A good flashlight

[NW-Bound]

You have really tempted me to get this light.
I notice the charger has a usb plug, so this would be great at my cabin, to recharge off my planned solar system.

I love all the LED tech in flashlights !

Here's another thing.

These pocket lights all use the common 18650 Li-ion cell, which is also used in many older laptop battery packs with 6 or 9 cells. Usually, when a pack fails only one or two cells are weak, but the rest is serviceable. If you carefully break the pack and salvage the good cells, they can be charged with the charger in the light kit, and you have some spares.

 

[Jerry1]

If 700 lumens for less than $20 is not bright enough for you,

Even better, if you already have 18650 batteries and a charger, you can get two of those flashlights for under $15.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B...42e-e8f213ef368b&pf_rd_r=EVTD1BPEHZ7JWJ35J6ZW

Edit to add, the two pack has the CREE XM-T6. Not sure if that’s significantly different from the L2. But still, two flashlights for $15 is pretty good if they are even close to 700 actual lumens.

 

[folivier]

Another vote for Pelican lights. I started using them as scuba dive lights back in the late 70's. Used them for work since they have a hazardous class rating. Still have most of the old ones that still work great. Simple design and construction and extremely durable. Expensive but no more than some of the other ones out there and Pelicans IMO are much better built. Just emailed them to see if they have any led conversion kits for my old ones.

 

[Audie Murphy]

Olight makes some great flashlights. I have several. Some use Rechargeable 18650s and others use CR123a lithium batteries.

 

[firemediceric]

From flashlight to suppressor

Get a Maglite and you'll have a tube that can also serve as a silencer body.
https://concernedpatriot.com/simple-diy-silencer/

"With just a Maglite and a few other pieces of equipment you can make your very own suppressor out of a flashlight."

 

[NW-Bound]

Even better, if you already have 18650 batteries and a charger, you can get two of those flashlights for under $15.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B...42e-e8f213ef368b&pf_rd_r=EVTD1BPEHZ7JWJ35J6ZW

Edit to add, the two pack has the CREE XM-T6. Not sure if that’s significantly different from the L2. But still, two flashlights for $15 is pretty good if they are even close to 700 actual lumens.

There are many variations in the series of XM and XM-L LEDs. I don't know the difference between them, but a quick look on Cree's Web site shows that they put out roughly the same light brightness, at different colors.

 

[misanman]

Fenix lights are great

I have two Fenix lights and they have been absolutely 100% reliable over a number of years. Not so cheap though - http://fenix-store.com

 

[OldShooter]

I can’t seem to get a good solid handheld flashlight. One that shines brightly, is reliable, and you don’t have to shake the batteries around to keep the connection so it actually shines.

Any recommendations for a brand or a particular flashlight you’ve had success with? Thanks.

Like most tool selection problems, it depends on what problem you are trying to solve and, here, what "bright" means.

One consideration, IMO, is the type of battery. I stick with AA batteries to the maximum extent possible because my flashlights get very light use. Rechargeables are nice if you're using the flashlight a lot, but at typically 10x the price of AA's on sale (40 cents) plus the cost of the charger they IMO aren't cost effective for many including me.

Oddball battery sizes are a show stopper for me.

I like single-AA flashlights for pocket carry. My current one is a Fenix E-12 and I am very happy with it. Three brightness modes, easily selected, and no time wasters like SOS mode.

For serious quality flashlights, I'd shop https://www.galls.com/flashlights to look at brand and configuration options. Then price compare as you like.

 

[ImThinkin2019]

I was looking for a new flashlight when we moved to our new house. For the last 3 years have been using Maglite ML300L LED 2-Cell D Flashlight, Black https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00MOL81QI/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I selected this flashlight for durability. Can't tell you how many times I have inadverdently thrown it to the floor. It still works great.

Light levels are bright, less bright, and flashing.

Heavy enough to bean someone if needed, but very comfortable in the hand.

Since it's LED it runs a long time on 2 reusable D cells. When it's getting dim I throw a couple of dead ones into the charger and replace the batteries the next day.
Would buy this one again over and over.

 

[WyndChym]

Our favorite flashlight for the past 5 years is the Fenix E12. We have one on each bedroom’s nightstand, one on the living-room end-table, and one near the back door to grab when I take the dog out at night. The narrow beam pattern allows me to illuminate the dog 100 feet away without lighting up surrounding properties. A gentle click of the push button on the end makes it easy to turn on and go from Low to Medium to High. No SOS or Flashing modes. They run great on a single AA battery, rechargeable or non-rechargeable. My husband is a certified flashaholic and this is his favorite everyday carry flashlight.

 

[braumeister]

The free one from Harbor Freight sounds great, except I’ve never heard of Harbor Freight.

Seriously?
May I ask what color the sky is on your planet?

Harbor Freight has over 1,000 stores all over the country and spends a young fortune advertising in magazines and mailing coupons out. Great outfit. Search for one.

 

[MuirWannabe]

Seriously?

May I ask what color the sky is on your planet?



Harbor Freight has over 1,000 stores all over the country and spends a young fortune advertising in magazines and mailing coupons out. Great outfit. Search for one.

Well, I’ve been accused of worse than coming from another planet [emoji4]. But no, never heard of it. I suppose they could be in Texas, but don’t think so. If it’s a hardware store I assume, then we have HD, Lowes, Ace, and True Value. But Harbor Freight....??

 

[Gumby]

Well, I’ve been accused of worse than coming from another planet [emoji4]. But no, never heard of it. I suppose they could be in Texas, but don’t think so. If it’s a hardware store I assume, then we have HD, Lowes, Ace, and True Value. But Harbor Freight....??

It's a tool store. There are at least 81 of them in Texas. https://shop.harborfreight.com/storelocator/location/map#tx

 

[MuirWannabe]

Haha. Just googled it and there are several not far away. Guess I am from planet Idiot.

Next, y’all are gonna try and convince me there’s a great value store called Costco or something.

 

[NW-Bound]

Oh man! You have been missing out all these years.

The latest tool I bought from HF is this ball joint separator. I spent 2 days, yes 2 days, trying to disconnect a tie rod with a pickle fork, and was about to give up when I decided to try this $20 tool.

I want to say that it is worth its weight in gold, but then if it were I would not be able to afford it as it weighs 2-1/4 lbs.

PS. I just used it on a 2nd car. Works like a charm to remove the tie rod, in order to move the wheel knuckle to replace the CV half-shaft.

 

[travelover]

Oh man! You have been missing out all these years.

The latest tool I bought from HF is this ball joint separator. I spent 2 days, yes 2 days, trying to disconnect a tie rod with a pickle fork, and was about to give up when I decided to try this $20 tool. .............

Most auto parts stores these days loan specialized tools for free. You "buy" the tool, and get back all your money when returned. Example

 

[RobbieB]

I like the 2 AA maglite LED pro model.

 

[NW-Bound]

Most auto parts stores these days loan specialized tools for free. You "buy" the tool, and get back all your money when returned. Example

I did not go to Autozone, but there's an O'Reilly 1/2 mile from me. I went to look at their tools, and that store did not have anything like this HF tool. I decided that $20 would be a very cheap investment, and it turned out to be.

OK, I did not spend 8 hours/day for 2 days, pounding the hammer and leaving dents all over the pickle fork. It was maybe only 1 or 2 hours total of pounding, and the rest of the time was spent watching Youtube and surfing the Web for a solution or a tool. But I truly was successful with the tool on the 3rd day, after 5 minutes.

The comments on HF site about the tool were all positive, and the frustration of other shade-tree mechanics with ball joint removal difficulty was exactly my experience. Their elated results were also the same as mine. One guy said if he had to pay $20 each time he successfully popped off a ball joint, he would still gladly pay.

'Nuf said.


PS. I wrapped a rag around the tool fearing that it might break under the tremendous exerted force, and come flying into my face. It did not, but the joint came off with a BANG. Some guys said it was like a gun going off. Another guy had the joint flinging the tool onto his hand. So, be careful with this. And assistance with some vibration on the joint with a hammer will help too, while turning the bolt to apply pressure.

 

[imoldernu]

TacLites come and go.
My Favorite is one of the early LED lights... a DWL-1 from many years ago...
The design is similar to the newer Taclights. Very strong rear Magnet allows for hands free use, and slide out case for use as a bright led worklight... perfect for use on vehicles.

The original cost about$50.. now, about$40, but there are many, many clones that sell for about $10.

https://www.amazon.com/BLACK-DWL-1-Holster-Sensible-Products/dp/B079MBZLDJ

I bought two more taclights "MakLed" that are also great, with built in worklight and flashing emergency light. I think I paid about $12.

Have dropped the DWL-1 on the cement, with no damage, and sstill use it almost every day. The others have lighter weight aluminum cases, but are also very strong.