Comments on: Flashlights

By: Flashlight Review – Brillianter.com

Flashlight Review – Brillianter.com — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 22:21:47 +0000

[...] did a review of the Fenix LD10 that I wrote about in my last flashlights post and it sounds like his is pretty happy with it. I think that Fenix is going to start giving [...]

By: Secesh

Secesh — Sun, 23 Aug 2009 17:49:44 +0000

I found your post very informative, I’ve been thinking of getting another flashlight (I have 2 Surefires). The Fenix sounds like a good light, better price for it and the batteries. I think the availability of batteries would be a concern in an emergency. You can find AA’s anywhere, the batteries for the Surefire are rare and expensive. The only thing about the Fenix is no pocket clip. Are these available seperately?

By: Mostly Genius

Mostly Genius — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 21:43:11 +0000

I have a few G2s and at least a couple of 6ps. They are great flashlights. I am not sure that 6p is twice as good as a Fenix – but it does cost twice as much. Some of the more exotic SureFires cost three or four times as much. Would it be better to have four lesser flashlights or one super flashlight in a disaster?

Anyhow, I don’t have anything bad to say about SureFire, except they are really expensive.

By: Jeff

Jeff — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 19:15:20 +0000

While I agree with your general point, I don’t agree that SF’s are more than a civilian reasonably needs. To my mind, flashlights are like weapons or medical kits. You may not need them often, but when you do, you generally need them bad, you need them to work, and work well. I would not want to be in a post-Katrina type environment without high quality lights that I knew I could count on to work in harsh conditions.

I have several Surefire G2’s, several different styles of Streamlights and several of the $25/$30 type Lowe’s and Wal-Mart lights. Like you said in your earlier post Mostly Genius, what you grab depends on the mission. If the power’s out, the wind is howling and the water’s rising, I sure as hell am NOT going to grab the Lowe’s light.

By: Mostly Genius

Mostly Genius — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 19:41:53 +0000

Truthfully, the only thing surefire really cares about is engineering. They build the porsche of flashlights, and they sell them in bulk on lucrative government contracts. SureFire’s lights are engineered to very exacting tolerances, but it is probably more than a private citizen reasonably needs.

By: Overload in CO

Overload in CO — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 19:28:13 +0000

The one other thing I think is important is flood vs spot. I’ve had lights with a bright pencil thin beam (via an optic), with no spill. On the other end, you don’t want a light that blinds you when you use it.

An example of flood vs spot would be the Surefire T1A Titan vs their E1B Backup. The Titan is a flood light, while the Backup has more throw (spot).

Another consideration is battery life. Many LED electronics trade longer runtime for brigher light or a longer runtime at a high brightness level. That increase is taken from the back end of the runtime, so the light doesn’t slowly get dimmer but instead drops from bright to moonlight. One reason I like variable brightness lights is that it allows me to use only enough light and save the batteries for later.

By: geekWithA.45

geekWithA.45 — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 11:52:25 +0000

This has everything important for about $25 at any Walmart: http://www.rayovac.com/flashlight/selux2aa3w-b.shtml

Frankly, Surefire’s has not accepted or adapted to the fact that they haven’t been competitive in this market for a couple of years, and has a hard time justifying their prices, given the practical limits of their value proposition in light of the competition.

By: Mostly Genius

Mostly Genius — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 10:05:09 +0000

I don’t know that there can be a “winner” until you define the role for the light. For example: I carry a Fenix P3D pretty much daily, But I don’t have to wear a business suit or (conversely) armor and a helmet. I would change my gear choices based upon the tasks that I think I might need to perform.

I am satisfied with the size, durability and light output of the P3D for my private citizen role. If I was going to do police stuff, I would choose a different (larger, higher output) light as my primary flashlight. If I was doing military stuff it would be very dependent upon the mission, the batteries available, size, weight, and the frequency/difficulty of resupply.

By: Snowflakes in Hell » Blog Archive » Flashlights

Snowflakes in Hell » Blog Archive » Flashlights — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 18:51:52 +0000

[...] Brillianter has a post on flashlight technology, and their role when it comes to carry. I have a Surefire 6P that I rarely carry, just because it’s so large. I’ve been needing a new lamp for a while anyway, but maybe it’s just time for an upgrade. [...]

By: Another Gun Guy Brian

Another Gun Guy Brian — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 16:47:41 +0000

I’ve been carrying a $30 Coast pocket-sized LED (from the impulse buy lane at Lowes) for several years and recently came to the conclusion that an upgrade might be appropriate. Need that pocket clip.

Research, your older posts and coincidence led me to the Surefire E2D LED Defender. It appears to have a nice balance between output, size and ruggedness.

I’ve got one on order from Botach where they’re $39 off retail (if you’re interested and not in a hurry, wait for their inevitable sale next month for another 10-15% off).

This seems like almost as personal of a choice as a pistol or knife and I imagine I’ll probably end up with 2 or 3 similar lights before settling on a “winner”. Like a carry pistol or knife, I can’t see any harm in having the “losers” around as backups.