Does anyone know a good LED pocket flashlight with decent brightness

[Nate Nagel]

Per N8N:



I bought one for use on my bike.

Couple weeks later, I bought a half-dozen more tb used as gifts.

That's one *Brave* little light.

yeah, I think you might have actually contributed to the thread that
turned me on to it. I wouldn't have found it by myself as I don't have
a Lowe's real handy, but it was worth the trip. I also got the
replacement collimator from dealextreme to try to make it more suitable
for bike use, but haven't had a chance to ride after dark since it
showed up since every day I've had a free evening it's either been
raining torrentially, over 90 degrees, or both. I did ride a little
after dark with it as it was "out of the box" and it flat out rocks.

nate

 

[y_p_w]

yeah, I think you might have actually contributed to the thread that
turned me on to it. I wouldn't have found it by myself as I don't have
a Lowe's real handy, but it was worth the trip. I also got the
replacement collimator from dealextreme to try to make it more suitable
for bike use, but haven't had a chance to ride after dark since it
showed up since every day I've had a free evening it's either been
raining torrentially, over 90 degrees, or both. I did ride a little
after dark with it as it was "out of the box" and it flat out rocks.

The closest Lowe's to home is a good 30 miles away from where I live.
Ticks me off too. We've got tons of Home Depot stores, but Lowe's
happens to carry the best 13W compact fluorescents (Sylvania brand)
I've ever seen. The fire up in less than half a second at near 100%
warmed up brightness immediately. And they were only $2 for a 2/pack
with a little incentive from our local power company (not a rebate
BTW). I'm just a little bit peeved that I only bought two boxes.

 

[Nate Nagel]

The closest Lowe's to home is a good 30 miles away from where I live.
Ticks me off too. We've got tons of Home Depot stores, but Lowe's
happens to carry the best 13W compact fluorescents (Sylvania brand)
I've ever seen. The fire up in less than half a second at near 100%
warmed up brightness immediately. And they were only $2 for a 2/pack
with a little incentive from our local power company (not a rebate
BTW). I'm just a little bit peeved that I only bought two boxes.

I'm in the exact same situation; there's at least two HD's between me
and any Lowe's. And HD pretty much sucks.

nate

 

[(PeteCresswell)]

Per Nate Nagel:

I'm in the exact same situation; there's at least two HD's between me
and any Lowe's. And HD pretty much sucks.

Anybody know what happened to Home Depot?

Few years back I thought they were pretty good and the sales
people were knowledgeable and helpful.

Last few times I went to Home Depot, the sales people would sort
of look down or scurry in the other direction as soon as they
perceived that you might be looking for help.... and the
inventory (at least little nuts-and-bolts stuff) seems to have
gone downhill.

Too much competition? Bean counters running the show?

 

[jakdedert]

He said "bright enough to read house numbers", which I suspect means from
maybe the street. Will those Petzl lights do that?

You know, that didn't register with me. The Dorcy model I recommended
wouldn't hack it; but possibly some of the Luxeon-equipped models in
their lineup would. They have several with 45 lumens up to 140 lumens
output.

This one; 2 AA's, 80 lumen rating, listed as being able to project 100'
would probably fit the bill. No word on runtime....

http://www.dorcy.com/products.aspx?p=414216>

jak

 

[strabo]

I'm looking for a small LED flashlight to carry with me:

- Short and thin enough to fit in my pocket (around 4" length)

- Uses AA or AAA batteries (easy to find, not lithium)

- Has decent brightness (enough to read a house number)

- Lasts longer than 2 hours

- Reliable switch

- Should be able to withstand sweaty hand or occasional water splash

The closest thing I've seen is an Inova at Target, but the light is a
bit dim and the runtime is only 2 hours.

Thanks in advance -

Walgreens has the ideal LED light.

- Machined aluminum
- Cylindrical
- 3 1/2" length
- 3 "AAA" batteries in tandem
- 9 white LEDs
- ON/OFF push switch
- Weather proof
- About $5.00

I got a bunch of them.

 

[jakdedert]

I don't know of any such. The closest I can find, is a Mini Mag 2 AA light,
with the Nite Ize conversion. Might not be good for house numbers, but you
can always keep a 3D or 4D Mag Light in the car with you.

My mini mag, I got the Opalec conversion when they first came out. 3 LED,
and not very bright. Later got the Teralux conversion. Turns out the new
Nite Ize ($4.97 Walmart) is about as bright as my $30 Teralux. I think the
run time is six hours, on alkaline AA cells.

I got the $5 WallyMart conversion as well...damn bright, considering
that similar conversions are selling for upwards of $20. I'd like to
get a Luxeon for it, but I think I'll buy the led and build my own.

jak

 

[[email protected]]

Walgreens has the ideal LED light.

- Machined aluminum
- Cylindrical
- 3 1/2" length
- 3 "AAA" batteries in tandem
- 9 white LEDs
- ON/OFF push switch
- Weather proof
- About $5.00

I got a bunch of them.

I also got a bunch of them in October 2007, but at the SIlk Road
Market in Beijing. The nominal asking price was 10 RMB each,
batteries included, but when I got a bunch, I was able to get it down
to 8 RMB (about US$1.10) without too much haggling. I have seen them
on sale at Kragens Auto Parts and at Harbor Freight for about $3.00.

 

[[email protected]]

I also got a bunch of them in October 2007, but at the SIlk Road
Market in Beijing.  The nominal asking price was 10 RMB each,
batteries included, but when I got a bunch, I was able to get it down
to 8 RMB (about US$1.10) without too much haggling.  I have seen them
on sale at Kragens Auto Parts and at Harbor Freight for about $3.00.

How reliable are they? I'd worry about the switch and the LEDs
crapping out. Good LEDs and machined aluminum are not cheap even in
China... I'd buy a tie for 10RMB in China, but not an LED flashlight.

 

[Jack]

The best I've seen and most desirable is one I got through a Visa
Card promotion. It is flat 3/4 inch thick, 6 1/2 inches long and 1
1/2 inches wide.. Has 11 LED lites. Triple switch, 3, 7 and 11 lite.
Throws a brite beam and uses 3 AA Batts. Very long lasting. I used one
daily for 16 months before having to replace Batteries. The problem is
that It in getting it as a promotion thing it has no name or mfg
ident. It just says "Made in China".. Has anyone else got one of
these? The last price I gave was $12.97. Believe me it is a great
light and handy, you can put in shirt pocket and when you lay it down
it doesn't roll around. Get one if you see it. You'll be glad you did.
Jack

 

[JoeSpareBedroom]

The best I've seen and most desirable is one I got through a Visa
Card promotion. It is flat 3/4 inch thick, 6 1/2 inches long and 1
1/2 inches wide.. Has 11 LED lites. Triple switch, 3, 7 and 11 lite.
Throws a brite beam and uses 3 AA Batts. Very long lasting. I used one
daily for 16 months before having to replace Batteries. The problem is
that It in getting it as a promotion thing it has no name or mfg
ident. It just says "Made in China".. Has anyone else got one of
these? The last price I gave was $12.97. Believe me it is a great
light and handy, you can put in shirt pocket and when you lay it down
it doesn't roll around. Get one if you see it. You'll be glad you did.
Jack

Will it do a serious job of illuminating something from 100 feet away, maybe
on a rainy night?

 

[y_p_w]

Per Nate Nagel:

Anybody know what happened to Home Depot?

Few years back I thought they were pretty good and the sales
people were knowledgeable and helpful.

Last few times I went to Home Depot, the sales people would sort
of look down or scurry in the other direction as soon as they
perceived that you might be looking for help.... and the
inventory (at least little nuts-and-bolts stuff) seems to have
gone downhill.

Too much competition? Bean counters running the show?

Who knows. The best help I ever got at Home Depot was at their store
in Santa Clara, California. When I asked the guy who helped me how he
knew so much, he indicated that he was moonlighting from his job at
Underwriters Labs, whose West Coast offices were in the same city.
Had an engineering degree, has a thorough understanding of the safety
of the electrical items he was selling, and only had the job because
he was paying for kids going to college. Of course that's not
typical, but I have noticed a steady drop in the quality of the help
from Home Depot employees.

 

[[email protected]]

How reliable are they? I'd worry about the switch and the LEDs
crapping out. Good LEDs and machined aluminum are not cheap even in
China... I'd buy a tie for 10RMB in China, but not an LED flashlight.

Who knows? None of mine (or the ones that I gave as stocking
stuffers) have failed yet. Not very long, but no obvious infant
mortality. The illumination is uniform. With fresh batteries, the
light is very bright. As far as I know, they are all made in China
and imported. The only advantage I know of getting it at a place like
REI is that they will give you a replacement if yours breaks, but for
the price difference, I can afford to be self-insured. I have an
older brand-name LED flashlight (Coast), and it is not as bright and
some LEDs have failed. And for 10 RMB, I would be and was willing to
take a chance.

 

[[email protected]]

I'm looking for a small LED flashlight to carry with me:

- Short and thin enough to fit in my pocket (around 4" length)

- Uses AA or AAA batteries (easy to find, not lithium)

- Has decent brightness (enough to read a house number)

- Lasts longer than 2 hours

- Reliable switch

- Should be able to withstand sweaty hand or occasional water splash

The closest thing I've seen is an Inova at Target, but the light is a
bit dim and the runtime is only 2 hours.

Thanks in advance -

Suggestions - these are newer, long lasting, well-reviewed products
that produce a good throw on 1 AA battery

Fenix L1T - various stores online - click switch for one hand
operation
Coast LL7736 V2 Tactical Power Chip - Fry's - click switch
Gerber Firecracker - REI - twist switch

I assume you need something in your pocket when walking/hiking at
night. If you're trying to read a house number from your car, just get
a 2D Maglite from Target/Wal-Mart.

 

[[email protected]]

Will it do a serious job of illuminating something from 100 feet away, maybe
on a rainy night?

As far as I know, none of the multi-LED flashlights will thow a
focussed beam. I have seen some with a single-LED rated at 1-watt
(common) or 3-watts (rare), and you can kind of focus those.

 

[Jeff McCann]

Suggestions - these are newer, long lasting, well-reviewed products
that produce a good throw on 1 AA battery

Fenix L1T - various stores online - click switch for one hand
operation

Agree on the Fenix. They are the absolute best flashlights I have ever
owned, period. They beat Surefires all to heck. I have sworn off both
rechargeable battery and CR123 battery based lights forever. AA or AAA
is the way to go for cost and convenience, if you use your light heavily.

I'm a firefighter, paramedic, and federal disaster responder, as well as
an avid backpacker, and I've tried A LOT of flashlights in my day, from
incredibly expensive to rather inexpensive. My life may depend on my light.

I bought a Fenix L1D - with the high end Cree LED. It is an amazingly
bright flashlight! 1xAA, six light levels, a fast strobe mode, a rather
lame (too slow) self operating SOS flash mode. I also bought the
diffuser wand, which makes it both a good area/reading light and a
traffic wand.

I also bought the L2D 2xAA body tube and holster only, since it uses the
exact same head and tail assemblies as the L1D.

Lastly, I bought the LOD same features as the L1D, but in 1xAAA size. I
got it the "natural" finish, which I find very pleasing.

Both will accept Lithium batteries, for long term storage purposes.

Jeff

 

[[email protected]]

Agree on the Fenix. They are the absolute best flashlights I have ever
owned, period.  They beat Surefires all to heck.  I have sworn off both
rechargeable battery and CR123 battery based lights forever. AA or AAA
is the way to go for cost and convenience, if you use your light heavily.

I'm a firefighter, paramedic, and federal disaster responder, as well as
an avid backpacker, and I've tried A LOT of flashlights in my day, from
incredibly expensive to rather inexpensive.  My life may depend on my light.

I bought a Fenix L1D - with the high end Cree LED.  It is an amazingly
bright flashlight!  1xAA, six light levels, a fast strobe mode, a rather
lame (too slow) self operating SOS flash mode.  I also bought the
diffuser wand, which makes it both a good area/reading light and a
traffic wand.

I also bought the L2D 2xAA body tube and holster only, since it uses the
exact same head and tail assemblies as the L1D.

Lastly, I bought the LOD same features as the L1D, but in 1xAAA size.  I
got it the "natural" finish, which I find very pleasing.

Both will accept Lithium batteries, for long term storage purposes.

Jeff- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

You've picked the best tools for the job. Fenix lights are definitely
the best values I've seen anywhere - surprising to see such good
products designed and manufactured in China. I completely concur with
your warning to stick with AA/AAA batteries. The problem with 123As is
not just availability & cost, but quality & safety. BTW there is a
very informative post on Chinese flashlights vs. Chinese batteries:
http://www.equipped.org/blog/?p=42

 

[[email protected]]

On Jun 12, 7:15 am, [email protected] wrote:> How reliable are they? I'd worry about the switch and the LEDs

Who knows?  None of mine (or the ones that I gave as stocking
stuffers) have failed yet.  Not very long, but no obvious infant
mortality. The illumination is uniform.  With fresh batteries, the
light is very bright.  As far as I know, they are all made in China
and imported.  The only advantage I know of getting it at a place like
REI is that they will give you a replacement if yours breaks, but for
the price difference, I can afford to be self-insured.  I have an
older brand-name LED flashlight (Coast), and it is not as bright and
some LEDs have failed.  And for 10 RMB, I would be and was willing to
take a chance.

You realize there is a huge gray market in China for LEDs which are
marginal or test rejects that reputable companies stay away from...
It's the same market dynamics for microprocessors, and for
semiconductors in general. Nothing is really thrown away in the trash,
except absolutely dead parts - if it wiggles, somebody will sell it.
What you're doing is basically doing the 100% burn-in screen on these
lower or downgrade binouts. Also, infant mortality is only a very
small part of the so-called reliability bathtub curve - you've seen
only a few beginning data points and you really don't know where the
"knee" of the plateau of this curve is (the LED manufacturer does -
they know exactly what their failure rate curve is based on an
extended, accelerated life test and they also know exactly what kind
of burn-in duration is required to prove out a sample size whereas you
don't...). It's really you get what you pay for, even in China.

 

[[email protected]]

You realize there is a huge gray market in China for LEDs which are
marginal or test rejects that reputable companies stay away from...
It's the same market dynamics for microprocessors, and for
semiconductors in general. Nothing is really thrown away in the trash,
except absolutely dead parts - if it wiggles, somebody will sell it.
What you're doing is basically doing the 100% burn-in screen on these
lower or downgrade binouts. Also, infant mortality is only a very
small part of the so-called reliability bathtub curve - you've seen
only a few beginning data points and you really don't know where the
"knee" of the plateau of this curve is (the LED manufacturer does -
they know exactly what their failure rate curve is based on an
extended, accelerated life test and they also know exactly what kind
of burn-in duration is required to prove out a sample size whereas you
don't...). It's really you get what you pay for, even in China.

They came with batteries, so you can test them on the spot to
guarantee that it is not DOA (actually, for tourist qunatities, the
sellers will demonstrate them for you). Given the markups for at
least two additional middlemen, plus transportation costs, I am
reasonably comfortable that the ones I saw are of the same quality as
the ones sold at Walgreens, Kragen, and Harbor Freight. By
inspection, it certainly seems so. I would not make a trip to China
just to buy some LED flashlights, but I see no good reason not to buy
some if I am already there. At about US$1 each, I consider them
disposable, not treasured heirlooms.

 

[y_p_w]

On Jun 12, 1:29 pm, [email protected] wrote:> You realize there is a huge gray market in China for LEDs which are

They came with batteries, so you can test them on the spot to
guarantee that it is not DOA (actually, for tourist qunatities, the
sellers will demonstrate them for you). Given the markups for at
least two additional middlemen, plus transportation costs, I am
reasonably comfortable that the ones I saw are of the same quality as
the ones sold at Walgreens, Kragen, and Harbor Freight. By
inspection, it certainly seems so. I would not make a trip to China
just to buy some LED flashlights, but I see no good reason not to buy
some if I am already there. At about US$1 each, I consider them
disposable, not treasured heirlooms.

The primary problem is going to be the quality of construction. Most
of the better "white" LEDs seem to come from Nichia Corporation of
Japan. Even many of the cheapie ones sold in China. As long as the
connection is solid and the reflector is reasonable, the light should
be OK.