Flashlights, review and discussion

[s/v Faith]

Flashlights, review and discussion


I remember sitting on Dan's (Psyche) dock discussing flashlights.  Rose and I thought about it for a bit, and came up with astounding like 13 flashlights we wound up carrying aboard!

  Now, I know that sounds excessive.... and it is.  ;) We counted a big rechargeable spotlight, a 4 cell mag light, our PFD lights, head lamp, our dingy light, dive lights, reading lights as well as several misc. lights used for various purposes.

  I admit I have something of a problem... maybe a fetish.

Here is what we learned.

  We took 3 of these, and all failed. 
These seemed like a good idea, but the fragile contacts easily corrode and are too small to be easily cleaned. IMHO they have no place on a small boat.

  On the other hand;

The best flashlight I have ever owned, and I have bought more then a few, was given to me as a retirement gift by Kurt.   ;D  It is a "Rayovac High Beam 1W Luxeon LED Flashlight, 1 Watt Highbeam"



  I have had several LED lights, and have not been happy with any of them until this one.  The 'grey' light most LED flashlights produce is not pleasing to me.  Have not been impressed with the conversion kits for the little mag lights, they are not as bright, and do not 'focus' well.

  This one makes a bright, clear nearly white light.  On our trip it was the one that stayed in my pocket, went on the dingy with me, even went swimming with no ill effects.  It takes 2 AA batteries, which is good since we try to standardize our battery powered equipment to this size.

  I found a similar 1w led light at Target, it is a 'river rock' brand (can't seem to find a link on their site).  I like it cause it is 1w, and nearly as bright as the Rayovac but only takes 1AA battery (published life is 30hours on one battery.  It also has a 'blink' mode that is reported to double the battery life, but is not recommended if you may be prone to seizures...  :P


Edit by Captain Smollet: fixed image tag

[Tim]

I have a similar fetsh ;)

I have had quite a few headlights and this is the best I have found yet


And a link to a random place to get one

http://www.campmor.com/outdoor/gear/Product___82556?CS_003=2477120&CS_010=82556

[CapnK]

Wow, funny you should post this, Craig. I was in WalMart the other day, and, well...




My name is Kurt, and I am a Flashlightaholic.





So, I was there, and somehow it just happened...



I went over to the Place of Flashlights.




You know, just to have a *look*.



I wasn't gonna buy anything.

Honest!!!!!!!!





But...

::)



They had the same light I bought for Craig (and, Yes, have wanted ever since, and, well, just because...).



They also had a 3W version!




And...





They were both on a Close-out Sale!!!

8) :o :-X



So, Bretheren, I backslid.



I couldn't help it. I am powerless, and Yes, an Addict.


I bought one...  ::)

I couldn't help it. It's not *my* fault!


So, Craig - I'd thought of asking you how you'd liked it, even of starting much this same thread. And here you have done so, already...


Coincidence? Synchronicity? Or just the ever-magical, unseeable but all-powerful bond that unites us Flashlightaholics...?

You tell me, cause I sure don't have a clue!


I'm just digging my new flashlight, especially with the good review it got... ;D

[AdriftAtSea]

For flashlights, I like the Gerber and Pelican brands. The only ones I use all use AA batteries, as do the safety strobes on my PFDs.

The Pelican I have a few of are the Pelican MityLite, which takes two AA batteries.  I also use the Energizer "photo" lithium AA batteries in them.



The three types of Gerbers I have a few of are:

The Recon, which has Red, Green, Blue and White lenses built in.  Uses a single AA battery and is fairly compact.



The Infinity, which uses a single AA, a battery life of about 25 hours, and is waterproof to 15' or so.



The Firecracker, which has a shorter battery life than the Infinity, is about the same size and uses  a single AA, but is considerably brighter, with a range of almost 150'.  This is my everyday utility flashlight that I carry 99% of the time.



I'm planning on replacing the Firecracker with an Omnivore, since the Omnivore is basically an upgraded Firecracker that can take AA, AAA, or CR123A batteries.



I don't recommend these for any one who tends to lose flashlights, since they're a bit more expensive than some others, but they're very reliable and hard to kill.