LED Flashlight Recommendation?

[JoeLee]

I got myself one of these for Christmas............. https://www.flashlightdistributor.co...de-b-list.aspx

It's great for positioning in tight working places. Really bright and one side of the bar has color correcting LED's which are useful to me when matching paint colors.
It also has an ultraviolet LED for leak detection.

This place has just about every flashlight made with the exception of Mag Lite which I found kind of odd but maybe that's saying something since I've found that all my Mag Lites pretty much suck by today's standards.

JL................

[danlb]

I'm curious, how many of you are needing a light that's on for 1/2 hr or so for doing a task in a dark place, vs that 10-60 seconds to see what's going on somewhere? And if it's the latter, why aren't you using your phone's LED light? I use it all the time for those momentary needs, and it's always with me.

Hmmm. That's a quandry. Should one use a 1000 phone to see what's under the car, or use a smaller, more durable and cheaper flashlight that has a beam that is strong enough to illuminate an area that's backlit by strong sunlight.

I don't use my phone as a flashlight simply because I have a flashlight with me at all times. Yes, even when I'm wearing pajamas I have a small 1 to 500 lumen flashlight in my pocket. It's a " Nitecore TINI 2 Black 500 Lumen USB-C Rechargeable Keychain Flashlight " available from Amazon. It has a built in charging connector and has smart screen that displays the remaining run time for each brightness level.

Dan

[BCRider]

In the house my phone lives by the computer where it can connect via Bluetooth to the wireless phone base station. Then there's four satellite phones around the house. I don't carry my phone everywhere with me because I won't put it in a pocket where I can lean against it on a hard edge or otherwise find that it's annoying. The phone is expensive and holds a lot of accumulated data. And even if it IS backed up it gets treated like a princess due to this.

Most of my flashlight use is sporadic and just to look into a dark spot. If I'm working in a dark area then I've got a powerful LED worklight that runs on a rechargeable battery and the head band lights. For longer periods I want my hand both free.

Although... the magnet on the pocket clip on those stick lights I posted earlier has worked for holding the light to a steel surface on more than one occasion to let me do a five minute job with both hands free. I even stuck it to a little scrap of sheet and then the scrap to a neodymium magnet attached to a sunken drywall screw one time. That worked like a charm too. And the swivel pocket clip let me aim the light to where it was needed.

[LKeithR]

Every time you pull your cell out, it's another opportunity to scratch or crack the screen. I don't use the cell as a level either.....

I agree, my cell is a phone, not a gadget. It's in my shirt pocket all the time in the shop and even
then it still gets beat up over time. Aside from the fact that it's big and cumbersome trying to use it
as a flashlight in some of the situations I get into would only beat it up more...

[gellfex]

I guess we all have different relationships with our phones. To me it's a tool that I have on me, just like my Leatherman. It's a flashlight, calculator, camera, notebook, sketchpad, and research tool, besides it's phone functions. I suppose if it cost over $1,000 I would be more precious about it, but it's a Moto G under $300, I have it in a protective case with a sacrificial glass scratch cover. The only serious damage I've ever sustained to a smartphone has been to the USB or audio jacks.

Pro tip: always put it in your pocket screen in, toward your body.

[bmw625]

fenix are great lights

[jdunmyer]

I carry one of these in my LH pocket: https://www.harborfreight.com/lighti...ght-63600.html My flashlight use is sporadic, seldom for more than a few seconds, but several times/day. I did 2, maybe 3 things to improve it: turned up a ring, 1/2" long drilled to 7/8", then bored 1/4" deep for a light press fit on the tail cap. This keeps it from being turned on in my pocket. Then, I put it in the lathe and lightly rolled the edge of the front cap so quarter coin won't get stuck in it. Lastly, I've had one or 2 of the older ones that had flaky switches that I cured with a shot of Corrosion-X under the rubber dome over the switch. I've made the rings from aluminum and brass; the former is a bit lighter, the latter classier looking.

Carrying it like I do makes it easy to deploy when I have something in my right hand and need more light. Like many of us here, I'm getting older and often need additional light. I have dropped the thing onto concrete from 7' or so and it still works fine, just dented the front a bit. Further heresy: I use the el-cheapo HF AAA batteries, they last 2 or 3 months of my use.

Speaking of batteries: I bought a similar tester to this one from Radio Shack many years ago, and it has served ,me well: https://www.amazon.com/Gardner-Bende...%2C690&sr=8-11

Mine is actually the predecessor to this one, it doesn't specifically do lithium batteries.

[thin-woodsman]

Nebo flashlights (https://www.amazon.com/stores/page/0...3-87C57F370F81). Find one that fits your needs and pocketbook.

I was given a small one awhile back and it became my go-to flashlight. I recently picked up a few more, even splashed out for the 12K lumen model, which makes my Stanley FatMax 3K lumen look like one of those old D-cell flashlights.

I agree with you on the modes nonsense! I don't want a bunch of modes and I don't even want a lot of various power settings. Just give me a decent but not blinding amount of light and a freakin' simple to use on-off only function ! ! ! ! ! !

I was just complaining about this very flaw in modern flashlights. Who the hell needs a blinking mode?!?

[danlb]

I was just complaining about this very flaw in modern flashlights. Who the hell needs a blinking mode?!?

I have a few Nebos. They are reasonable quality.

As for the blinking mode, I used it when I was waiting to pick up my wife at the San Diego airport. I flashed her from where the car was stuck in line several hundred feet away. She saw the strobe above all the other cars and was waiting for me at the curb when I finally got there.

Dan

[Paul Alciatore]

I have one of those fancy, multi-function ones that my son bought for me as a gift. Nice, machined aluminum, the beam focuses, and it has three brightness levels in addition to a blinking and an S-O-S function. It could send a signal to the mother-ship in the next galaxy. But this is the one I carry in my pocket all the time. Absolutely no fancy functions; it comes on when you slide the cover back and it goes off when you slide it forward. It uses three AAA cells and is bright enough to let me see my way at night. And it is nice and flat so my pocket does not bulge out.

It does have one, nice additional function; a magnifying glass. This is almost priceless. Just last night I was on my hands and knees behind my TV, looking at a small, USB connector to see which side was which. And I needed a magnifier in addition to the light. And, there it was, already in my hand. Priceless!


I bought my original one some years ago at Walmart. When it finally wore out (but I fixed it later) I could not find another one there so I went on-line to get this replacement. Amazon, I believe.

[Tungsten dipper]

I have a few Nebos. They are reasonable quality.

As for the blinking mode, I used it when I was waiting to pick up my wife at the San Diego airport. I flashed her from where the car was stuck in line several hundred feet away. She saw the strobe above all the other cars and was waiting for me at the curb when I finally got there.

Dan

Nebos are my favorite. I haven't found one with just a on/off switch.

Thanks for all the replies!!!

[NiftyNev]

So I just took the batteries out of my flashlight (2 D cells) setting here by my computer, NO sign of corrosion, they are Duracell and the date on them is MARCH 2011. Still lighting the lamp bright.

Duracell back then were good, they are now absolute garbage. I had a few leak in the past few years and will never buy them again. Some still in package long before expiry date. One large Supermarket chain here in Australia rufuse to sell them now. Energiser is my choice now.

[gambler]

since i use a flashlight everyday at work, I only use streamlight. they take a beating year after year, are repairable, rechargeable, liquid proof too.

[eKretz]

Duracell back then were good, they are now absolute garbage. I had a few leak in the past few years and will never buy them again. Some still in package long before expiry date. One large Supermarket chain here in Australia rufuse to sell them now. Energiser is my choice now.

I have had plenty of Energizer alkalines leak too. The only ones I haven't had leak are the "lithium" versions. Or NiMH. Those never leak.

[BCRider]

I've had white powder show up on the ends of NiMH cells too. It leaked out as a liquid but slowly enough that it dried to the white powder. Still leaves a crusty mess if it occurs inside a device. Generally when the cells are no longer able to take and give back a proper charge.

Had a lot of the old nicads leak in a similar manner over the years as well.