Geocaching Flashlight?

December 24, 2005

I would love to have some of the pricier lights, but I just can't bring myself to part with the cash. I use the commonly available "beater" lights.

2/AA Mini-mag with Nite Ize LED mod

3/AAA Dorcy Luxeon Metalgear

2/123 Brinkman 2/123 Xenon

3/AAA Energizer 3/AAA 4 LED headlamp

They all perform well for under $20

Cache on!

December 24, 2005

When I saw that the elements krypton and xenon came up in this thread I decided to take a chance and hop in to share some things that I teach my students about these types of bulbs and how bulb makers lead people to believe things that are not true about their products! I hope I don’t offend anyone by sharing what I know about these things. This is something I want to share so more people won’t be taken advantage of. Just today I had to convince my wife that those “Reveal” bulbs she was about to buy are, to a large degree, a gimmick! By the way, the feeble blue color of those bulbs is due to a compoud that contains the same "rare earth" element that is being used in the super magnets that are becoming such a craze these days.

To begin with, xenon, krypton and argon are noble gases that are often used in light bulbs, mostly because they are chemically inert. The vast majority of bulbs contain argon probably because it’s quite abundant (and therefore cheaper I suppose) compared to the others. The noble gases are ordinarily used to displace all other gases that might react with the filament. That’s it. They do not produce any light of their own! The filament does not get anywhere near hot enough to ionize a noble gas, which would be necessary. The filament would melt long before that happened. In a flashlight those gasses do absolutely nothing to increase the brightness of the bulb. They sure sound great though. What super thing does KRYPTON remind us of?

Now xenon is is used to provide lots of light in a plasma discharge lamp. However, a plasma discharge lamp is a far cry from what is used in any flashlight that I am aware of. New car headlights use them but those type of lamps need a ballast and an igniter to vaporize then ionize the little bit of sodium and mercury metals that are in the bulb then to ionize the xenon as well. The xenon lamps use two poles between which an electrical discharge occurs. A flashlight bulb with a filament simply gets hot, without ionization. The picture below shows the difference in these two systems. The filament is like what a flashlight bulb uses and the discharge lamp on the bottom is like what a street light and the new fangled car headlamps use.

Halogen bulbs are definitely brighter than regular bulbs but that is only because they allow the filament to pass more current so that it gets hotter. The inert gas or gases inside do nothing but protect the filament. The halogen, usually iodine, reacts with the tungsten that sublimes off the filament. When particles of the the newly formed tungsten halide touch the hot filament, they decompose, dropping the tungsten back off onto the filament and release the halogen so that it can go out and capture more tungsten again. Nifty huh? That fact enables the bulb maker to allow the filament to get hotter without cutting down on the life of the filament.

There is some neat info about gas discharge lamps here if anyone is interested. I did find one error in their information on another page however. They said that xenon produced a yellow light. Nope. That’s the sodium that does that.

Merry Christmas

-it

December 24, 2005

There is a lot to be said for understanding the chemical nature of inert gases and the technology behind their uses in the industry today . . . but, do we have any idea of the life expectancy for lamps.

In considering a Xenon gas filled/tungsten filiment lamp VS an LED option, cost & light produced are the comparitive considerations of these two offerings.

The LED has an almost forever life but much less light provision, a cheaper alternative that may prove unsatisfactory in night caching in deep dark shrubs for a micro.

The Xenon/filiment is incredible in high/bright light provision but lamp replacement costs are $28/unit. This solution will be a great choice . . . IF the life expectancy is reasonable . . . say in years.

Does anyone know the life of the xenon/filiment unit . . . if it is reasonable, I am going to spend the $151.00 for the rechargeable SureFire, But, I do not want to be displeased in replacing lamps too often - a real joy killer and marital discord producer.

Edited December 24, 2005 by GRANPA ALEX

2.6k · December 24, 2005

I've had a Surefire 6P for almost 15 years. I've never replaced the lamp. I've used it for duty carry and emergency light in my car. I've taken it hiking, caching and camping.

I think the biggest expense you should worry about replacing is the rechargeable batteries. I thought I was upgrading when I bought a Surefire 8N(maybe 9N can't remember) rechargeable. I'd used and knew the Stream light rechargeable lasted for years.

Anyways, it only lasted a little more than a year and the battery wouldn't take a charge. Well now it's in the bottom of a box in the basement for nearly ten years. I was so disgusted I couldn't bring myself to replace the battery, which was around a hundred dollars.

I think the 1 to 5 watt LEDs are very adequate for duty carry and bright. I've been drooling for a Surefire L4 Digital Lumamax for a couple years now.

http://www.flashlightreviews.com/reviews/surefire_l4.htm

P.S. For less than $3 the lithium batteries in the 6P last almost a year and a half.

Edited December 24, 2005 by leatherman

December 24, 2005

I use a petzl zipka headlamp(you got to oove the size of it) and a retrofited led mini maglite with multicolor lens attachment for beaming. Also, you cant beat a krypton mini maglite with a good reflector for searching.

December 25, 2005

I've had a Surefire 6P for almost 15 years. I've never replaced the lamp.

I think the biggest expense you should worry about replacing is the rechargeable batteries. I thought I was upgrading when I bought a Surefire 8N(maybe 9N can't remember) rechargeable. Anyways, it only lasted a little more than a year and the battery was around a hundred dollars.

Leatherman . . . THANKS . . . this is the very best & on-the-button information I have been seen . . . very appreciated!

The 6P uses a Xenon lamp - 15 years, I LIKE that news!

The rechargable batteries are now $20.00 & the 8NX comes with two. If they last a year only . . . that is NOT bad at $1.67 per month, if the technology has not improved in 10-12 years. You might reach into the old box for your old one for a twenty dollar battery, rather than the LED L4 LumaMax investment (????)

I may be ready to reach into my pocket for the new 8NX light . . .

Edited December 25, 2005 by GRANPA ALEX

December 25, 2005

I use a Princeton Tec Apex headlamp and a C2 Centurian from Surefire.

I used to use a Myolite 5 from Petzl. I absolutely love the new Apex headlamp and might buy one for my wife and two sons. But for a handheld light any Surefire will get the job done.

December 25, 2005

I use a Streamlight Twin Task 2L, it has a Xenon buld that does 72 Lumen when I need bright light, and 3 LED's for long battery life when I don't. For under $30 it can't be beat, mine has survived a tour in Afghanistan and still going strong.

2.1k · December 25, 2005

I use a Streamlight Twin Task 2L, it has a Xenon buld that does 72 Lumen when I need bright light, and 3 LED's for long battery life when I don't. For under $30 it can't be beat, mine has survived a tour in Afghanistan and still going strong.

check out this one from Harbor freight - same features - uses C cells

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Disp...temnumber=93112

I have 2 they are great -

December 25, 2005

My flashlights and head lamps are the one place I don't use rechargeables. Rechargeables lose power even when they're idle. I don't want to reach for my flashlight and find that the batteries are drained just when I need it.

Sanyo has new cells coming out in Jan of 2006 that combat this.

They have such a low self discharge rate (~1% per month) that they will be sold charged so consumers can use them right out of the package.

I look forward to trying these.

Look here or fire up your favorite search engine...

Sanyo Eneloop

Edit:

The price in the article I quoted is of course MSRP.

I am waiting to see what the street price will be...

Edited December 25, 2005 by FloatingSpots

2.6k · December 27, 2005

The rechargable batteries are now $20.00 & the 8NX comes with two. If they last a year only . . . that is NOT bad at $1.67 per month, if the technology has not improved in 10-12 years. You might reach into the old box for your old one for a twenty dollar battery, rather than the LED L4 LumaMax investment (????)

Thanks for the info on the battery. However I was in shopping mode that night. I ordered the L4.

I did try to find the 8N. No luck though. I'll find it some time in the future. Might force myself to replace the battery.(!!!!!)

2.6k · December 30, 2005

I received the L4 today. WoW. It's bright. The reviews say it has the same lumens as the 6P. The L4 has a superior beam pattern and very even light. Super high contrast white light. Thinner and lighter than the old 6P.

December 31, 2005

Oh man, don't get me started on flashlights! LOL! I, too am a member of CPF and have too many lights. I usually carry a ARC aaa on my keychain, an LSH-S in my pocket, and sometimes a Nuwaii Q-III for some longer throw. As for knives, well....that's a whole 'nother thread (and websites!!). Gadget addicts unite!!!

Great thread!!

December 31, 2005

Double post...

Edited December 31, 2005 by arcteryx79

2.6k · December 31, 2005

Gadget addicts unite!!!

Ooh Rauhh!!!

January 4, 2006

I know this thread is a little on the done side, but I thought I'd pipe up on one thing related to the "Shakable" Flashlights that one of the previous posters asked about.

Yes, they work and the beam is basically ok but not necessarily the brightest. They seem relatively rugged. I have one as a back-up. I do not use it for Geocaching though!

Why?

These flashlights have a VERY POWERFUL MAGNET in them.

You will want to be very careful of your electronic equipment, especially GPSr's, MP3 Players, digital cameras, PDA's, Laptops, Mini DV Recorders, Cassette Tapes, cell phones, anything that uses magnetic media as a storage medium (which, in one form or another, is true of all of the items I mentioned). There is a strong possibility that your pictures or music may be erased by the magnet or even worse, the equipment itself may be damaged. The reason being that a lot of these items use magnetic memory to save configuration and operational data. The magnet in these flashlights can totally erase magnetic media!

If you're an Orienteer, or use a Compass while geocaching, you may want to just leave one of these flashlights home period. I did a little experiment with my compass. One day I had the flashlight and my compass on my desk and noticed that a foot away from the flaslight, North on my compass was pointing straight at it. I Picked up the compass and slowly moved away from the flashlight. It ended up being about a full 8 feet before the compass was no longer affected by the Flashlight magnet!

Just thought some of you would like to know that before tossing one in your pack next to your camera or PDA! :lol:

January 4, 2006

You will want to be very careful of your electronic equipment, especially GPSr's, MP3 Players, digital cameras, PDA's, Laptops, Mini DV Recorders, Cassette Tapes, cell phones, anything that uses magnetic media as a storage medium (which, in one form or another, is true of all of the items I mentioned). There is a strong possibility that your pictures or music may be erased by the magnet or even worse, the equipment itself may be damaged. The reason being that a lot of these items use magnetic memory to save configuration and operational data. The magnet in these flashlights can totally erase magnetic media!

Don't need to worry so much, your devices are safe from the flashlight.

The cassette tape was the only one on that list that is affected by magnets.

The only "magnetic media" used for storage nowadays are tapes and hard drives. Hard drives are heavily shielded and don't get erased by magnets nearby. IPODs have hard drives, but like I said, shielded.

Most hand-held devices that have memory use flash memory which is electronic, not magnetic.

I agree with you about the compass though, that could be dangerous. I have a pair of gloves that I got for hunting that have the fingerless gloves underneath a fold-over mitten-style covering. Usually you see these with velcro to hold the mitten part back, but this pair i got had small magnets. I thought they worked great until I went to use my compass. HELLO! Every direction was north! I knew something was up because I thought I was facing south. Had I been facing anywhere between NE and NW i may not have noticed and may have walked quite a ways in the wrong direction. or in circles.

January 5, 2006

If you want a great deal on a streamlight flashlight I got this from Amazon today.

Streamlight Flashlight Sale

January 5, 2006

I loved Maglites. They were all I ever needed until...

I used to be a skeptic of expensive flashlights. There was no way I could justify spending $93.00 for a light. I bought a Surefire Z2 Combat light with some holiday gift money. I fell in love with it. A year later I purchased the Surefire 6P. You've got to understand these lights are awesome! I still have 2 mini maglites, one 2D cell, one 3D cell, and one 4D cell. The thing is I never use them anymore. I took out the batteries and they sit on a shelf in my closet. I'm not saying an expensive flashlight is right for everyone, but man they are super bright. I use my lights for everything. Geocaching, finding my way in the dark, walking the dog at night.

The least expensive Surefire light is the G2 Nitrolon priced at $36.00.

It has a 65 lumen light output.

January 5, 2006

There are alot of the junk shake flashlights on the market since their release. The original one is called the Nightstar. They are awesome if you want to pay 30 bucks for a flashlight. They are pretty bright, about 10,000 hrs+ per bulb, and I seen one get run over by a car and survive. Personally, I would love to need less batteries, but I use a headlamp by River Rock. It has 2 brightness settings, and uses white LED's on 2 AAA batts.

January 7, 2006

The least expensive Surefire light is the G2 Nitrolon priced at $36.00.

It has a 65 lumen light output.

I also agree on the Surefire G2...you can get them at Sportsmans Warehouse or online. Go to lighthound.com or batterystation for cheap ($1) Lithium 123 batteries...

January 7, 2006

I was thinking about this too. I was considering those battery-less shakable LED lights, can anyone comment on those, do they work?

They are actually pretty poor in quality. A small maglite (2AA) is tremendously better. I purchased one and sent it back because the plastic lens over the bulb is actually a piece of magnifying plastic.

January 7, 2006

Here's a flashlight for a REAL MAN! It puts out 15 million candlepower, uses a lead-acid 12V battery, recharges in my Jeep, and cost $30 at Costco. The best thing about it is the Ooohs and Aaahs you get at a night event cache! I have named it "El Ridiculoso" for it's obvious ridiculousness. While on the aforementioned night cache, I kept it off until the group had trouble finding the next reflector. At that point I would pull the trigger on this beast and we could see at least the next 2 reflectors - sometimes 3. Kinda took the fun out of a night hunt...... NOT! It was great fun unless you looked into the beam. This cache log will give you an idea of how bright it is.

I also have a SureFire Z2 Combat light for my light work and umpteen dozen EverReady/Maglite/Geo-Junk flashlights that are gathering dust. Here's the funny part, many of the locals call me a vampire cacher because of my penchant for caching at night (including "in the woods" hikes) without a light. Hint for wannabe vampire cachers: your GPS and/or cellphone backlight can sometimes be used to cheat when at ground zero.

It's all or nothing for me....... I don't like the middle of the road.

January 7, 2006

After my Surefire got stolen i have an Q40 from UK

And a little Petzle Zipka

I don't think they will have fun with the Surefire because they can not recharge it.

But here in Germany the Surefire is to expensive.

If someone is looking for an gas discharge lamps we have one here in Germany.

Look here

Edited January 7, 2006 by Timber_Wolf

January 14, 2006

Does anyone have a Surefire U2? It is a variable 5Watt LED

Surefire U2

Microprocessor regulation and six levels of output available on demand to meet any task. High-output or long runtime: now you can have both in one rugged LED flashlight.

Constructed of aerospace grade aluminum with a rugged military specification hard-anodized finish, and powered by two lithium batteries (10-year shelf life), the U2 Ultra features a five-watt LED (Light Emitting Diode) and the extended runtime typical of LED flashlights. The U2 features a body-mounted selector ring that allows the user to choose one of six output levels: from a battery saving two lumens of light—perfect for finding your keys in the dark—to a retina-searing 80 lumens at its highest setting. The U2 is equipped with a click-on/off tailcap pushbutton switch that gives the user the option of momentary activation (for self-defense use or emergency signaling) or the convenience of a constant-on “click” switch. The U2 also features microprocessor regulation circuitry to match the LED's current requirements with the battery's output to maintain a more consistent level of light output for the useable life of the batteries (as opposed to unregulated lights, which are subject to a steady decline in light intensity beginning shortly after activation).

The U2 produces over 40 hours of useful light on the lowest setting. Unlike most LED flashlight manufacturers -- who inflate the light output and usable runtimes of their LEDs -- SureFire provides realistic output and runtime specifications based on scientifically obtained measurements. Although any LED -- including those produced by SureFire -- can continue to produce negligible light output for over 100 hours, the amount of useful light produced is of a shorter duration.

Edited January 14, 2006 by stahlpower

January 14, 2006

Wow! Great thread with lots of good info. Here's my two cents (smile)....

I've been a hunter for almost 20 years and I've used nothing but a mini-maglite. I've had the same one for at least 14 years and it has never failed me yet (unless the batteries start to fade). It still has the original back-up bulb in the rear end of the light! Mine has the hard plastic/rubber thing that goes over the bulb end, so if you drop it (which I have many times) then it won't break the bulb. These usually come as a kit, with some different color lenses and such. My light has been to Canada, Ohio, Indiana, Wisconsin, Colorado and South Dakota hunting.

While I'm sure the more expensive lights are better performing, I just can't justify the cost right now. Maybe I'll have to talk to Santa (smile). I just know that if I lose my mini-mag, I can simply go to the store and get another. If I lose a $95 light, I'll be kicking myself in the backside for a longtime!

Until reading this thread, I didn't realize there WAS a backup bulb in my mini (2/AA) maglight. I just looked, and sure enough, there it is! Thanks, guys!

I don't plan on any night caching, but have been out when it's turning dark, and the mini mag worked fine for me.... I've also used it to check out that hole in the tree before I reach in.

:unsure:

20.7k · January 14, 2006

Someone gave me a 5D maglite for Christmas. I really like it.

3k · January 15, 2006

Love our mini mag and our double-a maglites. They're a little heavier, but have been used as prybars, icepicks and hammers in a pinch!

January 15, 2006

I'm still using a 25 year old mini-mag, it's never failed me. I also have a sheath, headband, lanyard, and filters for it. It has served my needs well in a variety of situations.

There are other's that are very attractive, especially the ones designed for specific purposes.

January 17, 2006

Does anyone have a Surefire U2? It is a variable 5Watt LED.

No... Can I borrow yours? :anibad: That's a great light!

January 18, 2006

I use a Streamlight Twin Task 2L, it has a Xenon buld that does 72 Lumen when I need bright light, and 3 LED's for long battery life when I don't. For under $30 it can't be beat, mine has survived a tour in Afghanistan and still going strong.

check out this one from Harbor freight - same features - uses C cells

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Disp...temnumber=93112

I have 2 they are great -

I picked up two of these from harbor freight - nice little lights to throw in the cachebag. They aren't surefires to be sure, but they'll light up the inside of a stump pretty well! Good value for the price. I'll get a surefire one of these days... maybe next christmas.

January 18, 2006

Ummm maybe I'm wrong about this (and I have on my flame proof undies) but I thought this geo-stuff was supposed to be kinda on the down-low...you know, stealthy!

Isn't it kinda hard to sneak around in the dark w/ a billion candle-power-watt-ever flashlight torching the leaves off the trees?

Matt

Ok... I know...quoting myself...BUT

I was on a night hunt....the cache was not night friendly...last week and just as an afterthought I took my re-chargable, gazillion candle power light bazooka... :laughing:

Gotta admit it was much easier to see than w/ my mini-mag. I think I'll keep this thing around for the night hunts when stealth isn't an issue.

Matt

January 18, 2006

I keep 2 of my 4-cell Mag*Lites... one is black and one is silver. Big, heavy, and not exactly portable, but they work great and provide lots of light. I usually only carry one though, the other stays in the car.

Same here, I have had my 4cell Mag for years. GF carries it, I use the mini mag which i keep in my pocket/ About a year ago, before geocaching we were camping and I tripped on a small bridge and dropped my 4cell mag into the small lake below, light was still on. We couldn't get to it that night, the next day we came back and couldn't see it at all. That night we went back and low and behold coming out of a thin layer of silt was a faint beam of light. We climbed down and waded into the 4ft of water to get it. Let it dry, removed batteries and it still works. no leaks, no broken bulbs! I love it.

6.4k · January 25, 2006

I received the L4 today. WoW. It's bright. The reviews say it has the same lumens as the 6P. The L4 has a superior beam pattern and very even light. Super high contrast white light. Thinner and lighter than the old 6P.

Just got the Surefire L4 as an early birthday present!

Whooop!

January 25, 2006

I also use the Surefire L4 along with the petzl Tikka XP headlamp.

January 25, 2006

OOPs, repost.

Edited January 25, 2006 by Colorado Cacher

January 27, 2006

Check out the Rock River LED flashlights @ Target. Awesome performance for a low low price ($26 + tax if I remember right for my 2xC model).

I'm going to see if I can get an HDS 60 LE for my bday. http://www.hdssystems.com/EdcBasic.html

January 28, 2006

Mine dont meet your guidelines but this is what I use

I have a 1watt luxeon pocket light that runs on AAA's so I dont have to feed it $15 worth of batteries like the Lithium powered ones. this is good for the log book or poking around (its quite bright and might actually meet your brightness needs and they have 3watt versions) its not weatherproof but it does have orings and since its an LED its low power so water will not effect it so long as you dry it later to prevent eventual corrosion.

the 1watt version can be had for $25-$30

I also carry a rechargeable SPOTLIGHT with me. 1 million candlepower. I only have 1 eye and cant see well at night so I like TONS of light :-) since its rechargeable I dont have to feed it any batteries. walmart $20 I got mine on sale at radio shack on black friday for $5 a pop :-) comes with house and car chargers :-)

Chris Taylor

http://www.nerys.com/

1.5k · February 17, 2006

I just bought the Streamlight Luxeon Jr. It uses 2 AA batteries and has a 1 Watt Luxeon LED that puts out 27 lumens. One set of batteries will last for 4 hours. The Luxeon Jr. is just a little longer than an AA maglight, and is REALLY bright. Has a thumb button for on/off which also acts as a momentary switch. I just got it tonight, but am really impressed with it. it's SO much brighter than the 3 AAA 8-LED el-cheapo light I picked up for $4 at a local dollar store. And at $27 on amazon.com with free shipping, it was pretty easy on the wallet too. The lifetime warranty is a nice feature as well. I think it'll be my new favorite flashlight.

February 17, 2006

Yeah I know the expensive high output lights are better FLASHLIGHTS. But there is something very comforting about carrying a 4 D-Cell Maglite around with you in the dark...... even when it is OFF.

February 17, 2006

The Surefire E2O. Best flashlight I've ever owned.

At $95.00 it should kiss you behind the ears !!!! :huh:

February 17, 2006

looking to upgrade my Maglight's with these, very interesting LINK

Binrat

I've seen those at Walmart.... Good idea.

6.4k · February 17, 2006

Yeah I know the expensive high output lights are better FLASHLIGHTS. But there is something very comforting about carrying a 4 D-Cell Maglite around with you in the dark...... even when it is OFF.

Yeah, but how often do you actually carry that 4D Maglite around? Ours almost never leaves the car. My Surefire E2D also provides a level of comfort in the off position, and it's always in my pocket.

February 17, 2006

I use a Petzl Zipka headlamp due to the size of it, one of two retrofited TeraLUX TLE-5 LED MiniMag AA plus a regular MiniMag AA with multicolor lens attachments. Lots of better lights out there but you can't beat a Krypton MiniMag for value. On my wish list is a AAA Arc Premium than a Surefire E2, not likely but maybe a Streamlight ProPolymer Luxeon.

February 17, 2006

...Now, explain to me how there is no LED light that can outperform the TEC40?

LED's have come a long way. Even so they are new enough to where some things just have not been demonstrated. LED's typically have a hard time with 'throw'. Until yesterday I didn't even know what that was, but it turns out that's what I like about my Mag Lights. They have the ability to focus the beam which gives them great 'throw'. All LEDs I've ever seen suck at that.

Has this issue been tackeled by LEDs yet?

Yes. And you don't have to spend $90 to get that kind of performance anymore.

Look for a 1watt or 3watt light that uses a spherical lense, rather than a reflector.

February 17, 2006

looking to upgrade my Maglight's with these, very interesting LINK

Binrat

I've seen those at Walmart.... Good idea.

Found the LED kit without the switch at a sporting goods store for under $5.00 and it worked great in my Minimag. Much cheaper than buying a new light since I already have 3 Minimags.

24.7k · February 17, 2006

...Now, explain to me how there is no LED light that can outperform the TEC40?

LED's have come a long way. Even so they are new enough to where some things just have not been demonstrated. LED's typically have a hard time with 'throw'. Until yesterday I didn't even know what that was, but it turns out that's what I like about my Mag Lights. They have the ability to focus the beam which gives them great 'throw'. All LEDs I've ever seen suck at that.

Has this issue been tackeled by LEDs yet?

Yes. And you don't have to spend $90 to get that kind of performance anymore.

Look for a 1watt or 3watt light that uses a spherical lense, rather than a reflector.

I recently upgraded one of my minimags to this:

http://www.flashlightreviews.com/reviews/t...x_ministar2.htm

I was very impressed with it. It's about 24 bucks. The ability to focus isn't too hot, but the beam and throw are both better and there is some adjustment you can do.

There is a rumor that Mag Lights is going to come out with some LED lights. I'm waiting to see what they do before I upgrade my other MiniMags.

February 17, 2006

RK - next time you're in Boise, check out the collection of lights at Sportsmans Warehouse. They sell a 3w Luxeon LED light with their name on it for $34.95. Sometimes it's on sale for $25 or $30. I've been using one of these for over a year now and it seems to be indestructable and has a nice throw. It's a decent cheaper option to Surefire lights. It does use the 123 batteries (as do most of my lights I carry regularly), but they aren't that expensive if you buy them directly from Surefire and they last a long time in this light. (2 or 3 months, usually - and I work in the dark more than half the time)

They also carry another lower-priced option that looks very good - IIRC, Optonetics? or something like that - that looks very good.

What you're looking for is a 1w, 3w, or 5w (all the 5w I know of are still very expensive), using what they call a "collimator" (sp?) lense. It's easy to spot, 'cause it has that spherical shape. Note that some of the cheaper lights use a similar lense with a 5mm LED - that's not what you're looking for. Also - it should have an aluminum body, because the Luxeon LEDs put out a lot of heat and will have a shorter life without proper heat-sinking. There are ways around that, but they are more expensive.

Edited February 17, 2006 by StarshipTrooper

February 18, 2006

I've modded on old Mag 3D light to a Luxeon LED. Pick up a Sears Tool Light 3AAA LED flashlight (~$20 usual price, around $12 on sale). Replace the xenon bulb in the Mag with the Luxeon I PR LED bulb from the Tool Light. Put the xenon bulb in the Tool Light and keep it in the glove box (or give to your kid, which I did).

My Mag now has a very tight, throwy pure white beam of light. It is not regulated, but I understand it will run for 10-12 hours before dimming to the level of the standard incan bulb. It is now drop proof too. Amazing upgrade to an old flashlight. For grins I just bought a cool new crenelated bezel for the old mag (http://candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=103936&page=1&pp=30). I got it with blue glow dust in the bezel so it will be easier to find in the dark.

I also just picked up a LEDbeam (www.ledbeam.com) for ~$24 (free shipping). I understand this 3C light is the second most throwy LED light ever tested at flashlightreviews.com, besting many well known incans in the process.

I also modded my old minimag with the NitIze LED upgrade. Now it is a nice little floodlight, and it too has unreal battery life.

A buddy and I are planning on a series of nighttime caches in the woods as well as a few overnight treks this summer, so I think I'm pretty much set. All of this for well under $100, including the 3C Rock River LED that I picked up from Target earlier.

February 20, 2006

Yeah I know the expensive high output lights are better FLASHLIGHTS. But there is something very comforting about carrying a 4 D-Cell Maglite around with you in the dark...... even when it is OFF.

Yeah, but how often do you actually carry that 4D Maglite around? Ours almost never leaves the car. My Surefire E2D also provides a level of comfort in the off position, and it's always in my pocket.

That link is funny!!! Thanks for the humor. That clown probably takes himself seriously and unfortunately some uninformed people might also.

Oh, and yes I DO carry around my big Maglight and a mini as backup.

Geocaching Flashlight?

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