While I lept out the front door and roamed the neighborhood looking for suspicious kids at 2:30am I grabbed the nearest flashlight which was a large 4 cell maglight.
Two things.
It’s not very bright
My wife complained that I didn’t leave her with a light.
I have a SureFire Executive Elite, but it’s downstairs in my “grab bag” so to speak, and I’d like to keep it there.
So, I’m in the market for a light. Actually, two. One for me, one for the wife. I’d like to keep then handy, one downstairs and one upstairs.
I’d like them to rechargeable, and I’d like the durability of LED.
Anyone have any expeience with them? SureFire has some LED rechargeable lights too, and of source they cost twice as much and I can’t spend $500+ on flashlights right now.
Thoughts? Suggestions?
(BTW, I did apprehend some “suspects” in my search …)
I have a Tigerlight by my nightstand for the purposes you describe. It is very bright and rechargeable, but I don’t know that I’d buy it again.
If I had it to do over again, I’d buy a Surefire 9P or G3 with the LED bulb and just buy CR123 batteries as needed. You pay a lot for rechargeables and I don’t think it’s worth the cost. If you’re using it every day, rechargeables may be worth it, but if it is only for when things go ‘bump’ in the night, I’d stick with disposable batteries.
I think that the PolyStinger would be a good choice, but if I had to have a bright rechargeable, I’d probably opt for the Streamlight UltraStinger:
My Walmart carries a line of compact Coleman flashlights that are rated at 80-100 lumens and they all sell for $24.99. I don’t see the exact models on this Coleman sight but they are very similiar to this one. The smallest pocket model of mine uses a camera battery. Runs for about 4 hours with it too @ 80 lumens.
I’ve got several G2s around and a E2 LED Defender but I also have a handful of these Coleman’s around and they have functioned very very well and they do throw a beam very competitive with the Surefires. Better than the incandescent G2s actually.
I bought half a dozen of these to throw in bags and glove-boxes as back-ups; surprising quality for the price and might be worth you taking a look-see.
If you’re not dead set on rechargeables, may I suggest an upgrade
for your 4-cell maglite. I purchased a Terralux TLE-300 3 led upgrade
head for my 4cell maglite. It puts out 600 lumens, lots of throw and flood
at the same time. 90min runtime, and its an easy drop in install. I love
the performance so much that I’ll be getting another one soon.
It turns the maglite into a major outdoor torch/seachlight. Plus you have
the maglite size as a weapon still.
Plus its on sale now…
I love the SureFire G2’s I have three, two have had the heads replaced with LeD’s one had the tailcap replaced. I’m probably gonna add two more clickers. One rides on my rifle, one rides in my chest rig, one rides in my truck bag. I also have a 6p LeD defender and it rides in my pocket.
I use a SF 9AN Commander rechargeable with dual output and have a spare batt in the charger. I use this with a red filter for 90% of my lighting needs and keep an SF M2 by the bed and try not to use it for piddly tasks so as to keep batts full. My EDC light is a SF L1 and the wife has an old Streamlight Scorpion. The 9AN I’ve found to be useless in really cold weather b/c the cold eats the juice really fast.
Years ago I bought a box full of the Scorpions as hi output cheap lights and have them stashed all over the place and don’t worry about them getting lost. (The Scorpions do not have a lock out and do get turned on easily and will start a fire
Don’t rechargeable batteries drain if they are just stored? I haven’t noticed that AA lose that much, but I haven’t left them in a drawer for a year like you might with a flashlight.
I have a Husky LED flashlight (C cell?) and a few LED maglights around the house. My EDC is a LX2 and I have a 9P with a Lighthound 250+ Incan in my home office. All work well for people who decide to tie their shoes in front of my house after 10pm.
To use cr123 vs rcr123 as an example, rechargeables will not last as long compared to primaries under use. Considering both fully charged, primaries will last longer. Rechargeables are not for storage as they don’t hold the charge like primaries. However, I can recharge the rcr123 on a consistent basis and when I need to use my light I know how much time I have before the battery will not power the light. Most people run primaries until they go out and replace with fresh batteries. So for some, the light might go out at the worst time. I guess it matters how much you use the light.
Depends on the type of rechargeable battery. Nicads and non-eneloop style Nimh, yes they have fairly high self-discharge rates. However, the NiMh Eneloop type batteries do NOT have a high self-discharge rate, meaning you can leave them charged, and they stay charged.
"NiMH and NiCd batteries can lose anywhere from 1-5% of their charge per day, (depending on the storage temperature) even if they are not installed in a device. Lithium-ion batteries will retain most of their charge even after months of storage. " http://www.greenbatteries.com/libafa.html
“At a 100% charge level, a typical Li-ion laptop battery that is full most of the time at 25 °C or 77 °F will irreversibly lose approximately 20% capacity per year. However, a battery in a poorly ventilated laptop may be subject to a prolonged exposure to much higher temperatures, which will significantly shorten its life. Different storage temperatures produce different loss results…” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lithium-ion_battery
So many choices - I like that 1000 lumen light that can start fires … … but it seems like a little too much work to charge and use (having to discharge some before use, etc) for a regularly used home flashlight. I think I will need one at some point, though.
Also checked out the Pelican 7060 LED - seems to get pretty good reviews as well.
My bedside light is a 4-D Maglight with the addition of Maglights own LED bulb. I also added a 1” sling swivel to the end cap, and a section of 1” black nylon webbing.
I know there are probably brighter lights on the market, but I find this modified Maglight to be quite suitable for a “go-to” nightstand light.
Just the other night, Frau Quib and I were sitting outside in the backyard enjoying the evening. I suddenly saw a low silhouette against the night sky, from across the yard on the roof top of a house up from us on the next street over.
I stepped inside to grab my Maglight from the nightstand. Once back outside, I lit up the silhouette only to find two teenage girls sitting on the roof. No big threat. They waved and giggled, then slide back over to the other side of the house. But, with the Maglight set to the tightest beam, it did an excellent job of lighting up the point of interest and the surrounding area.
I’d suggest a 2xCR123A or 1x18650 thrower, using a single Cree emitter. If you want the ability to reach out and touch someone with a light, there is no better tool… but if you want to flood the entire yard, I’d suggest a Seoul P7 or Cree MC-E light.
I just bought a Streamlight Strion LED on Monday. I’m really pleased with it. It’s brighter than my Stinger LED, (much brighter than my older Ultra Stinger), and has three levels of brightness and a strobe, all activated with the end-cap switch. It’s about 6" long, and about an inch wide
It has a lithium-ion rechargeable battery and can be left in the charger all the time without overcharging.
It’s a little pricey at about $130.00 for the light and two chargers, but I think it’s worth it, so far. It should meet your needs…
… but it seems like a little too much work to charge and use (having to discharge some before use, etc) for a regularly used home flashlight. I think I will need one at some point, though.