1) Short Essay Question: What do you intend to use this light for? Looking to use this light for EDC, a good quality light to have when i need it occasion evening walk with my GF. 2) Wat Region/Country/State will the light be purchased in? I will be mail-ordering or buying online, so this doesn't matter. 3) Price Range: An easy question, but you may change your mind after answering the rest! :broke: $80-$120 However i do prefer the price of the light to be jusitifiable eg: I am paying X amount for the high quality body construction 4) Format: PART A I want a flashlight. PART B Length: 2-4 inches. (Pocket carry) PART C Width: I prefer a long narrow light. PART D Weight: Lights of a similar size can be very different in weight and may turn the perfect sized light into a paper weight. In general a lights of the same size will stack up like this; plastic and aluminum will be your lighter choices brass, stainless steel, bronze will be heavier. I won't put numbers here because everyone has a different weight sensitivity. For the purposes of EDC specifically I'll limit the choices here to the more easily carried sizes pick 2 sizes to represent a range of weight. [x] Very light, can't tell it's there. [x] Light, no heavier than a few keys or a small car remote. [x] Medium light, about the weight of a AAA MiniMag 5) What kind of "bulb". LED - more rugged, unlikely to burn out in your lifetime, less accurate color rendition, in general less output but more efficient (longer runtimes) 6) What batteries do you want to use? Alkaline batteries are easier to find and less expensive but don't pack as much stored energy and are don't work well in cold temperatures. Lithium batteries have long shelf life (10+ years, great for stored emergency lights) and are not as affected by cold but must be kept dry and are more expensive. Rechargeable start expensive, but if used frequently pay off quickly. [x] I want common Alkaline batteries. (AA, AAA, C, D) [x] I want lithium batteries. (coin cells, CR123, AAA, AA...) 7) How much light do you want? Sometimes you can have too much light (trying to read up close up with a 100 lumen light is impossible). [x] I want to read a map, find a light switch/keyhole, or get around the house at w/o disturbing anyone. (5-10 lumens) [ ] I want to walk around a generally paved area. (15-20 lumens) [x] I want to walk unpaved trails. (40 lumens) [x] I want to do Caving or Search & Rescue operations. (60+ lumens) [x] I want to light an entire campground or dazzle an intruder. (100+ lumens) I would prefer a multimode option, something like low to read a map, find a light, medium for evening walk or just to play around with it, and lastly high to dazzle an intruder and possibly 'showoff' and admire how awesome my light is 8) Throw vs Flood: Which do you prefer, lights that flood an area with a wide beam, or lights that "throw" with a tightly focused beam? Place an “X” on the line below. Sometimes a flood is better particularly closer up or indoors. You won't have to "sweep" the light back and forth to see what you need to see. You can also just set it down pointing the general direction rather having to point it right at that which you are working. If possible i would very much prefer to have a light that is adjustable like led lensers Throw (distance)----------X------------|----------------------Flood/close-up 9) Runtime: Not over-inflated manufacturer runtime claims (like some LED lights). but usable brightness measured from first activation to 50% with new batteries. Understand that runtime is a function of brightness and capacity of your batteries. If you want 6 hours you'll either have big batteries or dimmer light, they haven't made a setup yet that lights up like the sun, runs all night, and fits in your watch pocket. [x] 240-360 min. (4-6 hours) [x] 360+ min. (More than 6 hours) 10) Durability: Generally the old phrase “you get what you pay for” is very accurate for flashlights. [x] Very Important (Camping, Backpacking, Car Glove-box.) [x] Critical (Police, Fire, Search & Rescue, Self-defense, Survival.) 11) Switch Type: [X] sliding switch (Stays on until slid back.) [X] clickie switch. (Stays on until pressed again.) 12) Switch Location: [x] I want a push or sliding switch on the body near the head. [x] I want a push switch on the back end of the body. 13) Operational Modes: Check all that apply. [x] I want 2 light levels. (Brighter/short runtime and Dimmer/long runtime.) [x] I want multiple light levels. (some lights have 5-16 light levels.) [x] I want a tactical strobe. (Flashes rapidly to disorient an opponent.) [x] I want S.O.S. flashing 14) Is it important whether the body is metal or plastic/composite? In this case "plastic" and it's variants does not mean "cheap" or poorly made. In many applications a plastic bodied light is preferable, hard use and water resistance comes to mind; think caving or lights that get dropped or abused. I don't care. 15) Special Needs: Is there anything else you want or need that hasn't been mentioned? Circle any below or write in your own comment(s). [x] Waterproof – how deep: 15m - 25m able to swim in it or bring it to a beach, river, fishing etc [x] Non-reflective/dark finish (stealthy/hard to find) [x] Polished silver or brightly colored finish (for easy locating) [x] Corrosion resistant or hard-anodized finish [x] Wrist/Neck Lanyard [x] Kuboton/self defense features
May I propose the eagletac D25 series. Your choice of AA or CR123 and shiny titanium or black aluminium. I've got the AA aluminium myself and it's great. The modes seem a bit weird with all the blinkies, but you won't see them if you don't want to. Here's my review of the torch: http://edcforums.com/index.php?threads/129729/ Good luck!
+1 on the D25. No matter how many other lights I keep buying the D25A clicky always winds up in my pocket.
If US criteria is patriotism, then a Malkoff MDC AA or a Peak El Capitan. If it's for long US warranty and customer service, then a Lego'd Foursevens Quark Click. The Malkoff and Peak are bomb proof, but I like Quark's for perfect regulation across 0.9-4.2V AA-14500s .
Surefire EB1 is what first came to mind from your description and they are USA made, but almost never will run on Alkalines. RA Lights/HDS Clicky are USA made, but don't run on Alkalines and are significantly more expensive. A Malkoff is probably the best of all worlds for you.
Is not patriotism, however i value good quality lifelong products that fit the criteria between 'best of the best overkill' and i dont mind spending a few extra bucks for it. Unfortunately only USA have the big market for EDC and hence the demand for quality take prometheus lights for example, you can find it elsewhere however most of the quality makers are all from the US. I am from SE-Asia however i migrated to the land down under and have been here for the past 15 years
I hear you, and I seek similar. The issues you'll have to balance are the build quality vs features, battery type, cost and frankly, obsolesce. The US folks tend to like the CR123s platform, so if you can give up on AAs, then you'll have a lot more choices. Also reliability tends to correlate with simplicity so the US lights will tend to be more limited in features/versatility/outputs. Or you can bump your budget up ~$300+ or so and consider an HDS which is feature rich, but not as reliable as a Malkoff. Then you have to consider if you want to sacrifice money, preferred batt., and features for life long reliability in a product that is subject to near computing device obsolesce.... and so on. I have a different spin than most flashaholics - except for one failure (from a quality manuf. with the shortest warranty, btw), all my lights have been quite reliable, and I carry a back-up light anyways. My worry is always about having enough runtime for emergencies. The few times I have been concerned about running out of light, it's always been about the batteries (not enough, wrong type, PCB failure, etc). So now I happen to chase efficiency, low low outputs, and lights with extreme battery versatility.... (well, and good warranties ).
I'd recommend a Zebralight (either AA or 18650 if you're comfortable with using reasonably specialized batteries). They're very tough, are extremely customizable, have a good UI once you get used to it, and have INSANE run times. My ZL headlamp (an H600) will run for something like four months on low, but also has a ~900 lumen high, strobe and SOS modes, and everything in between. I've used it as my primary light while cycling in pitch black, and it outshines car headlights. I've also used it for reading in a tent at an output that's just bright enough to see clearly, but not too bright to cause glare from the page. It's the best piece of gear I own.
If you can find the older Surefire E2L-AA, it usually goes for $100 to $120. However, I also know the market for Surefires increases significantly outside of the US. Keep in mind, it won't have the multi-modes, nor strobe, flashing, and so forth.
