 90-95% of the entire light)

Actually cdk8 you made a very good point about a metal body flashlight potentially being a ground. Electricity always wants the path of least resistance. The metal body of the light to either the battery or the earth has a LOT less resistance then the bulb, so in general it shouldn't do much. Worst case I'd agree anything with a simple on off switch doesn't have enough circuitry in it to fry. Something like an old Army 90 degree flashlight, a simple click button battery household light, etc. should survive just fine. Even older weapon lights that are just off on with incandescent bulbs, don't have any circuitry in them, just wiring.

-Jenrick

Just keep some candles handy.....

Deaf

Which flashlight would survive an EMP.[?]

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What is your purpose in asking such a question?

If you're close enough to an EMP to have it have an effect on your flashlight, then whether or not your flashlight works is probably going to be the least of your concerns.