Best flashlights I've ever owned are my Mag-lite and my Surefire. Never had either let me down. Both can be had with led and rechargeable batteries. Surefire can be pricier, but if you go with the polymer case instead of the metal case, it's about half the price but still very good quality.


Richard <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/patriot.gif" alt="" />

im shocked that maglite didnt come up sooner. since you gotta have led, im sure they make them... dont know, im still rocking the torch/bully club that ive had forever. i have over the last 2 xmass gotten stanly brand lights from my mom... pretty dam nice, and durable to boot. ive carry one that feels somewhat flimsy in the monty (even though its been beat to crap) and it still turns on every time. also got a set of the tripods, pocket and full size... great light. bright, doesnt suck power quickly, durable and the pocket one actually fits in my pocket.

Mag lites are pretty good. If you remove the guts and replace them with different parts. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/evil.gif" alt="" />

http://edcfeatures.blogspot.com/2007/01/do-it-yourself-roar-of-pelican-rop.html
I've got one of these and it's just a wall of light.

I have a Fenix T-1 LED light and it's great. Has a high and low and low is usually bright enough. I think that model is discontinued and the current one is tk10 or tk11 or something like that.

This is what I've been drooling over lately in the flashlight world:
TK 40

The loooong post Little Joe started

linky

That Petzl the 'boss' sent up here has been working great; quite happy with it. It's got the headband, is the size of a plum, LED, and adjustable vertically. Nice to have a hands-free setup. With your job, that's a factor too. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/kewl.gif" alt="" />

I carry a maglite with me all day, everyday. It's dependable.

I carry both a streamlight survivor and a pelican sabre light on my turnout gear.

I have a UK light on my fire helmet.

IMO - Maglite, Streamlight, Pelican and UK all make good, waterproof, dependable lights. I would check the various models from them and look at at the specs.

Your right. I'm going to get one of these....

http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.2227

I just want something handheld to go along with that.

Those are pretty popular up here with the mechanics and mushers. They can be a little heavy on the bill of your cap if it doesn't fit well; otherwise they're pretty tough.

Here's the Petzl and other flashlight review: 4x4wire review

I can speak from experience since I have ordered a few hundred bucks worth of stuff from dealextreme in the past. Some for myself, some for Christmas presents. I have a bunch of lights from them in the <$10 range that just sit in a box now because they suck. The only light from them that I really use is a U2-style light with a Cree LED, and it's in the $20 range. It runs off one rechargeable lithium 18650 cell, which gives good brightness and runtime, and it has held up pretty well being banged around the house/garage. The light has a simple clicky switch- once for high, click again for low, click again for off. The Trustfire charger DX has for $12-ish works well with my lithiums- RCR123, 18650, 14500, etc. I bought a few lights, modded them with an updated Cree if necessary, and included the charger & batteries and the package makes a good gift for folks who still think a box-stock Maglite is the pinnacle of flashlight technology. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/lol.gif" alt="" /> The in-laws have used theirs daily for over a year and still like it.

DX has lots of inexpensive lights that really are cheap and will leave you dissatisfied. Some items they have are worth the money, but don't go hog wild buying stuff on there just because it's cheap, or you'll end up with a box full of junk. They also have problems correctly filling orders, although I did eventually get most of what I paid for.

For a pocket LED light, I would say right off the bat to just take the plunge and go with lithium rechargeable batteries and a charger for them. Li-ions just pack way more juice than an equivalently sized alkaline, NiMH or NiCad, they handle cold temps better, and don't exhibit severe self-discharge. If you get a single AA sized light, make sure it will accept a lithium 14500 in addition to regular alkalines. I prefer CR123 lights myself. The lights that take an 18650 are a little big for pocket carry in my jeans, but would be okay in a coat pocket if you're working outdoors.

Fenix, Nitecore (my daily carry is an EX10 with some extra goodies), Olight, Jetbeam are generally good brands. They aren't dirt cheap, but they aren't too pricey either, and they will actually work when you need them. Buy one of those and compare it to the <$10 crap at DX, and you'll see where your money went. Surefire has always made good lights, but they were a couple years late to the LED party and I haven't bought one. BTW, some of these lights have digitally controlled whiz-bang features like variable brightness, custom memory settings, etc. Read through the descriptions of the various user interfaces and see if that's something that will appeal to you or not. These ain't your grandpa's flashlights. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/lol.gif" alt="" /> 4sevens.com sells a good variety of lights and has good service, so that would be a good place to browse.

Head over to candlepowerforums.com, but I will warn you... the flashlight obsession consumed my life for over a year and still nags at me every now and then. I hope for your sake that you are able to control yourself. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/lol.gif" alt="" />

I didn't want to throw CPF out there, I was lucky and only got 3 lights before I got my self control back. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/lol.gif" alt="" />

...that means I second the warning. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/evil.gif" alt="" />

Ha! I was a CPF addict/reader too. Luckily, I only got as far as plans to build a ROP, and considered some lights in the Marketplace before I realized I didn't "need" a $200 titanium 300 lumen light!