LED Flashlights

[TheMafioso]

Hi Guys,

I need to buy a new flashlight for myself. I'm lookin forward to buy a LED flashlight, 'cause i've heard they never fuse, but i can't find it here locally.So i have to buy it over the internet.But the problem is there are many types of them available, with different number of LEDs.

As i have never used LED flashlight before i don't have the idea, how many LEDs one i require.So can anyone guide me how many LED one i should go for, which would have brightness equal to normal flashlight (say with a 6V bulb ).Would a flashlight with 12 LED's would be good enough ?

Regards

 

[compuwiz1]

What about those no battery type things they show on TV? I don't understand them, but apparently you just shake it?

 

[Viper GTS]

What kind of use are you looking for?

LED's have their advantages (namely battery life & overall durability) but for sheer output nothing beats a good incan light.

If you tell us what you plan to use it for and how much you're willing to spend we can help you better.

Viper GTS

 

[Demon-Xanth]

Step #1:
Goto Dansdata.com
Step #2:
Read the many, many reviews
Step #3:
Buy one that suits your needs

The best lights have one kickass LED.

 

[Viper GTS]

Originally posted by: Demon-Xanth

The best lights have one kickass LED.

Or multiple kickass LEDs...

InReTech has some very nice (and very expensive) products.

My only LED light is a 1W Luxeon Star, it's a nice general use light. Not terribly bright, but it's more than enough to make it around the house when the power is out.

Viper GTS

 

[natto fire]

Originally posted by: compuwiz1
What about those no battery type things they show on TV? I don't understand them, but apparently you just shake it?

My grandpa has one of those. They are not the brightest, but they do perform as advertised.

 

[Don Vito Corleone]

I like the Inova lights as good-value, quality LED flashlights. I keep an Inova X0 in my nightstand along with my Glock 17.

 

[mugs]

http://www.flashlightreviews.com/

If you're not a flashlight fanatic (clearly you are not), I would suggest just getting a cheap flashlight. No need to spend $30+ on a good one.

I have 4 of the 21-LED lights from this ebay store: http://stores.ebay.com/Scales-More

It's brighter than my Inova X5 (not by a lot). Only disadvantage is they use 3 AAA batteries. I'd prefer AA, they're cheaper.

You can find LED flashlights at Target and Walmart, by the way. Target carries better quality lights than Walmart by far.

 

[TheMafioso]

Hey, thanx for the quick reply guys
I'm buying it for general use, meaning to make around da house for the short time when's power cut
Lookin to spendin around...doesn't matter, 'cause i'll be most probably buying here from India not from US, so price are gonna be very much different.BTW what do u guys think of this
http://cgi.ebay.in/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vie...me=MERC_VI_ReBay_Pr4_PcY_BIN_Stores_IT

 

[Rubycon]

HDS Systems Ultimate 85 GT - the most sophisticated compact lighting instrument on the planet, PERIOD.
PeakLED Systems Caribbean - incredible brightness for its size.
Surefire U2 - larger and about equal in brightness to the U85 series. Adjustable like the U85 although not as sophisticated. Knurling aggressive enough to saw through fingers if needed.

 

[mugs]

Originally posted by: MS Dawn
HDS Systems Ultimate 85 GT - the most sophisticated compact lighting instrument on the planet, PERIOD.
PeakLED Systems Caribbean - incredible brightness for its size.
Surefire U2 - larger and about equal in brightness to the U85 series. Adjustable like the U85 although not as sophisticated. Knurling aggressive enough to saw through fingers if needed.

The cheapest light there is $100. The SureFire is nearly $300 and the HDS is probably about that much too based on the price of the EDC 60. The guy just wants to be able to find his way around the house when the power goes out.

 

[Rubycon]

Originally posted by: mugs

The cheapest light there is $100. The SureFire is nearly $300 and the HDS is probably about that much too based on the price of the EDC 60. The guy just wants to be able to find his way around the house when the power goes out.

Inova X1 then.

If they want one that can be used to beat someone down the Dorcy 3D is nice. I've seen one of these recently and was told it cost $22. :Q

Lot of light and heavy. If it had a mouth it could eat 3D Mag's for a month.

 

[Baked]

Originally posted by: compuwiz1
What about those no battery type things they show on TV? I don't understand them, but apparently you just shake it?

Costco sells wine up LED flash lights. It has on and blight settings. Not really bright though.

 

[mugs]

Originally posted by: MS Dawn

Inova X1 then.

If they want one that can be used to beat someone down the Dorcy 3D is nice. I've seen one of these recently and was told it cost $22. :Q

Lot of light and heavy. If it had a mouth it could eat 3D Mag's for a month.

I have an Inova X1, one of the few flashlights I regret buying. If you hold the thing far enough away to light a decent sized area, it's not nearly bright enough. If you're working up close, you have a very narrow beam to work with. There's no beam spill at all. A keychain LED is more useful to me than my X1. X5 is better, but expensive and it uses relatively expensive batteries. They do have a long shelf life though (the batteries that is), so they are ideally suited for an emergency light. It won't help you much if the batteries are dead.

 

[Rubycon]

Originally posted by: mugs

I have an Inova X1, one of the few flashlights I regret buying. If you hold the thing far enough away to light a decent sized area, it's not nearly bright enough. If you're working up close, you have a very narrow beam to work with. There's no beam spill at all. A keychain LED is more useful to me than my X1. X5 is better, but expensive and it uses relatively expensive batteries. They do have a long shelf life though (the batteries that is), so they are ideally suited for an emergency light. It won't help you much if the batteries are dead.

It's funny how so many hate the narrow beam of the X1. I find it very good when I need to see in a theatre control room with subdued lighting and don't want to disturb anyone. The total lack of sidespill is nice and it can reach a good 80 feet or so and still be useful. Up real close it is too small and bright for a lot of work, however.

The T1 may be a better bet although it requires CR123A cells that some will find burdensome to have on hand. R123A's solves that problem.

The Fenix is probably a good bet and the value cannot be beat. The fact that it runs on a single AA makes it even more attractive. I have yet to have one on hand to try.

 

[DaWhim]

there are low end and high end led flashlight, do your hw well. I love my ARC-AAA

 

[mercanucaribe]

If you want a 3 D light, get a Dorcy at Target. $22 for a 1watt LED, which is as bright as a standard 3 D incandescent. It uses a Luxeon Star LED and has a good reflector-- the only things that should matter to non flashlight enthusiasts. AFAIK, anything 1W and over is a Luxeon. The bulb is a little off center in my Dorcy, but the beam isn't affected much.

If you want a small light, do NOT buy anything that uses AAAs. AAA batteries have 1/3 the power of AAs and there is no reason to use them in a flashlight. CR123s are expensive as hell so avoid those too.

Edit: REview of older Dorcy 3D. It pwns Mag for light output AND runtime. http://www.flashlightreviews.com/reviews/dorcy_luxeon3d.htm

Just for reference, a 3-D aluminum light that uses a normal bulb was tested for runtime and it dropped to 50% of the starting light output in 1 hour 2 minutes. The Dorcy 3-D Luxeon light takes about 21 hours to reach 50% starting light output. However, they both start with darn close to the same overall light output! (If anything, my readings show that the Dorcy starts out brighter!) Since it takes the Dorcy 21 hours to drop to the level of output that the "other" 3-D light gets to in 1 hour, this constitutes having 20x the effective runtime of the common "other" 3-D aluminum light.

 

[her34]

Originally posted by: mercanucaribe
If you want a 3 D light, get a Dorcy at Target. $22 for a 1watt LED, which is as bright as a standard 3 D incandescent. It uses a Luxeon Star LED and has a good reflector-- the only things that should matter to non flashlight enthusiasts. AFAIK, anything 1W and over is a Luxeon. The bulb is a little off center in my Dorcy, but the beam isn't affected much.

If you want a small light, do NOT buy anything that uses AAAs. AAA batteries have 1/3 the power of AAs and there is no reason to use them in a flashlight. CR123s are expensive as hell so avoid those too.

Edit: REview of older Dorcy 3D. It pwns Mag for light output AND runtime. http://www.flashlightreviews.com/reviews/dorcy_luxeon3d.htm

Just for reference, a 3-D aluminum light that uses a normal bulb was tested for runtime and it dropped to 50% of the starting light output in 1 hour 2 minutes. The Dorcy 3-D Luxeon light takes about 21 hours to reach 50% starting light output. However, they both start with darn close to the same overall light output! (If anything, my readings show that the Dorcy starts out brighter!) Since it takes the Dorcy 21 hours to drop to the level of output that the "other" 3-D light gets to in 1 hour, this constitutes having 20x the effective runtime of the common "other" 3-D aluminum light.

what do you recommend for a small light?

 

[Gibson486]

Originally posted by: compuwiz1
What about those no battery type things they show on TV? I don't understand them, but apparently you just shake it?

Inductance FTW!

 

[SupaDupaCheez]

Originally posted by: TheMafioso
Hi Guys,

I need to buy a new flashlight for myself. I'm lookin forward to buy a LED flashlight, 'cause i've heard they never fuse, but i can't find it here locally.So i have to buy it over the internet.But the problem is there are many types of them available, with different number of LEDs.

As i have never used LED flashlight before i don't have the idea, how many LEDs one i require.So can anyone guide me how many LED one i should go for, which would have brightness equal to normal flashlight (say with a 6V bulb ).Would a flashlight with 12 LED's would be good enough ?

Regards

By no means am I a 'flashlight afficiando' but I bought this Craftsman 5 LED 'stubby' flashlight for $9.99 during Christmas 2004. I use it to work in tight spots while working on my car (see my sig). The light is nice and it has three 'brightness levels' (kinda like a 3 way lightbulb). It has a rubber coating and has withstood MANY 3ft+ falls with no problems. It's a 'stubby' model that is normal sized in every aspect except length. Oh yeah, I use it a LOT and have only had to change the batteries ONCE.

 

[jlee]

I have a Garrity LED flashlight that I typically have on me, and a Streamlight Strion I keep in my truck. Strions are awesome.