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Geocaching Flashlight?


stahlpower

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Me and hitman757 usually end up going on night caches and have had a hard time finding a light source that was small and provided a decent brightness level. I was in Bass Pro Shops the other day and picked up the Bass Pro Shops 9 LED Aluminum flashlight and let me tell you, this thing is BRIGHT. It gives off a nice blue/white beam that almost acts a spotlight. It is very sturdy (aluminum shell) and uses 3 AAA batteries that last about 25 hours. And best of all its only $35. Well worth the money! Heres the link:

 

http://www.basspro.com/servlet/catalog.Tex...t=SearchResults

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not bad looking but I noticed it doesn't tell much about it. :unsure:

 

This is what I use at the momment for night caching.

 

The Coast V² LED-LENSOR 3 - Watt Tactical Torch

1105480488_t8LL7743-002.jpg

 

* Up to 100 hours of light from a set of batteries.

* Up to 100,000 hours of service from the light source.

* 4 15/16" length.

* High intensity LED 3 watt light chip.

* Tactical light-weight Black Aluminum casing.

* White beam.

* Rear on/off switch

* Patented crystal reflector system.

* 24 ct. gold contacts.

* Includes sheath & lanyard.

 

it's a little pricey but is under 100 bucks it's well worth the money even though it's a Single LED It has out preformed alot of the ones I have come across.

 

Although anything is better then spending $2900 bucks for The Beast

 

Also for nightcaching I take along a 14-LED Small Handheld 3-AAA Powered

UV flashlight because some of the night caches around here require it. which you can find for around $6.55

 

Here is another thread discussing flashlights a few pages back.

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I will stick with my Princetontec Tec 40. Extremely bright, 4AAs. I have yet to see an LED light I would replace it will. Early LED light had great battery life but were not very bright, while there are plenty of bright LED lights out now, there battery life has gone down the toilet. the bright ones cost a lot of money, for me they are over rated when you figure in the battery life.

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not bad looking but I noticed it doesn't tell much about it. :unsure:

 

Although anything is better then spending $2900 bucks for The Beast

 

Also for nightcaching I take along a 14-LED Small Handheld 3-AAA Powered

UV flashlight because some of the night caches around here require it. which you can find for around $6.55

 

Here is another thread discussing flashlights a few pages back.

 

Yea. I have used about a bajillion LED/Bulb lights in the past and was very impresed with this ones light output. Im sure there are better, but for the money it does very well.

 

And I attempted a search, as I always do before posting new topics, but for some reason the search was hanging for me last night. So I just decided to take my chance and post.

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Merging new flashlight topic with the recent one.

 

Quiggle

FWIW I've been using the LEDBeam (~$25 at www. ledbeam.com -they are on clearance with free shipping). The thing is a photon-monster with a tight, long throw and a nice spill beam. Last night I was night caching with two good friends and I provided the only large light. I stood about 10' behind them and the spill beam illuminated all of our paths and the spot beam projected well into the woods. Only gripe was from my buddy that if he turned his head he was almost blinded from the light. Next time I'll take the point. :unsure:

 

I think I'll pick up another one as a backup. Pretty amazing light. The barrel is much smaller in diameter compared to my Mag3D LED conversion. It is also lightweight and well balanced. The LEDs should last for 10000 or more hours and of course are drop-proof. The batteries are supposed to last 8+ hours.

Edited by jiminpotomac
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As the default flashlight in my pack I carry a Streamlight 3AA Twin-Task Light.

 

If I'm going out night caching, doing a day trip, or think I might still be on the trail approaching or after dark I also pack a Streamlight 3C Twin-Task Light.

 

If I'm going out night caching I also wear a small Energizer headlamp with white/red LEDs 'cause it's nice to have my hands free. Someday I really should get a better headlamp like a nice Petzl or Princeton Tec. Any recommendations on good headlamps (LED/Xenon bulbs, runs on 3 or 4 AAs)?

 

[i have no affiliation with the site to which I linked.]

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:P How about one that works............ If you get one that uses oddball batteries, you know the expensive ones.... I.E. other than AAA, AA, C or D cells its a waste of money. And you REALLY should use rechargeable batteries. that is if you are a serious Cacher and CARE about out Environment.

 

Bad batteries Photo 123/2013, used to be a CVR 3 or something.. $6 a pop.. one battery any battery other than AAA or AA for a digital camera.

 

A group of us just did PUC 8 and 10, the onnly flashlight that died had new batteries and they weren't AA's or C cells. Plus they had been bought the day before.. LOL $12.00

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The best I have ever owned was one that held six(?) AA's, and it was a stick type wand flashlight with a illuminating head that you could push up and it would become a spotlight/lantern type light. Like a min-mag AA on steroids: it was three times as long as the standard two cell mini mag. I can not for the life of me remember who sold it (I still think Mac Tools, Snap on, etc.), nor can I find it at any site. I used to use it in the doors of cars when locksmithing, and removing their locks to rekey them. You could set the light inside the door and push the lighting top up, thus illuminating the entire inside of the door for viewing your work. I would love to have another for Geocaching as if I walked into a tunnel or ? I could push the top up and have an instant lantern wherever I may be.

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Wow, never knew there were so many flashlights out there. I'm sticking with my mini-mag lite and my Petzl head lamp. :)

 

According to flashlightreviews.com, an original mini-mag AA flashlight loses 50% of it's brightness in the first 41 minutes of use. LED is definitely the way to go for long battery life. My Streamlight Jr. Luxeon also uses 2 AAs, and puts out 27 lumens of light. It does get dimmer as time goes on, but provides good, usable light for over 3 hours. (It gets down to 50% output after 3 hours and 15 minutes, and it drops off quickly after that.)

 

Flashlightreviews.com is a great site for comparing lights -- check it out!

Edited by DocDiTTo
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Wow, never knew there were so many flashlights out there. I'm sticking with my mini-mag lite and my Petzl head lamp. :(

 

According to flashlightreviews.com, an original mini-mag AA flashlight loses 50% of it's brightness in the first 41 minutes of use. LED is definitely the way to go for long battery life. My Streamlight Jr. Luxeon also uses 2 AAs, and puts out 27 lumens of light. It does get dimmer as time goes on, but provides good, usable light for over 3 hours. (It gets down to 50% output after 3 hours and 15 minutes, and it drops off quickly after that.)

 

Flashlightreviews.com is a great site for comparing lights -- check it out!

Totally agreed. Get a regulated LED tactical flashlight, though the $ per hour on 123 cells can be a little expensive, though I'm now buying 123 cells at $1 apiece. Or go for a larger light such as the LEDbeam I've attested to above. Many, many hours to 50% due to the large capacity cells. Or mod a 3D mag to one of the readily available LED PR bulb replacements. LED drop-ins are also available for the AA mags. Sometime in the next 90 days or so Mag-lite is set to release their 3watt LED line too.

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According to flashlightreviews.com, an original mini-mag AA flashlight loses 50% of it's brightness in the first 41 minutes of use. ...

Of course, nobody actually uses a minimag for that long. I have a couple of minimags in my pack for taking a quick peak into dark places, but I'm going to use the 5D maglite if I'm actually going to be walking in the dark for a time.

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According to flashlightreviews.com, an original mini-mag AA flashlight loses 50% of it's brightness in the first 41 minutes of use. ...

Of course, nobody actually uses a minimag for that long. I have a couple of minimags in my pack for taking a quick peak into dark places, but I'm going to use the 5D maglite if I'm actually going to be walking in the dark for a time.

 

If you don't mind carrying the extra few pounds with you, that's OK... personally, I like to pack light and a 5D flashlight doesn't qualify as light. And, per Flashlightreviews.com, the 3D mag light loses 50% of it's light in 1 hour and 2 minutes. I'm sure the 5D version lasts longer, but I'd bet you'll still hit 50% in under 2 hours. Is it bright? heck yeah, but really, do you NEED all that light for a walk in the woods? All I need to see is where my next couple steps are taking me. Even a cheap LED does that. When looking for a cache a little more throw is necessary, therefore the slightly more expensive LEDs fit the bill. Incandesants have their place (and are especially nice for hunting reflector-based night caches) but they drain batteries and lose brightness quickly.

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Sams Club has a 2-pack of single LED lights for about $35 from time to time. Great light, but the power switch tends to get pushed in your pocket. Runs a long time on 3 AAA batteries.

 

If you want the best light, get one of the big MagLight rechargeables. Not small, but very bright and you can adjust the beam.

 

For walking a trail at night, a head-mounted light is the best. keeps your hands free and the light goes where you look.

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Sams Club has a 2-pack of single LED lights for about $35 from time to time. Great light, but the power switch tends to get pushed in your pocket. Runs a long time on 3 AAA batteries.

 

If you want the best light, get one of the big MagLight rechargeables. Not small, but very bright and you can adjust the beam.

 

For walking a trail at night, a head-mounted light is the best. keeps your hands free and the light goes where you look.

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