For those that carry a flashlight everywhere...
- Thread starter sidheshooter
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DA Adams,
Because of your post I bought a Quark Mini CR2. I just couldn't resist the price. Thanks for the link. Now I just need to stop surfing forums, so that I stop buying things that I don't need. Oh well, I was looking for a backup to my P1D.
Because of your post I bought a Quark Mini CR2. I just couldn't resist the price. Thanks for the link. Now I just need to stop surfing forums, so that I stop buying things that I don't need. Oh well, I was looking for a backup to my P1D.
DAdams
Member
Doug S
Did you get your light yet? That's an amazing price for an awesome light with a 10 year warranty.
I was showing mine off after Thanksgiving dinner and Jim a retired pilot had me order one for him. I also ordered a 10 pack of R2 batteries, but as I stated before, I'm still on my original battery. When I first got it I picked up a couple of DuraCells from Home Depot and still haven't used a fresh one yet.
Don't forget you can use the tailcap switch to pulse/toggle through the settings.
I have mine attached to a Buck Smidgen....There you go, something else you (don't) need.
knife, bottle opener and a nice caribiner.
Did you get your light yet? That's an amazing price for an awesome light with a 10 year warranty.
I was showing mine off after Thanksgiving dinner and Jim a retired pilot had me order one for him. I also ordered a 10 pack of R2 batteries, but as I stated before, I'm still on my original battery. When I first got it I picked up a couple of DuraCells from Home Depot and still haven't used a fresh one yet.
Don't forget you can use the tailcap switch to pulse/toggle through the settings.
I have mine attached to a Buck Smidgen....There you go, something else you (don't) need.
knife, bottle opener and a nice caribiner.
I placed my order today 12/1 at 1:30, and received notice of the light being shipped an hour later. I agree the price was too good to pass up, and they look like nice lights.
I didn't know this. Can you explain how it works. The website didn't mention this, but I like the idea of a tailcap switch.
Picture of my current EDC lights for OP. All under 3in and very easy to pocket carry everywhere, everyday. The difference in size between the E01 and E05 isn't as big as it appears in the picture (although the E05 is smaller).
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Streamlight Stylus, it's not much but it works. I like them because I can put it my pocket. The wife likes them because it is small enough to fit in her purse. I think I have every color they make. Also they work great for reloading, to check powder levels.
See how I tied firearms into that.
http://www.streamlight.com/product/product.aspx?pid=52
See how I tied firearms into that.
http://www.streamlight.com/product/product.aspx?pid=52
Carl Levitian
member
For many years now I've been carrying the old AA minimag. It was converted with a drop in LED from Nite-eze a few years back, and it's been working fine every night. I used to carry a smaller light, but the AA minimag is such a nice under the radar kuboton, I'm loath to abandon it. If I replace it, I'll just get the new LED minimag. I like the idea that I can replace it at the next Walmart, Home Depot, or Lowes I run into. If I need a little tiny light, I have the Princeton Tech Pulsar 2 on my keyring. Gives a very surprising amount of light for a little 2016 coin cell light.
Carl.
Carl.
stonecutter2
Member
Streamlight Nano.
It's amazingly bright for such a tiny little flashlight.
It's only drawback is that it has an annoying ability to unscrew itself over time. It's only happened once to me, but I found 4 little batteries and two flashlight pieces in my pocket.
I still love the thing - it's tiny and amazingly bright. It will blind you if you look at it, and the batteries have lasted a long time.
It's amazingly bright for such a tiny little flashlight.
It's only drawback is that it has an annoying ability to unscrew itself over time. It's only happened once to me, but I found 4 little batteries and two flashlight pieces in my pocket.
I still love the thing - it's tiny and amazingly bright. It will blind you if you look at it, and the batteries have lasted a long time.
DAdams
Member
4Sevens
NutNFancy 4 Sevens Review.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mGl3XDeR-Ig
Quark Minis AA, 123A and R2. Nice plug for my personal favorite the Preon II.
NutNFancy 4 Sevens Review.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mGl3XDeR-Ig
Quark Minis AA, 123A and R2. Nice plug for my personal favorite the Preon II.
Soundmixer
Member
Plus 1 on the Fenix E01.
I use it at work (AV Tech at a University), dog walking and every other use I can throw at it.
It lives in the little pocket on my jeans all year and, along with my yellow Peanut, is my EDC.
I have attached a piece of an old dog flexi-lead cord so I can hang it round my neck. This is really handy when poking about in a roof void running cable and I can still hold it in my mouth and then drop it and not lose it. The battery life is excellent and it is bright enough for most situations. Sure I could go bigger and brighter (and more expensive) but I can't see the point.
I got my wife one as well and she can't leave home without hers either.
Euan
I use it at work (AV Tech at a University), dog walking and every other use I can throw at it.
It lives in the little pocket on my jeans all year and, along with my yellow Peanut, is my EDC.
I have attached a piece of an old dog flexi-lead cord so I can hang it round my neck. This is really handy when poking about in a roof void running cable and I can still hold it in my mouth and then drop it and not lose it. The battery life is excellent and it is bright enough for most situations. Sure I could go bigger and brighter (and more expensive) but I can't see the point.
I got my wife one as well and she can't leave home without hers either.
Euan
Carl Levitian
member
Last night I finally broke down and bought a new LED AA minimag. I'd been going along for years now with my old Nite-eze converted ones, but I bit the bullet.
I wish now I'd bought one sooner. A very very nice light. Throws a nice bright white spot good enough that I lit up a deer a good 75 yards down through the woods from my back deck. Only a tiny bit longer than a regular minimag, it still fits in the right side pocket of my jeans comfortably. Like the old minimags, long enough to make a very good fist load or kuboton for travel on airlines, and lights up the dark very good. For the 20 bucks it cost me, its great. Easy to replace at the next box store I come to, and does not look threatening.
I've tried the pocket lights, but I like having a real flashlight that can do some defense duty in dire need, to back up my blackthorn. I like the low level setting, more than enough to find my way around a dark house, or find the path while walking the dog on her last walk of the night. And with Mag Industires unbeatable lifetime warrentee, it's a must have.
Carl.
I wish now I'd bought one sooner. A very very nice light. Throws a nice bright white spot good enough that I lit up a deer a good 75 yards down through the woods from my back deck. Only a tiny bit longer than a regular minimag, it still fits in the right side pocket of my jeans comfortably. Like the old minimags, long enough to make a very good fist load or kuboton for travel on airlines, and lights up the dark very good. For the 20 bucks it cost me, its great. Easy to replace at the next box store I come to, and does not look threatening.
I've tried the pocket lights, but I like having a real flashlight that can do some defense duty in dire need, to back up my blackthorn. I like the low level setting, more than enough to find my way around a dark house, or find the path while walking the dog on her last walk of the night. And with Mag Industires unbeatable lifetime warrentee, it's a must have.
Carl.
I have one of those little fishes that light's up out of the mouth when you squeeze him on my keychain for my housekeys. My flashlight on my belt is a Hellfire X-11, but I cannot afford to turn it on because it eats up the 3volt lithiums like candy. So I use my el cheapo UltraFire I got on ebay for 20$ most of the time. 1AA in this little jewel lasts a couple weeks.
A radical break from the norm, sort of
I have a background in optics and photonics, and that's gotten me a few gigs testing flashlights for several flashlight vendors and one well-known survival-education site. One of the results has been sort of a "geek's dream" of a growing stockpile of dozens and dozens of flashlights to use and play with. And *of course* part of me getting dressed each day is picking out which flashlight(s) will go well with today's occasion, like picking out the tie and cufflinks, but much more interesting.
Over time I've mostly gone down what seemed the "obvious" default, meaning an LED light requiring one or two 3-volt lithium batteries (Surefire E1x, E2x, and similar), or the occasional 3 x AAA or 2 x AA. I like very much the concept of the the Gerber Omnivore, which can accept AA, AAA, or a 3-V lithium battery and when I travel I always have one of those as backup.
But in the last couple years I've gone radical and mostly carry several (at least two, often 4 or 5) of the E-Gear Pico lites:
I just clip one of these tiny things on to every thing where it might useful. I have one clipped my house keys, another on my car keys, my pocket camera case has one clipped to its zipper pull (as do most of my jackets and parkas), etc. I have them on gun cases, range bags, day packs, and so on. Result is that whatever everyday stuff I pick to go out the door for the day, along with me are several little flashlights and I always have one or more within direct reach. I've given some to my wife and kids and they use use them the same way.
Granted, these are not big-powerful combat lights. But they're remarkably capable for the everyday uses of a flashlight. They're waterproof, virtually indestructible, are surprisingly bright for the first 2 - 5 hours, then taper off very gradually, most still bright enough for close work in the dark out past 30 or 40 hours. (Disclaimer: I did pre-production independent testing of these lights, but I'm not connected with the company and make no money from them. OTOH, I can certainly vouch for the tests first-hand.)
I usually do carry one more light, often a Streamlight Stylus or PolyStylus "pen lite." (The smaller Stylus is more convenient but AAAA -- four A's -- batteries can be really hard to find.) The ubiquitous weapon-light type of flashlights (reflector front, 2 x 3-V lithium battery tube, cap with thumb switch on the back) are very capable, but a bit too big to nestle in a regular pocket with the pen and cellphone or whatever.
If I do carry a weapon-light type (other than on a weapon, that is), these days it's usually an Insight H2X -- it's proven durable and reliable for me and I love the various capabilities. But there are so many great lights of this type that selecting is a bigger problem than finding.
All that said, the light I use the most by far -- around the house at night, take with me when I travel on outings, the everyday-task go-to light for me, is a Streamlight Sidewinder. Good bright white beam, useful mutiple colors (green, blue, red on mine; other configurations include IR), swivel head that stays put, easy-to-find AA batteries, and -- very, very important to me -- the ability to dial down the brightness of any of the LEDs to levels low enough not to affect my night-vision adaptation. (I spend a lot of time doing things in deep dark, so the most common disqualifier of a light for my use is that it doesn't go dim enough.)
Streamlight Sidewinder:
These little lights were originally designed for the military and are extremely popular with the troops in the Middle East. I have no connection with Streamlight or their products in any way, but I highly recommend this light as the best all-around small light, particularly if you need to preserve your night vision in use (which has the side benefit of extending battery life to > 100 hours using any color).
Remember that free advice (like the above) is usually worth what you paid for it. Critiques / corrections / contrary views / reality checks are truly appreciated -- thanks.
I have a background in optics and photonics, and that's gotten me a few gigs testing flashlights for several flashlight vendors and one well-known survival-education site. One of the results has been sort of a "geek's dream" of a growing stockpile of dozens and dozens of flashlights to use and play with. And *of course* part of me getting dressed each day is picking out which flashlight(s) will go well with today's occasion, like picking out the tie and cufflinks, but much more interesting.
Over time I've mostly gone down what seemed the "obvious" default, meaning an LED light requiring one or two 3-volt lithium batteries (Surefire E1x, E2x, and similar), or the occasional 3 x AAA or 2 x AA. I like very much the concept of the the Gerber Omnivore, which can accept AA, AAA, or a 3-V lithium battery and when I travel I always have one of those as backup.
But in the last couple years I've gone radical and mostly carry several (at least two, often 4 or 5) of the E-Gear Pico lites:
I just clip one of these tiny things on to every thing where it might useful. I have one clipped my house keys, another on my car keys, my pocket camera case has one clipped to its zipper pull (as do most of my jackets and parkas), etc. I have them on gun cases, range bags, day packs, and so on. Result is that whatever everyday stuff I pick to go out the door for the day, along with me are several little flashlights and I always have one or more within direct reach. I've given some to my wife and kids and they use use them the same way.
Granted, these are not big-powerful combat lights. But they're remarkably capable for the everyday uses of a flashlight. They're waterproof, virtually indestructible, are surprisingly bright for the first 2 - 5 hours, then taper off very gradually, most still bright enough for close work in the dark out past 30 or 40 hours. (Disclaimer: I did pre-production independent testing of these lights, but I'm not connected with the company and make no money from them. OTOH, I can certainly vouch for the tests first-hand
.)I usually do carry one more light, often a Streamlight Stylus or PolyStylus "pen lite." (The smaller Stylus is more convenient but AAAA -- four A's -- batteries can be really hard to find.) The ubiquitous weapon-light type of flashlights (reflector front, 2 x 3-V lithium battery tube, cap with thumb switch on the back) are very capable, but a bit too big to nestle in a regular pocket with the pen and cellphone or whatever.
If I do carry a weapon-light type (other than on a weapon, that is), these days it's usually an Insight H2X -- it's proven durable and reliable for me and I love the various capabilities. But there are so many great lights of this type that selecting is a bigger problem than finding.
All that said, the light I use the most by far -- around the house at night, take with me when I travel on outings, the everyday-task go-to light for me, is a Streamlight Sidewinder. Good bright white beam, useful mutiple colors (green, blue, red on mine; other configurations include IR), swivel head that stays put, easy-to-find AA batteries, and -- very, very important to me -- the ability to dial down the brightness of any of the LEDs to levels low enough not to affect my night-vision adaptation. (I spend a lot of time doing things in deep dark, so the most common disqualifier of a light for my use is that it doesn't go dim enough.)
Streamlight Sidewinder:
These little lights were originally designed for the military and are extremely popular with the troops in the Middle East. I have no connection with Streamlight or their products in any way, but I highly recommend this light as the best all-around small light, particularly if you need to preserve your night vision in use (which has the side benefit of extending battery life to > 100 hours using any color).
Remember that free advice (like the above) is usually worth what you paid for it
. Critiques / corrections / contrary views / reality checks are truly appreciated -- thanks.Interesting post DriderX.
I have to say though, those pico lites look meh. I can take it or leave it - it makes me think of the Streamlight Nano, in fact I think it's pretty much the same thing.
I too own a Streamlight Sidewinder - I got it for a very good price and I like it but I don't find myself using it that often.
I'm more of a CR123a fan (3 volts - more electrical potential energy, more work, brighter lights!) and I know a lot of people complain about the cost of 123s but I don't buy primaries that often ... I use rechargeable Li-ion batteries. I would be shocked if you guys haven't heard about them here - they're called 16340s and they're pretty much just a rechargeable CR123a. I also use 17670s which are just rechargeable cells shaped like two CR123s glued together. All this, to me, adds up to money saved while getting the benefits of higher voltage, higher performance flashlights.
It's not all about brightness too, like you said. My EDC is the HDS Ra Clicky flashlight I posted (in post #80) and it's very expensive but generally considered among flashlight enthusiasts to be one of the best flashlights money can buy.
It's a single cell cr123a that I use my rechargeable in, to save money, and it has 23 different brightness levels and 3 special modes (SOS, fast and slow strobe). The brightness levels go all the way from 140 lumens (calibrated lumens - they actually TEST the flashlight once it's assembled to make sure you get an accurate output) to a minimum of 0.07 lumens.
All that while using a one button user interface - which is fairly simple once you learn how to use it although it could just turn people away from it altogether.
I have to say though, those pico lites look meh. I can take it or leave it - it makes me think of the Streamlight Nano, in fact I think it's pretty much the same thing.
I too own a Streamlight Sidewinder - I got it for a very good price and I like it but I don't find myself using it that often.
I'm more of a CR123a fan (3 volts - more electrical potential energy, more work, brighter lights!) and I know a lot of people complain about the cost of 123s but I don't buy primaries that often ... I use rechargeable Li-ion batteries. I would be shocked if you guys haven't heard about them here - they're called 16340s and they're pretty much just a rechargeable CR123a. I also use 17670s which are just rechargeable cells shaped like two CR123s glued together. All this, to me, adds up to money saved while getting the benefits of higher voltage, higher performance flashlights.
It's not all about brightness too, like you said. My EDC is the HDS Ra Clicky flashlight I posted (in post #80) and it's very expensive but generally considered among flashlight enthusiasts to be one of the best flashlights money can buy.
It's a single cell cr123a that I use my rechargeable in, to save money, and it has 23 different brightness levels and 3 special modes (SOS, fast and slow strobe). The brightness levels go all the way from 140 lumens (calibrated lumens - they actually TEST the flashlight once it's assembled to make sure you get an accurate output) to a minimum of 0.07 lumens.
All that while using a one button user interface - which is fairly simple once you learn how to use it although it could just turn people away from it altogether.
Imon wrote:
"I have to say though, those pico lites look meh."
I don't disagree -- there's nothing particularly exciting about one these little Pico Lites. It's not that any of them is all that exciting, it's more about their "swarm capability." Because they're so tiny, unobtrusive, and cheap (particularly if you buy several at a time), they just sort of disappear into all your gear -- they become almost ubiquitous. To paraphrase the great Buckaroo Banzai, "No matter where you go, there they are."
It's a different paradigm from my previous one of always carrying a serious light, meaning something with 2 x CR123 or better, then maybe another serious light for backup. For quite a while I carried a Surefire Executive Defender, more recently an Insight H2X. Very capable for any situation, but a bit clunky/bumpy/heavy riding in regular pants pockets and they tend to gouge their way through the pocket material. Wearing on the belt is rather declase' in all but the most informal of settings, toting them in some kind of bag or pack detaches from you and makes it easier to lose them or just be separated from them in a mishap when you might need it most. Most of all, "the one good light" you have with you becomes a single point of failure -- something to avoid.
Having multiple tiny lights all over represents great capability gained everywhere without noticeable bulk or weight anywhere. Unless I've been stripped to my skivvies, if I'm suddenly in a light-required situation I'm certain to have a least one working Pico light and probably several of them -- on my keys, on my Leatherman's lanyard loop, on my jacket's zipper pull, in the tiny side pocket of my cellphone case, etc.
That means I no longer have single point of failure. It means I don't have to carry spare batteries for the main light because I always have ready backup. If I'm in a situation where other people need lights, I can hand them off to those who can use them and I'll still have a light or two.
Like I said, it's not that a bunch of finger-tip-sized lights will substitute for a bigger tactical light. But it's a different (and I believe ultimately more effective) way to think about how to ensure that, no matter when or where you find yourself, you'll always have useful illumination.
---
And yes, the Streamlight Nano is very similar to the E-Gear Pico Lites I happened to use, and I think Surefire has been working on something like it too. And apparently they do sell: I visited the E-Gear booth a couple of years ago when the Pico Lites were introduced; people were buying them personally by the handful. And I'm told the Pico Lites are not E-Gear's biggest-selling product, which is a bit amazing considering all the other stuff E-Gear sells. Streamlight probably sells a lot of them too; every retailer seems to have them.
Thanks for your good thoughts on this -- much appreciated.
"I have to say though, those pico lites look meh."
I don't disagree -- there's nothing particularly exciting about one these little Pico Lites. It's not that any of them is all that exciting, it's more about their "swarm capability." Because they're so tiny, unobtrusive, and cheap (particularly if you buy several at a time), they just sort of disappear into all your gear -- they become almost ubiquitous. To paraphrase the great Buckaroo Banzai
, "No matter where you go, there they are." It's a different paradigm from my previous one of always carrying a serious light, meaning something with 2 x CR123 or better, then maybe another serious light for backup. For quite a while I carried a Surefire Executive Defender, more recently an Insight H2X. Very capable for any situation, but a bit clunky/bumpy/heavy riding in regular pants pockets and they tend to gouge their way through the pocket material. Wearing on the belt is rather declase' in all but the most informal of settings, toting them in some kind of bag or pack detaches from you and makes it easier to lose them or just be separated from them in a mishap when you might need it most. Most of all, "the one good light" you have with you becomes a single point of failure -- something to avoid.
Having multiple tiny lights all over represents great capability gained everywhere without noticeable bulk or weight anywhere. Unless I've been stripped to my skivvies, if I'm suddenly in a light-required situation I'm certain to have a least one working Pico light and probably several of them -- on my keys, on my Leatherman's lanyard loop, on my jacket's zipper pull, in the tiny side pocket of my cellphone case, etc.
That means I no longer have single point of failure. It means I don't have to carry spare batteries for the main light because I always have ready backup. If I'm in a situation where other people need lights, I can hand them off to those who can use them and I'll still have a light or two.
Like I said, it's not that a bunch of finger-tip-sized lights will substitute for a bigger tactical light. But it's a different (and I believe ultimately more effective) way to think about how to ensure that, no matter when or where you find yourself, you'll always have useful illumination.
---
And yes, the Streamlight Nano is very similar to the E-Gear Pico Lites I happened to use, and I think Surefire has been working on something like it too. And apparently they do sell: I visited the E-Gear booth a couple of years ago when the Pico Lites were introduced; people were buying them personally by the handful. And I'm told the Pico Lites are not E-Gear's biggest-selling product, which is a bit amazing considering all the other stuff E-Gear sells. Streamlight probably sells a lot of them too; every retailer seems to have them.
Thanks for your good thoughts on this -- much appreciated.
stonecutter2 wrote:
"Streamlight Nano...It's amazingly bright for such a tiny little flashlight"
Exactly my same thought about the e-Gear Pico Lite, which is virtually the same thing as the Streamlight Nano. See my couple of posts on this earlier in this thread.
They *are* amazingly bright, aren't they? An independent tester asked to test these little lights in pre-production and I was blown away how bright they are *and* how long they last. They're also virtually impossible to destroy. I put about a dozen of them through photometric testing and I was amazed that most of them were still putting out useful light 20, 30, 40 hours continuously. One went over 100 hours.
Side note: Extremes like that 100+ hour runtime for that one test light, while not uncommon, are not to be relied on -- production LEDs of all kinds can have enormous variation in their inherent brightness and efficiency. Every once in a while you get one that just seems to outperform all the other ones, sometimes tenfold or more. Some manufacturers run production tests to catch those on the production line, pick them out, and they sell them for very high prices to people who make specialty super-high-performance flashlights. Lots of cool gadgets in that high end of the LED world.
"Streamlight Nano...It's amazingly bright for such a tiny little flashlight"
Exactly my same thought about the e-Gear Pico Lite, which is virtually the same thing as the Streamlight Nano. See my couple of posts on this earlier in this thread.
They *are* amazingly bright, aren't they? An independent tester asked to test these little lights in pre-production and I was blown away how bright they are *and* how long they last. They're also virtually impossible to destroy. I put about a dozen of them through photometric testing and I was amazed that most of them were still putting out useful light 20, 30, 40 hours continuously. One went over 100 hours
. Side note: Extremes like that 100+ hour runtime for that one test light, while not uncommon, are not to be relied on -- production LEDs of all kinds can have enormous variation in their inherent brightness and efficiency. Every once in a while you get one that just seems to outperform all the other ones, sometimes tenfold or more. Some manufacturers run production tests to catch those on the production line, pick them out, and they sell them for very high prices to people who make specialty super-high-performance flashlights. Lots of cool gadgets in that high end of the LED world.
Some very good recent posts. I agree with the "swarm approach" AND using CR 123s.
Since I'm at work, tonight in my pockets are...a modified Fenix 2AA, a Chinese 1-cell loaded with CR123, and a keychain Photon-style light.
John
Since I'm at work, tonight in my pockets are...a modified Fenix 2AA, a Chinese 1-cell loaded with CR123, and a keychain Photon-style light.
John
AStone
Member
Quark 123.
Bought it in June. Use virtually every day.
Set to use on two settings, low and very bright.
(Normally defaults to low for immediate on.)
Have yet to change the batteries.
Rides in my pocket every day,
sits by the bedside every night.
Also in my pocket: HTC Droid with three settings.
Don't know the lumens, but the puppy is bright.
Bought it in June. Use virtually every day.
Set to use on two settings, low and very bright.
(Normally defaults to low for immediate on.)
Have yet to change the batteries.
Rides in my pocket every day,
sits by the bedside every night.
Also in my pocket: HTC Droid with three settings.
Don't know the lumens, but the puppy is bright.
winterwinter
member
- Joined
- Dec 6, 2010
- Messages
- 5
Quark 123 is nice stuff for sure.
TimboKhan
Member
I agree with you!
Beaux Nehr
Member
- Joined
- Mar 23, 2010
- Messages
- 460
I built my own using a SolarForce host, and various pieces
It my brightest light thus far.
It my brightest light thus far.
Arbor
Member
Fenix LD01. 1 AAA battery (rechargable eneloop), 3 twisty modes (IIRC med 27lumens, low 9 lumens, and high 81 lumens). Completly waterproof; I had mine underwater, wth it on much of the time, for 6 hours and no water came in whatsoever. I got mine for $35 on amazon. I'm very happy with this light and I've carried it everywhere for about a year now.
- Status
