I mentioned flashlights in another post, but I really feel they deserve their own thread.
Flashlights are, hands down, one of the most practical pieces of equipment that a person can own, operate and maintain. They provide light, a means for signaling, self defense, etc.
Let's start with the market leader, Maglite. Maglites are one of my most loved and most hated flashlights. My fascination with my dads Maglite is what got me interested in flashlights as a kid, so I have to give them that. I keep a 4 d cell Maglite under the seat of my car. I keep a 3 d cell Maglite under the seat of my wife's car. I keep 2, 3 d cell maglites in the bedroom, one on either side of the bed. (Perfect for when one of the kids wakes up in the night and I need to orient quickly to find out who is throwing up where! Also good for power outages, getting up without turning on lights and waking my wife, possibility of intruder etc.). Unfortunately, my love of Maglite ends here. I love the d cell lights. They are sturdy and fill a role. Light output is fine and construction is solid. I do not like the AA cell maglites at all. In my opinion they are worthless. Light output is poor, construction is so so, battery life is poor. The switch models feel cheap and I just hate twist models.
I also keep a bunch of Surefire lights around the house. I really like the G3L Fire Rescue models for around the house. they are bright yellow and have reflective sections. They also contain a lanyard strap attachment. 120 lumen, LED, 3.5 hours of max output runtime. Weatherproof and high heat rated, so great tool to have if ever in a fire. I keep one in the bedroom, one at the top of the basement stairs, one by the back door, one in the garage, one by the furnace/electrical box in basement and one in my car and one in my wife's car. Overall a GREAT flashlight that I would recommend to anyone! Perfect flashlight to keep around the house.
For carrying around flashlights, I am always in flux. For work, I often leave the house in a shirt and tie, but then change into scrubs in the hospital. I really like The Surefire E1B Backup for work days. It is dual output LED 110/5 lumen. For such a small light ( 1 c123 battery) it really packs a punch on high output. The low output setting is also nice for doing close work when you don't need such a bright light. The light is virtually indestructible and waterproof. I once dropped it off a 30 foot ledge at night while camping. It was raining and the light was on. I took the long way down and around to try and retrieve it in the dark in the rain. When I got to the bottom it was just sitting their on rocky ground still shining brightly. It also has a crennulated bezel for self defense. Overall it is a great flashlight. Well worth the money. Great light output, rock solid construction, small and compact, weatherproof, crush proof, etc. Awesome light.
I sometimes carry a Surefire 6p in a nylon sheath on my belt. This is more often for casual clothing where I don't mind strapping up my belt. (In another life I was meant to be a police office or possibly batman. If I could wear a fully loaded utility belt at all times I would. My wife often prevents this!). The 6p is just an overall great flashlight. I am considering purchasing the new Surefire 6px Pro dual output LED. I really, really like the dual output models, so maybe it's time to upgrade that one!
Another light I sometimes carry is the SureFire E2D Executive Defender. Great light. Solid construction. It has an aggressive crenelated bezel on both ends and is a perfect self defense light. Bright and tough. This thing is weatherproof and bomb proof. This light is not carried in a sheath or holster, so it is the light I use when I don't feel like having something strapped to my belt. (Or when my wife says, "Think you've got enough crap on your belt Batman?")
A friend gave me a Fenix light recently. I don't remember the model. (The light was misplaced.). Overall a very cool light. Waterproof to 2 meters. It had SIX output modes and a very interesting touch sensitive cap switch. It had dual strobe modes as well. Signal style and self defense style. Overall a very cool and interesting light. Well made. It involved a slight learning curve to navigate through the touch sensitive cap switch and six modes. All of this came from AA batteries which was also a nice cost savings over the 123's. A cool company that I will definitely look further into!
Well, that's all for now. If the pic of me in star wars pajamas didn't make me a geek, I'm sure this thread will solidify it!
I'm always looking for new and interesting flashlights, so any and all recommendations are welcomed! I operate a "Flashlight Rescue", so donations are always welcome and I'm always interested in trades.
Flashlights are, hands down, one of the most practical pieces of equipment that a person can own, operate and maintain. They provide light, a means for signaling, self defense, etc.
Let's start with the market leader, Maglite. Maglites are one of my most loved and most hated flashlights. My fascination with my dads Maglite is what got me interested in flashlights as a kid, so I have to give them that. I keep a 4 d cell Maglite under the seat of my car. I keep a 3 d cell Maglite under the seat of my wife's car. I keep 2, 3 d cell maglites in the bedroom, one on either side of the bed. (Perfect for when one of the kids wakes up in the night and I need to orient quickly to find out who is throwing up where! Also good for power outages, getting up without turning on lights and waking my wife, possibility of intruder etc.). Unfortunately, my love of Maglite ends here. I love the d cell lights. They are sturdy and fill a role. Light output is fine and construction is solid. I do not like the AA cell maglites at all. In my opinion they are worthless. Light output is poor, construction is so so, battery life is poor. The switch models feel cheap and I just hate twist models.
I also keep a bunch of Surefire lights around the house. I really like the G3L Fire Rescue models for around the house. they are bright yellow and have reflective sections. They also contain a lanyard strap attachment. 120 lumen, LED, 3.5 hours of max output runtime. Weatherproof and high heat rated, so great tool to have if ever in a fire. I keep one in the bedroom, one at the top of the basement stairs, one by the back door, one in the garage, one by the furnace/electrical box in basement and one in my car and one in my wife's car. Overall a GREAT flashlight that I would recommend to anyone! Perfect flashlight to keep around the house.
For carrying around flashlights, I am always in flux. For work, I often leave the house in a shirt and tie, but then change into scrubs in the hospital. I really like The Surefire E1B Backup for work days. It is dual output LED 110/5 lumen. For such a small light ( 1 c123 battery) it really packs a punch on high output. The low output setting is also nice for doing close work when you don't need such a bright light. The light is virtually indestructible and waterproof. I once dropped it off a 30 foot ledge at night while camping. It was raining and the light was on. I took the long way down and around to try and retrieve it in the dark in the rain. When I got to the bottom it was just sitting their on rocky ground still shining brightly. It also has a crennulated bezel for self defense. Overall it is a great flashlight. Well worth the money. Great light output, rock solid construction, small and compact, weatherproof, crush proof, etc. Awesome light.
I sometimes carry a Surefire 6p in a nylon sheath on my belt. This is more often for casual clothing where I don't mind strapping up my belt. (In another life I was meant to be a police office or possibly batman. If I could wear a fully loaded utility belt at all times I would. My wife often prevents this!). The 6p is just an overall great flashlight. I am considering purchasing the new Surefire 6px Pro dual output LED. I really, really like the dual output models, so maybe it's time to upgrade that one!
Another light I sometimes carry is the SureFire E2D Executive Defender. Great light. Solid construction. It has an aggressive crenelated bezel on both ends and is a perfect self defense light. Bright and tough. This thing is weatherproof and bomb proof. This light is not carried in a sheath or holster, so it is the light I use when I don't feel like having something strapped to my belt. (Or when my wife says, "Think you've got enough crap on your belt Batman?")
A friend gave me a Fenix light recently. I don't remember the model. (The light was misplaced.). Overall a very cool light. Waterproof to 2 meters. It had SIX output modes and a very interesting touch sensitive cap switch. It had dual strobe modes as well. Signal style and self defense style. Overall a very cool and interesting light. Well made. It involved a slight learning curve to navigate through the touch sensitive cap switch and six modes. All of this came from AA batteries which was also a nice cost savings over the 123's. A cool company that I will definitely look further into!
Well, that's all for now. If the pic of me in star wars pajamas didn't make me a geek, I'm sure this thread will solidify it!
I'm always looking for new and interesting flashlights, so any and all recommendations are welcomed! I operate a "Flashlight Rescue", so donations are always welcome and I'm always interested in trades.
