I really liked my Lumintop Terminator TD 15 X tactical flashlight with its easy to use interface and up to 620 lumens with 2 CR 123 batteries....it was a good light and made me feel more secure in dangerous areas.... ...but I spent the last few weeks travelling through Mexico, and the only criminal who gave me any trouble was a corrupt policeman whom I had to bribe because there supposedly was something wrong with my rented car (there was nothing wrong with it, of course, but try telling that to a policeman in the middle of nowhere with no cellphone reception)...and on top of that this great human being stole my flashlight!!!! So now I'm in the market for a new one...the Terminator TD 15 X is more than 1 1/2 years old so there should be something more advanced...but I can't find anything....and just buying a new Terminator TD 15 X feels a bit lame.... Any recommendations for a new flashlight? It should have: - CR 123 batteries - a REALLY bright but also at least one low setting - and I should be able to use it as a striking weapon
Some one suggested the Klarus RS11 in a thread I posted. It is 600 + lumens, has two low modes and strobe. Features onboard recharging for an 18650 or can run off two CR123s. I don't own one yet, but I am so tempted to get one.
That's pretty lousy. That kinda thing happened to us in Mexico City years back but we had driven. Supposedly for emissions they will not allow certain colors of license plates to drive on a particular day. That day it happened to be blue colored plates like the kind they issue to Texas cars. My mother and aunt had to "pay him a fine" before he let us go. That place is a wreck. I'm sure the guy will find it very difficult to find 123s in Mexico.
I've heard all kinds of horror stories about these kinds of occurrences, but they always seem to involve a rented car. I did a road trip around the Yucatan a few years back in a borrowed truck that was licensed in Mexico (owned by Canadian expats). That truck would sputter and die every time I had to stop. It would start back up again, but it would always do the sputter and die thing when I first stopped. This happened a couple times in front of police, but they never gave it a second look. I had some friends recently get hassled in Panama (again, in a rental), but they were able to negotiate the $100 "fine" down to only $20. Just out of curiosity, was the flashlight the bribe, or did he take that on top of a monetary bribe?
i have 2 olights i love. the m20 warrior that is mounted on my AR-15 and the m21. the m21 would be comparable to your lumintop. my next one will be the m30
I am NOT a flashlight expert, I just really like them! I saw this deal mentioned at either CPF or BLF and I ordered one. I LOVE this light, at $29.75 on clearance it is about half of normal price and all you get is the light, no lanyard, batts etc. and only has 30 day warrant. Really is bright and I really like the quality of it. It is not a small light as you can see from the link but seems like a good one and really cranks out the lumens on high. http://www.shiningbeam.com/servlet/the-151/****NEW****-ShiningBeam-Blaze-XM-dsh-L/Detail Just an option, larrupin
I'm with ya there. Most every time I've been there, it's been a waste of time/money. I say skip Mexico and go to Costa Rica.. I had a blast down there and everyone I met was awesome.
Looks like there really was no significant increase in the lumens in the last 18 months - I think I'll wait for a few months if something new comes out....thanks guys!
The bribe were 1000 pesos....and he stole the flashlight secretly out of the car while searching it. I had it in my hands a few minutes before we got stopped, so there's no way I could just have lost it.....
That's about $74 at current exchange rates. Wow, he searched your car?! He was trying to put the screws to you! Sorry to hear about your loss. I know I'd be frustrated if it happened to me. Just out of curiosity, do you speak any Spanish?
larrupin is correct....I have 3 or 4 Shiningbeam lights....excellent quality for the price. The other gentlemen here were correct, also. Avoid Mexico. If you ever have the immense privilege of touring the REST of the Caribbean & South America, you'll throw rox @ Mexico. Even if you don't: avoid Mexico.
It's simple . . . Rented car = Touristas! = Money. Hell, cops are used to bribery in Mexico. That's no secret. To them, it's like a fringe benefit. The way some folks in offices might enjoy free cups of coffee. Not only is it about shaking down the tourists, but the cops there know that no tourist wants to end up a guest of the Mexican jail system. So they pay up. Now if you're driving around in a crappy truck with Mexico plates on it, why would the cops bother with you? They don't see you as a tourist with money. To them, you're just a local in a beat-up old truck. Obviously you have no money. Why would they stop you?
That's a bit tricky to do if you want to see Maya ruins and dive in Cenotes....I don't think Guatemala or Belize are any safer. I also met a lot of good people in Mexico (and some other not so good ones)...
I understand slowly spoken Spanish and can speak basic sentences with bad grammar...I don't believe better Spanish would have helped me - it was a roadblock in the middle of nowhere (between Chetumal and Xpujil, close to Guatemala) and they could basically claim whatever they wanted....
This is true throughout much of the world, unfortunately. FWIW, much of Mexico actually has pretty good public transit (better than most of the US), and it's cheaper and less conspicuous than renting a car. In some parts of the country (especially the Yucatan), you can get most places you want to go without actually driving yourself.
Yes. But you can go to other nations and not be subjected to police officers blatantly abusing their power in such a way. It's one thing to get mugged by an armed crook. Quite another when that mugger is wearing a police uniform. Sorry. But that sort of widespread "bribery" just doesn't happen in other nations known for having widespread tourism. Just the opposite in fact. Those nations want tourists coming back and telling friends and family to visit as well. They want those tourist dollars helping the economy. They want those dollars coming back, and bringing the whole gang with them. Tourist gets robbed, how likely is he to return to a foreign country in which that happened? Tourist gets robbed by a Law Enforcement Officer? Forget it! Not only will he likely never return, but he's telling EVERYONE! Friends, family, random strangers on an internet forum. Random strangers on the street who are conversing about good vacation spots, and the guy happens to be walking by. I've seen police officers (not the ones in Mexico) go out of their way to make tourists feel welcome. That's not by accident either. Tourists bring money, and they bring it to spend . . . Just not on corrupt officers who are little better than the crooks they arrest.
Do you know that the US owns an exotic island with native tanned women and beaches open day and night. Even had rumors of a guy driving around in some fast little red car. lets see if we can find the name of that special place can't wait to go back to the Ilikai the hotel in 5-0
