Flashlight Opinions

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kymooseman

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Sep 5, 2005
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I need some help in seleting a new light for home use. I have looked at the Surefire 6P, Combat Light and the Executive Defender as possible options. I know you all have a lot more knowledget than I do. Which of the above are what I need and are there others that I need to look at. I have a Surefire G3 and a small Inova. Want something that is dependable, top notch quality and easy to use during power outages etc. If I am considering the wrong lights let me know.:confused:
 
1- Go look at candlepowerforums.com - Bloody addicting place!

2- Home use?? You are describing units more suited to EDC and self-defense usage.

3- Power outage? For that you want long run time - you listed all incandescents (though they can all be bought in LED forms.)

I would look at something with LEDsinstead of incandescent. I love incandescent torches - I own a couple of SF E2Es, a G2 and a A2 Aviator. For "power outage" use, look for something that has long run time due to low current draw or one that can be dialed down to a low lumen / U draw.

The Fenix lights are great quality. The P3D Rebel 100 or Cree Q5 are blinding bright but can be dialed down to low lumen too. (I edc a P3D Q5.)

I've got a Surefire U2. Easily adjustable LED output with twist ring below head. Surefire just released two new variants of the U2 at the Shot Show. One has twice as much (200 lumens) and the other has 4x the lumens (400!!) of the original U2. The original U2 is plenty bright enough for home use. Prices may go down on the U2 both at the dealers and on the used market.

Another to consider is the Task Force Cree LED 2-C cell from Lowes. Check out the reviews on CPForums. They are $30 and are blindingly bright LEDs. Cree LEDs. Look for the one that says "60x brighter" and "XLamp" on the package.

http://www.fatwallet.com/t/18/771315/

One thing you'll find - rated lumens are best when comparing products within the same company. When comparing company-to-company, it gets a bit more confusing. Some rate by "torch lumens" or how much light leaves the flashlight. Some rate by "lamp lumens" or how much light leaves the bulb/led.

Best of luck
 
In my opinion I'd steer clear of the Executive Defender. I had one and, while they look really cool, I didn't find it very practical. Plus they are a good deal more expensive than the E2e which is the same light without the crenellations (sp?). I will say that I prefer a light with a protected tail switch which the E2e doesn't have although you can buy aftermarket tail caps for the Surefires that will protect and allow it to be stood up on end.

I ended up selling my E2d and bought a Streamlight TL2 LED and a Fenix P2d with the money and I have been thrilled with both. LED's are inherently shock proof and can be mounted on a firearm without fear of shock damage. They also last MUCH longer than incandescents as far as bulb life goes. LEDs run much longer than the incandescent and won't just go out when the batteries get low. That being said, they don't throw as well unless the beam is tightly focused. Which means they don't usually have as much spill beam as an incandescent.

Paddling man already mentioned candlepowerforums and flashlightreview.com is also a good site to check out.
 
I have a Pelican 7060 for my home light. It is a GREAT light!! I have it with me here in AK.
 
Do lots of research. There is no "best" but way too many good ones to pick a single one to recommend. But, I was laughing out loud at one of the comments about the Surefire E2D. I totally agree! I bought one because - it looked cool! (What's that got to do with anything!) So I got an E2L (E2E with LEDs) for Christmas- love it. Keep it by the bed. So guess which light is ALWAYS with me outside of the house. Yep. That E2D. Can't part with it. If you are going to fork over the cash for Surefires, make sure to go to the local brick and mortar and handle them. I HAD to have an E1L- sold it right away because I hated it in my hand. That said:

If you aren't a little crazy for Surefire already: Several of the Fenix's are absolutely fabulous lights. There are several demos on YouTube you can look through. If you just want a great light for seeing stuff, I'd seriously consider the new Fenix T1. I know some don't like the 123 batteries (too expensive, might blow up- so why you re-using old batteries?!?). But those are really kind of silly since you can easily find 123s for 2.00 or less and with the 10 year storage I'm sold on them!! I.e., they aren't going to leak and eat your $60.00 flashlight. Fenix also makes great lights in AA and AAA. Good luck but be careful- flashlights are nearly as addicting (read FUN) as blades!!
 
The 6P is a nice light that feels good in my hand. If you replace the incandescent bulb with one of the P60L Surefire modules, it should be a good "around the house" light as well as general carry. Note that a 6PL is supposed to be in the supply chain - it comes with the P60L module already- and that the p60L makes a "floody" light (though with less throw than the P60 bulb).

Runtime is an issue for power outage use, as is lumen output and beam pattern. For around the house and general use, I like an honest 50-60 out the front lumens.

I carry a C2 (same size as the P6) in my bag with the standard P60 bulb, though the light beam pattern is a bit narrow and bright for close in work. I also have a P60L module, but I carry a couple of other LED lights that basically serve that function (old ARC LS, ORB NS, and/or ORB WEE - lights I find convenient to always carry).

Around the house, I have a 4D MAG-Lite with a Terralux LED adapter (the newer ones). The beam pattern leaves much to be desired thanks to the MAG-Lites reflector, but for less than $40 I have a reasonable amount of light for at least 8 hours (I stopped timing at approximately 8 hours). If I had it to do again, I'd go with a 2D Mag-Lite and the Terralux LED adapter. Be advised that there have been some flickering issues with the Terralux adapters - the one in my car, in a 3D Mag-light, had a minor flicker when the ambient temperature was near freezing.

As noted above, lurking the various light forums is recommended.I lurk regularlyat Candlepower, Flashlight, Flashlight.news, and customlight. Be advised, these are not the busiest forums - candlepower seems the most popular, but there is information on all of them. Flashlight reviews is helpful, as is the LED Museum, too.

Flashlight technology has really been advancing in the last few years.
 
I am a true fan of the Gladius. The lighting modes should suit any needs as well as the size makes for easy single handed use and it fits in a pocket. Hope this helps.
 
Here's my bit of advice. Forget the incandescent versions and pick up the LED versions. I love the incandescent lights but the LED versions offer so much more -- better runtime, higher output, and are much more robust -- you'll never need to replace the LED module. Over time it'll save you more cash than you originally shelled out. The 6PL is an excellent light, but don't overlook the G2L which is just as nice but without a metal body (still very strong, though, as the Nitrolon body is much like FRN on knife handles).
 
The SF G2 is a great light, priced decent too... I have had one for about 3 years and used it hard.. Its been dropped I don't know how many times, even got submerged in gas for about 2 minutes.. No problems other than the smell.
 
kymooseman said:
I need some help in seleting a new light for home use.
I have a Surefire G3 and a small Inova.
Want something that is dependable, top notch quality and easy to use during power outages etc.
Click to expand...

For home use especially for situations like power outages -
although any light is better than no light -
an area light is much more suitable than almost any flashlight.
Flashlights tend to have pretty narrow beams - they're good for seeing where you're going or anything you point the light at -
but not that great for lighting up a room/area.

Consider these inexpensive purpose built lights
which can be used as either area or flashlights -

energizerflpc8.jpg

Energizer Spot/Area Light (CFL420WBE) - Two lights in one – Nichia LED spot light and compact fluorescent area light.
Runs up to 100 hours on 1 set of 4 alkaline AAs.
I've seen these at Target for $12.99.

energizer3in1rq6.jpg

Energizer 3-in-1 LED flashlight -360deg area light - nightlight with amber LED - 100hrs on flashlight mode.

These both have long runtimes another useful feature for home use in power outages.

Think of it this way -
buy a couple of these to leave around the house -
and the expenditure is not that high -
one can then with quite clear conscience buy any other flashlight that takes the whim/fancy.... :p

--
Vincent
http://picasaweb.com/UnknownVincent
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http://clik.to/UnknownVincent
 
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