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Geocaching Flashlight?

stahlpower

By stahlpower
in General geocaching topics

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JohnnyVegas

+JohnnyVegas

Posted
Posted (edited)

My flashlight of choice of a Princetontec tec 40, uses 4AAs and if water proof, I have used it scube diving. I has a hologen bulb and It is very bright and puts out more light than my 4D cell mag light. (I do not care for LED lights, there is not one made that perfoms as well as a real flashlight)

 

TEC 40

 

 

Edit to add

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

Forget about, I use to sell them, they put out very little light. They might ok for finding something in a closet that is not more than 3 feet deep.

 

I have also sold sure fire lights, the princtontec Tec 40 is brighter and half the cost of the sure fire, and the Tec 40 uses cheap AA batteries, the batteries for the sure fire are $15.00. For my money the sure fire is not a good deal.

Edited by JohnnyVegas
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trail hound

+trail hound

Posted
Posted

I also vote for the SureFire G2

I lost one and went right to the local sporting goods store and bought another one !!!

The only draw back is the batterys...I would rather have all of my battery operated equippment to be powered by the same type batteries..So therefore I carry a small 'double A' flashlite for a back-up.

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stahlpower

+stahlpower

Posted
  • Author
Posted (edited)

Ok thanks all for the replies. I have decided to go with surefire specifically, the E1L Outdoorsman (E1L-HA-WH). Small, powerful 25 lumens, indestructible, no worry about replacing bulbs as this is LED. Thanks!

 

Oh, Here is the link if anyone is interested: E1L

 

Does anyone have one?

 

e1l_large.jpg

Edited by stahlpower
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briansnat

+briansnat

Posted
Posted
Ok thanks all for the replies. I have decided to go with surefire specifically, the E1L Outdoorsman (E1L-HA-WH). Small, powerful 25 lumens, indestructible, no worry about replacing bulbs as this is LED. Thanks!

 

Oh, Here is the link if anyone is interested: E1L

 

Does anyone have one?

$98 for a flashlight!!! Don't lose that sucker!

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ToTheSummit

+ToTheSummit

Posted
Posted

I'm with gas4cache on this one. Maybe I'm stuck in the last century but my maglights and mini-mags have always served me well and I see no need to change.

 

However, I have taken to carrying a micro squeezable led light (link) with me at all times in the last couple of years. I keep em on my keychains and one in my pocket with my change at all times. You wouldn't want to rely on them for regular use but I always have a light with me no matter where or when it is. And they are small and light enough that you never know you are carrying them.

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Mopar

+Mopar

Posted
Posted (edited)

I have a mini maglite and a cheap led headlamp whenever I'm caching, even if I didnt intend on being out at night. The mini-mag fits perfect in one of the side pockets of my gps case (pen, pencil, and a sharpie go in the other). I like that I can swap batteries with the gps if need be.

Having said that, I've been hoping for years that Santa would bring me a Surefire E2D Executive Defender®. At $105, I've had a tough time justifying buying it for myself. With a 75 minute battery life, it wouldn't be much good for general night caching, but 60 lumens of light in a 3oz package would be nice to keep in a pocket at all times.

e2d_large.jpg

Edited by Mopar
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Mopar

+Mopar

Posted
Posted

 

Does anyone have one?

$98 for a flashlight!!! Don't lose that sucker!

Is there a comma missing?

:D

Ya get what ya pay for, just like with the the dif between a real maglite, and the dollar store/flea market "maclite".

Some of my maglites are literally decades old now, and aside from an occasional bulb, are still going strong.

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briansnat

+briansnat

Posted
Posted

 

Does anyone have one?

$98 for a flashlight!!! Don't lose that sucker!

Is there a comma missing?

:D

Ya get what ya pay for, just like with the the dif between a real maglite, and the dollar store/flea market "maclite".

Some of my maglites are literally decades old now, and aside from an occasional bulb, are still going strong.

Yeah and Maglites are like $8-$15.

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Mopar

+Mopar

Posted
Posted (edited)
Ya get what ya pay for, just like with the the dif between a real maglite, and the dollar store/flea market "maclite".

Some of my maglites are literally decades old now, and aside from an occasional bulb, are still going strong.

Yeah and Maglites are like $8-$15.

Yea, and if ya drop a maglite, the bulb is toast (at least if ya drop it when you really REALLY need it, or so it seems).

Surefires don't break, and they put out more light then the maglight.

Surefire makes many of the military/LEO weapon lights. Lights that could mean a difference of life and death if they fail. I even saw a pic of one that stopped a bullet.

The 3oz E2D puts out 4 times the light of a D cell maglite, and is bright enough and strong enough to be used for self defense if need be.

 

If Santa didn't take the hint this year (and judging by the response "How much? For a freakin' FLASHLIGHT?"; she didn't), I'll probably just buy it for myself.

Edited by Mopar
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Mudfrog

+Mudfrog

Posted
Posted

 

Does anyone have one?

$98 for a flashlight!!! Don't lose that sucker!

Is there a comma missing?

:)

Im too cheap to go out and buy one of those police type tactical flashlights but guess what,,, my wife isnt! :D We did our Christmas thing yesterday and boy was i surprised when i opened up my Streamlight UltraStinger. It's the most potent (295 lumens) light ive personally seen in its size. Oh, and its rechargeable so im not too worried about using it either and having to replace batteries every hour or so. :D

 

But,,, i still think my Lightwave 3000 is what i'll use most of the time for caching. That thing isnt near as bright but it works perfect with reflective tacks that are commonly used in night caches and it keeps going and going and going! :P

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RockyRaab

+RockyRaab

Posted
Posted

I just bought some flashlights from Cheaper Than Dirt. They're 8-bulb LEDs, shaped like the Surefire models, use three AAA batteries - and you get three of them for $15.

 

No, they do not blind enemy troops at 100 meters. They do, however, put out a surprising amount of light (lit up my backyard enough to see grass details).

 

I like 'em enough that I ordered three more as stocking stuffers.

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Renegade Knight

+Renegade Knight

Posted
Posted (edited)

I've got a bunch of MiniMags. So far they have worked great. For night caching I've just used my 3 Cell mag. The ability to focus a beam is a very nice thing when scouting ahead in the rocks. LED's have a harder time with that, but LED battery life is something else again, and has been noted you can whack your flashlight and lose your bulb.

 

I'm going to try the LED conversion on a mini mag. With 20 or so of those out there though it's hard to know which one to go with. Worse they all cost at least twice what the Mini Mag started at.

 

I've got that same Surefire flashlight on my list as Mopar and I've been looking at the Surfire U2 Ultra but at 250.00 (retail) I'll be looking for awhile.

 

What I like about the Mini Mag is that you can use the Batteries from your GPS if you run out of juice on the way back.

 

Edit: I have dropped my 3 Cell Mag 20' or so while climbing down into a cave. The ground was dirt and not rock so that helped. Still I expected the worst. When I got down though the flashlight fired right up. I do need to check my spare bulb though...

Edited by Renegade Knight
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dougsmiley

+dougsmiley

Posted
Posted

$98 for a flashlight!!! Don't lose that sucker!

My thoughts exactly. I'll strap 4 cheap AA lights together with duct tape before I spend that.

 

I'm not going to night-cache anyway. Seems like a stupid risk to me, unless it was just a parking lot cache or something.

 

Use the rechargeable AA/AAAs in you maglite/whatever. Same things you put in you gps/camera/whatever. They actually make them brighter, they last awhile and they recharge when they die.

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DocDiTTo

+DocDiTTo

Posted
Posted (edited)
I just bought some flashlights from Cheaper Than Dirt.  They're 8-bulb LEDs, shaped like the Surefire models, use three AAA batteries - and you get three of them for $15.

 

No, they do not blind enemy troops at 100 meters.  They do, however, put out a surprising amount of light (lit up my backyard enough to see grass details). 

 

I like 'em enough that I ordered three more as stocking stuffers.

If you're referring to model KEY-265 I have one of those, and similar ones I bought locally. They all seem to develop a problem of bad connections after a few months, and the LEDs sometimes only half work, or stop working completely. If you take the flashlight apart you can fix it temporarily by tightening things up inside, but they just come loose again. One of them has a problem with the switch, in that it started coming on all by itself which I fixed by taking off the rubber switch cap and removing the piece of plastic that was inside. Not as nice of a feel now, but at least it's not on in my pack all the time. The size and weight is nice, but the reliability isn't. I always carry at least 2 with me in case one has issues. I'm looking for something similar in size but more reliable.

Edited by DocDiTTo
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ZingerHead

+ZingerHead

Posted
Posted (edited)
If Santa didn't take the hint this year (and judging by the response "How much? For a freakin' FLASHLIGHT?"; she didn't)

That's one smart Santa :blink: . Cripes, $98 will buy you a decent GPS and a four cell Maglite (a real one) to boot!

 

If I thought for a minute I'd wind up having to defend myself with something, I'd bring a knife. Or a gun. Or a big stick. Pretty much anything other than a dinky little flashlight! I could probably do more damage whacking somebody upside the head with my 60CS than with that little pipsqueak lighbulb.

 

$98 almost makes sense since they make stuff for the military, those same folks who brought us $400 toilet seats ;) .

 

I do have to admit those little flashlights are pretty cool looking though.

Edited by ZingerHead
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altosaxplayer

+altosaxplayer

Posted
Posted

Those battery shakable flashlights DO work and quite well. I have used on on a night hunt before. BAD idea. The LED just doenst light up the reflectors like a white light flashlight would. BUT, the shakable, flashlight is very powerful and tough. You are supposed to be able to to run over it with a car and drop it (it floats too) in water without any harm to the flashlight itself

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Chiro75

+Chiro75

Posted
Posted

Start a new addiction for yourself and check out www.candlepowerforums.com. Good luck! I personally always have a small 1 LED Arc AAA on my keychain. Small, but powerful enough to get you out of a pinch, and it runs on AAA batteries. My main bright light if I get stuck out at night is an Arc LS. Uses one CR123 battery, and I use the "twisty" endcap (twist on, twist off), so it's a 1-watt LED, BRIGHT(!!) and about 2.5 inches long altogether. Can't beat it, and CR123's don't bleep power when you don't use them, so the battery will be in good shape when I need it. Finally, I usually have an Arc AA in my other pocket. Just a redundancy, but you can never have too many lights when you need one! ;)

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Team Tired Boy

+Team Tired Boy

Posted
Posted (edited)

I'm not going to night-cache anyway. Seems like a stupid risk to me, unless it was just a parking lot cache or something.

 

Night caches are great fun. But the other reason you might need a light is if you just end up on the trail later than expected and have to get back in the dark. That's why we always carry and flashlight and our head lamps.

 

Use the rechargeable AA/AAAs in you maglite/whatever. Same things you put in you gps/camera/whatever. They actually make them brighter, they last awhile and they recharge when they die.

 

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.

Edited by Team Tired Boy
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dkwolf

+dkwolf

Posted
Posted

2-cell mag in the house, 3-cell in the car. 5-cell in the truck. Yeah, it's a heavy bastard, but go to sears, you can buy a belt holster for it for $5. If I'm night caching (or walking in to my treestand) I have a mini-mag that I bought the lens kit for, and replaced the clear lens with red so I retain my night vision.

 

I'll agree, the surefires and streamlights are nice looking, and I wouldn't turn one down, but no way can I justify spending that kind of money for one. Heck, I've used my maglites as an improvised hammer before without any worries about them (bulb or otherwise). No way I'm doing that with a $100 flashlight.

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Mopar

+Mopar

Posted
Posted
Use the rechargeable AA/AAAs in you maglite/whatever. Same things you put in you gps/camera/whatever. They actually make them brighter, they last awhile and they recharge when they die.

Actually, rechargeable batteries put out LESS voltage then normal alkaline, so in a flashlight they are dimmer, not brighter. Also, like someone else mentioned, they start discharging as soon as you take them off the charger, even if you don't use them. The batteries in most of the Surefires and other high-end flashlights have a shelf life of 10yrs or more.

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Mopar

+Mopar

Posted
Posted (edited)
If Santa didn't take the hint this year (and judging by the response "How much? For a freakin' FLASHLIGHT?"; she didn't)

That's one smart Santa ;) . Cripes, $98 will buy you a decent GPS and a four cell Maglite (a real one) to boot!

 

If I thought for a minute I'd wind up having to defend myself with something, I'd bring a knife. Or a gun. Or a big stick. Pretty much anything other than a dinky little flashlight! I could probably do more damage whacking somebody upside the head with my 60CS than with that little pipsqueak lighbulb.

 

$98 almost makes sense since they make stuff for the military, those same folks who brought us $400 toilet seats :blink: .

 

I do have to admit those little flashlights are pretty cool looking though.

Actually, it's quite effective for self defense, maybe more so then a knife in some situations. The light output of some of these lights is so intense it quite literally causes blindness and pain for both man and beast. Check out some of the experiences posted here.

I guess a light half the size of a mini-mag that throws out enough light to cause pain and disorientation is just something you need to see to believe.

 

If blinding them doesn't work, the Surefire E2D is also designed to be used as a kubaton for pain compliance techniques. The crenellated bezel and tailcap of the E2D will hurt a heck of a lot more then a 60cs when pressed up against the proper nerve.

Edited by Mopar
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dkwolf

+dkwolf

Posted
Posted (edited)
If Santa didn't take the hint this year (and judging by the response "How much? For a freakin' FLASHLIGHT?"; she didn't)

That's one smart Santa ;) . Cripes, $98 will buy you a decent GPS and a four cell Maglite (a real one) to boot!

 

If I thought for a minute I'd wind up having to defend myself with something, I'd bring a knife. Or a gun. Or a big stick. Pretty much anything other than a dinky little flashlight! I could probably do more damage whacking somebody upside the head with my 60CS than with that little pipsqueak lighbulb.

 

$98 almost makes sense since they make stuff for the military, those same folks who brought us $400 toilet seats :blink: .

 

I do have to admit those little flashlights are pretty cool looking though.

Actually, it's quite effective for self defense, maybe more so then a knife in some situations. The light output of some of these lights is so intense it quite literally causes blindness and pain for both man and beast. Check out some of the experiences posted here.

I guess a light half the size of a mini-mag that throws out enough light to cause pain and disorientation is just something you need to see to believe.

 

If blinding them doesn't work, the Surefire E2D is also designed to be used as a kubaton for pain compliance techniques. The crenellated bezel and tailcap of the E2D will hurt a heck of a lot more then a 60cs when pressed up against the proper nerve.

Very true, and I knew that about those flashlights. However, that knowing how to apply it to the proper nerves, and maintaining the presence of mind to remember how in a self defense situation. Whereas, in a true self defense situation, any idiot can figure out how to make a hole in an attacker with a knife ;) And with a little training and practice, you can make a hole in an attacker from a distance with a gun :D (putting on flame retardant suit and unwrapping the hot dogs)

Edited by dkwolf
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